Need advice on spreadsheet and starting

Cara & Sabrina

Cara & Sabrina

Member Since 2021
Hi! I've only done a few tests so far. Does it make sense to test a curve this Sunday, or do I need more data first? Her results were over 500 at the vet when diagnosed. Is my spreadsheet and link set up correctly so far?
 
Hi Cara!

Has enough mentioned before that the Purina Proplan dry and Hills Science GlucoSupport dry are way to high in carbs for a diabetic cat? I see you are feeding Sabrina Friskies low carb (LC) canned food as welll? Any chance you can transition her completely to LC wet food?

We advice members with newly diagnosed cats to try a food change to a low carb diet before starting insulin. Some cats become diet controlled and do not need insulin.

Since you are following SLGS, you hold the starting dose for a week and then do a curve.
 
@Bandit's Mom This is from her last post about her work schedule
This is going to be a tough one since there is no testing during the cycles

This is what she said
I work full time and am gone 10-14 hours a day and I'm trying to get her doses as close to 12 hours apart as a I can. Managing the food and feeding times and amounts for her and my other cat is another challenge, but I'll have to figure that problem out later.
 
Yes, I have been giving 1 unit of insulin twice a day since 6/9/21. I only recorded the tests on the spreadsheet. I had changed her food slightly on 6/7 according to the vet's recommendation. She discussed protein and fat percentages, but not carbs, and had a donated bag of Hills GlucoSupport, so I started mixing that with my 2 cats' current food to transition to a change. Vet also said to feed some can food before each shot to be certain she has food in her stomach before getting insulin. I was doing both of those things before I found this group, so trying a diet change before insulin was not an option. (I also just moved to a different house the week of diagnosis, so life has been hectic.) Someone on here said to wait and not switch to totally low carb until after we've assessed dosing more closely. I plan to switch to the low carb canned only, but I also have to find a good way to do this with the limited time that I am home and with 2 cats. My other cat was overweight and has gained a noticeable amount in the past 2 1/2 weeks with the dry food now being available 24/7 and the canned food. (I give canned food to both before the shot because it would be too unfair and upsetting to Riley if she didn't get any. They both have become quite the beggars now anytime I'm in the kitchen, thinking they might get some yummy, stinky canned food.)
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
By getting a few tests in the evening to gather some data (+2 and +4 tests are good enough) and then doing curves on the weekends after 7 days of holding a dose.
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Besides preshot tests and doing curves, are additional tests needed? Are others testing throughout the day, every day? How often will I "need" to do evening +2 and +4 tests? I'm having a hard time gauging was is needed versus what is ideal, and where things fall in the range in between. Unfortunately the ideal is not something I can accomplish, but I imagine that others have worked on managing their cat's diabetes while working full time and having other obligations. I'm hoping there is a middle of the road option for me with SLGS and being guided by this group. Or is someone in my position better off working with the vet only and getting periodic evaluations with bloodwork there and/or a Freestyle Libre?
 
Cara & Sabrina said:
Besides preshot tests and doing curves, are additional tests needed? Are others testing throughout the day, every day? How often will I "need" to do evening +2 and +4 tests? I'm having a hard time gauging was is needed versus what is ideal, and where things fall in the range in between. Unfortunately the ideal is not something I can accomplish, but I imagine that others have worked on managing their cat's diabetes while working full time and having other obligations. I'm hoping there is a middle of the road option for me with SLGS and being guided by this group. Or is someone in my position better off working with the vet only and getting periodic evaluations with bloodwork there and/or a Freestyle Libre?
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Hi Cara, We always encourage more testing than less, but of course you have to do what is possible. What will keep your cat safest is our primary objective here, so getting a test before each and every shot and one or two tests before you go to bed will help us to help you with dosing. The curve once every 7 days is also to help with dosing. You can work with your vet, but that gets very expensive and many (most) cats experience stress induced hyperglycemia, so the readings you would get from blood work would never be as accurate as the tests you do at home. A Libre has been great for many people who are new to testing and for those who aren't home a lot to test, but that gets expensive as well and not all cats tolerate the sensor being glued on them for weeks. I found home testing with a glucose monitor to be the most cost effective, least stressful option for my kitty.

Carla's kitty Furball is a long time diabetic and she works out of the house three days a week, so she also follows SLGS to keep Furball safe while she works. Here is a link to her spreadsheet so you can see how she tests: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...pJ518Dd1drjHRB1QsdbHbjAduG6Ac/pub?output=html
 
Cara & Sabrina said:
Vet also said to feed some can food before each shot to be certain she has food in her stomach before getting insulin
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You should withhold food 2 hours prior to testing ,you don't want the BG to be food influenced

So test, feed then shoot, Basaglar doesn't kick in until about 2 hours after giving insulin
As long as you know your kitty will eat and his BG is OK to shoot
@Cara & Sabrina
 
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