New Member, Help with curve results

Did my first curve today, poor cat's ears took a beating but think I have the hang of it Pertinent info in sig. Did hourly, since that's the recommendation for Vetsulin...will continue every 2 hrs now til PMPS.

2.5U bid for a month now. Freefed cheap dry food, plus 1/4 - 5.5oz can wet 2x/day.

Based on the #s -
1. Pretty sure I'm ok to cut the dry food completely? Keep dose the same and test every 2-3 hrs the next few days to keep an eye on him?
2. If eliminating dry, how much wet should I be giving? He is currently underweight (about 9 lbs, down from pre-dx 13/14 lbs). Timing? I'm seeing BG climbing back up around +6, do I not feed again until before PMPS? Even if it's wet food?

Is it normal for a curve to be this "flat"? I guess I was expecting a bigger dip.

Thanks!

 

I can’t advise you on dosage when it comes to vetsulin but I can talk about food

you should feed him as much as he’ll eat given the weight loss and the fact that diabetic cats can’t process all the nutrients in the food they eat, hence the weight loss. As a rule of thumb, after Minnie lost weight and I needed her to gain I was feeding her 300 calories a day which roughly translated to about 4 cans of FF

PS - a flat curve usually indicates your cat is bouncing from a low in the previous cycle.

congrats on home testing btw!!

 

You're seeing about a 75 point drop from pre-shot to nadir which is good given that Vetsulin can drop numbers hard. That said, I wouldn't call this a"flat" curve.

I would gradually transition out the dry food for a couple of reasons. It will give you a feel for what kind of influence the dry is exerting on Mr. Kitty's numbers. If you switch to low carb all at once, you could see a dramatic change in your cat's numbers which could lead to a lot of excitement -- the kind that frazzles the nerves. In addition, some cats can have GI problems with abrupt changes in diet. A gentle transition is helpful on both counts.

@Aleluia Grugru & Minnie wrote:

Not really. A flat curve can mean any number of things. A high flat curve may mean your cat isn't getting enough insulin. A flat curve in lower ranges may indicate a cat is regulated. Usually with a bounce, you see a swing into high numbers and they may stay high for up to 3 days.

 

I always get the bounce explanation when Minnie’s numbers are flat even for one cycle, so thank you for clarifying!!

 

Thank you. Is there a recommended timeframe/method? Wondering if I should only offer the dry maybe 2x-3x per day (around preshots and a bit before nadir?), but leave him wet to freely graze on.

 

Dr. Lisa's website has information on transitioning a cat to a canned food diet.

 

Sorry more questions:

1. It takes 2-3 cycles to recover from a bounce, correct? So if this was a bounce, I might start seeing some lower numbers tomorrow night?
2. How often should I be doing curves?
3. How often should I be testing going forward? AMPS/PMPS are a given, but since I saw a pretty short duration today maybe I should aim for a few +3,6,9 to get a more definitive trend?

 

BUMP