Where to start?

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AngieR

AngieR

Member Since 2015
My cat was diagnosed on Tuesday and I seem to have a vet that is too busy to answer all of my questions. She started him on Novolin 2u 2x/day on Thursday. He had a curve done at the vet's on Thursday too and apparently it was perfect. He started at 470 then went down to 210. She seemed pleased with this.

On Tuesday I also started to transition him to Fancy Feast Classics wet food. He is still getting a bit of dry food to phase it out of his diet.

Anyway, last night and today were my first days giving him insulin. I've tried testing his glucose at home and he tolorates it great but I seem to suck at it! I'll keep trying. I've watched several videos on here and read the tips!

This morning he seemed very very sleepy and was not begging for breakfast as much as usual. He got over it and was back to normal in a few hours but had me worried. It was groggy before his insulin. When I got home from work it was a similar case. He was groggy and snuggly until he ate gradually. Could this just be that he is tired from his day at the vet's yesterday?

And thoughts on Novolin? And the transition to wet food?

I'll test his glucose as soon as I can get it to work!

This has been really overwhelming. There have been many tears shed and a lot of anxiety. Going to work and leaving him at all makes me nervous. Thankfully we have the weekend together to decompress.
 
We've all been there, felt so overwhelmed and scared. It really does get better, just take a couple of deep calming breaths and give your self some credit for wanting to learn. If you have other vets in your area, it may not be a bad idea to call around and see if any of them are really experienced in treating feline diabetes, you need one that will answer your questions. Although, you'll probably learn more on this site than you will from the vet. ;) Lol

It takes time to learn to do the testing and it also takes time for the kitty's body to learn how to use the insulin, that could account for his odd behavior. I remember when Goof was diagnosed, I cried all the way home from the vet. Over the next couple of weeks, I had about 4-5 major meltdowns. But you'll get there, you'll be fine. :cat:
 
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Somewhere on here, a member wrote something like a letter from a diabetic cat to his owner ( maybe someone on here knows what I'm talking about and will share the link) It's really awesome and it'll help you feel a lot better about things.
 
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Thank you! I have a friend who is a vet tech at a speciality clinic and she has been helpful. I just feel like I'm second guessing g everything and just want what is best for my boy!

I'm the one losing weight and going through a lot of wine! Thank you so much for your support!
 
Sharon14 said:
we've all had testing failures! What part are you having trouble with?
Click to expand...

Well first was figuring out how to use the lancing device. Now it's not getting enough blood. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother the cat one bit!
 
Here's the "Letter from your kitty"

You asked for opinions, so here's one....Novolin isn't one of the best insulins for cats, but we have some people here who have used it successfully. It's a harsher, older insulin that hits "hard and fast" and usually wears off before the end of the cycle (a cycle is 12 hours). Better insulins are Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. If you continue to use it, it's very important that you are home testing and that you make sure that your cat eats before his shots....usually about 30 minutes before the shot so there's food on board before the insulin "hits"

Low carb wet food is the way to go, but again, if you're already giving insulin, make sure you transition slowly!! Dropping from a high carb food to a low carb one can drop the blood glucose up to 200 points!

Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!

Keep asking questions!! The people here are great about sharing their experience and love to help a new sugarcat!
 
Chris gave some great suggestions. Make sure you're using the larger lancets. Size 26-28
 
I got my first glucose test done! Yay! It didn't bother kitty one bit thankfully. He was at 347 so still high but lower than what it was at the vet's to start which isn't surprising.

He was super sleepy again this morning and not all that interested in his food. He ate a little bit but this cat usually wolves down half a bowl. Since his glucose still seems to be high any other thoughts on why he is so sleepy? His nose does seem to be a bit stuffy but this is just not like him.
 
Great that you got the test done! Did he eat enough to get his shot? Also since he's still high and not eating much please try to get a ketone test done. You can pick up the strips at any pharmacy.
 
I think he ate enough. It's not his usual but I also don't think he likes the beef flavored wet stuff. I swapped the beef for turkey and he gobbled it up!

What are ketones?
 
Well I've been tracking his blood sugar and he's responding well to the insulin but he's still so tired and not eating like normal. He usually begs throughout the day a ton!

I called the vet and she said it could be inflammatory bowel or pancreatitis that they wouldn't know without an ultrasound. They did say if he won't eat dinner or is still picky tomorrow he is likely nauseas and could give him something for that. This is so stressful!!!
 
Your kitty may also just naturally not be as hungry, as the insulin begins to work. Lack of insulin prevents the body's cells from utilizing nutrients, this is why unregulated diabetic kitties are always hungry; they are literally starving. Once your baby's BG starts to get under better control he won't be as hungry all the time. Sometimes several small meals during the day are better than two large ones, easier on the tummy and not as overwhelming. Sprinkling a crushed-up treat or some Parmesan cheese over his food may entice him to eat. Make sure to monitor his weight so you can make sure he's not losing any/too much. And I second Sharon14's recommendation for ketone testing! :)

It is very stressful, but it will get better. Before you know it you'll be an old hand at this sugar dance! ;)
 
Thank you! After a stressful morning he perked back up and this evening is begging for dinner like usual. Ive been tracking his sugars all day thanks to the tips i read on here! He even purred through his most recent blood draw. Such a good boy.

I think he may not feel great when his blood sugar is high in the mornings. It's high again now because he gets insulin again soon but he's totally normal.
 
I have been tracking his sugars at home the last few days and it seems he is at his lowest 2-4 hours after insulin. That seems quick given that he is getting it every 12 hours!

I haven't heard one good thing about Novolin. I'm strongly thinking of calling my vet tomorrow to get him switched to glargine which I have heard much better things about. Even the 2 other vet's at his clinic prefer glargine! I could use some encouragement. I'm not good at questioning recommendations or whatnot!

He is feeling better and eating better today but still not his usual self. Hopefully he'll adapt to the wet food soon!
 
Glad he's eating better! I've never used Novolin, so I can't really give advice on it, but I understand that the problem with it is the quick drop, just like you're experiencing, plus it doesn't last the full 12 hours. I think the switch to glargine(Lantus) would be a wise move.
 
This is all so overwhelming! I don't feel like I had enough time to process anything before she threw this crappy insulin at me last week!
 
I understand how you feel. We are all overwhelmed at first, but it will get better. You've got the testing down, and working on the food, call you vet tomorrow and ask about the switch if she's not on board, maybe switch vets. What kind of numbers are you getting with your BG tests?
 
He has started the last 2 days around 340. My timing was off yesterday because of my own stress...and napping...but at 3 hours post- shot yesterday he was at 166, then 250 at 5 hours and 309 at 9 hours.

Today I've been much better at every 2 hours. At +2 today he was at 179 then 181 at +4 and 351 at +6.
 
Sounds like the insulin isn't lasting long enough, good reason to switch to Lantus. Show that to your vet
 
Angie....it'll be really helpful if you'll start to track your blood glucose numbers on the spreadsheet we all use here. We're all used to looking at spreadsheets before giving dosing advice, so it's good to go ahead and start yours now

Here are Instructions on getting the FDMB spreadsheet...if you have any trouble, just holler! We can help!

It'll also help for you to go ahead and fill out some information for your signature. If you look directly below our comments, you'll see information like our name/cats name, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, etc.....any other health problems should be listed too. By having all that information there, we don't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again either

Just click on your sign in name (at the top right of the page) and you'll see "Signature"...click there and a new box will pop up for you to add that information...then "save" and you're done!

When you get your spreadsheet working, you'll add the link to the spreadsheet to your signature too!
 
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