Update on dosage change and starting home testing!

Hey there everyone! I had posted a couple weeks ago after having a horrible experience with a vet and getting my kitty into another vet who changed dose and type of insulin, I'm Gem's mom!

We had our follow up apt on Friday (Aug 7) and I learned about home testing. Gem was so patient, I must have tried poking her about 6 times before I was successful. The vet was also great, so encouraging. At that time, Gem was reading 29.3 I believe on the alpha trak meter. The vet suggested we up for from 1 unit of Lantus twice a day, to 2 units twice a day. Admittedly she fussed getting her dose that night, I think she had quite enough of me pricking her...

Thank goodness, the last few injections have gone well (I may have done a fur shot Saturday morning). I finally got the courage to go for the reading this morning and Gem was wonderful! She got her breakfast at 630 am, insulin at 7. I took her reading at 915 am and she was at 28.2. I know this is high, were aiming between 5 to 15 on alpha trak, any advice? Or reason for me to panic? She's still eating and drinking normally, using her litter box and don't see her being lethargic or unusual. I will be doing a curve next weekend. Or perhaps I took her reading at an odd time?

Thank you once again everyone!

PS, the cat mate feeder is the best! She got used to it right away and has eaten each meal from it

 

Congratulations on your first successful test!! Welcome to the Vampire Club!


It will help us to help you if you'll start keeping track of your test results on our special spreadsheet. Here are the Instructions on getting the FDMB spreadsheet. If you have trouble with it, let us know! There are people here who can set it up for you.

Also, if you'll go ahead and fill out your "Signature", it will help us too. The signature is the information you see below all our posts which gives some basic information about you/your cat. To fill it out just find your sign on name on the top right of the page. There's a drop down menu and you choose "Signature". A new box will pop up for you to enter information like:

Your name/cat's name, age, sex, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, type of food, any other health problems or meds? and the link to your spreadsheet (when you have it)

That way we don't have to ask the same questions over and over again so we can respond to you faster!

 

The higher number may have been because of the food. We recommend that you test before feeding so the readings are not influenced by food

Also what are you feeding her? You should try to feed a low carb canned or raw food. That will also help get the glucose levels under control.

 

Hi Jen, I remember you and Gem!

congrats on testing, it sounds like Gem will be one of those easy going kitty so you’re lucky! It helps a ton!!!

If you can do what Chris asked, it will be very helpful moving forward

A few thoughts. Now that you’re testing, you want to test, feed then give insulin. The goal is to test before the food has had a chance to influence the BG so you know if it’s safe to give the insulin. Gem should not have any food at least 2 hours before the preshot test so you know you’re getting the true BG without food influence. You want to do that when you give the insulin in the am and pm. Then you can try to get a midday test to try and get her nadir, lowest point in a cycle, since we base dose suggestions on the nadir number not the preshot numbers. We suggest increasing and decreasing by .25 units not full units like all vets recommend. But let’s see what her numbers look like at the new dose and go from there.

I take it you’re using a pet meter, alphatrak? Most of us here use human meters so when you get the number on alphatrack you should multiply by 18 to get the human equivalent and those are the numbers you want to enter in your spreadsheet

I’m glad to hear the feeder works!

 

Okay great to know. I am feeding her the Purina DM with gravy and fancy feast pate as recommended by the folks here!

 

Wonderful, I will start doing that with my testing. And downloading that spreadsheet! I was definitely confused with numbers I saw from others, so now that makes more sense haha. All the new things to learn!

 

And now that you started home testing you can slowly transition her away from the Purina and into FF pate only. Do you have a lot left?

 

If a cat was to be on a fancy feast pate can food diet only, how many cans a day do you feed a 11 pound cat with a massive appetite as the cans are small?

 

A good place to start is 20 calories per pound so 220 calories per day. Weigh once a week and adjust as needed.

Adding water to the pate will not only make it's own "gravy", it'll help fill her up as well as keeping her very well hydrated (important for kidney health)

The calories per can is on the label (in very tiny print) but it's also on Dr, Lisa's food chart

 

The rule of thumb is 20 times ideal weight. So if 11 is the ideal weight, you’re looking at 220 at least. If the cat is diabetic and has lost weight and needs to gain, I’d do a bit more. Look at the content on the back of each can as each flavor has different calorie content. Remember diabetics cats can’t process the nutrients in food well so they’re hungry and lose weight even though they’re eating. It was an eye opener to me to find out they also burn calories just by peeing since there’s sugar in their urine