Zamrich - Your post is here

I've copied your post below over here so you will have your own thread.


Hi All

I have a regulation question and cant seem to work out how to start a new topic so thought i would post here and see if i get any anwsers.

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes in Oct last year. Noticed weak hind legs and took him to vet who tested for diabetes.

We started him on insulin immediately (Actraphane) starting at 1 unit twice a day and building up to 3 unit twice a day.

We also got him onto diabetic food (both Hills and Royal Canin).

We only did random glucose tests and when we found him coming down to below 4 (76) we decreased the dose to 2 units twice a day.

When i did his glucose curve we were shocked to find his glucose going down to as low as 2.2 (41.8).

We stopped giving insulin immediately and have been monitoring his glucose levels each day.

His glucose now varies between 4.6 (87.4) and 9 (171).

My question is, am i doing the right thing stopping the insulin? Also, is it normal to get low readings first thing in the morning after he has eaten (as low as 4.6)?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Rich.

 

Hello Rich, and welcome to FDMB!

OK, so your cat is not currently on insulin and his numbers are between 4.6 (87.4) and 9 (171)?

Well those numbers are in the normal range and slightly above. Great news! :smile:

I have a couple of questions for you.

Are you feeding dry or high carb food? Switching to low carb wet/canned food could tweak those numbers down a tad more. And feeding small snack sized meals rather than a couple of large ones can help to strengthen a 'pancreas in training'...

Also, what glucose meter are you using? Alphatrak? Or one made for humans? (they read slightly differently)

 

Message deleted by author (had been duplicated by accident)

 

Thanks for the quick response and the posting to new thread. Makes one fel welcome and not alone in the big bad world of Feline diabetes!

Am using Acucheck (human glucose meter which is all we can get in Zambia).

Food - mixture of Hills w/d and Royal Canin Diabetic pellets (both dry) with the occasional tin of Hill w/d wet food. Giz is not a great wet food eater - much refers his pellets!

He does eat all day rather than just large meals morning and night - he does not have a weight problem so we allow him to eat as and when he pleases.

 

Hi Rich,
I had to google the insulin.
http://www.theodora.com/drugs/eu/actraphane.html

Looks like it comes in different "strengths"? Do you know which one you have?

I also looked up the food you're using. As you know if you've read much here, we're all about low-carb canned food, and I understand that your guy likes the kibbles. What's troubling is that the dry he's eating looks really high in carbs, even for dry food. I am thinking that even if you have to feed dry, there are lower carb choices like Evo, or like purina prescription DM, but I don't know what is available in Zambia. You might be our first member that lives there. Not sure either whether the insulins we are familiar with would be available to you either.

If you can find a lower carb dry food, just that might help bring the numbers down further.

Carl

 

.

If you are reading a thread, "new topic" isn't an option (which you've already noticed )
But if you are on the index page of any of the forums, there should be a "New Topic" button to the left, above all of the rest of the topics/threads.

Carl

 

Hello there Rich and welcome,
If I was you I would focus on switching his food, since you stopped giving the insulin. With diabetes,
that is the smartest path. A lot easier with no insulin because there is no worries in too low BS.
The carbs in the wet are way lower than the the lowest dry food. Here are some links to help.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00165 ... 02_s00_i01 (fortiFlora-probiotic) sometimes helps digestion&can help with appetite and switching to wet from dry food))

http://felinediabetes.com/diet.htm (Food Info)

http://catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20for%20Tr ... -14-11.pdf (Food Info)

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food%20Char ... -22-12.pdf (wet food carb list)