Thank you for being a great resource! Bubba needs help and Im not sure what to do.

BubbasMama

Member Since 2020
First off, thank you all do much for being such a great resource for information and guidance. I so appreciate it and have learned so much!

Bubba is 16 years old, diagnosed with D2 on early January. I brought him in because of his drinking and eating habits changed- both went up. I had been keeping my eye on him for the last few years, working hard to get his weight down down to 14.8 from 24.2. But I've known D2 could be a possibility, so I was always looking for signs and taking him in for blood work every 4 months. So I'm assuming we caught it early.

Vet started him 1 unit of Lantus twice a day. Test his glucose every day before his shots. First day, he was down from 330 to 128! It was never that low again. up- up- up- staying up and coming down slightly with every increase, then goes back up to 400's. The vet increased the dose to 2 units, then two weeks later 3, two week later 4 and the numbers at 4 were about the same or worse than at 2 units. so I went back down to 3 and increased it a little at a time, Well, we are up to 6 units and its was in the 200's and 300's for a week, but now back in the 400. Never had ketones in his urine. He does have some dental disease, so I am think that might be the problem, but he is 16 and not sure if he would be ok with going under, last time he had a hard time. Took him about a week to get back to normal and hat was 4 years ago. I'm so frustrated. He has been such a trooper, but I just feel like I'm torturing him. He is like a little pincushion.

For food I give him 1 and a half cans Fancy Feast Turkey and Giblets Classic a day mixed with boiled chicken or no-salt tuna. He is very arthritic, so I give him 4 cbd cat treats in the am and pm, each has 2 carbs per treat and he seems much better with that than the med they gave him for pain which made him tipsy at the lowest dose. He doesnt do well with meds. Never has.
He is on 1.3 mg Amlodipine for high blood pressure and Zobaline and that all.
Should I try another insulin?

What am I missing?
 
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First WELCOME!

Kudos to what you've been doing on your own so far...although as you'll see many of us here have gotten misinformation/direction from our vets and hence we look to better resources for more information to help our sugar kitties...

The very first thing we need to help you is for you to set up the spreadsheet so you can track your kitties BG numbers and how much insulin he's getting.

Here's a link on how to do that: HOW TO SET UP FDMB SPREADSHEET: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

The next thing that's so helpful is your 'signature' - here's a link on info on how to do that: SIGNATURE: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

You can look at my spreadsheet to see what Luci and I have been up to for the last couple of years...and after I post, you'll be able to see my signature and the things I've written there to help others to see when Luci was diagnosed, what kind of insulin she's on, etc.

Those things will get you started...again WELCOME to the best place you never wanted to be!:bighug:
 
Welcome. Sue gave you a lot of information. I just want to add that Lantus is dosed according to how low a dose brings the cat. So you will need to get some mid cycle tests to determine that. Lantus is a really good insulin for cats. Get the spreadsheet up and running and we will be able to help you. I also suggest reading the yellow stickies on Lantus. There’s a lot to digest so take your time.
 
Hello and welcome, love the picture of Bubba in the sunshine. :)

Oops, hit return to fast.

When cats get up to six units of insulin per shot, we suggest you might want to get your cat tested for some secondary endocrine conditions, namely acromegaly and IAA (insulin auto antibodies). My girl had both of those conditions. If you are in North America, the blood for the tests gets sent to Michigan State University. One in four diabetic cats has acromegaly, a condition caused by a benign tumour on the pituitary gland that causes excess growth hormone to be produced. Some of the common symptoms, besides insulin resistance and often higher doses, are larger cats with extremely good appetites, sometimes a pot belly, arthritis is also common.

Have you ever tried buprenorphine instead of gapabentin for pain? Sometimes one works better than the other for a cat.
 
Thank you for the responses. I am putting together Bubba's spread sheet. He is in the 600's tonight. I'm at my wits end. Today, I only gave him boiled chicken, a teaspoon of tuna and his AM pill pocket with his high blood pressure meds and vitamin B. I stated a BGC today and half way through I could smell insulin on his flank when I gave him his AM Lantus, so I stopped that curve and will be doing one from 6pm- 6 am. since 509 , 592, 615,These are his readings at 6 pm, 8pm and 10pm. He hates me right now. poor guy. I will try and get his spreadsheet up tomorrow after work. Thank you again! Wendy Buprenorphine makes him vomit. thanks for the suggestion.
 
I believe so, his BG before his shot and food at 6am 485, 8am 467, 10am 466. So he may have gotten some, but not sure if he got most of it.
 
Okay. That’s why a curve won’t tell you how this dose is working. I wouldn’t do a curve after a fur shot. Just my opinion.
 
Okay. That’s why a curve won’t tell you how this dose is working. I wouldn’t do a curve after a fur shot. Just my opinion.
OK thank you. I'm exhausted and wasnt looking forward to waking up every two hours tonight. I'll have to wait until next Saturday. or an overnight later in the week. I appreciate the help!
 
Can you help me understand your spreadsheet. I only see occasional days with a dose listed in the units cell. There is nothing from March 21st to May 2nd. Did you give insulin those days? In order for us to help, we need to see what dose you gave each day and night. And did you did a fur shot (it happens, don't worry), could you put something like 6.0 FS in the units column for tonight? The FS is for fur shot, and tells us he didn't get his full dose. It will take around six cycles for the depot to rebuild, starting tomorrow as cycle 1. Meaning no curve until earliest Wednesday night.
 
Good Morning Wendy! Thanks for your input. I gave insulin everyday- I'm still working on the spreadsheet, I just wanted to get it up as fast as possible, but the dose you see is what I gave everyday, until you see another dose number. When the dose changed, thats when I posted another dose number. For example- you see 5 under units- I gave Bubba 5 units until you see a 6. I'll fill it in more completely after work tonight. Thanks!
 
I'm also worried about muscle wasting with Bubba- he is losing a lot of muscle strength. He lays down all the time even when drinking. Walk s about 10 feet and then has to lay down.
 
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