Loki’s status

Nancita

Nancita

Member Since 2026
Hello.
We recently started Loki on Dr Elsey moist canned and are transitioning off Epigen to Young Again Mature, although the Zero might be better. Would some folks please comment on Loki’s spreadsheet, please? I am self-testing his BG. Loki isn’t happy about this, but he is perkier, moving around the house, drinks less water and his urination is also less. He’s grooming too with a pretty coat.
Thank you for your assistance. Any recommendations are much appreciated.
 

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Your beautiful Loki appears to be doing very well right now. As you make the food transition, please keep monitoring carefully. What is the actual difference in carbs between the old and new food. Do you know the percentages?

How are you measuring the .3 units? If it is just about halfway between the half unit mark and the zero mark then it’s a .25 unit dose.
 
Thank you for your reply.
Although he ate more than usual of Dr Elsey pouch, Loki doesn't eat wet food, he licks a little and then I start a new can because he declines the remainder. Also, we have a small dog and she will eat it if I leave the wet out, and I don't want to lock the cat away from the rest of the house. I will order more of Dr E pouch and canned paté.

He was on Royal Canin Glycobalance dry 23.54% Carbs for years since Dx in 2021.

Epigen Standard and Epigen 90 are 0% carbs starch free
Young Again Zero Mature less than 1% carbs but he is not attracted to it so I may transition him back to Epigen 90 dry which he ate well. That was the reading on 7/6/26 at 35 BG on the vet prescribed 1.25u. We see the vet on August 11.

If I dose 0.5u he drops below 50BG into HG. The 0.3u is a guess using a U40 syringe and is a hairline from empty. There are only full unit markings on these syringes. I recently started home testing and am still getting the hang of it.

Thanks for your comments and questions.
 
Nancita said:
Thank you for your reply.
Although he ate more than usual of Dr Elsey pouch, Loki doesn't eat wet food, he licks a little and then I start a new can because he declines the remainder. Also, we have a small dog and she will eat it if I leave the wet out, and I don't want to lock the cat away from the rest of the house. I will order more of Dr E pouch and canned paté.

He was on Royal Canin Glycobalance dry 23.54% Carbs for years since Dx in 2021.

Epigen Standard and Epigen 90 are 0% carbs starch free
Young Again Zero Mature less than 1% carbs but he is not attracted to it so I may transition him back to Epigen 90 dry which he ate well. That was the reading on 7/6/26 at 35 BG on the vet prescribed 1.25u. We see the vet on August 11.

If I dose 0.5u he drops below 50BG into HG. The 0.3u is a guess using a U40 syringe and is a hairline from empty. There are only full unit markings on these syringes. I recently started home testing and am still getting the hang of it.

Thanks for your comments and questions.
Click to expand...
You definitely should try to order some U-40 syringes with half unit markings if you want to be able to more accurately dose the insulin. Another option is to use U-100 syringes but you must use a conversion chart to make sure you are giving the correct dose. This works for some people and allows for a little finer dosing.

Let me show you the conversion chart so you can see what I am talking about:

1786014952098.png
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Wow that is so high carb! That really keeps the blood glucose up high and would mean a higher dose of insulin is needed. I guess he liked the flavor?
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. It is Rx food for diabetes. It’s all this high. I will have the perpetual cycle discussion at next weeks appointment with my vet. I wonder if they even know about the carbs %. I was sole caregiver for both parents and my husband for 15-years and research for feline diabetes fell through the cracks. I saw how to test BG for the first time a couple months ago because I wanted a comp between ReliOn and Accutrak before I started home testing. The ReliOn is very accurate. His activity level is up and he is acting more like his old self. Hopefully he will have a few more years in comfort.
Appreciate the help
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
You definitely should try to order some U-40 syringes with half unit markings if you want to be able to more accurately dose the insulin. Another option is to use U-100 syringes but you must use a conversion chart to make sure you are giving the correct dose. This works for some people and allows for a little finer dosing.

Let me show you the conversion chart so you can see what I am talking about:

View attachment 79794
Click to expand...
Thank you. I understood there was a need to use a u40 syringe for Prozinx for the way the insulin molecules move through the needle? Maybe I’m wrong. I will look into the syringes. Maybe Chewy has them. I did increase to 0.5u yesterday because his BG is increasing a little on 0.3. Very helpful. Thanks so much!
 
Nancita said:
Thanks for your reply. It is Rx food for diabetes. It’s all this high. I will have the perpetual cycle discussion at next weeks appointment with my vet. I wonder if they even know about the carbs %. I was sole caregiver for both parents and my husband for 15-years and research for feline diabetes fell through the cracks. I saw how to test BG for the first time a couple months ago because I wanted a comp between ReliOn and Accutrak before I started home testing. The ReliOn is very accurate. His activity level is up and he is acting more like his old self. Hopefully he will have a few more years in comfort. Appreciate the help
Click to expand...
You can only do what you can do and only can give so much! You are doing great to get up to speed on home testing and transitioning food. It’s great to hear that his activity level is up and he’s acting like his old self! That’s really what it’s all about.

The ReliOn is a really good meter, yes. Quite reliable.
 
His numbers are very good right now so I am not surprised that he is feeling well. I doubt that he will need more than the .5 units dose. He’s been seeing quite a bit of green on this dose already. Try to catch his nadir today if you can. Remember that many cats BG numbers do drop lower at night too, although I don’t see a dramatic difference between his day and night numbers (maybe just more tests at night.)

Are you giving him LC treats like a chunk of Pure Bites freeze dried chicken every time you test his ear?
 
Nancita said:
Young Again Zero Mature less than 1% carbs but he is not attracted to it so I may transition him back to Epigen 90 dry
Click to expand...
Have you ever tried Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein dry food? Most cats like it a lot. The chicken formula is, I believe, 4 percent carbs and so is perfectly acceptable from a carb standpoint.
 
I see you have been trying some Weruva wet food too. That’s good. I feed some of the BFF Play Pates to my cats because they’re fairly simple ingredients and lower phosphorus so beneficial for kidneys. One flavor though that seems to be a hit with most of my cats is Press Your Lunch. Or does he prefer food with chunks? Some of the OMG flavors have chunks/pieces.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Have you ever tried Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein dry food? Most cats like it a lot. The chicken formula is, I believe, 4 percent carbs and so is perfectly acceptable from a carb standpoint.
Click to expand...
Yes, he likes it. I will order more. I took notes on the sample packs noting what he likes from their product. I was hoping he might like YA. He does prefer Epigen 90 though and that could be a option.
Thank you.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I see you have been trying some Weruva wet food too. That’s good. I feed some of the BFF Play Pates to my cats because they’re fairly simple ingredients and lower phosphorus so beneficial for kidneys. One flavor though that seems to be a hit with most of my cats is Press Your Lunch. Or does he prefer food with chunks? Some of the OMG flavors have chunks/pieces.
Click to expand...
He is so picky. I did buy Weruva and have Play Pâté Chicken & Beef. Pâté or chunks on gravy he only licks it. I’m lucky if I get him to try before opening another flavor. I throw out a lot and generally divide the small cans in quarters per meal.
Kitties are a tough gig.
 
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