BG>700

[F1nn]

Hi I’m Melissa. My 14 yr old cat, Finn (large frame 14 lb) has been on Lantus for 2 mo. Vet has been steadily increasing dose at 2week intervals by 1unit. He started at 2 units and is currently at 5 units.

The last curve done this past Thu had him between 420 & 481 (he was near 500 when initially diagnosed). This a.m. he was acting strangely so I tested BG before giving insulin after a meal. It was 707. Should I be concerned?

He eats a combo of Fancy Feast wet, Purina Naturals Senior 7+ and Blue Buffalo Wilderness. We have limited snacks and changed them to lower carb options. He is still drinking lots of water & urinating a lot. His appetite hasn’t been as robust as pre-diagnosis, but last night he ate a lot more than he had been. We use the Relion BG meter.

Thanks in advance for help/advice.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Increasing by 1 full unit at a time is too much. We recommend increasing by 1/4 unit. Lantus is a great insulin for cats, but we also recommend home testing. Adjusting the dose based on spot checks at the vet doesn’t give you the full picture. Would you be willing to start home testing like you did today daily? 700 is high but we have no way of knowing if he’s maybe bouncing from a low bg. 5 units is also a pretty big dose to be at when you just started 2 months ago.

We shouldn’t change anything if you’re not home testing yet, but diabetic cats need low carbs foods - 10% or under. I’m not sure what the carb content is on the Purina Senior. Have a look at this chart and see if you can find it: FOOD CHART

You will also need some higher carb foods for that hypo box..information in the help us help you link.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions.

Here is a helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help. We can help you set it up and we can help you with dose advice if you’re willing to start home testing.