Bg higher after insulin
- Thread starter yygms1978
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Squalliesmom
Member Since 2015
What do you feed him? Has he eaten since he got his shot?
Squalliesmom
Member Since 2015
It definitely COULD be the result of grazing on the dry stuff. What is the dry food you are using? Diabetic kitties really need to be on a low carb wet food. Low carb dry foods are not anywhere near as low in carbs as their canned cousins! Dry food is also very dehydrating, which is not good for kitties, either. Most of us here feed a low carb, wet food diet on some sort of schedule.
Squalliesmom
Member Since 2015
Since it appears that you are testing Cody at home, I'd like to encourage you to use our spreadsheet to help track your his BG. It makes it so much easier to see and follow patterns and trends, and is really an invaluable tool to help with determining dose. It is also a tremendous help to us, when you need a bit of help or advice, to be able to see Cody's spreadsheet so we can offer the best possible assistance!
The Merrick food you are feeding is about 30% carbohydrates. Diabetic cats should only eat 10% or less carbs. It is also only 11% moisture - most canned foods are at least 78 %.
The Merrick food you are feeding is about 30% carbohydrates. Diabetic cats should only eat 10% or less carbs. It is also only 11% moisture - most canned foods are at least 78 %.
Critter Mom
Member Since 2014
If you plan to change to a low carb food you need to monitor BG very, very closely during and after the transition if your cat's on insulin; BG levels can come down significantly and very quickly once the transition starts and your cat may need to have its dose reduced as a consequence. Changing carb load without close monitoring can significantly increase risk of a hypo.
Mogs
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Mogs
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Squalliesmom
Member Since 2015
I strongly suggest you try to transition Cody onto a wet food diet. Here is a link to a great article that explains in more detail why this is so important for diabetic kitties. There is also a link (in blue text) called Cat Food Comparisons in the article that will take you to a list of tons of low carb canned cat foods.
www.catfoodinfo.org
One caveat, though: you absolutely MUST be prepared to home test and monitor very closely while you make any food transition, especially when going from a high carb diet to a low carb one! When carbohydrate levels drop, so do BG levels; without careful and constant monitoring you cat can quickly become hypoglycemic, which needs immediate care and has the potential to be fatal. I am not trying to scare you, rather just provide facts that you need to know. Home testing and close monitoring can help prevent this from becoming a dire situation. There is a very good chance that your cat will need an insulin dose reduction, as well.
When I first joined here, a very well-respected member showed me how, by feeding dry food, I was throwing away my money on both the insulin and the food, as all I was accomplishing was sabotaging myself and my cat, while making very little gain toward ultimately helping him with his diabetes (Thank you again, @BJM!). I was stunned to hear this, and took it very much to heart. I will be eternally appreciative to her for that wake-up call. I believe in paying it forward, so I hope this has helped you, at least , to some degree!
www.catfoodinfo.org
One caveat, though: you absolutely MUST be prepared to home test and monitor very closely while you make any food transition, especially when going from a high carb diet to a low carb one! When carbohydrate levels drop, so do BG levels; without careful and constant monitoring you cat can quickly become hypoglycemic, which needs immediate care and has the potential to be fatal. I am not trying to scare you, rather just provide facts that you need to know. Home testing and close monitoring can help prevent this from becoming a dire situation. There is a very good chance that your cat will need an insulin dose reduction, as well.
When I first joined here, a very well-respected member showed me how, by feeding dry food, I was throwing away my money on both the insulin and the food, as all I was accomplishing was sabotaging myself and my cat, while making very little gain toward ultimately helping him with his diabetes (Thank you again, @BJM!). I was stunned to hear this, and took it very much to heart. I will be eternally appreciative to her for that wake-up call. I believe in paying it forward, so I hope this has helped you, at least , to some degree!
BJM
Member Since 2010
Specifically, changing from high carb dry to low carb canned may drop the glucose 100-200 mg/dL (in one case, by 300 mg/dL!) and reduce the needed insulin by 1-2 units ... and you're currently giving 2 units. In some cases, the cat even goes off the juice (OTJ) and becomes diet-controlled.
(Thanks Lucy!)
(Thanks Lucy!)
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