My boyfriend's mom not controlling his GC :(

[Feline Diabetes Newbie]

Hey everyone!

So happy to have found this forum!
I'm a first time poster, but a long-time lurker as I try to find tips on how to help my boyfriend's mom's cat.

But as you see by the title, things arent going too well and I feel like I need to step in soon.

About 2 years ago, 9year old Domino went into DKA and almost died, thankfully he was saved. And since then his mom has been giving Lantus 1u everyday every 12 hours.
The thing is, it's only come to my attention recently that his mom hasnt been checking his levels anymore.
1 month ago I bought a meter, and found his glucose sitting at 29.3 (or 527mg/dl), and was shocked.

I have diabetes myself, so I have a general feel for numbers but that almost made me wanna cry! Im thankful he hasnt gone into DKA again but now I need to get to the bottom of this.

First things first - should I ask his mom to do a 0.5 or 1u increase? If so, how long should I wait before we go in for another increase?

He also had a change in snacks recently, eating freeze dried meat, instead of regular cat snacks.

Im not sure about dry food wet food, but I know his mom feeds him Fancy feast pates and sometimes chunks.

They do leave dry food out for his second cat, which i feel may be driving Domino's carb intake up, but i havent caught him snacking on him.

I feel so overwhelmed, Domino has surgery in a month to remove some teeth, but the vets want his insulin in check. Do you think we'd be able to get it in (somewhat) managable levels on time?

Please let me know all your advice, Im gonna need it!

Thank you!

 

[Ti-Mousse (GA) Pepe (GA)]

Hello and Welcome to you and Domino !
Unfortunately I'm in a hurry on my way out but this will bump your post at the top of the list and someone will be able to help!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

First things first - should I ask his mom to do a 0.5 or 1u increase? If so, how long should I wait before we go in for another increase?

No, we don't change the dose based on just the results of one data point. A cat's numbers can vary quite a bit during the day.

He also had a change in snacks recently, eating freeze dried meat, instead of regular cat snacks.

What type of regular cat snacks was he getting? If a cat has changed from high carb food to low carb food, their insulin needs can drop. Cat's also do a phenomenon we call bouncing, which result in temporary high numbers. Here is the definition:
Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles).

It's also possible that if there is an infection in his mouth (hence the need for a dental), the infection could be driving up his numbers.

So without more than the one data point you have, we don't know if the dose is too low resulting in high numbers, or the dose is too high and he's bouncing, causing temporary high numbers. Is there any chance you think your BF's mom would be up for getting a Freestyle Libre installed on kitty? That way you could get a couple weeks worth of data with just scanning, instead of having to reply on pokes. Normally we suggest regular tests like you did, but it'll be hard to do if you aren't there all the time.

 

[Tomlin]

Hi .....

Such a challenging situation and yet, very awesome of you to try your best to help.

There are microchip enabled pet feeders which would help keep the diabetic cat out of the other cats dry food if she refuses to get rid of the dry food. Obviously if she would agree to not put out the dry food out that would be the best scenario, but it is not always possible to convince people ! One cheap method that works IF the non diabetic is smaller than the diabetic cat is to cut a hole in a large cardboard box (must put something on top of it so it can’t be ripped over) so that only the non diabetic can get to the food. If you could also find out what the “chunks” food is specifically because some of the FF can be higher carb so that’s important.

Once you wrangle with the food issue which is important, getting some BG data will be super helpful.

The Libre is a great idea . As long as you scan it (or she can help hopefully help with scanning it) within 8 hours, you will get all the data to know what is happening with the glucose. There is the LibreLinkUp App and that will allow the data to be shared with up to 20 people:

https://www.librelinkup.com/

If you do it:
1) Have the vet put it on the side of the neck vs the back (see attached picture)
2) Use either 2 drops of Vetbond glue at what would be the 10 and 2 positions on a clock OR none at all. It has been found to be a skin irritant in some cats vs the CGM adhesive
3) Put a Kitty Kollar over it to give a little extra protection. You can scan over the collar & will not need to take it on and off. It is slightly padded which helps if they decide to try to kick—they kick the collar vs the CGM
https://www.kittykollar.com/

Hopefully, as Wendy said, the teeth help with the issue! Wishing you the best and luck with the situation. Again, you are amazing for stepping in....not easy to do.