Update on newly diagnosed Xalli

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lepick

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Hi folks and thanks again to everyone for the incredible advice. My baby kitty Xalli (13 yrs) was diagnosed on Monday, on Tuesday the vet taught me to administer insulin and I gave her 2 units PZI insulin. She had what I now know were hypo symptoms. After seeking your advice here, reading all your posts and researching further I decided to do hometesting. Yesterday Xalli's number was 348 but I didn't want to jump to administering the insulin after her reaction initially (even only 1 unit). So I read all the info from Dr. Lisa on recommended diet changes and the possible help with that and decided I am going to try to do that for a least a few days so I can take a 'wait and see' approach. Xalli started a total wet food, high protein low carb diet yesterday. This morning her number was 266.

Is this a reasonable and responsible approach? I was thinking perhaps giving 3 or 4 days with the food only as long as 1) her numbers don't get higher than initial bg test and 2) she tests negative for ketones in urine (she did yesterday evening and this morning). Has anyone else taken this approach with success, even if only to then help reduce the amount of insulin? I do not want to be irresponsible at all, but I kind of feel like the vet threw me in a pool without knowing how to swim, and I'm trying to keep my head above water!

Thanks so much for any advice or guidance on my plan. And also thanks for making me feel like I CAN do hometesting! It is actually so much easier than I thought and given this it is shocking that isn't something vets mention! Ugh, frustrating!

Lea and Xalli
 
I think that it is great that you are seeing some results. As you saw yesterday, you can go this way if you are monitoring, etc. Will it hurt? Absolutely no way to know but if you are monitoring it may be just fine. And it will give you a couple of days to get more info into your head :)
 
I would think that since you are testing for ketones often, kitty can be OK in the morn but something show up in the eve, and switching to the better food, wet-low carb-high protein, and keep testing to keep track of Xalli's numbers, waiting a few days is a good idea.
Especially, since you are just recently diagnosed, and have had a hypo situation from that first shot, waiting sounds safe to me.

At the very least, you are giving Xalli time to adjust to the diet change and the testing ritual. If you are still seeing the high numbers, then you can start the insulin again, but at a much lower dose than the vet suggested!

The vet did not tell you about home testing? Well, that would just cause lost income for the vet, right? If you bring Xalli in for curves, the vet can charge you a bunch of money!
When it is going to cost you money, and when the numbers won't even be true because of the stress, you are way better off testing at home.

I sure hope Xalli feels better with the diet change and if she needs insulin, it will be a much smaller dose.
 
To give your vet some credit, not all vets have bought into the idea, and many don't mention it in fear of alienating clients. Mine was told not to recommend hometesting by a so-called diabetes expert...this was several years ago though and times have changed, and the word is getting out in veterinary journal articles so they should be reading about it more!

Mine was against it but now is firmly on board. That said, very few of her clients test...
 
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