Beginner help. Food,insulin, testing

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mabeline

mabeline

Member Since 2023
Hi again,
I’m not sure if I am posting in the right area but have a question about food.
I am still in the process of getting Mabel regulated. ( right now she is 1 unit twice a day only for a week so far) Going to do curve test once I can get her into the vet and I am sure she is going to need to a higher dose.
I am currently using Hills science Glucosupport since I was provided 2 cases…I was told on this page that the prescription food isn’t always necessary & if there is a cheaper options I’d appreciate that. I was given the food chart but am overwhelmed by looking at that.
When and how can I decided what food to switch her to? Should I switch it before she does the curve test so there is a better idea of where she is? Should I keep the prescription for 1 meal and something else for her other meal? Thanks you for any feeding information you have, as I really have no knowledge on this. Let me know what other information I can provide. Thanks!
 
Most of us feed fancy feast of Friskies pates. Typically all pates are low carbs. You don’t need to do a curve at the vet. No need for expensive prescription foods as most of them are high carbs. The food chart is helpful if you have a specific food brand in mind so you can look it up and see what the carb content is. You want to choose foods that are less than 10% in carbs. What was she eating before the Hills food? Was she diagnosed before? If your transitioning her from high to low carb food you want to be home testing daily to make sure her bg doesn’t drop too low making the dose too high for her.

You can learn to home test and do a curve at home. It’s a lot less stressful for your cat and less expensive for you. You also don’t need to feed only 2 meals a day. Diabetic cats do better with smaller meals throughout the day. Most of us feed the 2 larger meals around shot times and an additional 3-4 low carb snacks or smaller meals. It’s easier on their pancreas and also helps avoid big sugar spikes.

Please know it can take months to get a cat regulated and the best way to achieve that is to be home testing daily so you can make dose adjustments.

I’m not sure what your other post was about but if you could set up your signature, it would be helpful to us when we’re replying to your threads so we can see info like what insulin is she on, when was she diagnosed, etc. you can also link your previous thread at the top of your new post so we can refer back to it.
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Most of us feed fancy feast of Friskies pates. Typically all pates are low carbs. You don’t need to do a curve at the vet. No need for expensive prescription foods as most of them are high carbs. The food chart is helpful if you have a specific food brand in mind so you can look it up and see what the carb content is. You want to choose foods that are less than 10% in carbs. What was she eating before the Hills food? Was she diagnosed before? If your transitioning her from high to low carb food you want to be home testing daily to make sure her bg doesn’t drop too low making the dose too high for her.

You can learn to home test and do a curve at home. It’s a lot less stressful for your cat and less expensive for you. You also don’t need to feed only 2 meals a day. Diabetic cats do better with smaller meals throughout the day. Most of us feed the 2 larger meals around shot times and an additional 3-4 low carb snacks or smaller meals. It’s easier on their pancreas and also helps avoid big sugar spikes.

Please know it can take months to get a cat regulated and the best way to achieve that is to be home testing daily so you can make dose adjustments.

I’m not sure what your other post was about but if you could set up your signature, it would be helpful to us when we’re replying to your threads so we can see info like what insulin is she on, when was she diagnosed, etc. you can also link your previous thread at the top of your new post so we can refer back to it.
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Thank you for getting back to me. I made a signature. I’m not sure if I should include more or less. I’m not sure how to add the link, but the name of it is “neglected cat”
Mabel has been diagnosed for months, maybe a year. Her owner was only giving her 1 unit/ once a day. So basically nothing. I started as her pet sitter 2+ years ago and now the owner is rehoming her. I have had her for a month now as a “trial”. I took her to the vet and for a week now have been giving her Lantus insulin twice a day. 1 unit each.​
She has been eating glucose support hills food for months. She was getting less than a 5.5 can a day. She used to get dry food sometimes, but has been a month+ since not getting dry food. Only wet food twice a day. She always acts hungry. Will do anything for dry food/treats. I can continue to use the hills if it’s good/ok but ultimately would like a cheaper/healthier option for her.
I work 10 hour days and am not home midday to give her any food. Is she able to have dry food? Should I get an automatic feeder to give her some dry food throughout the day? If dry food is not good for her, I have no way to give her midday food​
I understand I need to get into doing the blood tests. I’ve yet to do it myself, only had the vet show me in the office. I’m going to add that to my to do list. I’ve been intimidated by it :nailbiting:…
 
A few members here have videos of them home testing on their signatures like @Hendrick Cuddleclaw and @JanetNJ

she’s lucky to have you! I’m afraid without data we don’t know what the hills food is doing to her. I fed fancy feast to both my cats and some folks here use Friskies. You just want to make sure it’s pate and nothing with gravy on it. I think the Hills is too high carb. Dry food is bad but an automatic feeder is a good option and @Diane Tyler's Mom seems to know of one you can add ice packs too so you can leave wet food in there for her. Maybe you can start to supplement the Hills with Friskies or FF. You can also give her any low carb treats like any freeze dried ones and even those Inaba Churu lickables. Unregulated diabetic cats can’t process the nutrients in food well so they eat but are constantly hungry and will lose weight. You may want to start testing her for ketones too @Bron and Sheba (GA)

Can you start to feed her more? What’s her ideal weight? A good rule of thumb is 20 times ideal weight to get the daily caloric intake. If she’s 10 pounds she should be eating at least 200 calories a day.
 
Is the Hills Glucosupport dry or canned?
An automatic feeder is a great idea.
There are a couple of dry low carb foods available, but they are not cheap. I haven't got the information in front of me atm but if you are interested, let me know.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Is the Hills Glucosupport dry or canned?
An automatic feeder is a great idea.
There are a couple of dry low carb foods available, but they are not cheap. I haven't got the information in front of me atm but if you are interested, let me know.
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She is eating canned Glucosupport now.
Thank you @Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) for the names of the dry food.. they’re expensive. I looked into the young again food, it should last long if she’s only getting 1/4-1/3cup a day.
Maybe I should try switching to fancy feast pate also. It says 1 can per 3.5 pounds. Mabel weighs 14 pounds and is still a round girl who waddles and can’t reach her butt to clean. I don’t know her ideal weight, but i’d imagine with she size she is it’s 1 pound or 2 lighter.
Maybe I can do something like a can of fancy feast pate 6:30AM & PM with insulin, and 2 small feedings of the young again dry food through out the day around 10:30am & 2pm.
I don’t see the fancy feast pate on the feeding chart.
I appreciate any help. I am overwhelmed & don’t want to give up.
I will plan to get supplies for blood testing this weekend.
 
Fancy feast pates are low carb so are suitable. If you give the insulin at 6.30 am I would give the snacks of the dry food at around 9.30 am (+3) and 11.30am (+5) or 12md (+5.5).
Better to feed the snacks in the first half of the cycles. Once we can see the BG data we can advise better. Do you need help with the spreadsheet?
 
At 12 pounds she should get at least 240 calories a day. The calorie info is on the back of each can. FF Classic is the pate and it’s on the chart under that name. I think that works like Bron suggested. All the FF Classic flavors are under 10% like chicken, turkey, beef, and all the seafood flavors too.
 
You’ll save a lot of money with home testing. Curves at the vet are expensive and cats are stressed out so a lot of times those numbers are elevated due to stress. You can get all the testing supplies at Walmart for under $30 and we can help you with tips. You can start massaging her ear tips to get her used to that feeling.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Fancy feast pates are low carb so are suitable. If you give the insulin at 6.30 am I would give the snacks of the dry food at around 9.30 am (+3) and 11.30am (+5) or 12md (+5.5).
Better to feed the snacks in the first half of the cycles. Once we can see the BG data we can advise better. Do you need help with the spreadsheet?
Click to expand...
Thank you for that information.
Yes, I need information on the spreadsheet where can I look for that?
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
At 12 pounds she should get at least 240 calories a day. The calorie info is on the back of each can. FF Classic is the pate and it’s on the chart under that name. I think that works like Bron suggested. All the FF Classic flavors are under 10% like chicken, turkey, beef, and all the seafood flavors too.
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Ok yes, I saw the Classic, didn’t realize it was the same. I will buy the FF CLASSIC. I’ll start with chicken and see how she likes that. I think I’ll go ahead and buy the dry food also to supplement snacks.
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
You’ll save a lot of money with home testing. Curves at the vet are expensive and cats are stressed out so a lot of times those numbers are elevated due to stress. You can get all the testing supplies at Walmart for under $30 and we can help you with tips. You can start massaging her ear tips to get her used to that feeling.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I’ll try massaging her ears to start. I’ll watch one of the hometesting videos that was posted to find out what supplies I need.
 
mowmow said:
Thank you for that information.
Yes, I need information on the spreadsheet where can I look for that?
Click to expand...
All the instructions are in the HELP US HELP YOU link but let us know if you can’t figure out and a member can set it up for you.

You can order online from Walmart or buy it at a store. You want the ReliOn Premier meter and their corresponding test strips. You can get any lancet brand but we recommend starting with a 26 or 28 gauge as it’s easier to get a decent amount of blood out with the larger gauges:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...ng-System/552134103?athbdg=L1600&from=/search

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...L8UEc2uHJ-kxHTjeXC0iRlh_U1f6ArnMaAr1PEALw_wcB

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Thin-Blood-Lancets-100-Count/34088206?athbdg=L1600&from=/search
 
As I am in the pet store I am seeing that the Friskies brand is almost half the price of Fancy Feast. Although I am trying to save money, I want to make sure it is adequate. Is Friskies pate recommended the same? Thanks!

@Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)
Do you have an opinion on this?
 
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Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
All the instructions are in the HELP US HELP YOU link but let us know if you can’t figure out and a member can set it up for you.

You can order online from Walmart or buy it at a store. You want the ReliOn Premier meter and their corresponding test strips. You can get any lancet brand but we recommend starting with a 26 or 28 gauge as it’s easier to get a decent amount of blood out with the larger gauges:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...ng-System/552134103?athbdg=L1600&from=/search

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...L8UEc2uHJ-kxHTjeXC0iRlh_U1f6ArnMaAr1PEALw_wcB
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Thin-Blood-Lancets-100-Count/34088206?athbdg=L1600&from=/search
Click to expand...
I am extremely grateful for your help & quick responses.
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
All the instructions are in the HELP US HELP YOU link but let us know if you can’t figure out and a member can set it up for you.

You can order online from Walmart or buy it at a store. You want the ReliOn Premier meter and their corresponding test strips. You can get any lancet brand but we recommend starting with a 26 or 28 gauge as it’s easier to get a decent amount of blood out with the larger gauges:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...ng-System/552134103?athbdg=L1600&from=/search

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...L8UEc2uHJ-kxHTjeXC0iRlh_U1f6ArnMaAr1PEALw_wcB
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Thin-Blood-Lancets-100-Count/34088206?athbdg=L1600&from=/search
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Thin-Blood-Lancets-100-Count/34088206?athbdg=L1600&from=/search
Click to expand...
I got all of my hometesting supplies! Do most people use the lancing device or just the lancets? I got the lancing device and it didn’t seem to be puncturing the ear. I am going to keep trying.
 
I can’t help you there as I’ve always only free handed. I do think there are settings in the device. As you start to do this, make sure to:

  1. always give her a low carb treat immediately after each attempt to build positive association.
  2. Warm up the ear to get the blood going. I used an old sock I filled with rice and nuke it for 20-30 seconds. Then I held it up against the ear until the ear was warm to the touch
  3. Use a light source so you can see what you’re doing and when using a lancet free hand, make sure the bevel side is up
  4. You’ll want to use a cotton ball or an oval to press against the back of the ear so you can apply pressure with the lancet to the spot you’re aiming at on the ear
  5. Always aim for the sweet spot
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See how she’s reacting to it and go slowly. Don’t over do it or over try it. I used to also sing a lullaby to calm us both down. The other thing I would do because Minnie would flick her ear sometimes, is I started collecting the blood droplet onto my clean nail and I’d test from there instead of bringing up the test strips to her ear. Again, see how it goes and let us know if you have any specific questions or issues!

with both Minnie and Bobo I had no issues and was able to get blood and test successfully on the very first attempt, but not all cats are like that. Some need to get used to it over time.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I used the lancing device. You may need to make the puncture deeper. There should be a dial on the side to change the depth.
Dont worry of it takes a few days to get the hang of it all. Its new for both of you.
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Thank you.
I have the lancing machine at the deepest puncture and doesn’t seem to be puncturing. I did it free hand. I drew blood, got it on the test trips twice and the monitor didn’t read it… any ideas?? It was a decent drop of blood. Frustrating:(
 
If it’s too much blood the test strips won’t read. You don’t “put” the blood on the strip. You need to let the strip pull the blood or “suck it up”. If you dump the blood onto the strip you’ll get an error message too. That’s why I use my clean nail. I place the strip right by the edge of the drop and watch it pull the blood up until it fills the chip area of the strip. I’d suggest you practice on yourself. Try pricking your finger and testing your own blood to get the hang of it.

the good news is you’re getting enough blood so congrats!!!
 
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Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
If it’s too much blood the test strips won’t read. You don’t “put” the blood on the strip. You need to let the strip pull the blood or “suck it up”. If you dump the blood onto the strip you’ll get an error message too. That’s why I use my clean nail. I place the strip right by the edge of the drop and watch it pull the blood up until it feels the chip area of the strip. I’d suggest you practice on yourself. Try pricking your finger and testing your own blood to get the hang of it.


the good news is you’re getting enough blood so congrats!!!
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I did it! I got a reading of 309. I did it about 20 mins after eating & insulin. I think I should have done it before but she was hungry and impatient. I’m just glad I was able to do it & will get the hang of it!

That is with the Reli On human monitor. I’m not sure the translations. I’ll add that to my spreadsheet, which I added to my signature. Does it look right? Thx!
 
Congratulations and good job! I knew you could do it, YAY!

yes, for the preshot tests you want to make sure she hasn’t had food for at least 2 hours before so you know the bg you get is not inflated by food. For any other tests during the cycle it doesn’t matter. How did she do with it?

I can see the spreadsheet and it looks good. I’d just add SLGS at the top since you have to follow that method because you’re feeding some dry food. there’s nothing to translate or convert since it’s a human meter spreadsheet.

how much if the Hills food you have left? I think you can just use it up if it’s not too much and start to add the fancy feast into her diet. I also think she’ll start to see much better numbers once she’s off the high carb foods. 309 is high but not horrible after 20 minutes of having eaten.
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Congratulations and good job! I knew you could do it, YAY!

yes, for the preshot tests you want to make sure she hasn’t had food for at least 2 hours before so you know the bg you get is not inflated by food. For any other tests during the cycle it doesn’t matter. How did she do with it?

I can see the spreadsheet and it looks good. I’d just add SLGS at the top since you have to follow that method because you’re feeding some dry food. there’s nothing to translate or convert since it’s a human meter spreadsheet.

how much if the Hills food you have left? I think you can just use it up if it’s not too much and start to add the fancy feast into her diet. I also think she’ll start to see much better numbers once she’s off the high carb foods. 309 is high but not horrible after 20 minutes of having eaten.
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I still have a case & a half of the hills food… Mabel’s owner had it on an auto deliver. I told her as of yesterday to put it on a hold. Are there any resources that you know of to be able to donate or sell the food?
I don’t want to waste it but rather just start the transition than postponing it. She’s still just having the wet food - I have to wait for the young again dry food to be delivered. I’ll start that next week as her mid day snacks when I am not home.

Mabel handled the test well. It will go smooth if she is in her comfy spot on the couch and relaxing, so i’ll try to get her in the position before doing it. I think it will be much harder in the morning when she’s very hungry. She doesn’t sit still when she’s hungry & follows my every move. (She is even meowing to wake me up around 5-6AM) but I will try my best! I will plan to do a test in the morning pre food/shot, then every so often after, correct? Good idea to have her food ready after the test as her treat!
 
This is where the snacks will help. You can set the auto feeder for a midnight snack and hopefully she won’t be as hungry in the morning. I actually trained myself to get up and go to the bathroom around 1am so I could give the cats a snack but the auto feeder is obviously easier. She’s not getting enough food right now. Honestly, Minnie was the same way in the mornings so I’d feed her and immediately test her so within 5 minutes of eating she was getting tested. I’d have all the supplies ready to go and it was the only way with her. I remember asking about it here then and I was told within 5-10 minutes is fine because the food hasn’t had time to be digested yet, but 20 minutes is too long. If you think you can do it this way, it would be fine.

we have a supply closer here where members sell supplies but no one is going to buy food that is high carb. I donate all my leftover food to a pet shelter near me or to a local rescue group I’ve fostered through.
 
No luck testing before breakfast.
I tried again now, 5 hours after breakfast & shot and she was at 230. I got the freeze dried chicken as a low carb treat and she was happy with that.
I’m hoping the dry foodwill help make it easier to test in the morning.
 
Did you read my post about trying to test immediately after feeding? It’s a process, you’ll figure out what works for both of you.

And just want to make sure you’re giving insulin 12 hours apart because I don’t see indicated that you gave insulin last night on the spreadsheet.
 
Yes I did see your post about testing right after eating. Still struggled at that time. I’m taking it slow and not over trying right now because it isn’t very easy just yet to do it by myself. She is moving a lot and flicking her ears, so i’m taking it as a win when I can as of now.
You’re right, I missed that on the spread sheet. Yes I’m doing it twice as day, 12 hours apart. I’ll log it.
Thank you for pointing that out!
 
I’ve successfully pricked Mabel’s ear a handful of times now. It’s going smoother. I want to do the curve test soon so we can make progress in her insulin dosing- dry food is due to arrive on Thursday. I already have the automatic feeder.
-How often am I supposed to test for the curve test?
-How long should I have her on a steady feeding schedule before trying to do the curve test? I’ve only done the blood test a handful of times, but already seeing some consistent numbers.
​
Also I will eventually be reporting back to the vet… She originally mentioned an Alpha-track but I have been getting so much help from everyone here I purchased the reli- on glucometer that was recommended. Is this going to make things very complicated or inaccurate for her to be able to assist me? I’d like to approach in a way that she’s not offended i’m not using her recommended food or glucometer…

Thank you, as always!
 
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