Food transition, BG Testing new 4 Feleen

[Latifa]

First posting, first week reading the forums and already I have learned so much. Mostly done trusting only the advice of my vet. Feleen 12 yr old diagnosed one year ago. Food switch to the Purina Diabetes kibble, she refused so many wet foods not liking them her whole life. So today upon your advice I tried the Sheba Pate salmon, and guess what she ate it! Yay. She has not been well controlled by her current Lantus and was up to 4.5 units 2x day after an extremely high fructosamine tests every time only reduced slightly. I just started home BG testing after she crashed last week (so thankful I was working in the same room and saw it all happen). She was hypoglycemic and needed support. Good kitty ate her favorite pumpkin and I mixed in some honey. She is fine now. I am just figuring out how to get enough blood to test her. Once got a vein and had plenty, but so far the lancing is not going great. Trying though...
I should add that the only good BG test I got on Feleen was pre evening shot (lantus) and she was 254 (human meter).

Taking her to an internal medicine specialist in a week, wondering if changing her diet now is a good idea though since I still learning and teaching her to tolerate home BG and she is on a pretty high dose.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome Lafita amd Feleen
Purina dry kibble is high carb food so if you have swapped over to Sheba pate, the BGs will be lower. I’m glad you are home testing so that you can monitor the BGs.
If she had a hypo event, you need to be reducing the dose of insulin now.
I would continue to transition over to a low carb diet as long as you are monitoring the BG levels closely.

We recommend you always test before every dose, to make sure the BG is high enough. If you get a BG below 200 at the moment I would stall, don’t feed and post and ask for help, and test again in 20 minutes to see if the BG is rising.
Then test during the cycle to see how low the dose is taking her. Test around +4 to +7 and always test again if the BG is low.
What sized lancet are you using? A 26 or 28 gauge lancet is best.

I would also recommend you set up a spreadsheet and enter the data so we can help you.
Here are a couple of links to the SPREADSHEET and TIPS FOR HOME TESTING
Here is another useful link HELP US HELP YOU Please look at the hypo kit in this link and make sure you have a hypo kit set up. This is really important.

I went to an internal medicine specialist and I knew a lot more about feline diabetes than she did, so don’t be disappointed if you get advice that is contra to what you read here.

 

[Latifa]

Hi Bron Thank you so much for the information. I will have to look into the different lancet needle size, the once that came with my diabetes monitor do not have the size listed, but must be the wrong ones since using all the other tips and kitty being so good, but still not getting blood. I did lower Feleen's dose by 0.5 until we can get in with the specialist just to be sure.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Please let us know how you get on at the specialist.
And if you have any questions in the meantime, please ask them.
Feleen is a beautiful kitty. Is she a silver tabby?

 

[Latifa]

Will do, and I never know what to tell the vet when they ask me what breed she is. She is our rescue girl... But, I looked it up and I think you are right, I think she is a silver tabby!

 

[Latifa]

Or maybe she's something called a blue tabby? grey on grey. I'm not quite sure... She has gotten darker with age.

 

[Latifa]

Please let us know how you get on at the specialist.
And if you have any questions in the meantime, please ask them.
Feleen is a beautiful kitty. Is she a silver tabby?

Specialist visit today and Feleen came home with a Libre CGM. Excited to get her numbers. Tried the 26 gauge lancets with no success. She is confident we can get some good numbers to regulate Feleen and help with diet change decisions. Bonus, a patient donated some Libre sensors so her first one was free. Checking thyroid and bloodwork also.