BG numbers don't make sense

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billr

billr

Member Since 2013
Gizmo's BG readings are really confusing us, so we thought maybe another set of eyes would pick up something we're not seeing. Right now, as you can see from the spreadsheet he's hanging out in the 300's (yes, we know that's too high). However, just previous to that he was in the 200's (and even 100's) with less insulin. It's like he has these spurts of low numbers then goes back up to the 300's again.

Even where he is now, he doesn't present the typical diabetic symptoms. He does not have excessive drinking or peeing. Last night he was running up and down the stairs, playing with his mouse toy. His food intake has been consistent for the last couple of weeks with typically one can of Fancy Feast Classic spread throughout the day, supplemented with free feeding of the Young Again (YA) Zero Carb. He gets water added to his wet food to help compensate for the dry food he eats.

We do check for ketones and they are negative. At his vet visit in December, they did a CBC and the only thing out of range (other than BG), was his cholesterol level was sky high. The vet wanted to put him on dry food only and we compromised by using the Young Again (at our suggestion) and some low carb wet food still. (At first, his numbers actually dropped when we switched to mostly YA and we were hopeful, but since then they have crept back up.)

I know the Lantus protocol say we should increase the dose, but it also seems like whenever we increase the dose his BG goes up to compensate! I've read good things here about Levemir as an option to Lantus, showing better results in some cats. We asked the vet about Levemir at our visit in December and she said Levemir would be at the bottom of her list of insulin optons and that she had just attended an endocrine seminar by some guy from New York and he strongly discouraged the use of Levemir saying it was "too harsh" or something like that. Based on what I've read here, that doesn't make sense at all.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Gizmo really does epitomize the ECID phrase!

TIA,
-Bill
 
Is Gismo eating consistently? Any signs of an infection or anything else wrong? Yes it is strange, sometimes the BG are flat over a day and sometimes you see a good drop.
 
Hi Bill,

I have never heard of Levemir being harsh but, on the contrary, its curves are smoother than those for the other insulin types. Have used it & ProZinc in two cats, but have never used Lantus. Both my cats are OTJ. My Pudge meandered through all the scariest colors & drove me crazily exhausted before going OTJ. I've concluded that what helped Pudge the most was small but frequent meals - all canned Merrick's, Wellness, and Fancy Feast pates. He doesn't handle beef & fish well.

I don't know much about cholesterol in cats. Why is it high in Gizmo? Did your vet speculate on the cause?

Thank you so much for the Styrofoam igloo idea for outdoors ferals. Passed it on to my daughter who lives in a wintry 7000 ft paradise :YMSIGH: !

Best wishes,
Sophie
 
I have never heard of Levemir being harsh. It is very much like lantus. I use Levemir for MurrFee and used it for Tonis (GA).
regarding cholesterol how high and was is the range?
 
Thanks for the comments on Levemir. I hadn't read anything bad about on the forum, either. I don't know where the "experts" come up with some of this stuff.

The vet said it was the Fancy Feast, and its high fat content causing the high cholesterol number. She wanted to put him on DM dry. :lol: We knew better than that, from what we've read here. I don't have the number in front of me, but she said if he were human he'd be dead or dying.

The vial was opened on Nov 30, so not quite a month and a half old. Kept in the fridge, towards the front and handled gently. It is still clear.
 
Per dr Pierson, you can add about 20-25% plain meat, poultry, or fish to the canned food, then measure out the amount to feed. This increase the protein and reduces the fat.
 
@Sophie, his Cholesterol was 396 (normal range 75-220) and triglyceride was 448 (normal range 25-160).

@BJM, when adding the plain meat/poultry/fish are we talking raw or cooked or does it matter?
 
I'd go with something similar to what you are using, so cooked if you're using canned.

Although pricey per ounce, some baby foods are just chicken or just beef.

Canned products for adult humans may be high in sodium or have soy prodcts in them which may not be appropriate for cats.

If you cook up some chicken or turkey, read the label carefully - some inject solutions of sodium and/or sugar (ex dextrose) which you want to avoid.
 
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