First BS testing day

hi.
Fergus' mom here.
Ferg started Lantus on 5/4/17. While still in Clavamox for a UTI. He finished that. Thank goodness because it made him vomit and not want to eat. He is on 1unit 2x a day since 5/4. His, at the vet, initial BS was over 600.

We purchased a ReliOn Confirm Human Glucometer TODAY.

We tested Fergus at +5. He was 385. I tested him with 15 min left until his 12 hours, so I supose +11.75 and his BS was 549.

I fed him 2 Sheba perfect portion pates 42P/56F/3C/236Phos with 42cals x2 portions (they are lil half containers).

My vet had him at 1 U for 2 weeks then recheck. I gave him 1.25u, since it has been over a week and he is still so high.

Any advice? I don't have a SS cause this is all the BS tests I have done.

Also, how do I know his ideal weight?

How do I know how many calories to feed him?

I have read so much in past two days I can't think straight.

Due to urine issues we have a under 250 phos food that is 42 protien and 3 carbs although the fat is 56.
So high protien low carb and appropriate (could be lower I guess) phos. But is the fat too high?

I guess I am rambling because I am nervous about bumping up his insulin.

Halp

 

Hi Fergus' mom,

Welcome!!! I just happen to be online tonight, but I am not the most experienced since I have been only here a few months. I can tell you that this is a great place to get the best advice and help with your kitty. Remember to breathe and take this all in bite sizes. I think that everything you are doing is fine and someone who has more knowledge will direct you asap!! There is Dr. Lisa's food chart on the main forum to guide you with food. And, starting a spreadsheet and posting your daily numbers for advice every day is also good to do.

Have a good night!!!

 

I think there are many variables to determining ideal calories per day for a cat. Such as breed, gender, indoor/outdoor. Something like the following is a frequent recommendation.
Take ideal weight of cat in lbs and multiplythat by 13.6 then add 70 to get the amount of calories to feed a day.

I feed my two cats half of a 5.5 oz friskies pate, six times a day. That's about 540 cals total. My 20 lb diabetic male cat gets slightly more than half in his dish than the other 12 lb female cat gets. Unless I guard her dish he usually rushes through his and eats hers. But I figure he gets about 340 of the daily calories and he looks OK to me.

 

Also, I think increasing after a week by a 1/4 unit is OK because the BG tests seem high. I am not sure what reading you've done but reading about the Start Low Go Slow dosing method is a good read if you haven't done so yet.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-levemir-start-low-go-slow-method-slgs.129446/

another method requiring more frequent testing
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-levemir-tight-regulation-protocol-tr.1581/

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB.
It is great you are going to home test the BSL .
Please set up the SS and start entering the results you get. We all have to start somewhere and it is the best way we can help you....we need to see what BSL you are getting.
Her is the link to setting up the SS. If you have trouble setting it up ...yell and someone will help you.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

What is the weight of Fergus at the moment.?
My Sheba was 13 lbs and I fed her 4 ounces of food twice a day. I deal in grams and kgm so I think I have that right. That maintained her weight well. The fat content seems OK but I would rotate a few different foods so you get a variation in the amounts of fat and protein.

Increasing the dose to 1.25 u is fine. You will need to keep to this dose for 6 cycles to see how he goes.

First job is to set up the SS.

 

Try and get some BSL tests inbetween the insulin shots. We use the lowest point...the nadir....to decide the dose.
Getting a +3 or a +4 or +5 or +6 gives us an idea how he is responding to the insulin. You can get these tests at different cycles....not all in the same cycle. But if you test and find he is dropping quite low, it is a good idea to test again an hour later to see he is not dropping too low.
Think of the SS as a jigsaw puzzle and the more spots you can fill over time, the better idea we have of how he is going.

 

Thank you for responding. My condolences on the loss of Sheba. Thank you for remaining here and being a resource. ❤️

 

Hi and welcome! Excellent job testing! I'm pretty new here as well but I'm glad you found your way to the group! Everyone here are super helpful and caring! I'm far too new to give any testing advice but just wanted to say hi and welcome!

 

Thank you and good luck.