Hi! Just wanted to say that when I switched my cat to the Young Again Zero Carb dry her BG dropped like a rock too and I had to decrease her insulin pretty rapidly – going from 4.5 units of Lantus twice a day to just .25 units within a 12 day period. I believe I mentioned that on a previous post. It was challenging to keep up with the reductions needed. Not sure why, but this food really does metabolize like a low or zero carb wet food in my cat’s system – even though it is dry.
Here’s what feline diabetes expert Dr. Lisa Pierson’s says on the subject of diet change:
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes :
“If you change your diabetic cat's diet to one with lower carbohydrates, he will, in all probability, IMMEDIATELY (not days or weeks later) require a reduction in his insulin dosage. He may also immediately go into 'remission' and not need any insulin at all. If this warning is ignored, you may very well end up with a cat in a hypoglycemic crisis (dangerously low blood sugar) which can result in death, or brain damage.”
I see on your spreadsheet that the vet has recommended going from 5 units down to 3 units. I have no specific advice other than to keep a close eye on the BG the next few days and reach out to the more experienced members of the board for guidance if you are unsure what to dose. Doses that are too high are dangerous, but reducing the dose too quickly (before the BGs warrant) can be dangerous too.
A lot depends on what you are feeding moving forward. Wet food or a combination of the wet plus the Young Again Zero Carb will likely keep the BG lower and require less insulin (a good thing), whereas reintroducing other types of dry food may require higher doses of insulin.
Bob’s BG numbers may be volatile for a few days until things settle down so it is important to test (he could be high in one cycle and low in another). Again, the more experienced members here can help you understand what you are seeing and advise when it may be time to increase or decrease the dose.
On the diarrhea, if you continue to use the Young Again and continue to have this issue you might try Dr. Goodpet Feline Digestive Enzymes (just a pinch sprinkled over the food worked for me). I also gave a probiotic at the same time. I can send you samples if you PM me.
Regarding Bob “not eating,” the Young Again is very high calorie so cats don’t typically eat large quantities of this. My cat eats about 4 to 6 tablespoons a day (grazing) – a lot less than when she was eating other dry brands. So if you let Bob snack on Young Again, he may not be hungry for the wet food – or may eat a lot less of it - or may not be hungry at meal time.
Good luck!!!
