Ehem... I believe 90 is a reduction number, not a take action number. Take action number is 50 on both protocols. But I'll happily hide under the table if I'm wrong ) What's the logic in rushing a kitty away from healthy numbers?
Perhaps a few comments for clarification, and others are welcome to chime in. With SLGS, from my experience, in general the goal really is to achieve flat numbers that are above 90. Once a kitty drops under 90 their dose is reduced. Perhaps the phrase "take action" is something that has room for interpretation. I wholeheartedly agree that if a kitty falls under 50 regardless of the dosing method, intervention with higher carb food is necessary. But there are instances when a caregiver may feel that using some carbs to bring numbers up or keep them from dropping are needed. I consider that "taking action". There aren't really any hard and fast rules, that's why it is a guideline...it all depends on how your cat responds to insulin, and how they respond to different carbs....Know Thy Cat. For example, let's say my cat drops under 90 at +2. To me, that would signal time to feed some carbs, it is way too early in the cycle and kitty may still drop further. I might feed some higher LC or even MC and test again to make sure the carbs I'm intervening with are flattening out the drop. I'm taking action to affect the cycle.
Again, understanding of basic concepts is key in this whole process: concepts of onset (length of time the insulin reaches bloodstream and begins to lower blood glucose), nadir (lowest point in the cycle) and duration (how long does the dose continue to lower BG).
In this case, the OP's cat is newly diagnosed, and they are just beginning to understand the basic concepts and gathering data on their cat. There are other considerations too, like how often a caregiver can test. For safety's sake, until a caregiver on SLGS knows how their cat responds to insulin and how carbs affect their cat, I would suggest take action under 90 is prudent. We of course always suggest if someone is unsure they post for help here on the forum, since circumstances vary.
Many people start out with SLGS because by its nature, it is less aggressive than TR and will tend to keep kitties in higher numbers, and some people need that. When I first started, I was petrified of giving insulin and having to go to work and not know how low Maverick was getting during the day.
