New Member - Hard to regulate cat, am I on the right track?

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QueenGuinevere

QueenGuinevere

Member Since 2020
Hello! I've been stalking these boards since my baby was diagnosed 3 months ago, and I've learned so much from all of you. I'm at a point now where I need some advice because Bo is proving difficult to regulate. He is a 13 yr male Bengal, and weighs 18 lbs. He is not overweight, just muscle (my vet was all prepped to yell at me until she walked in and saw him, lol). We started him on Lantus at 1 unit, and over the course of 3 months, leaving him at a dose for at least 8 days, and only increasing a half unit at a time, we are now at 7.5 units. That seems so high to me, after reading others numbers, but if you look at my spreadsheet, we have only had ONE blue number in that time, and that was 192, so barely. Am I crazy? Is this normal? I'm confident that I haven't skipped the right dose, but how many units is the max? Should I be worried? To cover my bases, I'll answer the questions I see most: I give my shots in the lower neck/shoulder, alternating sides, and am confident I'm doing it correctly. Only 1 fur shot so far. I test myself, and do my own curves. He eats only low carb wet food, at 12 hour increments - about 6oz each time. If I give him a snack, it's when I poke his ear and then it's a low carb protein puff (1 or 2 pieces). We have 2 other young Bengals, but we feed them up on the counter, as Bo has neuropathy and can't jump well, so he's not eating when I don't see it. I give him a Zobaline tablet ground up in his food twice a day for his legs. He always has a ravenous appetite, so I am thankful for that. Any advice or moral support would be greatly appreciated! Truly, when I began this journey, I was in tears every day, but I feel more comfortable now thanks to the amazing people on this board.
 
Nice job on the testing! I'm sure one of the experienced members will be around shortly to help you. Welcome!
There is a forum devoted to Lantus and Levemir type insulins. If you want to post over there, you may get some more eyes on your post. Just include a link to this post, in your new post on the L &L forum(if you choose to post over there).
Again, welcome and can't wait to see your posts sharing Bo's progress!:bighug:
 
Bengals are BIG cats. 18 pounds is not an unusual size.

When the insulin dose goes above 6 units a cycle, we suggest testing for high dose conditions.
There is a possibility that Bo has either IAA or acromegaly. You might want to talk to your vet about testing for those 2 conditions.

Sticky: Acromegaly and Other High Dose Conditions: What We Know

Please test before every shot of insulin. You've been lucky so far, but cats can be low at pre-shot.
I think Bo could benefit from the lantus TR (tight regulation) protocol. Description of TR is in the first half of this document, from over in the lantus forum:
Sticky: Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)
 
Cats can be sneaky. Bo may have neuropathy, but he may be able to get up on the counter where you have your other cats food.

We had another member who was positive her diabetic cat was not eating the other cats food. Turned out to be wrong. Used a motion detecting camera to find that out.

You might want to think about changing all your cats to the lower carb food. Better for their health in the long run.

We'll help you get Bo feeling better and better regulated. Hang in there. Dealing with feline diabetes is tough.
Yoga, tai chi, deep breathing exercises, bird watching, horse back riding, walking or running are all activities that various members here do to relieve stress.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Cats can be sneaky. Bo may have neuropathy, but he may be able to get up on the counter where you have your other cats food.

We had another member who was positive her diabetic cat was not eating the other cats food. Turned out to be wrong. Used a motion detecting camera to find that out.

You might want to think about changing all your cats to the lower carb food. Better for their health in the long run.

We'll help you get Bo feeling better and better regulated. Hang in there. Dealing with feline diabetes is tough.
Yoga, tai chi, deep breathing exercises, bird watching, horse back riding, walking or running are all activities that various members here do to relieve stress.
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Thank you, everyone here is awesome. It’s so nice to know I’m not alone. My others could def switch to a healthier diet, and I’ll start letting them eat at the same time so the food can be put away. That way there’s no chance. Thanks!
 
Good thought, to feed all the Bengals the same diet and at the same time.

Are the other 2 Bengals at their full growth? Full adults, not kittens anymore.
 
Yes, they are both 2.5 years old. Not related tho. And they love their Bo and like to mimic him, so this will work And one is a little heavy, so this will be good for all of us.
 
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