What to do when bg is 200 or lower in the morning

It seems like 6 units on the Vetsulin is the magic number for my kitty Walker. He is responding with numbers in the 200s or less. The only "problem" now is when he is at 200 or lower on his morning bg test. I do not feel comfortable giving him 6 units if he is at 200 or a lower while I am away at work all day. I know from monitoring him that he can go below 100 and has gotten as low as 69. However, if I give him 5 units, his bg will go to 300+ by his supper time. Anybody have any suggestions? I sincerely appreciate your help!!

 

The insulin dose is adjusted based on how low he goes and with an AT, you want that to stay above 68 mg/dL.

With Vetsulin, it may not last 12 hours, especially if you have a high dose cat. Testing around +11 hours post-shot will show you if that is true. If so, a way to manage that is to test and shoot every 8 hours, or switch to a longer acting insulin.

In case you've not seen it, here are the Caninsulin/Vetsulin guidelines to optimize its use.

 

You may want to consider switching to a longer-lasting insulin. Blood sugar control can really improve when the insulin lasts longer. Both Lantus and Levemir are depot-style insulins, which means that some of each shot builds up in the body and slow releases, providing longer control and keeping the blood sugar flatter. Most kitties on larger doses end up on Levemir because it is ph neutral. Lantus is slightly acidic and can sting. Punkin got up to 15.5u and didn't seem to mind the Lantus at all, but some do notice it.

If there is any inflammation in your cat's mouth, it's probably a good idea to have the dental done. Inflammation or infection can raise blood sugar, and higher blood sugar means a larger insulin dose. We don't usually suggest people get their cat tested for a high dose condition until the get to about 6u.

The high dose forum (this group) is inactive and has been for some time. At the moment, there are many high dose cats in the Lantus/Levemir insulin support group. Here is a link to a page on that group that has the most recent information on acromegaly, including how to get tested for acromegaly and insulin autoantibodies.

Most people have to go to work even with a diabetic cat. We got the Petsafe 5 compartment feeder and set it up to go off while we were gone to work. You can put high carb food in the feeder if you think you might need it.

 

Thank you so much for that very informative link!

 

RE: switching to a longer lasting insulin, it actually seems like Vetsulin is lasting the 12hrs. In fact, his bg is coming down and now I am just trying to make sure he doesn't go too low while I am at work. Thank you for telling me about the Petsafe 5 feeder and the link to the latest acromegaly information. I was amazed at how much changed Punkin changed before and after diagnosis. I appreciate you posting the pictures.