? My Newbie friend needs advice on Dosing & food

Status
Not open for further replies.

Darnell & Sprocket (GA)

Member Since 2015
HI, I am helping my local friend learn to test his diabetic kitty & get his kitty feeling better soon.
Cat, named Sebastian, was diagnosed in October of 2023. Vet didn't advise to test at all & didnt say to change food neither even though my friend, Christian, asked about if he should change the cats food.
So I found out the cat was diabetic recently & I have been showing my friend pages from the groups to start to learn. We got a human meter & I went yesterday to show him how to test. Cat was so mellow & so good with the test except he gave him treats (temptation, yep that has to change) while testing.
216 was the bg & insulin was given at 7am & 5 units Lantus. Vet was doing some fructosamine testing to adjust dose.

Later in evening cat would not come out to eat & get insulin. He gave 5 units of insulin at 845pm but was unable to get a test.
This morning. 8am cat was 120 for AMPS. Cat is still on high carb purina indoor dry food. I had no idea what the bg would do with insulin & food. Convinced him to give half a dose & I said to test after an hour & then every 2 hours & if went below 60 to call me. He didnt test until +4 and bg is at 165.

He will be changing to a low carb diet but is on a strict budget. Anytime they have given the cat wet food he will usually get diarrhea. I will be getting his a container of Barks & Whiskers Complete Probiotics as it has the s.boulardi in it to help that diarrhea. Which low carb dry is the most affordable if he gave a low carb we & dry diet to help that belly?

And was thinking of using a freeze dried raw crunchy food as treats as the low carb treats are very expensive now. Thought of using the Stella & Chewy freeze dried raw dinner morsels as those treats since many pieces in the bag, more than in a treat bag. What are thoughts on that?

Cat also has neuropathy very badly and is 19 lbs. Want him to get the zobaline since the neuropathy is so bad but it appears to be hard to find.

With so little testing information, what would be a good dose to keep bg even while we slowly transition the food to a low carb diet?

Spreadsheet that we just started:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j4BfEUCh8arOVSvmpbY04in_k2uXgQZirJ5jl4LzsjU/edit?usp=sharing


Thanks for any help, my friend will post on fdmb when he learns more but I didn't think this cat's bg would be so low while being on such high carb food.
 
Last edited:
See this post from Dr. Lisa on Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

Maybe the Dr. Elsey's is the cheapest lower carb dry food? Not sure, but I have seen others referenced as being pricey.

Go slow with the probiotics to start too, he could get gassy if you give full dose to start.

Freeze dried raw are fine for treats, I use them as treats/food toppers frequently.

Tagging @Diane Tyler's Mom about where to get methyl B12 for the neuropathy.
 
See this post from Dr. Lisa on Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

Maybe the Dr. Elsey's is the cheapest lower carb dry food? Not sure, but I have seen others referenced as being pricey.

Go slow with the probiotics to start too, he could get gassy if you give full dose to start.

Freeze dried raw are fine for treats, I use them as treats/food toppers frequently.

Tagging @Diane Tyler's Mom about where to get methyl B12 for the neuropathy.
Any advice on the insulin dose?
 
SLGS starts cats on dry food at 1 unit.

right but this cat has been on insulin since beginning of October & vet kept increasing the dose to 5 units based on fructosamine tests not home tests.
His first amps number was 120. I told to give half dose as I was afraid as I had no idea how much the food would increase his bg.
He is going to transition the food slowly as it appears cat has tender belly. So should he reduce to 4 units or 4.5 units now? Then adjust accordingly as we get more tests?
 
It's a capsule just open it and sprinkle it on the wet food food
Vitacost. 14.49 for 100 capsules
Just sprinkle it on the wet food always add water to the wet food
One per day
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6
I just looked that product up on Amazon & the label was the same except it was 300 capsules at $13.95. Other ingredients are different. The one from amazon has rice flour in it & one bought from viracost themselves does not have it.
Wow!! Thats messed up!
Same product should have same ingredients no matter where they are sold.
 
Changing to a low carb diet will significantly lower glucose levels. I am concerned that the current dose or even half of it will still be too high and cause hypoglycemia. If you haven't already please help your friend learn about hypoglycemia and put together a hypo kit.

A good low carb treat is freeze dried chicken. If you get the ones from the dog treat section of your pet store, they are more economical than buying the same thing from the cat section.
 
Changing to a low carb diet will significantly lower glucose levels. I am concerned that the current dose or even half of it will still be too high and cause hypoglycemia. If you haven't already please help your friend learn about hypoglycemia and put together a hypo kit.

A good low carb treat is freeze dried chicken. If you get the ones from the dog treat section of your pet store, they are more economical than buying the same thing from the cat section.


Yes I agree on the dose being way too much.
I wish this kitty could transition faster on the low carb food as he could probably restart at 1 unit with a low carb diet but kitty appears to have a tender belly & we gotta get some probiotics too.
Yes he does have the high carb food for hypo kit.
And i did explain what to do.

As far as the dog treats instead, are they harder than the cat food or just the same?
 
Maybe the Amazon product is a knock off version with a fake label that looks real? Is the seller Amazon or a third party seller?

Freeze dried dog treats are the same as the cat version, just larger pieces in a large bag. Double check to make sure the only ingredient is 100% chicken or whatever the protein is. You can soak pieces in water for a few minutes for a softer texture.
 
Maybe the Amazon product is a knock off version with a fake label that looks real? Is the seller Amazon or a third party seller?

Freeze dried dog treats are the same as the cat version, just larger pieces in a large bag. Double check to make sure the only ingredient is 100% chicken or whatever the protein is. You can soak pieces in water for a few minutes for a softer texture.


Excellent point. amazon really allows anyone to sell on their page. Its a “just launched” company called Busters Store.
Thats insane! Gotta check everything we order from amazon now even for us humans.
 
As far as dose goes, we don't have enough data to say. I'd suggest picking a dose and sticking with it at least 3 days, with data for each cycle, so we can figure out how low the dose is taking him. I see 5 units was shot again tonight. If doses are being skipped because of preshot numbers, the dose should be lowered.
 
As far as dose goes, we don't have enough data to say. I'd suggest picking a dose and sticking with it at least 3 days, with data for each cycle, so we can figure out how low the dose is taking him. I see 5 units was shot again tonight. If doses are being skipped because of preshot numbers, the dose should be lowered.
He is going to get at least 2 tests tonight. & if low again in morning then will reduce & stay with that bg.
Tonight i wasnt sure, i asked someone whom used to help me before & she said dont change until we got the food to change the diet as we have to order it so will be a few days. And if under 90 definitely reduce to 4.5units.
Hopefully tonight will tell some info as to how the dose works.
 
Ya he fell asleep last night. We had a talk this morning & hopefully he will continue with 1-3 tests a cycle. I guess kitty keeps hiding under the bed. I told him to make test time fun & sign a song & give a ton of affection. Hopefully that will keep kitty from hiding. They also saved a new kitty that was in a bad situation so the cats are still getting used to each other.
Today is better. Hope it continues.
 
As far as the dog treats instead, are they harder than the cat food or just the same?

No the ones I am referring to are freeze dried chicken bites. These are the ones I buy. https://www.petsmart.com/dog/treats...at---chicken-10-oz.-57905.html?fmethod=Search and https://www.petsmart.com/dog/treats...dog-treat---chicken-23877.html?fmethod=Search

The bags are bigger when you buy them from the dog treats section than the ones you find in the cat treats. It is also cheaper per ounce.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top