? To feed or not to feed when hungry and unregulated?

[tackeee]

My cat little one has been unregulated since 12/7 when he was diagnosed. He’s on all fancy feast classic diet and was at a healthy weight at 13 lbs, now he’s down to 10.5ish and is quite a little sack of bones. I typically give him 1.5 cans in the am and at night and try to give him a small snack of maybe a total 1/2 cab more during the day before his nadir when he begs (which is often). However is there a certain BG level in which it does NOT make sense to feed him more, as in it will just increase his BG numbers further and probably won’t decrease his hunger? He’s back in reds and blacks (also due likely to stomatitis and other issues we’re trying to figure out simultaneously). After he eats his already high numbers skyrocket, and so I’m wary. Any advice is good, as there seem to be very mixed options about this out there!

 

[Idjit's mom]

Hi Elizabeth, I was advised to give Idjit several small meals throughout the day, and I got a timed feeder for a midnight meal also. I learned that unregulated cats are very hungry because they are not able to efficiently process the food they are eating. I also was told to have a 2 hour period of no food before each pre-shot BG test. If you can't be at home to portion out his smaller meals, a timed feeder might be an option for you and Little One. Members have posted that they use the PetSafe brand, I used the CatMate 2 bowl feeder. I'm sure there are other brands out there also.
There is some information here from the FAQs forum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/feed-kitty-as-much-as-they-want.205170/
You also might post this question on the Lantus forum to get some of the experienced members' input. I hope the stomatitis and other issues get resolved so that you can get those blood sugar numbers down and he can feel better.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi Elizabeth and Little one,.....who is gorgeous!
It's great you are testing the BSLs!
Looking at your SS you look like you were getting better numbers with the 3.75 dose.
Then after raising the dose to 4 units and staying on 4 units for 2 weeks you raised the dose to 5 units. I see you are following the SLGS method but we do not raise the dose in 1 unit increments but in 0.25 increments. Have another look at the SLGS method.
His numbers are probably being affected by the stomatitis? What is the vet doing about that?
As Lou said above, unregulated cats are often starving because their bodies can't utilise the food properly so if he is losing weight I would feed him more. I doubt the low carb food, if that is what you are feeding, is keeping the BSLs high.
I also think it would be a good idea to start posting over on the Lantus page where you will get a lot more help specific to your issues. 5 units is a lot of insulin to be giving a newly diagnosed cat in my opinion.
What dose did he start at?
Are you feeding a low carb diet?
Hope to see you over on the Lantus forum .....link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-basaglar-glargine-and-levemir-detemir.9/
Bron

 

[JanetNJ]

If he's underweight feed whenever he wants it. Just no food at least 2 hours prior to the preshot test so the number is not food influenced.

 

[tackeee]

Thanks all. I’ve been posting in the Lantus forum too, but not specifically about feeding. He did well with those blues and yellows for a bit but then started to go red again. Then with the slower increases he’s all red and black again. :/

Even with only wet low carb FF, he’ll still shoot up and stay black after his initial feedings and throughout the day, so I was worried that feeding too often might just be fueling the BG fire. He does get the overall “right amount” per day, I just wasn’t sure about feeding all the time.