New Member Introduction - Trixie

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Kat & Trixie

Kat & Trixie

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Hello!

My cat Trixie was diagnosed with diabetes on December 1, 2024. We brought her to the ER with signs of a UTI. She has no history of ketones or DKA. She is currently on 2 units of Lantus twice a day (since December 19th, had started on 1 unit and slowly increased). Her diet is a combo of wet (fancy feast) and dry for snacks. I am using a human meter to test her at home and as we are both learning this new routine, her tests have been a bit sporadic.

Hopefully I have set up my signature and her spreadsheet correctly.

I do have a question, today is the first time that I have seen her blood glucose below 90, she was at 75 at +4. Reading the SLGS, it looks like a reduction should be done anytime they go below 90 but since it was not a hypo and still a safe number I'm wondering if I should I reduce her PM dose tonight or stick with the 2 units and monitor?
 
Yes, reduce the dose to 1.75 units. It doesn't matter if the cat has a hypo or not, under 90 needs a dose reduction. Your cat's numbers are pretty good :)

What dry food are you feeding? Some cats are carb sensitive. Can you leave canned food out for snacks in a timed feeder or a healthier crunchier option such as freeze dried raw or air dried raw?
 
Thank you for the advice! :) I have been working hard to keep her numbers down. Dry food is Royal Canin Satiety Support. I can certainly give her wet for snacks. I am still working on transitioning her to less dry food.
 
Are you able to stop using dry food altogether do you think?
Dry food is high carb and low carb wet food is much better for diabetic cats (well all cats really!)
You would need to do it over a period of time and keep an eye on the BGs. But if you are hoping for regulation/remission, this is the way to go.
We can help you with this:)
 
@Kat & Trixie
Welcome can you please add SLGS and the food you are feeding to your signature please.
For the food just put combo FF pate/ kibble
Oh and please add the meter to your signature also. These are the first things members will look at :cat:
I looked up the carbs on the dry food on the Chewy site where people ask questions

Here is what it said about the dry food you are feeding


What is the carbohydrate amount?
Answer by • Dec 10, 2024
This formula contains approximately 26.84% Carbohydrates on an as-fed basis, or 29.17% on a dry matter basis.

Good luck with the new dose tonight 1.75 units
 
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Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Are you able to stop using dry food altogether do you think?
Dry food is high carb and low carb wet food is much better for diabetic cats (well all cats really!)
You would need to do it over a period of time and keep an eye on the BGs. But if you are hoping for regulation/remission, this is the way to go.
We can help you with this:)
Click to expand...
Hi @Bron and Sheba (GA) - yes, I plan to switch her to wet only.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom GA said:
@Kat & Trixie
Welcome can you please add SLGS and the food you are feeding to your signature please.
For the food just put combo FF pate/ kibble
Oh and please add the meter to your signature also. These are the first things members will look at :cat:
I looked up the carbs on the dry food on the Chewy site where people ask questions

Here is what it said about the dry food you are feeding


What is the carbohydrate amount?
Answer by • Dec 10, 2024
This formula contains approximately 26.84% Carbohydrates on an as-fed basis, or 29.17% on a dry matter basis.

Good luck with the new dose tonight 1.75 units
Click to expand...
 
Hi Kat and welcome to the forum :). Nice job getting the spreadsheet going. Trixie is looking great, congrats on the reducie. When Maverick was on Lantus, I often found the +2 to be a good indicator of where the cycle would go. If it was significantly lower than preshot, that generally meant an active cycle, and I’d be watching more closely to nadir.

Glad to hear you are working on removing the dry, that can have a huge impact on insulin needs.
 
Hello again, wondering how long most use their cartridge of insulin for? I know the manufacturer recommends every 28 days but it seems so silly to throw away all the unused insulin.
 
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Kat & Trixie said:
Hello again, wondering how long most use their cartridge of insulin for? I know the manufacturer recommends every 28 days but it seems so silly to through away all the unused insulin.
Click to expand...
That 28 days just refers for humans . A cartridge could last about 6 months depending on how many units your cat is getting

it is designed for humans to last 28 days and be carried in a purse or pocket. We keep it in the refrigerator so it will last much longer. You should be able to use it to the last drop if you store it correctly.


That 28 day is for humans , one pen should last you at least 6 months kept in the middle shelf of the fridge. I used each pen to the last drop

Lantus/glargine is an insulin that was only tested on humans and humans use a considerably larger dose than cats. The manufacturer's tests lasted only 28 days since that's how long they assumed humans would need a prescription for.
 
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@Christie & Maverick - I’m hoping for some greens today too!! Main am meal is at 8am, snacks are usually at +4 and +7 and +9 but can vary depending on if she sleeps through her first snack time and BG numbers. At night, she gets a snack at +3 and then I leave a small amount of wet out for her.
 
@Kat & Trixie I think she may benefit from trying to front end load the snacks so that they happen before nadir. For some cats, particularly those who are very carb sensitive, feeding past nadir can tend to put the brakes on whatever duration the insulin has left. It might be worth giving a snack at let’s say +2, since that’s often when most cats will onset, so you’ll get fresh carbs on board, then maybe another at +3 and +4 or +5. It would be a bit of an experiment since you’re fairly new in gathering data and seeing how the carbs and insulin are affecting Trixie.

Does she still get a little dry during the day or is that just at night?

P.S. Nice +2 :cool:
 
@Christie & Maverick - Thank you for that suggestion, I will definitely aim for snacks early in her cycle vs later.

No dry during the day the last 2 days, only wet and very little a night.

Just checked her and she is at 83, does this mean I reduce her dose again tonight since she went below 90?
 
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