Protocol for lazy people and automatic feeders

[Mousiesmum]

So firstly been thinking of an automatic feeder as Mousie mostly fed overnight I think. But I can't leave food out as then she can't fast before her morning shot. Or is this not necessary? A bit confused as I am new. Was thinking of an automatic feeder that would stay open for a set amount of time and close at say 5am.

Also, is this the right place to ask about the minimum protocol with regards to BG testing etc for lazy people, or people with way too much else going on in their lives? Of course I want to do the best for Mousie, but I don't have the energy to deal with SLGS or the other one... She is on Glargine, just starting. I do home testing. What is the minimum I can do to keep her healthy? Especially considering my vet didn't think I needed to test at all! Which does sound ridiculous to me. He thought just testing urine. But I can't do that as I have two cats and rarely see Mousie in the litter tray.

I know it sounds awful, and I don't want to hear what a bad cat mum I am being. I am trying to do my best, but with a husband, two kids (with a disability), and four pets I don't have the mental energy to deal with all of this.

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

Here ya go, Search your Oz internet. I found this https://www.petcircle.com.au/cat/te...h-iE-V_13h7vW6xZPpMaAhQLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

The Eatwell for 5 meals looks like the smart one.

You can portion/serving size pre-freeze the wet food, and then put it in the feeder's compartments frozen so it stays fresh longer.


My actually really ferocious neighbour and Simba & Gustavs friend Tiggy Tiger, has the high labyrinth green tower one for his dry food, so he has to put in his paw and figure out how to get one dry food piece out at the bottom, a.k.a put in some work to get his dry food.


How many units of the glargine insulin are you giving at morning food and evening food?

And how many grams of food do you feed during a day?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

The microchip enabled feeder that Ann suggested is expensive. They cost around $140+ in the US. There are other less techie feeders that have 5 slots that rotate and that you can program when you want them to open. You simply have the feeder turn to an empty compartment 2 hours prior to shot time. You don't want your pre-shot test to be influenced by food.

With Lantus (glargine), the bare minimum number of tests is 4 per day. You absolutely need to get a pre-shot test in order to know whether it's safe to give an injection. Ideally, you are getting a test somewhere toward the middle of the cycle since Lantus dosing is based on the nadir (lowest point in the cycle). You're doing a fine job getting tests!

One bit of advice.... Last night, Mousie's numbers dropped 100 points from PMPS to PM +3. There's a good likelihood that Mousie's numbers dropped even lower given that you saw today's AMPS at 176. Lantus begins to work somewhere in the vicinity of 2 or 3 hours after an injection. When you see a sizable drop by onset, it often means that numbers will continue to drop until nadir. Based on your spreadsheet, it's not entirely clear where Mousie's nadir falls. If it were me, I would have planned on getting another test or two last night.

A big part of getting tests is that it gives you information about your cat's patterns. Every cat responds to insulin differently and part of the challenge is knowing YOUR cat. I would encourage you to use SLGS. Dosing with Lantus takes some getting. used to and it will help you to have guidelines for what to do if there's no one available on the Board to guide you.

 

[FarmKitty]

Hello!

I second the recommendation for that Eatwell Pet Feeder. I have the same one (PetSafe version) and it has been amazing. Make sure to pick up 4 D batteries for it as well.

The biggest pain with the feeder is cleaning it out. You have to take out the big circular white tray (which I can't fully fit into my sink) and then wash it out with soap and water.

I also use these Duralex Glass bowls that fit inside each feeder compartment. This makes it easy for me to weigh out the food in each meal (I use a scale) and easy to clean the bulk of the food mess. This way, the white feeder compartment doesn't get as dirty and is easier to clean in the sink. Additionally, the pack I bought came with 8 dishes so I can prep the morning and night meals all at once and just keep the night ones in the fridge.

If money wasn't an issue, I would probably buy more feeders so that I could have one tray in the dishwasher and the other in the feeder . I don't think they sell the tray separately.

The automatic feeder will make a big difference to your life. In the beginning, I was trying to do 6 meals a day and also pick up food 2 hours before shot time and it can really drive you crazy... The feeder takes care of all of this!

Right now, I feed 8 meals a day. 30g for main meal, 30g @ +2, 20g @ +4, and 10g @+5. Then the same thing for night time. I also have the feeder turn 2 hours before shot time. It is a dream! If you want to just have her food out and then close the feeder 2 hrs before shot time, then that is doable as well with this feeder.

The whole process of testing, cleaning feeder, getting food, giving shot all takes 15mins now.

I haven't had any issues with keeping the food cold, but maybe that will be more of a concern in Australia? My original idea was to just put a large freezer pack under the whole feeder, but I live in a cool basement and didn't need it. I have found that the automatic feeder keeps the food very fresh throughout the day because it covers the uneaten meals (not airtight, but still enough to stop food from drying out). I also noticed that the feeder keeps the food smells way down.

As far as insulin goes, I don't have any experience with Lantus. I use ProZinc which is an insulin that doesn't build up the way Lantus does. This means that you have more leeway on when to give the ProZinc shot, so if you had to come home 30 mins late to test/shoot then it wouldn't be as big as a difference than it would be with Lantus. I felt less stressed out starting with the ProZinc.

SLGS is definitely the way to go! For me, I feel a lot more comfortable skipping tests (when needed) if I know that I haven't been increasing my cat's increasing dose too quickly or shooting lower than normal (like the other protocols). I only do that if I know that I will be home all day and available to test her. However, things can just happen regardless and you never know when the BG levels might drop, so you really gotta find that balance between your comfort and the safety of your cat. After you get more test data, you will start to see a general trend of how Mousie works and will feel more confident about your choices!

Here is a post of someone who follows the Tight Regulation protocol (which is more intense than SLGS) and how they balance it with a 9-5 job. Maybe you could apply some of these tips to your situation? Adjusting your shot and nadir time to work with your schedule as much as possible will make a difference!

 

[FarmKitty]

Here are some pics of the feeder if you are curious what it looks like.

 

[FarmKitty]

Also, which parts of SLGS are you finding the most stressful?

Please don't feel down about all of this! It can be an overwhelming situation for anyone... especially with all the diabetic information you need to learn at the start. But it will get a lot better! (I promise )

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

Sienne, 94,95 AUD Australian Dollars are only 66,58 USD USA dollars, not 140 USD, and The Eatwell for 5 meals is not for microchip.

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

Here are some pics of the feeder if you are curious what it looks like.

@FarmKitty There you Were! I remembered your glass bowl solution but with so many new I couldn't remember your name.
Thank You that You Saw!

 

[Mousiesmum]

I just find the whole concept too confusing and difficult!

The Eatwell says that it is not suitable for wet food. Would that just be because the food will go off if left there for a long period? I am not looking to feed during the day, as I am here and can take the bowl away before the night time dose. My main concern is that Mousie normally ate at night (I think) after we go to bed. She can't do that now as I take the food away before I go to bed. So was just thinking of having the timer move to an empty bowl two hours before the morning shot. The food will be fine overnight.

I am not measuring how much food she is eating just trying to get her to eat! She is eating about 1/2 to 3/4 a can of Friskies Feast pate twice a day. A bit more if I can get it into her. She is enjoying boiled chicken, so I give her some of that during the day when I can. I think she mostly ate the dry food I used to give her, so is getting used to the new routine.

I think I will see what her weight is at the vet appointment tomorrow. She is by no means skinny, but she lost weight compared to what she used to be. She was a bit overweight at just over 5kg, now she is about 4.4-4.5kg I think.

 

[Mousiesmum]

@FarmKitty There you Were! I remembered your glass bowl solution but with so many new I couldn't remember your name.
Thank You that You Saw!

Why do you use the bowls in there? Is that just to help with keeping it clean?

 

[FarmKitty]

The Eatwell says that it is not suitable for wet food. Would that just be because the food will go off if left there for a long period?

I don't know for sure, but I believe it is because it isn't built well for excess moisture. The circuit board inside is a bit exposed through some holes and can get damaged. This could happen if you were to wash the white tray and not completely dry off the bottom part. Here are some pics from reviews on the Amazon US site where you can see the damage that can happen:


I was initially concerned about this and the issues other reviews had about the feeder not turning all the way or quitting after a few months. One reviewer mentioned coating the circuit board in a protective spray. I suspect a lot of the issues people were having were due to issues with the sensor on the circuit board, so PetSafe just states to only use dry food. Some other evidence of this is that there a space for an icepack below the feeder, but they don't mention to use it... these are just my speculations though

After reading all the people on this forum using it with wet food, I just bit the bullet and bought it as well and it has worked perfectly for me! To ensure its longevity, I made sure to use name-brand D batteries, dry the white tray completely after washing it, and I keep silicia gel packets in the ice-pack space underneath the tray to absorb any excess moisture.

So was just thinking of having the timer move to an empty bowl two hours before the morning shot. The food will be fine overnight.

This machine would be suitable for that! And if you decide to feed smaller meals later on (has benefits), then it can also handle that as well.

I think she mostly ate the dry food I used to give her, so is getting used to the new routine.

If you choose to do smaller meals, the feeder can help with this because it makes a 2 second motor sound as it spins. My cat is now used to this and will run to the feeder when she hears the noise! If she isn't eating, I sometimes test her because she is used to getting tested before eating breakfast/dinner. Try to use routines to your advantage.

Why do you use the bowls in there? Is that just to help with keeping it clean?

I read that the plastic isn't the best choice for cats to eat/drink out of because they can get acne on their chin, so at least Dixie's chin will mainly be touching the glass. However, she hasn't ever had chin acne so maybe it isn't that necessary.

The original reason was because I wanted to put ice cubes or ice packs underneath the food and I saw another member on here do that with bowls like this. But in my environment the food just stays fresh as-is, so I haven't used any ice packs.

I have also found it easier to clean the bowls and to measure to food.

You don't need to use the bowls if you don't want to. You could also find cheaper ones locally. I just got my online because of covid. If you want the measurements of the bowls then let me know.

 

[FarmKitty]

I just find the whole concept too confusing and difficult!

You definitely won't get it on the first try. I must have read the protocol over 100 times and each time I read it, I would somehow always learn something new. Basically, before shot time you will look at your data and refer to the protocol to see what the next step is. You don't need to memorize the whole protocol or know all the ins-and-outs of it. Just keep referring back and ask questions in the Lantus forum if you are unsure of the next step to take.

It probably won't always be like this. I don't think I have looked at the protocols in 3 months because Dixie's levels have regulated. Even if Mousie has a harder time getting regulated, you will still eventually learn the protocol and it won't seem so confusing anymore.

When I started with SLGS, it seemed so long and intense and hard to wrap my mind around. I look at it now (after almost a year) and it is very easy and simple! It just takes time