Giving insulin to syringe fed cat

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Angie Haynie

Angie Haynie

Member Since 2019
Trinity had been off insulin with BG under 250 for 2 weeks. Last night (midnight ET) she became active and vocal. Something she used to do when it was time for her shot.
I tested and got 377 (she was fed at 9 pm ET). I gave .5 units of Prozinc as @Chris & China (GA) recommended. She did well. Today at 12 noon eastern she tested at 236. I again gave .5 units of Prozinc.
The timing is way weird as my Mom and I have sinusitis and pneumonia and both our sleeping schedules are a mess. We are doing our best to care for 8 cats while being very ill.
I’m scared restarting her insulin when she won’t eat on her own but also fearful of her going any longer without any....
My spreadsheet is updated (I Hope correctly).
To be specific I am able to feed 30ml of hills A/D Urgent Care food 3-4 times a day. Timing varies as I’m ill and sleeping a lot during the day. She has her Purina DM kibble available and she’s a kibble only cat. She hates all wet.
I have seen her drink from the fountain a few times over the past few days and Mirtaz appetite stimulant is on order from Chewy. Will be in next week.
 
Hi Angie, I am so sorry to hear that you and Mom are so ill! Boo on that.

I just re-read your post here, you gave 0.5 U at 9 PM last night and 0.5 U at noon today? Please note that on your spreadsheet that you injected the 0.5 at +whatever hour would be after your usual AM dose. It's important to know that looking on the SS that it was not this morning, but however many hours after the usual time. You don't want someone advising another injection at PM usual time without knowing that.

I took a step back and went looking at your other thread to get some background
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/trinity-first-home-test.218699/#post-243903

@MrWorfMen's Mom
@Chris & China (GA)
 
Idjit's mom said:
Hi Angie, I am so sorry to hear that you and Mom are so ill! Boo on that.

I just re-read your post here, you gave 0.5 U at 9 PM last night and 0.5 U at noon today? Please note that on your spreadsheet that you injected the 0.5 at +whatever hour would be after your usual AM dose. It's important to know that looking on the SS that it was not this morning, but however many hours after the usual time. You don't want someone advising another injection at PM usual time without knowing that.

I took a step back and went looking at your other thread to get some background
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/trinity-first-home-test.218699/#post-243903

@MrWorfMen's Mom
@Chris & China (GA)
Click to expand...
I must have goofed the spreadsheet again. Crap. Will adjust in a minute.
Fed at 9pm last night. Eastern time. Tested around midnight. Gave .5 units of Prozinc.
Today at noon ET, tested. Got 236 I think. Fed. Gave .5 units of Prozinc. 12 hours apart.
 
Oh, ok, good. I'm glad you cleared that up. Thank you. I hope everyone there is getting and feeling better.
 
I just mentioned a couple of things on the other thread and now see you have the appetite stimulant on order.

I thought I had the most wet food averse cat on the planet but she did eventually start eating wet food. Quite honestly though she relented on her terms not mine. So in the meantime since the DM dry is so high in carbs, I'd check out the Young Again and Dr.Elsey's dry options and see if that will get her eating more on her own.

Since you and your Mom are both ill, if even the DM is not enticing Trinity to eat enough, go back to what she was eating before if that will get her to eat on her own. Insulin doses can be adjusted accordingly. I know only too well how difficult it is to look after 3 kitties when under the weather...I can't even imagine trying to look after 8 with one needing to be syringe fed. Look after yourselves first right now because Trinity and all her furry siblings need you both healthy. Trinity's BG may go up temporarily but it will give you time to recuperate, order some samples of the low carb kibble to try and get the mirtazapine to try.

Now that being said, I would strongly suggest you get a mid cycle test around +3 post shot today to see what Trinity's BG is and determine if more food is needed/more testing is needed before PMPS. It's really important to determine how low BG is going in each 12 hour cycle and last night BG was higher than this morning (noon) so BG could drop further today and testing is needed to keep Trinity safe.
 
Angie Haynie said:
I must have goofed the spreadsheet again. Crap. Will adjust in a minute.
Fed at 9pm last night. Eastern time. Tested around midnight. Gave .5 units of Prozinc.
Today at noon ET, tested. Got 236 I think. Fed. Gave .5 units of Prozinc. 12 hours apart.
Click to expand...
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
I just mentioned a couple of things on the other thread and now see you have the appetite stimulant on order.

I thought I had the most wet food averse cat on the planet but she did eventually start eating wet food. Quite honestly though she relented on her terms not mine. So in the meantime since the DM dry is so high in carbs, I'd check out the Young Again and Dr.Elsey's dry options and see if that will get her eating more on her own.

Since you and your Mom are both ill, if even the DM is not enticing Trinity to eat enough, go back to what she was eating before if that will get her to eat on her own. Insulin doses can be adjusted accordingly. I know only too well how difficult it is to look after 3 kitties when under the weather...I can't even imagine trying to look after 8 with one needing to be syringe fed. Look after yourselves first right now because Trinity and all her furry siblings need you both healthy. Trinity's BG may go up temporarily but it will give you time to recuperate, order some samples of the low carb kibble to try and get the mirtazapine to try.

Now that being said, I would strongly suggest you get a mid cycle test around +3 post shot today to see what Trinity's BG is and determine if more food is needed/more testing is needed before PMPS. It's really important to determine how low BG is going in each 12 hour cycle and last night BG was higher than this morning (noon) so BG could drop further today and testing is needed to keep Trinity safe.
Click to expand...
Thnak you for the advice. I do have some Dr Elseys clean protein dry and she won’t eat that either. She has been eating Purina dm for 3 years prior to this monster infection.
I will definitely test her at 3. I set an alarm to remind me. That is 3 hours post shot.
I’ve also ordered another human meter as the Relion Prime is so contrary that it takes 5 strips to get a reading. I see a ton of error 13 which has been found to be a defect in the product. Grrr.
 
What meter did you order? Not sure what Error 13 is on the Prime. The Prime takes 0.5uL sample size. Is that error about not enough blood? If you get a meter that takes 0.3uL sample, it can make getting a sufficient sample much easier.

Pity she doesn't like the Dr. Elsey's. Have you tried Young Again?

If those options are out you could try Nature Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken. It's about 14% carbs as opposed to the 18% in the DM. Not ideal but a little lower in carbs.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
What meter did you order? Not sure what Error 13 is on the Prime. The Prime takes 0.5uL sample size. Is that error about not enough blood? If you get a meter that takes 0.3uL sample, it can make getting a sufficient sample much easier.

Pity she doesn't like the Dr. Elsey's. Have you tried Young Again?

If those options are out you could try Nature Variety Ultimate Protein Chicken. It's about 14% carbs as opposed to the 18% in the DM. Not ideal but a little lower in carbs.
Click to expand...
After doing a deep dive on the Relion Prime and reading fb posts in the diabetic group. I learned that many many people were getting error 13 which can mean not enough blood but when there is obviously plenty of blood it means system error. A consumer who contacted the maker was told it is a current defect that the company is working on.
I order the discontinued meter that @Chris & China (GA) recommended. The Arkay glucocard etc etc. Chris said ADW was still carrying the strips so I ordered 100 and pray they continue to carry them as some wholesalers still have the meter for sale. Takes a tiny blood sample like the Relion Prime.
I will call Young Again on Monday and request a sample to see if Trinity will eat it. She just eagerly ate 4 temptations cat treats. Her favorites. And she just sipped from the regular water bowl. (I have water bowls plus one fountain throughout the house. )
 
Have you tried some plain meat baby food or perhaps some tuna in water, sardines, salmon? Something that she might really like that would entice her to want to eat on her own. Of course being a kibble kitty, she may not be interested in any of these options but they are all worth a try for short term use. The other thing some folks find works with wet food is a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It's possible her sense of smell is still recovering so the stinkier the food the better to get her attention.:)
 
Her BG is 287, 3 hours after shot. Strange right? Am going to feed her and test again in 3 more hours (6+ after shot).
 

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Angie Haynie said:
I order the discontinued meter that @Chris & China (GA) recommended. The Arkay glucocard etc etc. Chris said ADW was still carrying the strips so I ordered 100 and pray they continue to carry them as some wholesalers still have the meter for sale.
Click to expand...

the Arkray Glucocard01 is the EXACT SAME as the ReliOn Confirm -- Walmart just sticks their brand on it
but the GOOD NEWS is that the strips for the ReliOn Confirm that Walmart still sells online, are CHEAPER than the ones from Arkray or ADW

they're ROLLED BACK to $14.95 for 50 .. I think they've finished sending out the 03/20 ones and are now supplying the 4/20 expiration strips

last time I ordered to stock up, I could get only 4 pks of 50 -- but they do the "ship to store" for free .. then I ordered 4 more on a separate order
 
CandyH & Catcat said:
the Arkray Glucocard01 is the EXACT SAME as the ReliOn Confirm -- Walmart just sticks their brand on it
but the GOOD NEWS is that the strips for the ReliOn Confirm that Walmart still sells online, are CHEAPER than the ones from Arkray or ADW

they're ROLLED BACK to $14.95 for 50 .. I think they've finished sending out the 03/20 ones and are now supplying the 4/20 expiration strips

last time I ordered to stock up, I could get only 4 pks of 50 -- but they do the "ship to store" for free .. then I ordered 4 more on a separate order
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I will do this!
 
What a gorgeous little girl! Her name suits her well! Thx for posting. You can add that pic as your avatar if you like so others can admire her exquisite beauty. Just click on your name up in upper right of screen and select Avatar from the left menu. If you need help, let us know. :D
 
one of the tricks to avoiding E-13 (Prime) or E-7 (Confirm) error messages is to touch the strip end just BARELY enough to break the surface tension on the blood droplet -- if you touch it coming down at a 45 degree angle seems you can "suck up" smaller drops of blood -- one reason I love my Confirm, the drop needs to be only about the size of the head of a pin (if the cat doesn't shake head or move or flinch)
 
You can also grab the bead of blood on a clean fingernail and test from there especially if kitty has a habit of moving their head around while you are testing.
 
CandyH & Catcat said:
one of the tricks to avoiding E-13 (Prime) or E-7 (Confirm) error messages is to touch the strip end just BARELY enough to break the surface tension on the blood droplet -- if you touch it coming down at a 45 degree angle seems you can "suck up" smaller drops of blood -- one reason I love my Confirm, the drop needs to be only about the size of the head of a pin (if the cat doesn't shake head or move or flinch)
Click to expand...
I’ve been coming straight down and touching to blood droplet surface. Will try 45 degree angle for her next test. I was happy to have gotten a reading on my first strip at the 3+ test. But because the result left me confused, I tested again and got almost same number. Thank Heaven Mom is getting up to hold Trinity while I test so she doesn’t get away etc.
I believe her BG was elevated at 3+ time due to the treats she had consumed. So no treats and testing again at 6+.
 
Angie Haynie said:
I’ve been coming straight down and touching to blood droplet surface. Will try 45 degree angle for her next test. I was happy to have gotten a reading on my first strip at the 3+ test. But because the result left me confused, I tested again and got almost same number. Thank Heaven Mom is getting up to hold Trinity while I test so she doesn’t get away etc.
I believe her BG was elevated at 3+ time due to the treats she had consumed. So no treats and testing again at 6+.
Click to expand...
Because her ears are “new” to testing I have to prick 3-4 times in same spot with 26g lancet. I don’t use lancet pen as click would spook Trinity. I prick at 45 degree angle.

Poor baby has thin almost hairless ears and hates them being touched. So I am amazed that she’s tolerating testing.
 
I’ve t
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Have you tried some plain meat baby food or perhaps some tuna in water, sardines, salmon? Something that she might really like that would entice her to want to eat on her own. Of course being a kibble kitty, she may not be interested in any of these options but they are all worth a try for short term use. The other thing some folks find works with wet food is a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It's possible her sense of smell is still recovering so the stinkier the food the better to get her attention.:)
Click to expand...
Tried tuna in water and chicken baby food, in past week. No luck. Praying this Mirtaz works magic.
 
Angie Haynie said:
Because her ears are “new” to testing I have to prick 3-4 times in same spot with 26g lancet. I don’t use lancet pen as click would spook Trinity. I prick at 45 degree angle.

Poor baby has thin almost hairless ears and hates them being touched. So I am amazed that she’s tolerating testing.
Click to expand...
If you think her ears may be a little sore you can put some neosporin pain relief ointment on them
 
Updated spreadsheet again. BG at 221 at 6+ after a shot of .5u Prozinc. She was syringe fed 15 ml between the 3+ and 6+ shot.
If she’s over 200 tonight (her pm shot). I plan to shoot another .5. Agree or Disagree?
 
I’m worried. Since I restarted Trinity’s Prozinc, it seems her numbers are getting worse. I put number on spreadsheet. It was high like 463 if memory serves.
I will test her at 6+.
 
It looks to me like that red this AM is likely a bounce from a lower BG last night. It's really important to get some tests on the night cycle to see the full picture of what is happening. We suggest getting a test before bed EVERY night and then if numbers are dropping you can set an alarm to test a bit later if need be. Without any night time data at all, you're missing half the picture and it makes it difficult to figure out how well a dose is working.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
It looks to me like that red this AM is likely a bounce from a lower BG last night. It's really important to get some tests on the night cycle to see the full picture of what is happening. We suggest getting a test before bed EVERY night and then if numbers are dropping you can set an alarm to test a bit later if need be. Without any night time data at all, you're missing half the picture and it makes it difficult to figure out how well a dose is working.
Click to expand...
I agree with what you are saying. As things are right now both my Mom and I are very sick and sleep til noon. So that is her am shot. I am setting an 11:30 pm alarm to test her, feed her, and shoot again at midnight. Just as soon as I am feeling better I will adjust her times and set alarms for more tests. I need a lot of sleep to take care of myself and my 7 other cats. Mom and I both are sleeping almost round the clock. This is the best I can do at this moment.

She is being syringe fed at least 3 times a day and appears perky today. Will try to get a 6+ test today. Thank you for replying.
 
Angie Haynie said:
I agree with what you are saying. As things are right now both my Mom and I are very sick and sleep til noon. So that is her am shot. I am setting an 11:30 pm alarm to test her, feed her, and shoot again at midnight. Just as soon as I am feeling better I will adjust her times and set alarms for more tests. I need a lot of sleep to take care of myself and my 7 other cats. Mom and I both are sleeping almost round the clock. This is the best I can do at this moment.

She is being syringe fed at least 3 times a day and appears perky today. Will try to get a 6+ test today. Thank you for replying.
Click to expand...
Trinity must have nibbled some kibble. She vomited a little kibble. She has always had a sensitive stomach and vomiting wasn’t rare, but I’m keeping an eye on it. Glad she’s nibbling a little....
Will test her in 30 minutes for her 6+ test and update spreadsheet.
 
Might have scarfed and barfed. Some kibbles were still whole. Tested. BG 376. that was at peak. The supposed lowest BG gets during a 12 hour period.
Fed 15 ml Hills urgent care via syringe. She scarfed that too. Hungry today.
Will feed again at 9. Then test, feed, shoot at midnight.
Thank you again for replying.
 
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