3/9/2018, Thomas, AMPS 313

Thomas was diagnosed with diabetes on February 5, we started on Lantus that day.

My vet suggested testing only once a week and that is what I did till I found my way here.

He's currently on 4 u and I've never seen a good blood sugar yet. I'm worried that he's on too high of a dose.

I just switched to completely wet food. I have been watching him closely and he hasn't eaten much dry food in the past week.

I did a glucose curve last night. I was planning to stay on 4 units for a couple more days and doing a couple more blood sugars.

Could someone look at my spreadsheet and give me their advice?

If, at this point, I were to give him a dose of insulin that was too low, how likely am I to send him in to DKA?

 

Hello and welcome. Did Thomas have any curves at the vet? Just wondering how the decisions were made to increase the dose so far. Or was it just those once a week spot checks at home?

Cats need however much insulin they need. We see a wide range here. Having said that, we typically do increases by 0.25 to 0.5 units to start.

How much does Thomas weigh? Any other medical issues at his diagnosis? Are you testing for ketones? How is his appetite? Those answers might help determine if DKA is a concern. It's always good practice to test for ketones once a day when in high numbers.

 

Hello, no curves were done at the vet. The decision to increase the dose was made based on my once a week blood sugar.

I bought new syringes today that allow me to increase by half units.

Thomas is 9lbs, his only medical issue is diabetes. He's been having diarrhea lately which I've been giving him probiotics for.

Before going up to 4 u, the vet talked about insulin resistance due to a possible Uti for which he was given convenia. I feel that we already missed the ideal dose by this point

I don't test for ketones, the vet never even brought it up. He was ravenous. It that has now calmed down, he's always there first at meal time though. His water intake has also decreased significantly since diagnosis

 

My PM shot is in an hour, I'll continue with my 4 units unless someone has better advice on how much to give based on Thomas's spreadsheet with only a few values.

 

I suggest you give the same dose and get a +2 test this evening. You said in your post above that the switch to wet food is completed. Try to get more data this weekend - AM/PM pre shot tests, +2 if still at the 4 u dose, two mid cycle tests in the+5 to +7 range, any others you can squeeze in. We need data on your SS to give better advice.

 

I will not be able to do any testing after the dose tonight because I'll be at work. I have a fear of him crashing when I'm not home.

 

All I can suggest, then, is to reduce the dose to maybe 50% of the usual (ie., 2 u) for your peace of mind. Do as much testing as you can in the days ahead to build up your spreadsheet.