4/24/24 Watson 306 +1-284 +3-214 +5-237 +8.25-295 +9-350 +10-355 +11-370 PMPS -355 +1-380 +2-332

Hi! I’m Rosie. I’m a new member of the site as of Monday the 22nd. I’m Mama of four cats, one of whom is Watson, my sugar cat. He is a seven-year-old male dx in 3/2023. He is currently on Insulin gatgine 1.75 units twice daily. We just started the low-carb food on April 20, so far none of the cats are fans. We also have tried the Young Again zero mature kibble and Watson will eat some of that. yesterday he had a terrible day that took me hours to get him out of the 50s. The vet had him on Royal Canin glycol balance for the last year, but his numbers have really been all over the place and not controlled, which is why we were looking for other suggestions And ended up here.. One question I have is: the vet said don’t keep the insulin in the refrigerator because you shouldn’t shoot cold insulin into a feline but I see it mentioned that you can keep it six months of only 28 days so I’m confused. During the past year, he has been as low as one unit twice daily and as high as four units twice daily, we are now on our way back down, trying to find his Correct dosage. Thanks for letting me join. I hope I put the appropriate information in the subject line

 

Hi Rosie, welcome to the board! You’re definitely in the right place to help Watson get on a better path to managing his diabetes. And good job getting your signature and spreadsheet set up.

Switching to low-carb food can make a significant difference in lowering BG—in some cases 100 points or more. That’s why it is especially important that you’re monitoring BG regularly at home. Many, many cats require a lower insulin dose once they’re eating low carb and, as you found out, it can be stressful to try to get the BG back up.

As for injecting cold insulin, yes, we all do it. The instructions for leaving insulin at room temperature and discard it after 28 days is primarily designed for humans who use much higher doses than cats and often carry the insulin with them, making refrigeration untenable. For cats, we keep the Lantus refrigerated and it tends to be good for a very long time—often 6 months or longer once a vial/cartridge is in use, and sometimes good to the last drop. Unopened vials/cartridges are good until the expiration date.

Your subject like looks great. Good job, you’re catching on quickly! I’ll look for your post tomorrow.