Common to see no improvement in 2 weeks?

N

Nadinelabrecque

Member Since 2019
Hi everyone!
I’m new to this site but so happy I found it. My 14 years old cat Gucci was diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago. I started the first wee with 1unit of Lantus insuline twice a day. After a week we upped his dose to 2 units as we had not seen any improvement whatsoever. Now it’s been a few days at 2 units and his glucose levels are still the same. Is this normal? I just want him to feel better and I’m nervous the insuline isn’t working. In 2 months before diagnosis he lost half his body weight and seems to be struggling. How long for most of you until you started seeing a steady decrease in glucose levels and an improvement in your cat’s general well being? I know it’s only been 2 weeks so before stressing out I wanted to check if this is normal.

Thanks in advance for the tips!
 
This is my little man before getting sick and just a couple days ago. I really want him to improve and it makes me so sad to see him like this
 

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It takes TIME. Trust me, being patient was really hard for me as well, especially after my boy started to develop neuropathy. I think upping to 2 units after only a week wasn't a very good idea. Was that your vet's advice? Nevertheless, you're in the right place! There are a lot of people here who will help you. Since I've joined Max has been doing so much better!
 
Welcome! You've come to the right place for help. I'll let the others weigh in but will say that getting a kitty regulated on insulin generally takes many, many months - sometimes longer.
 
Giomax said:
It takes TIME. Trust me, being patient was really hard for me as well, especially after my boy started to develop neuropathy. I think upping to 2 units after only a week wasn't a very good idea. Was that your vet's advice? Nevertheless, you're in the right place! There are a lot of people here who will help you. Since I've joined Max has been doing so much better!
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Thank you for the encouragement. Yes it was my vet who suggested upping the dose after the curve was done. I just started being worried that I should of seen some type of change and wasn’t because maybe I was doing something wrong. But if it’s fairly normal that he hasn’t improved yet that makes me feel a little better
 
Welcome to you and your little Gucci. I'm only here since December so still learning, but you will find a lot of help for your little guy from more experienced members. Are you testing at home? That's one of the most important thing. Don't be afraid to ask questions, there will always be someone there for you ! Be patient !!
 
It's really hard to say; I would strongly encourage you to set up a spreadsheet to track Gucci's insulin and BG numbers. If you'll notice, most members have a link in their signature to their own kitty's spreadsheet; at first it may look like a bunch of random numbers, but once you've set one up for Gucci, it will start to be very clear to you. Instructions can be found here:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

If you haven't already done so, I would also encourage you to read all of the stickied posts in this forum - they are extremely helpful in determining just what approach you want to take to deciding how to manage his blood sugar. It will probably take a week or two, or longer, to start to see patterns and to understand just what effect the insulin is having, and to find the level that's ideal for your guy. I'm also fairly new here, and there are others who will have much better and more thorough advice, but I can't emphasize strongly enough - read, read, and keep reading; the information I've found in this forum has been a godsend for us. If I hadn't found it, I'm sure our Benny wouldn't be doing nearly as well as he is.
 
Ti-Mousse said:
Welcome to you and your little Gucci. I'm only here since December so still learning, but you will find a lot of help for your little guy from more experienced members. Are you testing at home? That's one of the most important thing. Don't be afraid to ask questions, there will always be someone there for you ! Be patient !!
Click to expand...
Thank you!
Yes I am testing at home. I’ve done a lot of research since learning of his diagnosis and was more comfortable being able to test him regularly in a place he wasn’t as stressed. Honestly in two weeks he seems to enjoy the little routine as odd as that sounds. As soon as I get up he comes and sits and waits for his little pokes. Almost seems like he knows I’m trying to help him. I’m so happy I found this page
 
Most kitties learn the routine quickly. Get a pokie (test), get a treat. Yum yum. It takes some time. Going forward it's practice here to raise dose by 0.25 units so you don't pass the optimal dose and then create toxicity.

What food are you feeding dry, wet food? Keeping it low carb is best but carbs are not posted on the cans a food list is Here low carb is consider 10% or less. Most here use fancy feast pate or friskie pate.
 
Erin & Scott said:
It's really hard to say; I would strongly encourage you to set up a spreadsheet to track Gucci's insulin and BG numbers. If you'll notice, most members have a link in their signature to their own kitty's spreadsheet; at first it may look like a bunch of random numbers, but once you've set one up for Gucci, it will start to be very clear to you. Instructions can be found here:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

If you haven't already done so, I would also encourage you to read all of the stickied posts in this forum - they are extremely helpful in determining just what approach you want to take to deciding how to manage his blood sugar. It will probably take a week or two, or longer, to start to see patterns and to understand just what effect the insulin is having, and to find the level that's ideal for your guy. I'm also fairly new here, and there are others who will have much better and more thorough advice, but I can't emphasize strongly enough - read, read, and keep reading; the information I've found in this forum has been a godsend for us. If I hadn't found it, I'm sure our Benny wouldn't be doing nearly as well as he is.
Click to expand...
DMDietetic Management®Feline Formula. 1/4 can before insuline of the pate and nibbles on the dry throughout the day. I have another cat so it’s too difficult to prevent the nibbling. I will def look into making a more in depth spreadsheet to see a pattern
 
You might consider switching both cats to a low-carb, wet food diet. There are some very affordable options, such as Friskies classic pates, and it is a huge part of keeping kitty’s diabetes under control.
 
Well the dry food for both is the DMDietetic Management®Feline Formula. So it is low carb for both but the wet food is just before his insuline so twice a day
 
Sorry, the DM dry food is not low carb food. Low carb for us is anything under 10% carbs. If you check the food chart many of us use, you will see the DM dry is 33% carbs! That food chart lists a lot of low carb options.

It is also fine to spread his feeding out, that’s what human diabetics do. Easier on the pancreas, just try to feed primarily in the first six hours or so after the injection.
 
I think you will be surprised once you get those BG's down and consistent how much weight will come back on. Patience is key. Remember insulin is a hormone not that same as some medication that you take and things get better. It takes times for the body to figure out normal again.


The wet low carb food will help tremendously with getting those numbers down quicker.
 
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