? 12/7 Herman AMPS 340, +1 328, +3 275, +4 311 - ok to increase dose by .25?

[Amy & Herman]

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...sidering-switching-to-tr.265645/#post-2974395

Hello,

I am hoping to switch to TR and therefor go up to 1.75units (0.25 increase) this PM or tomorrow AM. Any concerns or advice that I should delay?

I also have a few long winded questions...not urgent but curious to see if anyone has input.

What is the reason for no feed in the two hours prior to test/shot?
I ask so that I can better understand possible implications in instances where he might have had access to food in that window. An example would be if I was out working from +6 to +11 and had left out some lc wet for him to snack on. What if he didn’t eat that food until +10? I would have no way of knowing ofcourse, but it is a possibility any time I have to leave food out for the second half of a cycle. Others must be in similar situations.
Note: I essentially feed him as often as he likes, usually spoon fulls of fresh lc wet throughout the day – often at BG test times as a reward. He eats his largest meals of the day after his amps and pmps at injection time.

Is his current diet too LC?
Herman currently eats Fancy Feast Pate 0-3% and Tiki Cat Varieties that are 0%. I have some Purina Proplan Diabetic Wet (6%) but he prefers the FF and Tiki Cat so I do those instead.
Note: Previous to switching to LC wet a few weeks ago he was on Royal Canin Prescription Diabetic Dry as prescribed by my previous vet when he was first diagnosed diabetic in April and put on Caninsulin (we are now on Lantus as of couple weeks ago). Before the diagnosis he ate whatever kibble was offered and way too many temptations.

Treats?
He doesn’t love freeze dried anything but I am still trying to find one and will continue to test them out. Are there any non-freeze dried LC treats with “crunch” out there? I used to give 3 Royal Canin Diabetic Kibbles as a treat after blood tests which he LOVED but I’ve stopped that (now he gets a spoonful of LC wet – what a mess haha). I’ve tried cheese – was not a success. He would SO appreciate a kibble-like treat if any exist in LC! So would I!

What if I need to top up a dose – can I re-insert a syringe into the vial or do I have to discard and start with a fresh one?
I’ve struggled getting the doses just right – they are such tiny increments. Occasionally I have squirted out a drop too much (I generally draw out more than needed then squeeze out the excess into a paper towel after I have flicked out air bubbles.)

Allergies? Although I actually think his coat is better overall and he is grooming more in general as his numbers, while high, are more level...I wonder if he is grooming too much, especially at the base of his tail (he has even pulled some hair out but I see no redness or irritation per se) and if that might indicate an allergy? Might Fancy Feast create allergies? Should I be finding a higher quality LC wet?

Thanks,
Amy & Herman

 

[tiffmaxee]

With SLGS you increase every 7 days so no you should not increase yet. This is only day 4. If all dry food is gone I suggest a switch to TR. You can increase every 3 days if needed.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/

The reason for no food two hours before insulin is because you don’t want a food influenced bg so you know it’s safe to shoot.

Vital Essentials makes hard treats that are just like kibble.

You don’t want to contaminate the insulin by injecting insulin back into the vial. That probably wouldn’t happen if you discard the insulin and then insert the syringe again. If just a drop less I just gave a drop less. The same when I could not get rid of a small bubble.

That could be allergies but they are so tricky. One of mine has skin allergies which I think are due to not tolerating a protein after a couple years but it could very well be environmental as well. It’s so frustrating.

Some cats do better with a little higher carbs. The only way to know is to experiment. I have read recently that fancy feast recipes have changed and many cats will no longer eat it. I know first hand you need to read labels carefully as they put chicken in many foods but the name if the food sounds like all meat or fish. I personally would try other higher quality foods to see if it makes a difference.

I hope this helps.

 

[Amy & Herman]

With SLGS you increase every 7 days so no you should not increase yet. This is only day 4. If all dry food is gone I suggest a switch to TR. You can increase every 3 days if needed.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/
WHOOOPS I mean to preface my post with the note that I am (hoping) to make the switch to TR today until his numbers are in a lower zone - or maybe permanently if my future work schedule permits the close monitoring. I've updated my SS!

The reason for no food two hours before insulin is because you don’t want a food influenced bg so you know it’s safe to shoot.


Vital Essentials makes hard treats that are just like kibble.
Ill look!

You don’t want to contaminate the insulin by injecting insulin back into the vial. That probably wouldn’t happen if you discard the insulin and then insert the syringe again. If just a drop less I just gave a drop less. The same when I could not get rid of a small bubble.
good to know

That could be allergies but they are so tricky. One of mine has skin allergies which I think are due to not tolerating a protein after a couple years but it could very well be environmental as well. It’s so frustrating.

Some cats do better with a little higher carbs. The only way to know is to experiment. I have read recently that fancy feast recipes have changed and many cats will no longer eat it. I know first hand you need to read labels carefully as they put chicken in many foods but the name if the food sounds like all meat or fish. I personally would try other higher quality foods to see if it makes a difference.
Bought some new brands today - just gave him a spoon of Beyond Pate and he loves it.

I hope this helps.

 

[Amy & Herman]

With SLGS you increase every 7 days so no you should not increase yet. This is only day 4. If all dry food is gone I suggest a switch to TR. You can increase every 3 days if needed.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/

The reason for no food two hours before insulin is because you don’t want a food influenced bg so you know it’s safe to shoot.

Vital Essentials makes hard treats that are just like kibble.

You don’t want to contaminate the insulin by injecting insulin back into the vial. That probably wouldn’t happen if you discard the insulin and then insert the syringe again. If just a drop less I just gave a drop less. The same when I could not get rid of a small bubble.

That could be allergies but they are so tricky. One of mine has skin allergies which I think are due to not tolerating a protein after a couple years but it could very well be environmental as well. It’s so frustrating.

Some cats do better with a little higher carbs. The only way to know is to experiment. I have read recently that fancy feast recipes have changed and many cats will no longer eat it. I know first hand you need to read labels carefully as they put chicken in many foods but the name if the food sounds like all meat or fish. I personally would try other higher quality foods to see if it makes a difference.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for this - just posted a reply - not sure use the quote function properly!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

What is the reason for no feed in the two hours prior to test/shot?

This is only a suggestion for new people. Once you know how much of a food bump your cat gets by getting some +1 tests, you can factor the food bump into the equation to figure out if he'd be safe to shoot without that bump. It's only an issue if he's in low numbers, ie. green at shot time.

Is his current diet too LC?

Some cats actually do better on slightly higher LC, like 8%. So it's worth experiment to see what works best for your cat. Those that dive early can sometimes benefit with a few extra carbs.

Treats?

Ziwipeak makes some air dried meat products that are hard and actual food. To do the quoting, highlight the text you want to quote, and look for the "Reply" balloon, and select it.

Occasionally I have squirted out a drop too much (I generally draw out more than needed then squeeze out the excess into a paper towel after I have flicked out air bubbles.)

Try twisting the syringe, instead of pushing the syringe. It gives you finer control.

 

[Amy & Herman]

This is only a suggestion for new people. Once you know how much of a food bump your cat gets by getting some +1 tests, you can factor the food bump into the equation to figure out if he'd be safe to shoot without that bump. It's only an issue if he's in low numbers, ie. green at shot time.

I dont see a balloon but I will keep looking - thanks!

Some cats actually do better on slightly higher LC, like 8%. So it's worth experiment to see what works best for your cat. Those that dive early can sometimes benefit with a few extra carbs.

I will play around with this, thanks

Ziwipeak makes some air dried meat products that are hard and actual food. To do the quoting, highlight the text you want to quote, and look for the "Reply" balloon, and select it.

I will try to find these!

Try twisting the syringe, instead of pushing the syringe. It gives you finer control.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

To find the Reply balloon, you need to highlight the text you want to quote.