Its been a while since I have navigated this forum. Jude is now 8+ years diabetic, hypothyroid and as of a few months ago was diagnosed with IBD as well. We had a really good run, he was like clock work, very well regulated. Now we are starting over and unfortunately limited on what foods we can choose. So this is where we really need some help, we have not had a good night sleep due to his late night BG drops. Exhausted and tired, feeling hopeless, I hope someone out there is willing to share a few suggestions.
He was originally on royal canine glycobalance dry food mixed with a blue buffalo canned food for years. He was good twice a day with about 11 units plus his food, he has a mountain curve and was consistent landing in the 80-130 range every 12 hours. Fast forward to now trying to re-regulate on new food, we have tried a few hydrolyzed dry foods mixed with hydrolyzed canned and his BG levels are all over the place. The hydrolyzed foods are mostly high in carbs (~60%), moderate protein (10-15%) and lower in fiber (5-8%) on average. So we bought Purina Gastroenteric High Fiber dry food, its about 48% carb, 24% protein and 21% in fiber. We are doing 3/4 cup of the hydro food and 1/3 cup of the new high fiber food. Its a delicate balance with his stomach, and increasing the new food will upset his stomach. We have see his numbers stabilize a bit thanks to adding in the new food. Now let me get into the struggle.
For the most part, the day time numbers are good and consistent. He slightly comes down a little lower than I would like at the end of the day, but its not too bad. The night time is our current nightmare scenario, his BG levels drop within the first 2-3 hours after meal and shot. This does not occur in the morning, it seems to be a big issue at night. Heres an example of yesterdays BG curve:
TIME - BG Reading (AlphaTrak 2)
7AM - 137 11 units NPH, Food
9 AM - 119
11 AM - 142
12 PM - 201
2 PM - 203
4 PM - 177
6 PM - 147
7 PM - 119 11 units NPH, Food
9 PM - 60 1 Tablespoon Karo Syrup
9 30 PM - 86
10 PM - 59 1 Tablespoon Karo Syrup
11 PM - 123
12 AM - 153
2 AM - 177
7 AM - 108 11 units NPH, Food
9 AM - 148
My only theories right now is that his metabolism slows at night, and the insulin is beating the food. No changes to his routine such as exercise. Is this a thing where I need a little more starch and protein at night? I need stomach sensitive safe foods though, thats also an issue. I've tried adjusting the insulin lower by .5 or a full unit at night with no luck.
As you could imagine, waking up at 2AM, 4AM, etc is taking a toll. I can't fail him now, we are lucky he still has his sight thanks to his tight regulation over the years, and I don't want to give up here and have him lose it now. I was always told to keep him under 250 if you want to keep his sight.
We are so desperate to get him back to a good spot, its robbing us of our sanity and breaking our hearts to think we might not make it. Really hoping someone out there has had luck being in similar shoes and can share some advice.
Thank you for reading,
Jason (Jude and Jess)
He was originally on royal canine glycobalance dry food mixed with a blue buffalo canned food for years. He was good twice a day with about 11 units plus his food, he has a mountain curve and was consistent landing in the 80-130 range every 12 hours. Fast forward to now trying to re-regulate on new food, we have tried a few hydrolyzed dry foods mixed with hydrolyzed canned and his BG levels are all over the place. The hydrolyzed foods are mostly high in carbs (~60%), moderate protein (10-15%) and lower in fiber (5-8%) on average. So we bought Purina Gastroenteric High Fiber dry food, its about 48% carb, 24% protein and 21% in fiber. We are doing 3/4 cup of the hydro food and 1/3 cup of the new high fiber food. Its a delicate balance with his stomach, and increasing the new food will upset his stomach. We have see his numbers stabilize a bit thanks to adding in the new food. Now let me get into the struggle.
For the most part, the day time numbers are good and consistent. He slightly comes down a little lower than I would like at the end of the day, but its not too bad. The night time is our current nightmare scenario, his BG levels drop within the first 2-3 hours after meal and shot. This does not occur in the morning, it seems to be a big issue at night. Heres an example of yesterdays BG curve:
TIME - BG Reading (AlphaTrak 2)
7AM - 137 11 units NPH, Food
9 AM - 119
11 AM - 142
12 PM - 201
2 PM - 203
4 PM - 177
6 PM - 147
7 PM - 119 11 units NPH, Food
9 PM - 60 1 Tablespoon Karo Syrup
9 30 PM - 86
10 PM - 59 1 Tablespoon Karo Syrup
11 PM - 123
12 AM - 153
2 AM - 177
7 AM - 108 11 units NPH, Food
9 AM - 148
My only theories right now is that his metabolism slows at night, and the insulin is beating the food. No changes to his routine such as exercise. Is this a thing where I need a little more starch and protein at night? I need stomach sensitive safe foods though, thats also an issue. I've tried adjusting the insulin lower by .5 or a full unit at night with no luck.
As you could imagine, waking up at 2AM, 4AM, etc is taking a toll. I can't fail him now, we are lucky he still has his sight thanks to his tight regulation over the years, and I don't want to give up here and have him lose it now. I was always told to keep him under 250 if you want to keep his sight.
We are so desperate to get him back to a good spot, its robbing us of our sanity and breaking our hearts to think we might not make it. Really hoping someone out there has had luck being in similar shoes and can share some advice.
Thank you for reading,
Jason (Jude and Jess)
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