1/14 Taz, AMPS-224, PMPS-366, +6-280 (issue with snacks!)

SaraMV

SaraMV

Member Since 2022
Taz was asking for food today. He seems to be eating a bit better. He didn't need to be syringe fed today, and he has ate almost a can and a half, which was his normal daily amount. He just can't do it all at the same time, and has to take breaks in between. He also hasn't taken pain medicine since yesterday morning, so we're hoping that his pancreatitis is almost gone. He is currently on 1 unit of insulin (changed by his vet yesterday). I was only able to do two readings today because my mom had surgery and I had to leave the house about 45 minutes after he got his morning insulin. I tried to watch him on the camera almost the entire time I was gone because I was freaked out about him being home alone. How on earth do you all spend time away from the house? :nailbiting:

He's used to only eating 3 times a day (every 8 hours). I know he'll never survive eating twice a day at every 12 hours. I'm thinking of feeding 4 times a day... when he gets insulin and at either +4 or +5. Which would you choose in order to try to keep going hypo at bay when we're not home or we're sleeping (we have a brand new automatic feeder)?

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/1-13-taz-amps-140-2-5-155-7-282-at-vets-pmps-259.257790/
 
Glad he seems to be on the mend!

So the water is a bit muddied by the dose changes and just the stresses of pancreatitis and vet stuff BUT it appears he starts to get the most downward momentum by +4. So I think a snack at +3 would be perfect.

Another snack about an hour before nadir is good if you're looking for peace of mind. Right now nadir appears to be around +5.5, so snack at +4.5 or so. That later nadir you see on the 12th's PM cycle is because he was breaking a bounce, nadirs are usually later on those cycles.

Your +2 will usually indicate where he's headed, seems like a pretty reliable indicator so far.
 
I don't know if he'd be hungry enough to eat at pre-shot, +3, and +4.5. He usually eats a half of can (friskies) at each meal. Should I cut his meal sizes down?

I'm curious to see how he'll respond with only 1 unit versus 2 units (today is day 2). It scared me to start out with such a high dose, so I think I paniced more with it. I feel much better starting low and I'd prefer to only go up by .25 at a time instead of by full units. How many days after he starts a new dose, am I supposed to do a curve?

What are opinions on feeding boiled chicken as a treat after doing a reading? I've read conflicting things on freeze dried.
 
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With SLGS you would hold the dose for a week then do a curve. I think you said you have to go back to work, so plan it for a day off. If it's like 5 or 6 days vs 7 days not a big deal. You just don't want to be holding a dose for too long.

Freeze dried should be fine, as long as it's just meat? Boiled chicken fine too as long as it's plain. I think you're not supposed to give skin though...not sure
 
From your experience, do low carb snacks and treats raise the glucose numbers much? If so, that doesn't defeat the purpose of giving insulin in ther first place?
 
SaraMV said:
From your experience, do low carb snacks and treats raise the glucose numbers much? If so, that doesn't defeat the purpose of giving insulin in ther first place?
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Yes and no. Some cats (and I mean like only 2 cats I've seen lately) can be very carb sensitive. But what you're trying to do is get a nice flat curve, mimicking a non-diabetic curve. So, by feeding at those times when they're dropping a lot, you can help offset the insulin and keep them flatter.

It can also help prevent a reduction too early. What I mean by that is the overall numbers are still high, but for whatever reason the cat dives below reduction point. For safety you'd reduce, but then numbers go back high again. It just keeps repeating in a neverending cycle, and it takes forever to make any progress. The ideal situation before taking a reduction is all the numbers are coming down overall. @Rainbow Conti is a good example of this. Little Man, for whatever reason, dives like crazy around +2, and she's done a really good job learning how to feed that part of the cycle to stop bouncing and get flatter curves

It also helps prevent the bouncing if you can slow those drops, which also helps with flat curves.
 
FrostD said:
Yes and no. Some cats (and I mean like only 2 cats I've seen lately) can be very carb sensitive. But what you're trying to do is get a nice flat curve, mimicking a non-diabetic curve. So, by feeding at those times when they're dropping a lot, you can help offset the insulin and keep them flatter.

It can also help prevent a reduction too early. What I mean by that is the overall numbers are still high, but for whatever reason the cat dives below reduction point. For safety you'd reduce, but then numbers go back high again. It just keeps repeating in a neverending cycle, and it takes forever to make any progress. The ideal situation before taking a reduction is all the numbers are coming down overall. @Rainbow Conti is a good example of this. Little Man, for whatever reason, dives like crazy around +2, and she's done a really good job learning how to feed that part of the cycle to stop bouncing and get flatter curves

It also helps prevent the bouncing if you can slow those drops, which also helps with flat curves.
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Hi! It is definitely a trial and error process. LM is definitely carb sensitive and it took me a bit to figure out the right combo of carbs. For us it makes a huge difference to feed a much smaller pre shot meal and he gets a slightly higher carb snack at +1. When I test at +2 if he still has taken a steep dive I might give slightly higher carb. If not we go to low carb food snacks. Depending on his numbers really depends on how much of a snack he gets and for how many hours past shot.

I have learned that the one meal at preshots is foolish with lantus. It really helps the curve to feed smaller meals and snacks. I know it's not what vet thinks is right and we are prewired to go by vet advice. I promise you it's not always the best advice! I changed vets for the reason of bad advice after I found this board. LM was dx in October and he is already fairly well regulated has had two reductions that are holding so far. But I did basically throw out almost everything vet told me. And trusted the wonderful people here and also my own gut. In the end we really do know what is best for our babies we just need the right guidance and information!

Look at our ss and many many others as. They really are a testament to this board and the advice! <3
 
We're struggling with the 2 snacks. I feed at insulin time, +3, and +4.5. He acts starved by the time he's due for insulin again. I have his snacks (1/8 can each) in his automatic feeder, and last night he didn't get his +3 snack because he was probably sleeping and didn't realize it was there for the hour and a half before it rotated to the next snack. There has got to be an easier way. o_O
 
SaraMV said:
We're struggling with the 2 snacks. I feed at insulin time, +3, and +4.5. He acts starved by the time he's due for insulin again. I have his snacks (1/8 can each) in his automatic feeder, and last night he didn't get his +3 snack because he was probably sleeping and didn't realize it was there for the hour and a half before it rotated to the next snack. There has got to be an easier way. o_O
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We have that issue sometimes here too. He will get better at recognizing it. Make sure to feed smaller preshot meals so he will be hungry when it's time for snacks. This is also important so that if he were to drop too low he is hungry if you need to feed higher carbs to bring bg up
 
Rainbow Conti said:
We have that issue sometimes here too. He will get better at recognizing it. Make sure to feed smaller preshot meals so he will be hungry when it's time for snacks. This is also important so that if he were to drop too low he is hungry if you need to feed higher carbs to bring bg up
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I've been watching your numbers with your guy and I seriously don't know how you do it.
 
SaraMV said:
I've been watching your numbers with your guy and I seriously don't know how you do it.
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Did you look at last years as? We were a mess! It just takes time and patience you will get there. Eventually you will fall into a pattern and habit. I still freak out I still get stressed especially when i cant be home every second. Its exhausting trust me. But it's worth it to get to where we are at now. And it's still rough sometimes so I promise it may look all ooo she has it together I'm never gonna get there...but I dont. Most days I just fly by seat of my pants and wait to see what he will do LOL :bighug:
 
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