Introduction and advice needed

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qiuqiu

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Hello to everyone!

My cat, Jack (8-year old), was diagnosed in the middle of January. He drank a lot and lost about 4lb (from 14lb to 10lb). We started to change his diet to canned food (fancy feast) without giving insulin to see whether we could control his BC level. After we changed the diet, he has been behaving normally. We have did home testing several times and the readings we got are in the range 250~300.

I talked to our vet. She suggested if the readings are in that range and Jack behaves normally, we don't have to give him insulin because some cats couldn't be regulated to that range even with insulin. We have found very useful information at this website, including home testing and canned food, so we would like to get a second opinion on that? A couple of questions we have:

(1) Should we consider to give Jack insulin?

(2) We are now feeding him three times a day (10am, 6pm and 12pm) about one can each. But he can barely eat one can and his weight is about 11lb now and is still skinny. Should we feed him more frequently with small meals? I read from some place that it is better to feed him regularly (every 12 hours) so his BC will not be high constantly. Is this true? How much should we feed him?

Thank you so much and we would very appreciate your help and advice.
 
We would not consider your Jack regulated and unregulated kitties don't utilize their food well. We say cats are regulated when they are in the 200 range before the shot and in the 100s mid cycle. We would call a kitty in remission (off insulin) when their bg levels run somewhere between lows of 40 - highs of 120.

I think Jack does still need insulin, probably mini doses until his numbers come down. Since you are testing at home, this can be a safe, controlled process.

You are right-small frequent meals support the pancreas. Lots of us add water to the wet lo carb so it doesn't dry out, or we freeze it and let it thaw or use automatic feeders.
 
Hi Sue and Oliver, Thank you so much for your reply and help!

We are thinking of using the modified version of the tight regulation, which means we need to start with 1.4U initially. Do you think it is same for Jack given his current BC level? Thanks a lot!
 
What kind of insulin are you thinking?

The suggested beginning dose is 1 unit twice daily. Our idea is that if you start low and home test, you can increase as you get data. If you start too high, you run the risk of being over the ideal dose and trying to back up. We like to start low and go slow.
 
There is no reason a cat should be left in the 200 to 300 BG range. The sooner he gets some insulin, the better chance he has of going in to remission. Especially with either of the longer acting insulins, Lantus or Levemir.

Did you use the ideal weight formula to calculate the 1.4U dose? That formula is a guide only and from experience many of us here feel a starting dose of no more than 1U on either Lantus or Levemir is better advised. It is better to use a step-up approach with these insulins, rather than risk starting too high.

Since he responded to diet change, there is a good chance he will not even need as much as 1U even to start. Which insulin are you considering?
 
We are still reading the articles and not sure which insulin to start? Could you give us some suggestions?

We would like to be safe. The 1.4U was calculated based on the 0.25U per kg formula. So we should start with 1 unit instead of 1.4, right? Should the initial dose be even lower?
 
All three are good, safe, long lasting insulins. lantus and Levemir have protocols and do require dosing usually 12 hours apart. ProZinc is used by fewer people here but is a little more flexible in terms of testing and dosing.

Here is the link for the support groups for the 3 insulins. I would read the stickies on all 3 sites and read some of the threads. viewforum.php?f=5

If you are a little nervous about how your kitty might react to the insulin, you can start at .5 units twice daily.
 
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