1/8 Simon question about feeding schedule

Status
Not open for further replies.
kim and simon

kim and simon

Member Since 2012
My vet instructed me to feed twice a day and give the shot right after. Is this the best feeding schedule? I have noticed some give smaller meals more frequently or even free feed with wet food. Perhaps it's too soon to say!

Simon is really hungry! (His sister Molly is not diabetic but is overweight--she's getting the same diet and is hungry too!)

I've been taking as many BGs as I can. Let me know how you think we're doing and what we should do next.

I'm leaving town in 9 days for a 5 day trip. I can board him at the vet or have my mom give him his shots while keeping him at her house. I would like opinions about the best steps to take beforehand--I think I might not want to raise his dose, if indicated, until we return. I would rather have him with 5 days of higher BG than risk a hypo episode. I guess this week will tell more about how we're doing.

Thanks.
 
I feed binks a series of 4 minimeals am & pm...
smaller meals seem to not overwhelm the pancreas and help even out their cycles.

I just divide the total daily amount i feed him by 8...and that's what a mini-meal is :-D

celi & binks
 
I do the same with Cini. Just like a diabetic person needs several small meals throughout the day, so do diabetic cats. I feed mini meals after the injection so the action of the food pushing up the BG will help with the drop of the insulin and make it a little smoother.
 
If I remember what others have said correctly....
You want the food to be mainly in the first six hours of a cycle, in small meal amounts (before nadir), and you don't want to feed in the two hour period leading up to the next shot (+10 - +12). As Simon gets better regulated, you will be able to manipulate his curve with the feeding schedule. Best person (IMO anyway) to ask for help regarding feeding amounts and timing is Marjorie, although I would think most lantus users can provide a great deal of help with this.

Carl
 
In part, when or how you feed depends a great deal upon your cat. Both Marje and I front load the cycle because we have cats that dive (although that has changed some for Marje since she switched Gracie to Levemir). In general, small, frequent meals are less likely to overwhelm a healing pancreas. As Carl noted, it's often best to feed prior to nadir since there's more insulin to help offset the effect of food. Likewise, we encourage you to not feed 2 hours prior to shot time so that the pre-shot number doesn't reflect the influence of food.

With regard to travel, it will probably be less stressful to have Simon at your mom's than at the vet's. I would also be very surprised if Simon got his shots every 12-hours or if he was kept on a strictly low carb diet when at the vet's office. When I travel, I have a vet tech who cat sits come in to care for Gabby. I reduce her dose and set up a demo syringe. You may want to spend some time with your mom making sure she's comfortable testing and shooting. We'll be happy to help you with setting up a dose for Simon a little closer to when you're leaving. (A lot can happen between now and then.)
 
welcome! i don't think i've stopped by to say hi yet - so hi!

if your mom can manage it at all - we've had lots of petsitters (family or otherwise) who will sign on here and get advice if they need it. just something else to keep in mind.

i feed punkin 1 can of fancy feast at preshot and 1/2 can at +3, then give him a bite of boiled/baked plain chicken with his tests throughout the day. there are lots of options - and like sienne said, it depends on your cat and how sensitive he is to carbs. that might even be noticeable by the time you go. one of the primary things you're doing in this first little while is learning more about your own cat and how simon "works" in this diabetes dance!
 
just wanted to stop by to say hello and welcome to the group!
you've already been given good advice on feeding. as you collect more and more data you'll have a better idea how to personalize simon's feeding plan.

as far as dose while you're gone...
simon's showing an excellent response to lantus. let's see how this week goes. a lot can happen in the 9 days before you leave.
 
Thanks, all. This is really helpful! I'm learning...gave him a little mini meal at +3 and he seems a little less frantic for food this afternoon.
I think Simon is doing pretty well so far. His fur looks better already. He isn't flooding the box. He doesn't mind his shot. I see something of a downward trend on bg.
I'm checking out the petfooddirect pricing on more premium foods. Vet recommended over 45% protein and under 10 carb, but it's hard to find! Is very low carb more important than very high protein?

Who is at risk of pancreatitis? I don't fully understand whether to watch fat. Or phosphorus for kidneys.
 
A lot of the issues regarding diet and pancreatitis have not been found to be applicable to cats. There was a roundtable discussion about pancreatitis in by leading vets. I'm linking the info so you can read it at your convenience. Gabby was diagnosed with pancreatitis at the time she developed FD. We've been very lucky that she had that one episode and that's been it (anti-jinx).

If your cat's lab values for renal function are normal, I wouldn't worry about phosphorus. If you see any changes, you can switch to a low phos food.

I posted on your thread on Health about food prices. The cost for the big cans (12.5oz) of Wellness price out at less per ounce than Fancy Feast. I feed my two Wellness. I don't feed fish and even some of the poultry flavors of FF have fish in them.
 
Thanks Sienne. I looked at your kitties' pictures. My other cat (Molly) is a calico. Didn't know you could have a male calico! It looks like all your kitties share a color scheme :)
 
Hi! I just wanted to say welcome. My cat is also Simon. I feed Simon 6 mini-meals a day. I bought an automatic feeder which is extremely helpful since I work full-time during the day. I set it to go off at lunch and at around 2:00 in the afternoon and also at 2:00 in the AM. He figured the whole thing out in a couple of days.

My mom also stays with my cats while I am away. Unfortunately, she doesn't give shots so Simon goes without a shot for a couple of days. I would definitely not recommend increasing a dose until you get home from your trip.

Everyone in LL is here to help so you are not alone.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top