1/30 Gryphen 371 AMPS - going up overall??

[bobjoh]

Hello! My cat, Gryphen, started Lantus on 1/24 (1 unit).

She has always been in the high 200s, and we tried to control it with diet (Purina DM pate and dry), but it wasn't working, so started the Lantus. She had never had weight loss, but notice her peeing a bit larger. No excessive thirst; she's always drank a lot of water. We caught the high glucose doing yearly blood work. Maintains a consistent weight at 12.1 lbs (for the past 3 years).

Her numbers are all over the place! The first few days, things were looking good and numbers were going down consistently. Now they are the highest they've ever been and to be honest, I'm freaking out a bit. I'm making her worse!

I am doing a glucose curve today also, and the numbers just keep going up.

My girls all eat several small meals throughout the day. The only change I made today is that at the +7, I fed Fancy Feast Chopped Grill pate instead of Purina DM pate. Based on all the posts it seemed like an ok switch to make, since DM isn't the best choice.

Is she having a bounce? Is her dose too high?

It doesn't help that I have two girls starting Lantus at the same time; lots of stress. Any help/advice is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome! Make sure and read the yellow starred Sticky Notes at the top of this forum. And ask lots of questions, we love to help.

DM dry won't help the diabetes, it's too high in carbs. you also don't need to feed the DM wet, you can stick to the commercially available low carb food. Those smaller meals are great, though it's better if you can feed the last of the food before nadir. After that, the insulin effect starts slowing down and food will shorten duration and give you higher preshots. Are you feeding the same way at night?

So you could be seeing a bounce, or it could be she is one of those cats that sees an initial reaction to insulin, then it "poops out". What will really help us figure out what is happening is if you can get some more mid cycle data. If you are working during the week, your opportunity to see what is happening is at night. If you can get a before bed test at night, it's often an eye opener. Many cats go lower at night. We determine how to change the dose based on how low the dose takes the cat, hence the importance of the night time testing. If she did go lower last night, then today is a bounce.

I'm linking your intro post in Feline Health, so people know your story and the two cats. https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-member-two-cats-when-to-see-changes.242140/

 

[bobjoh]

At night, I typically feed everyone their last meal at about 8:45 pm. That is dry (and I am transitioning from dry, based on what I've been reading here the last few days). However, Gryphen will throw up if she doesn't eat for several hours (she's always done that), and so I do have an auto-feeder that doles out a 1 tbs portion of dry food at about 1:30 am. She's typically the only one that will eat at that time. I was thinking of switching the feeder to the Dr. Elsey's food?

Luckily, I am working from home now and for the foreseeable future, so I have lots of opportunities to test. No one really seems to mind it. (Fingers crossed it stays that way.)

 

[Wendy&Neko]

How long after PMPS is 8:45? Autofeeders will also work for wet food. I used the Petsafe 5, it and other feeders have a spot under the tray where you can store a freezer pack to keep things cool for several hours. The Dr. Elsey's would be lower carb than the DM, though we've seen a few cats where it raises their blood sugar.

Luckily, I am working from home now and for the foreseeable future

COVID has been great for caregivers with new diabetics. If you could get into the habit of grabbing a mid cycle test during the day, as well as something before bed at night, it'll really help us see what is happening on this dose.

 

[bobjoh]

How long after PMPS is 8:45?
COVID has been great for caregivers with new diabetics. If you could get into the habit of grabbing a mid cycle test during the day, as well as something before bed at night, it'll really help us see what is happening on this dose.

8:45 PM is +3 after PMPS.

I will start grabbing a few more numbers during the day, and at night.

Thanks SO much!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

+3 is a good test. If she's going to drop that cycle, the +3 should give a good hint.