He was at 70 one minute and then his number started dropping quickly. No symptoms, thank God, but at 51, I tried putting karo syrup on his gums and he said "No way!". He got down to 43, so I squirted some in his mouth and since he's a dry only eater I gave him some Party Mix and some Purina DM dry and he licked the juice from one of the Fancy Feast pate cans. It's been 55 mins since he was at 43. I've been checking every 10 mins. He's now at 119. He's supposed to have insulin about 2 hrs 30 mins from now. Should I...skip it?...test, then depending on his number, give his full dose (2.25 units)?...test and give a reduced dose? Unfortunately, now he's probably going to bounce. Why can't I get him into good numbers? He's a dry only eater, plus he's a nibbler. Are those the reasons why it's so hard to get his bg under control? Getting frustrated.
It's terrifying when they drop, but you handled it like a champ! I'll let somebody with more experience weigh in on the particulars, but I've been told to shoot based on where he is at shot time, vs where he was -- but I would still shoot slightly less since he might be a little more sensitive. You might not get a bounce... you steered him up well (from what I can see of the last test)... As to why? No freaking idea... I struggle with my kitty too, I can say that I've been getting better numbers now that I'm being uber diligent about picking the food up after meal time. I let them graze for about an hour but then up it goes. Depending on how he ultimately settles, I may end up doing a snack midday, but I'm not as of now. And trust me, we all get frustrated -- these lovely furballs are a lot of work, but sooo worth it! I'm eternally optimistic that I'll get Romeo regulated. #fingerscrossed
And I should qualify that "shoot where he is" by saying that that's assuming his numbers aren't elevated due to food (takes 2h to burn through the system). If he's eaten lately, and nobody else with more experience pops up with an opinion, I'd err on skipping -- doesn't hurt to have him up for a cycle.
Thanks. Yeah, I skipped it. I realized I'd have to start fasting him right then, a half hour after he went low, in order to test and shoot 2 hours later. He wanted to eat, so I let him eat. If he would actually eat a meal, I'd do what you're doing and pick up the food. But he only likes too eat a few bites at a time. He'll go hours in between bites. It's aggravating. I guess I'll give him his insulin later on tonight. I'm not sure how much I should reduce his dose by because who knows how sensitized he's become to insulin, if at all, after his little foray into light green. It's all a guessing game. Thanks for your help. I hope you get Romeo regulated soon and not long after that.
Wow! He sure dropped on you huh? You did a great job handling it! As for why he's so hard to regulate...well...hmmmm. The dry food is probably part of it. We've found that wet, low carb food can be a HUGE key in BG. I've seen cats drop over 100 points after switching to low carb wet. Will he just not eat any wet at all? We've got some tips to help you transition if you'd be interested in trying it. It can take time and picky cats can make it harder...and of course he HAS to eat. But it might be worth it to try if you can. Other than that, I would say he might just need more insulin. That sudden drop today is kind of nuts though. Anything weird happen today? Did he not eat as much or get sick or anything? I think skipping was fine. I wouldn't shoot later tonight because that's going to throw your schedule all the way off. You'll have to work back slowly and that can be difficult to do. One skip won't hurt...and then you can get him back on track at next shot time.
Can't go wrong with sitting one out. The possibility of OTJ is not even a sparkle in my mind's eye yet... but maybe someday!
Sorry about your scare today! It's always unnerving the first time they have a dramatic drop. A few things to keep in mind for the next time this happens (although hopefully there won't be a next time): 1. When a kitty goes low late in the cycle, try steering them back up with regular food first, instead of going straight to the high carb food. Often that is enough to get them to start rising a bit, and can minimize the bouncing. If after 20 minutes you're not seeing an increase, then you may need to use some carbs, but just a little at a time. Of course if they start having symptoms of a hypo, just go for the carbs. 2. It takes about 20 minutes for food to show up in the BG, so as hard as it is to wait, as long as you aren't seeing symptoms, it's okay to wait a little longer between tests. Of course if your kitty is tolerating it and it makes you feel better, it's okay to test more. 3. As for the two hour fast, there are times when you just can't. It would have been okay to test and give the shot at the regular time tonight even if he hadn't kept the fast. 4. Most likely, the Purina DM is the culprit in why you're having trouble regulating. Carbs really mess up our sugar cats. Dehydration could also be a factor given the dry food since even if a cat is a "good drinker" they still don't get as much as they get from wet food. My kitty was a hard core kibble addict when we started this dance and it was a painful process to get him off of the crunchy foods. He's great about it now and has transitioned all the way to raw food. I was convinced if I took away his kibble his joie de vivre would be destroyed. He did his level best to convince me of that with pawing at the cupboard and crying and whatnot. But he got over it and is soooo much healthier now. I would suggest at least getting rid of the DM and just using the YAZ, and then working on the wet food. 5. And I agree with Rachel - don't shoot off schedule tonight. You can get back on track with your next cycle. I find that drop a little strange. It's pretty out of the blue. May just be one of those things. But if you aren't aware of anything that might have set him off today, keep an eye on him for a few days to make sure it doesn't happen again.
