Flynn *New Member* Wanting to get on the road to remission!

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Morgan & Flynn

Morgan & Flynn

Member Since 2020
Hello! I am new to this forum, but I have been a part of Feline Diabetes Support Group on Facebook since November 2020. I am from Spokane,WA and my name is Morgan. My sugarcats name is Flynn. He is 7 years old and was diagnosed in October 2020. We have been using Lantus. I will attach his spreadsheet.
Today he had an abdominal ultrasound done to rule out any kind of pancreatic (or other) tumor that would result in him being resistant to his insulin since his BG doesn't seem to change much despite our dosage changes. We should get results back some time tomorrow.
He is currently on 2.5 units. He eats Fancy Feast Classic Pate (10oz per day because he's constantly hungry from being unregulated). I know that I need to continue doing more random checks throughout the day, I am a teacher and we just got out for the summer so now I will have more time to do that!
Since being diagnosed, Flynn will pee on anything soft that gets left out (he doesn't seem to be dealing with any neuropathy issues quite yet and we have him on Zobaline (sp?)). This has been a huge point of frustration for us. We also have an 8 month old baby so its just a lot going on at once. We have had him checked twice in the past for UTI's when he starts regularly peeing outside of the litter box, and both times he has had one, so we know to be on the lookout for stuff like that.
Our vet is awesome and has been supportive this whole time. She has also managed to successfully help guide another diabetic cat to remission, so we are feeling hopeful!
We are just really ready to buckle down and get him feeling better! So any opinions/comments/guidance is more than welcome! Thanks in advance!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aDTXAUoCTWdAt0noFwOB9fFPH5pqfXw7dK2zmIA9LFc/edit?usp=sharing
 
Hi Morgan and Flynn and welcome to the forum.
Looking at the two spreadsheets I have a couple of comments.
I think you are holding onto the dose for too long and Flynn is getting a certain amount is insulin resistance.
We have two dosing methods here ….the SLGS (start low go slow) and the TR (tight regulation) methods.
HERE is a link to the two dosing methods.
Have a look through them and see which one would suit you better.
To use the TR you need to be feeding a wet diet only and need to test at least before every shot and again during each cycle.
With TR you reduce the dose under 50 and can increase the dose if needed every 6 cycles, and with SLGS you reduce the dose under 90 amd increase the dose if needed each 7 days after a curve.
We normally increase the dose in 1/4 unit increments unless the nadir is over 300 in which case it can be increased by 1/2 unit.

Also looking at Flynn’s SS I would recommend trying to get at least one test in every cycle. I know it can be hard if you work but even a +1 or +2 or a +10 or +11 is good data.
The PM cycle is just as important as the am cycle so try and get at least a before bed test in every night and if that test is lower than the preshot you may need to get up and test later to see Flynn is safe.
Can you tell us what your feeding schedule is? Are you giving snacks during the cycles as well as the preshot meal. Are you feeding any dry food at all now. I noticed you mentioned it in the SS you were feeding some last year.

With the peeing everywhere, have you looked at FLUTD?
I can imagine how frustrating having him pee on things is. I know I can’t leave a bath mat out in the bathroom or one of my cats will pee on it and she isn’t a diabetic.
If you could get the BGs under more control hopefully his peeing would reduce and he would start reusing the LB. It is common for diabetic acts to get more UTIs than other cats because of the amount of sugar in the urine.

I hope I have answered your questions. If not let me know.
We are happy to answer as many questions as you have.
HERE is a link for our new members.
Bron
 
Hi Bron! Thank you for the response! I think we need to move to the TR method and do curves/adjust dosage more frequently. My husband and I both were working full time up until this week, so now I have more time to manage that! He eats every three hours from 9am-9pm (its about 10oz a day). He eats only fancy feast pate, no dry food.
 
Your spreadsheet has disappeared from below your most recent post. Do you know what happened? Has @Bandit's Mom been in contact with you re the SS? It definitely needs changing as it is crashing on my iPad as well.
Also if you could get your signature up and running that would be helpful as it will contain information about Flynn and we won’t have to keep asking you the same questions about him.. We look at the SS and signature each time we help.
If you have decided to do the TR (good choice) can you put that at the top of the SS and in the signature please?

So with the TR your reduction number is under 50. So if he drops under 50 you will need to feed him high carb to bring him back up and take a reduction in dose.
If you can post each day, we can guide you. If you have any concerns, post and ask for assistance. You can chance the subject line to reflect your needs or you can start a new post. If you start a new post, we link the previous post to the current post for continuity. Once you have the SS sorted out and the signature up and running I will direct you to the Lantus page where you will be with others who just give long lasting depot insulins and you will have experienced people to help you.

With the food, I would recommend you feed most of it in the first half of the cycle or stop a bit earlier than +9. This is because feeding in the second half of the cycle can shorten the duration of the insulin. So I would suggest trying to fit the three feeds in say +3 +5 and +7 and see if that helps at all and see if Flynn doesn’t get too hungry with that regime. Adding a couple of teaspoons of warm water to his food might help keep him fuller longer, if he’ll get you do that. Some cats love it and others don’t. Bron
 
Okay! I think I got all of that updated! Hopefully it worked! Do you think its okay for me to keep withholding food at night like I have been doing? I will try feeding during the first half of the cycle and see how that works!
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
With the food, I would recommend you feed most of it in the first half of the cycle or stop a bit earlier than +9. This is because feeding in the second half of the cycle can shorten the duration of the insulin. So I would suggest trying to fit the three feeds in say +3 +5 and +7 and see if that helps at all and see if Flynn doesn’t get too hungry with that regime. Adding a couple of teaspoons of warm water to his food might help keep him fuller longer, if he’ll get you do that. Some cats love it and others don’t. Bron
Click to expand...

I think Morgan wants to know if he can feed during the night cycle
See #6

Thank you Bron
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
@Bron and Sheba (GA) I feed him 5 times a day.. once at 9am with his first dose and then at 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and then again at 9pm. Are you suggesting I try limiting it to 3 feeds and doing them in the first half of the cycle?? What do you recommend for the night cycle? Should I keep withholding food like I am currently? For some reason (you'll see this if you look at his spreadsheet) his AMPS is always high even though he isn't getting food from 9pm-9am. Why could that be happening?
 
Feeding in the first half of the cycle is best. After that, the insulin effect starts to slow down, and adding carbs will make it slow down even more. I would definitely give him food after his PM shot. Many cats go lower at night, so having food available then will help him stay safe. Many people use autofeeders to make food available when they aren't there or are asleep. The Petsafe 5 is one such model.
 
I agree with Wendy. He needs food during the pm cycle. I would feed the same snacks in the PM cycle as the am cycle. I used an autofeeder for Sheba at night and if I was not at home and it was a life saver.
Yes I can see the SS now and thanks for the doing the signature. I see Flynn was OTJ for a time. Very useful information.
Getting some tests in during the pm cycle might tell us why he is higher in the morning although it is very common for cats to be higher at the morning Preshot and the AMPS is often the last BG to go down.
 
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