Newly diagnosed...what am I doing wron

[olivia1173]

My 14yo male cat named bubba was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago and we just finished his 3rd curve today and his insulin does keeps going up as well as his glucose numbers.

The first curve (.5 vestlyn 2xs a day)
348 starting glucose
98 mid day
153 end of day
-kept him on the same food ,fancy feast dry and canned...some classics but mostly anything he would eat since he was not eating much at all.
-doctor upped dose to 1 2xs a day

The second curve (1 vestlyn 2xs a day)
235
153
345
-changed food to only canned ff classics.


The third curve (1 vestlyn 2xs a day)
535
332
376
-doctor wants me to start royal cainan food and up dose to 1.5

I feel like his numbers are going in the wrong direction!!!!! I'm wondering now if I should go back to the fancy feast hard and soft food...like he was in the beginning when the numbers were almost regulated.

Can someone please tell me what I should do because I've been reading and reading and I'm getting more confused...do I only feed 2xs a day when I inject him? Should I be messing with his food while trying to regulate him or am I making it worse?

I know I'm rambling and I apologize...im at my wits end! I did what my vet said....changing food and giving him insulin and he is getting worse!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

What Royal Cainin food? If dry I would avoid
I would avoid the dry FF since it is high carbs. One of the best (low-carb) dry foods is Evo Turkey & Chicken Cat and Kitten food. Some better pet stores carry it.
The first curve you obtained is the best. I would go back to 1/2 unit.

 

[olivia1173]

I bought the wet but she wanted me to use the dry as well. So I should continue with the ff classics and the smaller dose? His best curve was when I didn't mess with his food so he was eating all high carb food.

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Are you doing the curves at home or taking Bubba to the vet for them? If taking him to the vet, those higher numbers could be stress related as cats often have much higher readings at the vet's office. And yes kitty might go a lot higher on one visit vs. another. How long between the curves? If the dose is being changed too quickly, some of those higher numbers could be bouncing which is a natural response of the cat's body to lower readings it is not accustomed to.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I would stick with the FF canned if Bubba wil ear a full meal. Next would be the RC canned. Then Evo, then the RC dry and last the FF dry.
Yes I would go back to a low dose. Since Vetsulin is a U40 (40 units per ml) I would use human U100 syringes and fill the syringes up to the 1 unit marking. That would be 0.4 units of U40 insulin. A reduction from 1/2 unit is in order since the 98 is a goo BG and it may drop lower if all canned.

 

[granadilla]

I agree with Larry. I'd go back to 0.5 units and feed only canned. You will need to keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't drop below 50 (if testing on a human glucose meter) or below 68 (if testing on an AlphaTrak pet meter). That last curve is very possibly so high because the insulin is too high for him, which makes their bodies pour glucose into their systems to compensate, which makes the numbers go up high.

Are you home testing? If not, you will need to learn how before you switch him to all canned food because his BG may drop after you put him on all canned food. Tell us if you're not home testing and we can give you info on how to do it. (It's really not that bad!) If you're not home testing yet, I would put him on 0.5 units and keep him on a mix of dry and wet until you get a meter. Then switch him to all canned and do a curve at home.

 

[Cat Ma]

Hi and welcome to FDMB. Which Royal Canin food did your vet want Bubba on?

There is no need for expensive vet prescription diets. You need to aim for under 10% cannned/wet food. The Fancy Feast Classics canned food is a good choice. If Bubba doesn't want to eat it or tires of it, there are many other low carb choices. Here's a handy chart: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Many find feeding several smaller meals a day better than feeding twice a day.

Vetsulin is a faster acting insulin than longer lasting ones like Lantus/Levemir and Prozinc/PZI. Bubba is likely not getting a full 12 hours of insulin on Vetsulin; at best, maybe 8 hours or so. Very few cats are successfully regulated on Vetsulin. To get optimal benefit, you'd need to gibve Vetsulin every 8 hours. Few caregivers have the patience or time to do that.

Here's a primer on Vetsulin (in our forum): http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/vetsulin-caninsulin-humulin-n.19/

You'll know Bubba's true glucose numbers when you home test. Then we can help determine optimal dosing for Bubba.

You can also do curves at home and save your cat unnecessary stress and save yourself money.