Am I feeding too much?

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Amanda Whitehead

Amanda Whitehead

Member Since 2017
Hi all
Am I feeding too much? I have been feeding my diabetic boy 6-9onz twice a day to keep his weight maintained seems if I give him less he loses weight. Only issue is I think the amount of food I am giving is delaying the insulin response. Sometimes his nadir is at his next shot time so I have to give a really low dose or sometimes skip. Could the amount of food be the reason? I worry that if I reduce the food he'll get too thin.

I have a spreadsheet attached if anyone wants to take a peek.
 
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Hi Amanda,

Just had a look at Oscar's spreadsheet. For safety I'd strongly recommend you check with your vet ASAP about dosing - and especially about setting a safe 'no shoot' preshot number.

Notice that BG numbers have typically risen mid-cycle when you've given insulin at low preshot BGs and, in the absence of any other changes to the cat's routine, that is generally a pointer that too much insulin has gone into the system. (Sometimes unusually late nadirs for the insulin in use may also raise the question of whether a dose is too high.) Note that a kitty may not always see a BG rise in response to too high a dose; one needs to work on the principle that BGs could completely tank into dangerously low numbers. (Note that sometimes too high a dose can see a cat sitting in fairly high, flattish numbers and then, out of the blue, the BG level can go through the floor.)

I see you're using an Alphatrak meter and the lower limit of the cat's BG reference range is around 68mg/dL. If it were my cat I would definitely not give any Vetsulin when PS BG is in double digits; there is no safety buffer. I would also have very strong reservations about giving Vetsulin if PS BGs were in the lower 100s. Your vet should be able to give you guidelines as to when BG is too low to give Vetsulin.


Mogs
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Last edited:
Critter Mom said:
Hi Amanda,

Just had a look at Oscar's spreadsheet. For safety I'd strongly recommend you check with your vet ASAP about dosing - and especially about setting a safe 'no shoot' preshot number.

Notice that BG numbers have typically risen mid-cycle when you've given insulin at low preshot BGs and, in the absence of any other changes to the cat's routine, that is generally a pointer that too much insulin has gone into the system. (Sometimes unusually late nadirs for the insulin in use may also raise the question of whether a dose is too high.) Note that a kitty may not always see a BG rise in response to too high a dose; one needs to work on the principle that BGs could completely tank into dangerously low numbers. (Note that sometimes too high a dose can see a cat sitting in fairly high, flattish numbers and then, out of the blue, the BG level can go through the floor.)

I see you're using an Alphatrak meter and the lower limit of the cat's BG reference range is around 68mg/dL. If it were my cat I would definitely not give any Vetsulin when PS BG is in double digits; there is no safety buffer. I would also have very strong reservations about giving Vetsulin if PS BGs were in the lower 100s. Your vet should be able to give you guidelines as to when BG is too low to give Vetsulin.


Mogs
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Yes I realise shooting at low numbers like for example 98 can be a bad idea only issue is if I don't give him any insulin then he tends to spend 12hrs in the 300-400 range which is also bad. So I'm unsure what to do. When he was boarding at the vets they had to keep skipping shots and he spent most his time there off insulin. Sometimes Oscar does eat in between shots as he likes to save some for later lol. Thanks for for your advice, appreciate any other advice you have in this. My vet isn't the best help.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Oscar's SS shows that his BGs are still a little high. As the BGs get lower he should be able to process/use food better and thus you should be able to decrease the amount fed while maintain his weight
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Yes he's getting better with his levels as now were finally seeing some blues and yellows as a while back we couldn't get him lower than 300. I will keep his food amount the same for now until he gets even better levels. Thanks for your help
 
Amanda Whitehead said:
I realise shooting at low numbers like for example 98 can be a bad idea only issue is if I don't give him any insulin then he tends to spend 12hrs in the 300-400 range which is also bad.
Click to expand...
A too low BG can cause major problems in minutes. A cycle of higher numbers after a dose skip, while not desirable, will not in general put a cat in immediate harm's way. As the saying goes round these parts, 'Better too high for a day than too low for a minute.'


Mogs
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