Strange readings

Hi folks

Haven't been on for a while due to family commitments but having really strange readings for Bob's glucose.

He went and had his teeth cleaned a couple of weeks ago - all fine. Vet recommended a fructo blood test at same time - results confirmed his diabetes was erratic but vet was happy to continue with a routine of 3ui am and pm.

Bob's food is mainly Ferringa (2.5% carb) plus complementary tins and chicken. His large appetite has reduced dramatically - he no longer wolf's down the whole bowl - and he is maintaining his weight well.

Last week he had ear mites, which caused some issues with getting tests, but am now easing him back into a routine (he's quite wild!) and his numbers have become really strange, as can be seen on the SS.

Any comments/advice appreciated - I really don't want to take him back to the vet as he's been in and out of there on a weekly basis for the last three months!

Thanks in advance.

 

His numbers really jump around a lot. Is there any way he is getting into something he should not be eating? Otherwise, he could be bouncing. If he gets too much insulin, His numbers drop down. When his numbers drop too much, His liver will make extra glucose and drive his numbers way up. You recently lowered his dose from 3 to 2. I would leave it there for a day or two and if his numbers are still bouncing, lower it to .75 for a couple of days. It is better to make small changes, .25 or.5 at a time.

 

Yes, the whole unit changes in dose are rather extreme. We definitely find better results on small, systematic changes. Today's cycle though indicates that even 2u may be too much. I would recommend lowering to one unit, and get a test before each shot and a test sometime between +4 and +7 if you can for tomorrow. Then post again tomorrow evening and have us take another look. This may take some work to sort out.

 

Thanks for the reply. He doesn't have access to any other food, as our other cat is on the same regime (even though he's not diabetic).

Bob's numbers are back up this morning (probably due to no insulin last night - didn't want to take the risk).

I've decided to reduce to 2 units and see how he gets on. I suspect the bounce due to going to low may be the problem.

Unfortunately, according to our vet, he has a "complicated" diabetes. She'd prefer for us to feed him just twice a day but he's a grazer and I'm not prepared to change that as all he'll do is go and hunt for his food outside!

I'll post any updates.

Many thanks again

 

I'm going to test at the nadir today to see how he gets on with the 2 units I've given him this morning.

He's not eating a lot at the moment, and when he does its really small amounts - whereas in the past he used to eat a whole 100 gram sachet at a time then sit and wait for more!

The marathon continues...

 

Are you testing for ketones? It makes me very very nervous when I hear a cat isn't eating.

 

I check ketones regularly. No problem. He is eating, just not scoffing like he used to (which is the reason why he became diabetic - overweight!).

 

Very interesting readings today: high in morning for AMPS, middle range at nadir, in range at PMPS. Looks like insulin is taking longer than 5 hours to kick in, so will check numbers tomorrow around 6/7 hours.

Reducing insulin to one unit tonight for safety.

This is fun!

 

Looking forward to seeing how he does on the lower dose tonight. Long cycles like you saw today (where they drop throughout the cycle instead of going down and then back up again) are sometimes an indication of too much insulin, so decreasing tonight is a good idea. One unit may not be enough in the long run, but our first goal is to stabilize him a bit, and then we can start looking for the right dose.