Thanks. So should we switch to low carb wet food soon? I thought we would need more testing on the dry food first. I just don't know how to gauge how much insulin he would need at this point
What dose is he on right now? Following the recommended testing routine daily will allow you to see his response to the food change.
He is on 2 units of Lantus twice daily
I guess I'm confused how the insulin injections should occur after the switch. Let's say we give him wet food in the morning. We would test him beforehand, but how would we know if he needs insulin or not? Haven't found a lot of info on that.
Sounds good. We'll do four tests tomorrow and upload a spreadsheet. We'll keep giving him the dry food for tomorrow. I'm nervous to switch at this point
What about altering insulin during that time? If we reduce the carb intake by even a little, wouldn't we want to reduce the insulin as well? Is it just a guess at the beginning?
As Chris said, the key to doing this safely is testing, first of all, and then setting up the spreadsheet to track your numbers. We look at the spreadsheet to see what's happening before giving advice. You can't just alter the insulin without knowing its effect as the food change happens.
I'll add my spreadsheet today. Hopefully that can help us figure out what's going on with him. We've gotten 2 samples so far today. Hoping to get a few more
OK, I'm going to be asking a LOT of questions in the upcoming weeks. We're getting better at home testing so that is positive. I have a container of honey near him in case of trouble when we start the switch, but I'm nervous if something happens when I'm away for work for around 10 hours a day. I'm thinking maybe Thursday I'll adjust the food amount to 75% dry/ 25% wet, and maybe I can take those days off to make sure I'm around if anything bad happens. Plus that gives a few extra days of testing and getting a better picture of his BG levels and reaction to the Lantus. Thanks to you and Kris for the advice. Every time we have a success in the process it feels a little less stressful.
Yes, it is a process. You'll get there!
Hurray for data! He's running high on this dose but you're undertaking a food switch. Don't change dose right now. Make sure you get a pre shot test AM and PM every day (no food at least 2 hours before) to check that the planned dose is safe. You need non food influenced BGs to know that. Get at least 1 other test in the +4 to +7 range daily or at least a before bed test if you're away all day.
I haven't switched the food yet. He's still at 1/2 cup twice a day of the Feline W/D Chicken dry prescription food right now. Or did you mean I'm about to begin to switch the food so don't change the insulin dose just yet?
I've added a few more tests to the spreadsheet. Does it seem like we could start switching from dry to wet food tomorrow? Going 75% dry/25% wet and staying at the same insulin dose of 2 units of Lantus.
I think he'll be OK. He'll still have a fair bit of dry so I doubt that he'll have a BG nose dive.
Alrighty. Is there a place on the spreadsheet to indicate a diet change is taking place?
You can go to the right side of the spreadsheet and make notes there to track the change. You can also use the "insert" function at the top left of the SS under its title to insert a row above tomorrow's date. You can merge cells in that row and put in a title about the food switch beginning. The merge cells icon is in the SS tool bar.
Thanks. I used your tips.
If your diabetic kitty is underweight you can feed more wet (once you've switched) if he's hungry. You can split it into several small meals. It's helpful to weigh him every couple of weeks either on a digital baby scale or on your own scale while you hold him and then subtract your weight.
About how long is recommended to keep the 75% dry food/25% wet food diet before switching to half and half?If your diabetic kitty is underweight you can feed more wet (once you've switched) if he's hungry. You can split it into several small meals. It's helpful to weigh him every couple of weeks either on a digital baby scale or on your own scale while you hold him and then subtract your weight.
Your spreadsheet looks great - very clear.
I think 2 days should be enough. If you see signs of GI upset back off on the rate of switching and let his tummy adjust.
OK, we'll keep our eyes open for that. And keep the insulin dose the same at 2 units of Lantus?
Yes but make sure you monitor BG. A +2 test daytime or evening is a good sign if action awaits. If it's significantly lower be prepared to test hourly for a bit.
What would be considered significantly lower? Like 400 to 200?
100+ points for the BG level he's at right now.
Today we're doing an AMPS, +2, +4 and possibly a +6 test to get an idea how he's reacting to 2 units of Lantus at 75% dry food / 25% wet food. Tomorrow we'll make the switch to 50% dry / 50% wet and keep insulin at 2 units. We'll keep our eyes open for a steep drop at +2 .
You're looking for a steep drop between PS and +2. If you get a steep drop give a teaspoon or two of the food mix and test again at +3. The purpose of this is to try to control the drop so it doesn't get too low. Repeat the small snack at +3 if there's another significant drop. If not, just test again hourly up to about +6.
He went from PS of 527 to +2 of 445. A drop of 82. Does that qualify as needing to give him a small snack to help control the drop?
No, you want them to drop. A steep drop would be numbers under 100.
Sounds good. Unless anything seems out of the ordinary I assume we'll keep him on this diet for at least until next weekend.
That dry food is going to keep him propped up, carbs stay in system longer. See how his numbers are better when fed less dry food overall? These numbers are going in the right direction. I wouldn't give him dry food after tests. If he gets under 100 you would give high carb wet food.
Right now we're transitioning him from dry food to wet food so we're slowly changing the percentage he's getting. Today was the first day of 50/50 mix. I'll have to pick up some higher carb wet food to help for the drops. I'm worried about tomorrow when I'm not able to test him during work. Hopefully I'm just overreacting.
Twice a day right now. 7 AM and 7 PM. We could do more meals on the weekends but the week days are pretty busy. I might look into an automatic feeders to see if those might help. I think I'm most worried about not knowing if/when we should cut the dose of insulin.
I was going to suggest a timed feeder. I think they are about 150, so not cheap. Insulin reductions are earned when they get below 90. I know how scary it is when they start to drop, but his numbers are still plenty high. Maybe tomorrow feed 60/40 so he stays a little higher if you're worried.
Good to know, thanks. Sounds like we're on the right track and I just need to take a deep breath. I appreciate the advice and will keep testing and making notes.
Yes! I got pretty nervous last night as the numbers were plummeting but I think that's because we hadn't seen any yellow numbers yetIt looks like to 50/50 food mixture is having an effect on overall BG levels. Good sign!
. I decided to work from home today to get a couple tests in just to be safe. Very afraid of a hypo even though it seems we're not that close to one yet.
If you have hypo supplies (lots of test strips, something sugary like honey, Karo or maple syrup, and some high carb wet food with gravy) and you post here when you see lower than usual BG numbers, you can manage that situation. The reason for the testing routine we recommend is to help avoid that but cats can be unpredictable.Yes! I got pretty nervous last night as the numbers were plummeting but I think that's because we hadn't seen any yellow numbers yet
Thanks. I'll start posting his numbers there as well. I need to pick up some high carb wet food it sounds like