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Sherry & Tipper

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This forum and its wonderful people literally saved Tipper's life about 6 years ago. Thankfully, her blood sugar level returned to normal about 6 months after she received a steroid shot for allergies -- and we got her on a better diet. My vet at the time implied that that would be the end of her diabetes. For quite a while I checked her BG every now and then and it was always fine. Until today.

She's just over 18 years old now and has had some kidney deficiency and heart problems over the years. We went to the vet for a general checkup, bloodwork, x-rays, etc. today. The kidney function is not bad, liver is a tiny bit wonky but the really big item is that her blood glucose was 574!

I've been feeding her dry KD, Science Diet canned, plus some other foods that seem to agree with one of her housemates (also 18 years old) who has food sensitivities, recently had radiation treatment for hyperthyroidism and also has some CRF going on.

We confiscated all the dry food supplies as soon as we got home this evening, also removed all the Science Diet canned which is fairly high carb. Since diet worked so well for her in the past, our vet agrees that we should try that first. I bought a new glucometer on the way home, just tested Tipper and her BG is now 264.

Problem is, while I'm pretty up on phosphorus and protein content of foods (not to mention which have what grains), I'm years out of date on low carb foods. And I looked at Janet and Binky's canned food list and find that data is no longer available for virtually everything that worked well for us in the past. What a calamity! So, can anyone out there suggest a low carb, not too high phosphorus food that has limited ingredients, like rabbit or lamb or even duck? Actually venison seems to work with the other cat as well.

Also lancet advice. I bought the 33 guage micro-fine ones, but it took several pokes to get even a little drop of blood. Should I have gotten the larger size instead?

Thanks in advance. I'm bummed to need this forum again, but oh so glad you're still here.

Sherry
 
Sorry you have to be back again, but hope we can help. You might include CRF in your subject line so you can attract others with these issues. Here's Melissa's crf page with lots of resources.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1123

Yes, I would try lancets 25-27 gauge. 31 may not be big enough. You can also double poke - a quick second poke in the same spot.
 
Welcome back! Bummed to hear that Tipper has become a sugar cat again but happy to see you here! Yikes that her BG was 574 -- hope that part of it is vet stress.

So, can anyone out there suggest a low carb, not too high phosphorus food that has limited ingredients, like rabbit or lamb or even duck? Actually venison seems to work with the other cat as well.
Click to expand...
Flavors that are higher in phosphorous are seafood flavors. I have to watch phosphorous on my kitty too b/c of hyperthyroidism and feed him Fancy Feast Classic. Evo also makes some of the flavors you're looking for.

It took several pokes to get even a little drop of blood
Click to expand...
I imagine it'll probably take awhile for Tipper's ears to bleed again. Heating up a sock filled with rice or beans in a microwave for 20-25 seconds have worked for us. Here are some more
ear lancing tips from another thread.

Hope this helps! Extra hugs to Tipper!
Bonnie
 
Hi! Sorry you had to come back, but at least you are a pro at this stuff! I use 29 or 30 gauge lancets with Charlie. They are perfect for him. Thick enough to get a good drop. I accidentally bought 28s this last time and I'm bruising the heck out of the poor guys ears even on the shallowest setting. Keep in mind that Tipper's ears may take awhile to learn to bleed easily again. I think it took a few weeks before Charlie would reliably produce a drop of blood big enough to test with- and that was with the lancet set at 4. We can now get a drop with it set at 1!
 
There are lots of foods that are both low phosphorus and low carb. One I can recommend is EVO 95% venison. It is low carb, reasonably low phosphorus, and single protein. I know there are others.
 
Thanks everyone! I just tested Tipper -- warm washcloth in a baggie, 7 pokes, 3 test strips and much squirming -- but the results were worth it. 68!!!!! Hopefully this is a sign that a more appropriate diet will be all this little old lady needs.

She had Wellness turkey for supper and midnight snacks and Wellness chicken for breakfast. Didn't know the current content of the foods last night but Wellness worked great for her in 2005 so I bought some on the way home last night. I will be checking the ingredients link that was posted and plan to try a couple of cans of Evo that was recommended. Also going to pick up some slightly larger lancets -- I can't deal with these multi-pokes and then she starts shaking her ear and the blood ends up on me instead of in the test strip. The sock also sounds more likely to sooth than the washcloth in a rustly, slippery baggie so we'll try that for the next test which I figure will be after supper.

She is still moving slowly, which is one of the concerns that led to her vet visit yesterday. She is slowly making her way upstairs now, probably in search of kibble which used to be up there. I know high BG makes cats feel bad, if we can keep her BG in the good range will she start to feel better and have more energy fairly soon?

Sherry
 
Sherry, I think I would have her legs checked out. It could be arthritis or something else that is causing pain? Leg issues with diabetes can be neuropathy, but since her numbers are down and were not up for long, that seems less likely. High bg levels can cause lethargy, but her numbers are looking much better.

Great news the food may be all you need to bring those levels down!
 
Sue, she does have bad arthritis. She still jumps up on the couch, but we keep a footstool there to help her and she has to stop and think about it. I asked the vet about glucosamine chondroitin to perhaps help with that a little but she said that might raise her blood sugar. As to how long her levels were elevated, I just don't know. They've come right down since we took up the dry food and stopped feeding her the Science Diet canned, but I've been pushing that food at her since late January when the (different) vet told me what wonderful food it was, especially for older kitties with kidney problems. She also had an abscess about that time and her BG was ok then. So, I don't think she's been high for ages, but it could easily have been a few months. She was drinking and peeing a lot, but that's normal. The last week or so she just seemed slower and more tired. I'm hoping that getting the BG down will make her feel better.

Sherry
 
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