New Member Island BB & Gizmo Dose and Testing Qs

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Island BB & Gizmo

Member Since 2025
First of all, I want to thank everyone who contributes to the forum and has helped me help Gizmo along the way. I was using google for searches and found this forum and some answers/tips- but did not participate. I am now at the point of getting more serious about my Gizmo's diabetes treatment and aiming for remission. Apologies if this is long, but want to provide background in case anything here is helpful.

Just some background- Gizmo is long haired and I believe a Maine Coon mix I have had since he was probably 2-3 weeks old and he is now 12. Before COVID lockdown and WFH, Gizmo weighed 17 pounds. After, he was 20 pounds (food requests throughout the day were fulfilled, etc.), which was a big weight gain- (his brother from same litter gained weight also), but he never looked obese since he had a large frame, etc. I do think he could have used a few pounds less. We still WFM so that weight was maintained. In 2023 the vet noted his weight gain and put him on Hills Prescription W/D diet as a preventative measure. His blood sugar was normal but approaching higher numbers, so I guess pre-diabetic (I want to say it was 150). I gave him the food for 8 months and he gained another pound, so I took him off the food and fed him his usual Friskies (I tried better quality foods, but they want Friskies) and Fromm's Game bird kibble. Both cats had been fine- no unusual symptoms, etc.

This year we moved away from the only home Gizmo has ever known on June 30th and my baby was born July 7th. Gizmo had been hiding since we moved, but would come out to eat, etc. We didn't think anything of it because of all the changes. In August, we noticed Gizmo leaving brown spots and took him to the vet for a suspected UTI and what he noticed was Gizmo was 17 pounds his glucose test now read 372. The vet put him on Vetsulin 2X daily with each meal. After a few dose adjustments the best we got was 355. He switched us over to Lantus and started at 2 units. Finally, we got under 300- 297. One more dose adjustment to 3 units and he was at 220- which the vet called good. I was visiting the vet weekly to get his glucose readings. About 3 weeks ago Gizmo threw up and wouldn't eat so I rushed to the vet and his glucose reading was 262 and he was 16 lbs. The insulin was not adjusted, but vet stressed strict prescription diet- which I hadn't followed strictly since he didn't like W/D wet food. I was stunned at the high glucose number and scared about weight loss. That was when I found the food chart here and found that W/D is not the best food for him. I made a change and am feeding Friskies pate (used to be the filets- too high in carbs I learned) and Dr. Elsey's kibble. During the follow-up visit a few weeks later and 10 hours after insulin dose his glucose was 90. Vet is happy, I'm happy and suddenly worried because his numbers had been so high and the diet tweak seems to have worked, but now I feel like I'm in danger of too much insulin and am ready to try home testing. I bought a Pet Test monitor and used for the first time today. One hour after his 2.5 unit insulin (I lowered dose myself after that vet reading a week ago) the reading was 80.

I ordered the Relion tester today since I see most of the guidelines here are using human testers. But I had ordered the pet tester already so figured I'd use it. I pricked his ear with the safety lancet and there was so much blood- I'm afraid doing that consistently is going to be bad for him. Is that normal? Will he be ok? Are there better lancets to use or ear alternatives? How would gradually lowering dose work? I did not tell the vet about the half unit... He is 17lbs again and holding steady. Thank you all so much again!!
 
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Welcome to FDMB
We want to welcome you and Gizmo. Cats are very sensitive to stress and the fact that he has lived twelve years in the same home, it is stressful the new environment, when I brough Corky home from the shelter at 8 weeks old, he went underneath the bed and I did not see him for a month, no matter what I tried to do, I knew as well as you that he did everything a cat does in the middle of the night he ate, drank went to the litter box, until one day he just crawled on my leg and sat on my lap. All your concerns are valid, for starter you are using a good insulin Lantus, and I am happy that you made the right choice to home test, we do go mostly on the numbers of a human meter, most of us use the ReliOn premier monitor and strips, which is very important to test before each shot, you do not want to shoot and risk hypoglycemia, referring to the diet, there is no such thing as "prescribed" food humans with diabetes, they do not eat prescribed food, they regulate the diabetes by not eating carbs, the Md food you were feeding as you say is very high on carbs, that was the reason for high BG's. most of the member use the Fancy Feast Pates or Friskies; sending you links for Drs Food list below with a cat carb calculator, the third column contains the carbs for each food, the Dry Carb Matter is the carbs to look for. We are here to help you on your concerns, and specially with dosing, which I will tag a member that can help you with Lantus Dosing, we are very numbers oriented, so we would like you to create your signature and spreadsheet, links below, Remission can happen, but first regulating the BG is more important, some cats never go into remission but are regulates, as is the case of my Corky, he uses ProZinc. so, first things first; Regulate, home testing, diet, and lots of cuddles. I too have another cat that is 1/2 Main Coon. Keep posting ask away 🤗

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
0-10% Low carb
11-15% Medium Carb
16-24% High Carb
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
 
Hello and welcome. I'm glad you switched off the W/D food. My own story on W/D - I volunteered/worked part time at the local shelter. We had a bunch of overweight cats and they got put in their own room W/D. After a couple months, none had lost weight. One fatty, that I eventually brought home, had gained over a pound! But he lost slowly on low carb food at my place. The low carb food is much better for them, both for weight loss and better health. You do want to have him lose weight, but slowly.

We've seen a number of cats need a lower insulin dose, and at least one I know go into remission, just from changing from W/D to a lower carb food. So I'm really happy you are home testing. By the way, you don't need the Pet Test. Most of us here use human meters, the Relion from Walmart has much cheaper test strips. Our dosing methods also use numbers from human meters.

Speaking of dosing methods, since you are still feeding dry food, that 80 you saw today says his current dose is too high. You reduce the dose by 0.25 units if you see a number under 90. Do you have syringes with half unit markings? We eyeball those quarter unit changes.

I've not seen people use safety lancets before here. You want just regular lancets, starting with a gauge size of 26-28.
 
In addition to everything Wendy posted, keep in mind that members are usually here 24/7 or pretty close to that. If you're not sure whether to give a shot, you can always post and ask for help. Just make sure that your subject line indicates that your need input ASAP if it's close to shot time.

How low you can shoot is mostly a matter of experience and the caregiver's comfort level. If you look at Wendy's spreadsheet or my spreadsheet, we would shoot low numbers. (Wendy's cat may not be the best example as noted in her signature, though.) I would shoot anything over 50 once I felt comfortable with managing my cat's diabetes. However, there are caveats. You need to have a supply of test strips, you need to be home to monitor, and you need to have a supply of higher carb food and/or corn syrup, honey, etc. -- something that will bring numbers up if they should drop low.

Please let us know how we can help.
 
Sienne is correct it a lot of practice lots of data and really lots of testing to get to shoot in very low numbers, I myself shoot anywhere 70’’ 80s’ but it took me so big guts to do so and a lot of experience on how to handle low numbers better with food than the high carbs, syrups or honey those are for real caught by surprise moments, with low carbs foods is healthier and safer to kick up the BG slowly, with others it’s spikes the BG HIGH, than it can spiral down fast again. You’re doing a west
We are here for you, I do suggest that you test at least 1 hour before shot just in case you need assistance we have time to respond, then you can test again before shooting, together a quick response that will catch our attention type a 911 LOW BG BEFORE SHOT in a new thread post
And I’m sure you’ll get a response sooner😉
PS: do not shoot on too low BG without our assistance, you can stall shooting for a bit till we plug in with you
 
Thank you all! @CORKY @Sienne and Gabby (GA) I just tested him for the first time pre-shot. It’s been 13 hours after his shot last night. I had given him 2 units of Lantus. Using the Pet Test meter (I don’t get Relion until Saturday), it read 81. I was expecting a higher number, but he is very much trending downward it seems. I would think no insulin this morning correct?
 
Well test again in 1/2 hour I have read that the Pet meters test higher than the ReliOn,, if it has not gone up, then give 1/2 tsp of low carb test again in 30 minutes and repeat until you feel comfortable with his BG, if it get under 50 immediately rub a bit of Karo on his gums, test in 15 minutes, the BG will go up but is only a quick fix, if still low give him 1/4 tsp of medium carbs, is not good to bombard with only carbs, he will he a high boost in BG but it will spiral down quick and you don’t want him to be so unregulated we already looking for stability in BG first then we go to begging to get some low yellows to blues, try if you can to get that data you already have by creating the SS,,is important so we can all be on the same page
 
I would try to test at least every 2 hours for today since tge BG keeps going up and down, try testing with the ReliOn so we can get more precise numbers, relate the testing on his favorite spot, give a tiny low carb snack a small piece of ham, and I’ll say what I tell all newbie that was told to me
“Take a step back, breath in breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress they stress , you’re doing a great job!!
 
I would not test every 2 hours. If you skipped a shot, getting a curve (which is testing every 2 hours) is irrelevant. It's fine to wait until before his evening shot.

One observation -- with Lantus, you want to do your best to give a shot every 12 hours. Lantus does best with consistency. This is because Lantus is a depot type of medication. You have about 30 min worth of wiggle room.
 
Thank you @Sienne and Gabby (GA) and @CORKY. I’ll work on the spreadsheet today. Thanksgiving was lovely, but threw things a bit off- tested Gizmo at night. It was 122. So he went from 82 to 122 having eaten during that period. I did not give him a shot again and this morning he’s at 126. Should I do a shot now? I feel like he’s doing really well so far. He’s been on his low carb diet for 3 weeks now and it seems to be working very well! Thank you!
 
Never give a shot after you missed the AMPSorPMPS. I do know that there’s a small window to shot a bit later for Lantus but with ProZinc I have a 2 hour window to delay in case very low BG I’m not sure with Lantus, like this morning, I gave Corky a fur shot, where in a fur shot never shoot again because some insulin could’ve Gone in, and apparently it did, his BG at 10AM was 82, I suppose you would just wait till next shot time, and make sure to give only low carb foods, test a few times more before his next shot, this will tell us the impact on the BG without insulin 122-126 is not bad a non diabetic cats BG is in the range between 50-110 every cat is different, is good not to ever miss a shot even on low BGs if you are home all day you can monitor him, And believe me it takes time and practice, I would go insane and bombard this forum if it was 2 hours before shot time and Corky’s BG was 150, since tge vets at the hospital told me that a diabetic cat’s BG ranged between 200-300, now he gets 67-90 and I’m the happiest person alive I freak out if I see more than one blue during the day, I will tag a couple of members, I cannot give you concrete advice if none on dosing, even when I have a question about reducing I still ask, you’re doing awesome glad you had a good Thanksgiving! I have a hard time moving around today from so much food intake🤣
@squeem3
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Diane Tyler's Mom GA
 
I’m the wrong person to ask, I use ProZinc and shoot in the 79s, is been a long process getting the guts to do so, Suzanne awarded me with “The Balls of Steel” trophy, no kidding! Somewhere in a post from last year the picture stands” 🤣 in 3 years I’ve only missed one shot and that was because I forgot😒and Lantus may have a different BG shooting protocol, I will tag them for you as well
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Diane Tyler's Mom GA
@squeem3
 
Looking forward in seeing the SS! You’re doing a great job, and following your instincts usually is the right answer😉
 
Thank you @CORKY! I was puzzled bc his blood sugar had been pretty good and this was a spike and I don’t want it to get out of control. BUT- there’s a chance he got into his brother’s regular non low carb kibble. We keep it out of reach-Sonny is a high jumper. But we accidentally kept a chair near Sonny’s spot and we noticed he jumped up there when we got home and the kibble plate was empty. There’s a good chance he did that while we were out so we decided to not shoot and see what happens in the morning under supervision. Plus, we’re moving that chair! Long term I’m going to have to get Sonny off kibble- but he’s both a picky eater and an kibble addict. Gizmo isn’t as picky- but he loves kibble too and I’ve been slowly giving him less in favor of more wet food. We’ll see how things go…. Thanks again!
 
Island BB & Gizmo said:
Thank you @CORKY! I was puzzled bc his blood sugar had been pretty good and this was a spike and I don’t want it to get out of control. BUT- there’s a chance he got into his brother’s regular non low carb kibble. We keep it out of reach-Sonny is a high jumper. But we accidentally kept a chair near Sonny’s spot and we noticed he jumped up there when we got home and the kibble plate was empty. There’s a good chance he did that while we were out so we decided to not shoot and see what happens in the morning under supervision. Plus, we’re moving that chair! Long term I’m going to have to get Sonny off kibble- but he’s both a picky eater and an kibble addict. Gizmo isn’t as picky- but he loves kibble too and I’ve been slowly giving him less in favor of more wet food. We’ll see how things go…. Thanks again
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Our fur babies love to keep us out our toes! When you decide to switch Sonny from dry to wet, make it a slow transition, at times it upsets their stomach and you might encounter some diarrhea or vomiting, At first I did not know this, thank God my cats just went right along with it they had both been on MeaMix all their lives and grazers as well, when you have more than one cat, which most of us do, they are addicting ! is good to have them all on the same schedule and food
 
The best way for us to help you is for you to get a spreadsheet set up. I am very hesitant to provide help with dosing without seeing how. your cat is responding to insulin. Information on setting up a spreadsheet and your signature are in this post on helping us to help you.
 
Good Morning:
I have filled in the spreadsheet, and it's linked in the signature. I was following doctor's orders for how to dose insulin (all numbers before 11/26/2025 are from vet visits). When the latest visit had such a low number compared to Gizmo's history, I reduced the dose just a little bit and ordered a Pet Test monitor. After 11/3/2025 I had changed his diet completely. No more Hills Prescription Diet W/D and I have not given him a shot for a couple of days now since his glucose level doesn't seem out of control. Keeping an eye on him. Thanks!
 
I added labs to the spreadsheet. These were taken the day of his initial diagnosis. So far, he is keeping steady without insulin. I am testing AM and PM and feeding him after testing, but no shot for 5 days. I've mostly weaned him off the high protein kibble- but he still gets a little bit. This is a big adjustment because I'd say he preferred kibble and would leave much of the wet food. We're supposed to see the vet on Thursday, but I'm a little scared to tell him I haven't been giving him his insulin shot because his glucose levels have been so good. How do you guys handle when you're doing something the vet doesn't do/recommend? Ex: vet said give Gizmo Hills Prescription Diet W/D and it wasn't working, so I stopped and didn't tell vet, but the glucose readings make it clear the new diet is working. Thanks!
 
There’s no reason to be scared, remember that he works for you, you pay him for his service, you know your cat better than him, and if he gets upset because you did the right thing, than is time to think about a new vet, vets are great for many illnesses, but there are vets that are not up to date on FD,old.school, we need a vet that is up to date on FD, you’ll be ok. Show him the SS Tell him what you have learned, he can’t get upset with you, you know your cat better than he does, the DX Food as called prescribed, is NOT, is high on carbs 20% carbs is like human diabetis, they cannot eat carbs or their sugar gos up, but they don’t eat prescription food! If you are getting the food from his office, this is a product that a sales rep pushes on vets, they have no idea about what’s in this food, except that he’s making a commission, and the vet makes a commission selling it to you, and most vets do not research the product diabetic cats must have a diet can or raw food between 0-10% carbs, cat cannot digest carbs
 
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