Insulin amount

My cat Buttons is newly diagnosed. Last Friday she had BG level of 500. She is only 3 years old. She has been at vet since. As of yesterday her BG was 300. She is getting 3 units insulin AM & PM. Went Tuesday to leave Fancy Feast, they were feeding prescription kibble Vet does not want me to change diet until her BG is under control Im not really in favor of that, question is is this amount of insulin a lot? Vet does not want her to come home till levels are better. Im confused. Any comments are appreciated.

 

Yes, 3 units is a high amount for a newly diagnosed cat unless there are other health issues. It is better to start low at 1/2 to 1 unit and gradually over weeks increase it until you find the optimal dose. You should also be hometesting and this will help you determine how well the dose is working.

Your vet is wrong, removing the dry food will help drop your cats glucose levels. However, do not change Buttons' diet until you are hometesting and reduce your insulin dose. Dry food is high in carbs and if you remove it before dropping your dose, you risk your cat becoming hypoglycemic. This can be dangerous or even deadly.

Many of us feed our cats either Fancy Feast or Friskies canned foods. You want to feed the pate flavors and avoid anything with gravy in it, since it is higher in carbs.

 

For more info on feline diet, read Cat Info by veterinarian Dr Lisa Pierson.

Especially print out the food chartfor when you go shopping.

Welcome to FDMB.

 

The prescription dry cat food is too high in carbs. Try Wysong Epigen or Young Again Zero carbs. I am using Wysong Epigen and getting really good results in a short period of time on a cat that I had previously thought would never be OTJ.

 

I had the exact same problem with the vet who diagnosed Tink. He is no longer my vet! Granted, Tink was in full blown diabetic ketoacidosis AND hepatic lipidosis... so he DID need to be hospitalized for a bit. However, after 11 days with little improvement (and a full months' pay invested), I put my foot down and insisted on taking Tink home. He would either get better... or not... but at least he'd be home. I couldn't afford to leave him there any longer - and since he wasn't improving there anyway, it was an easy choice. He came home with a feeding tube and still in pretty bad shape - but as soon as he was home I started seeing improvement.

The vet recommended dry rx kibble, the vet did not want me home testing, the vet wanted to keep him until his numbers were stabilized. Yet the vet let him sit at 400+ for over 12 hours (why they even admitted this to me I'm not sure). The vet also gave up on Lantus after 2 days. He stabilized rather quickly at home and went OTJ quickly with the switch to low-carb wet food (which was a real challenge as he was a kibble junkie and had a poor appetite due to the DKA & hep. lip.).

After finding FDMB and reading up on FD, I felt strongly that Tink has as good a chance (or better) of stabilizing AT HOME rather than at the vet where he was stressed out and not even GETTING the 24hour care I was paying for.

The vet cannot refuse to let you take your cat home. If FD is the only issue here, and he doesn't need to be hospitalized, it's YOUR call when he comes home.

 

Thank you all. I have the low carb foods. All the Fancy Feast classic. She has been getting that since Tuesday 8/19 . When she was sent home with me on Friday I was told to feed 2x a day and give 3 units with the 40 u system. Have PZI insulin. Got the meter and test strips free from pharmacy at my job. Its not the greatest may have to go buy a good one for my sanity lol. She was crying for food so I fed her when she walked away I tried to give her the 3 units . I bent the needle so don't know if she got any I watched her for about a half hour she seemed fine. So I had to go to work. When I got home around 1:30 my daughter and I tested, she read 191 she got 1.5 of insulin and she ate roasted turkey that I cooked the day before not much just about a tblsp. We went out when my daughter got home we tested her again we got 122 after 7 hours. I did not give her any insulin. She ate about a third of a can fancy feast we will test her about 6 am tmr and see what numbers are and dose accordingly and she will be offered breakfast. Is this the way it is supposed to be done. I do have the zero carb kibble comming as I have 12 other cats here and at least three will not eat wet. I guess that's my main confusion, when to give insulin or when not to. If someone can explain it " bare bones" maybe it will sink in lol. Thank you all.

 

Here is a protocol we put together for ProZinc. Maybe it will help.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077

We suggest that new diabetics not shoot under 200, but stall. Wait 20 minutes without feeding and retest. You want to make sure the number is rising, not falling and not under 200.

Since she went lower than expected this cycle and it was long, I would reduce the dose. It may be that the wet low carb will really bring her numbers down.

One thing you might consider is to restart at one unit (our suggested beginning dose). It is so much easier to slowly raise the dose rather than try to guess how much to reduce. Now that she is on low carb and you are testing, she may need less insulin. If she is too high on one unit, then you can raise the dose slowly.

 

To late for that has been well over 20 min. She ate pretty good. Am I wrong in waiting till the morning to test and give insulin according to that reading. Will re test when I get home and see where she is at that will be a bit over 8 hours.

 

You can certainly wait till morning. She is likely to be high, after 24 hours since the last shot. I would still reduce the dose, as this dose gave you an unshootable preshot.

 

Am still very confused. I need cat diabetes for dummies lol. Don't understand charting as I work odd hours its hard to test every 6 or 8 hours
This is how it went today. Got a new meter one that requires less blood as we are having hard time finding " sweet spot" tried most everything. I won't give up, since buttons has been home she has not gone over 200 except today.
6 am today no test could not get one and I had to go to work. Gave 2 and she ate ok. She looked alert and not spacey. Have never seen her wobbly or really confused. I got her to vet quickly when she was not acting right. This all started with thinking she had a food allergy. Never saw her drinking excessive, as I have 12 other cats its harder to see who may be urinating a bit to much. She was given a good size dose of cortizone when we thought it was food allergy causing her fur issue, within the past 60 days, in hindsight it may have caused this issue or exacerbated it. Two weeks ago today she threw up a quarter size vomit. Vet thought infection, then she wet a huge puddlle on bed, urine strip showed high sugar. The journey began. Blood sugar about 500 at start. She was being fed Royal canin wet and DRY, and given 3 units am and pm. By following Tuesday Aug 19 she was at 300. I found the web page ran there with Fancy Feast and some of my kibble. As it was wheat free grain free I thought it was good for the cats, as it had no corn. So when they let me take her home she was around 200 so I guess her numbers are not sky rocketing even though I don't totaly comprehend the giving insulin rules. My friend that is a diabetic has been helping me. Any way back to Buttons day today.

6 am no test. Gave 2 just in case. Vet sent her home on 3 am 3 pm feeding only twice a day.

4 pm test 234 fed gave 2 she ate about 3 tblsp Friskies turkey and giblet special diet.

Will retest a10 pm
Depending on number I may or may not dose.

If numbers are high when we test in am I guess that means she needs more than 2 at dinner time?

This is what confuses me the other question is what is nadir.

 

We are also still in the finding out which lw carb flavors she really likes. We have vet appointment Wednesday so would really like to see a good number, the vet is open to the diet approach but feels it won't work. Really want to prove her wrong.

 

I'm confused. insulin should be given twice daily, every 12 hours. It sounds like you may be giving it more often?

 

We are, feeding only 2 times a day is not enough for her she is a bit thin, her number rose to 237.
Am dosing her 3 times a day more like a human. Will that not work? Now I feel bad will this schedual not work? Pray I'm not hurting her she is not getting more total units than vet was giving we just split in about 8 hour intervals. Can it be explained more simply also am not sure she is getting full dose she gets so little and its a learned skill. I am discouraged but she has not gone hypo on me and her numbers are near what they were when she was sent home so I guess I'm not doing irreversable harm, am i?

 

We suggest starting dosing twice daily, 12 hours apart. proZinc is sometimes given every 8 hours, but only after you have data and are sure twice daily won't work. You'd want to be testing enough to be sure the dose is safe, that she is always rising, not falling, when you shoot.

If she were mine, I'd give her insulin every 12 hours and get midcycle numbers as often as you can. (nadir or the lowest point in the cycle is usually 5-7 hours after the shot). Once you see how low the shot takes her, then you could increase slowly by .25 or so, if she is too high midcycle.

The protocol may explain it more completely:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077

In general, we consider a cat regulated if they are in the mid to lower 200s at preshot and in double digits midcycle, but not below 40, which is approaching hypo territory.

 

Iwas under the impression it was more like 100- 130. Am not understanding exactly when to shoot.
I guess this schedual would work with my work hours would be as follows
Test 6am
Test 4 pm
Test9 pm
On my days off I could test more can you post a sample of ideal day on protocol maybe I would understand it. The other issue is when she is hungry. Can I feed her without giving insulin. She has been used to having kibble free choice all day. Before this issue. We are going to check her again at midnight to see where sugar is. Won't give any insulin till tmr am.

 

The other thing is vet was giving 3 and 3 as she was at office don't know if they had someone going back to give her shot at 12 hor mark or more like 10 or 11 hours later. From what I could gather at discharge visit she was dosed between 7:30 am and prbly8:30 am. Office closes at 4 so they woulb prbly give her 3 tnen and let her go till next shot. They said she was a night eater and ate very little in am. Here she is hungry am, afternoon and night. Can she be fed low carb food without giving insulin or checking her BG. Am sorry to be such a dummy. I just want her to be ok.

 

You want to withhold food 2 hours before the test, so it's a "true" number, not influenced by food. Then give her the shot and feed, or give her the shot while she is eating. Other than those 2 times before the preshot test, she can graze whenever you want her to during the day. You can leave out the wet food or you can freeze it and leave it out for her to eat as it thaws. Lots of us use an automatic feeder and set it to open several times a day, and then go to an empty slot 2 hours before the preshot test.

I am not sure about your schedule. If you shoot at 6am, her nadir would likely be somewhere between 11am - 1pm. It doesn't sound like you could test then. If you get the next test at 4pm, that'd be 10 hours after the shot, probably well past that lowest point. What's the latest you could shoot in the morning? (It seems like you'd be around more at night - how could you figure out a schedule where you'd be around about 6 hours after the shot. Ideally, you want to always test before each shot and then 5-7 hours after the shot. After you get this down, you could do a curve, when you test every 2-3 hours during one cycle. That gives you a clear picture of how the insulin is working.

We have this great color coded spreadsheet to keep track of her numbers. The vet can access it, we can see it. Here are the directions. (It's a little tricky, so ask for help if you need it)

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

You are NOT a dummy. This stuff is hard and the learning curve at first is steep. We all were overwhelmed at first. We got help and learned; everyone who posts on your thread is paying it forward for help they got.

 

Thank you for that post. Now that I know she can eat and not have to get a shot I feel better. Most weekdays and Saturday I could wait till 7 am to give her first shot. If I am on an 8 hour shift I work till 4:30 would be home by 5. I usually get 2 days off a week right now, boss is at another store so I am working more hours than usual. If its a 5 or 6 hour shift I'm out at 2 or 3- 3:30. I work in a grocery store so it varies I am up daily by 5 so I could test then feed 2 hours later and feed but she is generaly hungry and looking to eat. Maybe a no carb human food would be ok? Then she wouldn't be getting carbs and I could test at 7 then shoot to that BG. Then let her graze, as there are 12 other cats I wouldn't know how much she herself was eating and seperating her causes stress. Will maybe try that tmr if you think its a good idea. She is not looking for the kibble today. That's a good sign. She has not gone hypo on me, praise God, she seems to be hovering between 200-250 not ideal but not out there since first diagnosed. ( over 500). Also does not help my husband is going thru some personality changes and RAGES at the littleest things. Everyone has their hurdles these days. My concern is getting Buttons stableized, I WONT GIVE UP. Am going to go back to 12 hour shots testing before giving insulin and dosing accordingly. Please let me know if this is a better way to treat her right now. I will try to check back when I am at work but don't know if I can access this on my nook. I have I phone that may work better. Thanks again.All I want is to prevent organ damage and get her on least amount insulin possible. Do I have to bring her numbers so low. I thought normal sugar in cat was 100-125 . Let me know thanks again for your help. Life is never easy and this just complicates it a bit more. With prayer and everyone's help Buttons will get OTJ. I guess I was pushing to hard, I wanted it now not months from now.

 

6:30 am. BG 40, Buttons super hungry. Letting her eat all she wants will leave food out all day. Will have my daughter text me with observations of her attitude in a few hours. So this is what yesterday was.

6am no test gave 2
4 pm BG 234 gve 2 she ate 2/3 tsp of low carb food
10pm BG 237 small amount of food eaten.
Midnight Bg 148 offered low carb wet food, she was hungry, she was eating I went to bed

Today she was very hungry 5am let her eat human roast chicken thighs waited till 6:30 tested
Low 46 after eating low or no carb wet food.

I guess when I try to shoot her I don't get any insulin in or not much, not sure. That's what I feel when I look at her numbers. My daughter gave her the shot at 10 and she dropped the way she should. So that's my conclusion.
Off to work soon I did put small amount of honey on her gums in case she does not eat enough.

Looking forward to feedback. Just thank God my daughter will be home watching her she will try to test around noon.

 

40 is a low number. If it is coming hours after her shot, she is getting too much insulin.

Please don't shoot under 200 and then, reduce the amount - maybe from 2 units to one unit.

I am glad your daughter can watch her today. If she seems disorientented, or wobbly or strange in any way, have her test her, and if she is 40 or below, put some honey on her gums. (I am hoping she did not get a shot this morning. If she didn't, she should be okay. If she got a shot, your daughter should monitor her carefully)

 

No shot for Buttons. I think from the numbers at 4 pm yesterday (Sunday) she was 234,I tried to give 2 am sure I am not doing it correctly, as when we tested 6 hours later, 10 pm, she was 237, I'm not getting all the insulin in her when I give shot. Gave 2, retested in 2 hours she dropped to 148 at midnight. Left low carb food out as she was hungry, I saw her eat at least a tblsp. She was acting normal, grooming and sleeping with her mum.

Monday we tested at 6:30 am. We got 46, no insulin just food and a small amount of honey on gums. She was never wobbly or disoriented. My daughter kept eye on her, thank God for her, she tested at 11 am, BG 214, gave 1 unit. she ate some roast chicken. 1 pm BG 184, she ate more chicken and low carb wet was left out for her to pick at. I am home now I will try to test her at 6 pm if she is under 200 will not give insulin and retest when my daughter gets home. she is acting better than she was before her diagnosis. She is grooming more and laying in the windows. Praise God she did not go hypo what can I practice shooting on. Will try to post last number before I go to bed, thank you again.

 

Remember that you are off schedule, giving the shot 5 hours late today. So if you shoot, it'll need to be 11 at night, 12 hours after her previous shot

Glad you didn't give insulin this am. I was worried.

 

I've seen several people advise practicing giving shots on an apple since the skin on that has similar give to cat skin.

But, it sounds like that's not really an issue honestly, since your cat is obviously getting plenty of insulin in.

It's so hard when starting out. It's overwhelming and scary, but you're doing great! This place is the right place to be to ask questions and get the help you need. Good luck!

 

Are you saying you gave 2 units at 4 PM, and tested at 10 PM and gave ANOTHER 2 units at 10??? With PZI shots need to be 12 hours apart even if you think you may not have gotten any insulin in. Too high of a number is better than too low. The best thing to do is pick 2 times a day 12 hours apart would be perfect but if it has to be 13 that's better than going LOWER in times so it'd be best to do something like in the morning before you go to work and then a time 12 hrs or later and stick with it. It is not safe to give insulin if bg is 200 or less, even if there are no signs of hypo it can still happen. It is best to start low and go slow. I know it can be scary to see a normal number and then see a high number but that can be a bounce in numbers. It's great that you want to change the diet and that your home testing. Diet alone can drop bg by 100 points, so once again it's important to start with a low amount of insulin and home test. You don't have to go overboard with the testing but it is very important to test before giving insulin, if you can manage one in the middle of the day that's great and very helpful but we understand everyone has responsibilities.

 

I guess that's my quandary. Vet had her on 3 and 3. With only feeding 2x a day. And the first 3 days she was on high carb dry and high carb prescription, it was Royal Canin, Tuesday I went with fancy feast and my "wheat free Grain free kibble. It is 55% protein but about 38% carbs. She has been on a low carb canned and maybe a handful of my kibble, if that. Since Friday when she came home. What do I start with, do I test her and give to that number? And forget that they were giving her 3 and 3? If her numbers are good now around, 6:30 should I leave her alone let her graze on low carb food and start the 12 hour twice a day schedule tmr am. Give NO insulin til tmr am? Then give her Insulin to whatever her numbers are at 6:30 am and what her numbers are at 6:30 pm. Is that what needs to be done, then test every chance I get in between shots? I am writing everything in a notebook I don't understand the spreadsheet. She is much better she is grooming, sunning herself in window, and even stalked a fly on the dining room table lol. Wont give her any shots till I see a reply.

 

This is what I understand as the general process, regardless of what kind of insulin you're giving, though it's possible that this isn't the case since I only have experience with Lantus (glargine).

• *Start time (Time Zero) - Test cat, give shot (or not) based on test number. Feed cat.
  *At least occasionally, but as often as you can - middle of insulin cycle (+4-8 hours, depending on insulin and cat's own response to it) - Test cat to make sure it isn't going too low.
  *12 Hours later (+12) - Test cat, give shot (or not) based on test number. Feed cat.

The specific pattern you see as you start testing will reveal what's working best for your cat, and that's why the testing is so useful, no matter when you can get them in. Any tests beyond what you can do at the above times is all useful information in getting the picture of how your cat is responding. Once you know more about your cat, then you can make decisions about making changes more safely.

Many people feed as many meals throughout the day as they can, often with free-feeding, timed feeders, or using frozen wet food that gradually thaws during the day. Others do set meals. It really depends on your cat and what works best for her which hopefully you'll know soon enough.

I'm really glad she seems to be feeling better so soon!

 

I think you have to consider it as a "whole new ball game" Feeding wet low carb can make a huge difference in blood glucose levels. (We have lots of low carb snacks that you can give and get her completely off the dry high carb) If I were you, I would figure you are doing a restart, necessitated by the low carb food.

Tonight, if she is above 200 at 10-11 hours after the shot this afternoon, you could shoot one unit. It will still mess up your schedule tomorrow, putting you at least an hour behind, but you can make that up the next cycle. If she is not above 200, I would skip and get back on schedule tomorrow. She may be fairly high at that point, as she will have been 24 hours since the last shot. But I would still give one unit and see if you can get two shootable pre shots, 12 hours apart. It is better than she is too high for a night than too low for a minute, and you need to get back on track.

Does that make sense?

I can put together a spreadsheet for you. I need your email address to send it to you and we don't want that in public, so check your private messages. (At the top of the page, it will say "1 new message" . Click on that. Reply and submit.) Once I get an email for you, we can set it up. (It is so much easier for us to give advice if we can see your history of doses and levels at a glance.)

 

When you switch to low carb canned food, the glucose may drop 100 mg/dl and the insulin requirement may drop 1-2 units (Spitzer dropped 2 units; someone else's cat dropped 1 unit).

 

My cat went from 3 units to the tiniest drop in a week when we switched to wet food from the prescription dry food!

 

Ok just got a reading on Buttons. My first time. Got mysef too. BG was 219. what should I do give her.5 just to put insulin on board or do I leave her alone till 6:30 am tmr. She last got 1 unit at 11 am this am. Her BG wnt from 46 at 6:30 am to 214 in4.5 hours, I did rub honey on her gums just in case and left food out for her.

 

How long has it been since your last shot? (We are all in different time zones, so tell us in terms of # hours since the shot - like 10 hours or whatever) If it's been at least 10 hours, I think you could go with .5 and relax tonight or go with one unit if you can get a before bed test.

 

Is the 219 before or after eating, and when was her last shot, I'm thinking last night by your posts? If you have not fed her yet I would give her 0.5 units for tonight's injection.

 

Her last shot was 1 unit 11 am EST. she has been picking all day choice of low carb or no carb food. She has had no kibble. 219 is about 7.5 hours since last shot

 

I'm in Colorado and it's 5 o'clock. Is it 7 at your house? If so, that's 8 hours since the last shot, right? Usually we would think she would be headed up now, but she was at 46 this morning, long after nadir. I am nervous that the insulin may not be done yet. If it was 10 or more hours since the shot, I think a .5 shot would be safe.

I think I'd play it safe and skip tonight so she will be safe and so you can get back on schedule. Start over in the morning at whatever time you want her new scheduled shot to be and give one unit?

 

It is 7pm here 11 pm will be 12 hours when I test. Yes she was at 46, at 6:30 this morning. Huge mistake on my part. She is a night eater should I allow her to pick at low carb food or better no carb foods.

 

So it would be safe to shoot at 11 pm but that messes up your schedule, right? I think I'd skip. Remember, if you skip, she will probably be high tomorrow, but still give less than 2 units.

Yes, I'd offer some low/no carb food tonight.

 

I think that is best will check numbers at 11 pm but give no insulin. Will test in am and give 1.5 then test when I get home pray no later than 7. Would I give insulin to that number or stay at 1.5

 

If she is under 300 in the morning, I think I'd give one unit. If she is over 300, maybe 1.5 - if someone can watch her. Then wait 12 hours from the time of that morning shot, test and shoot again.

 

Can u give me an idea what her number should be at 12 hours out at 1 or 1.5 if she is over 300. she was around 200 when she came home She has vet check at 1 in afternoon on Wednesday. one last question then I need to sleep a bit am exhausted, working to many hours. I have chronic pain and the stress is making my pain almost uncontrollable What signs should we be looking for. Hypo symptoms? Also at 12 hours out give 1.5 ? and keep her on 1.5 for a few days. I will try to get her test charts to take home. and all other tests done.

 

There is just no way to predict. Once you have data over several weeks, you'll be able to look back and predict what might happen on a certain dose for a certain number. But we are just guessing for now. Just figure for now you are gathering data and keeping her in safe numbers.

By the time hypo symptoms show up, it is a dangerous situation. (sometimes they might wobble, howl, not be able to wake up etc). The trick is to test when you think going low might be a possibility and intervene before she goes too low. So, if she is below 50, give a little low carb food and retest in 30 minutes to be sure she is rising, not falling. If she drops to40, then give some of the gravy off higher carb food and retest in 30 minutes. If still dropping, put honey on her gums.

It is very rare to have a dangerous hypo on the forum because people test and monitor, and know how to intervene and get the numbers up.

 

Am confident she wont go to low as she was getting 3 and 3 at vets, and only being fed high carb foods for first 5 days. she did drop 200 points on that but have no way of knowing how they were testing her BG, and the last 4 she was on low carb diet. will ask for her curve charts. I wont understand it but maybe if I have a chart in front of me I might get it. Am so glad I got more sensitive meter. 76.00 for 50 strips but it is so easy to get readings. Worth every penny for my stress and hers, it is not about cost just what's best for her. Now I know why many of mine went into renal failure around 12 or 13, pushing all that sugar out. Every time I see a customer with the "kitty Krack" in their cart I want to scream. I think high sugar killed her brother. Will follow the recommendations test if under 300 give 1, if over 300 give 1.5. will that be every day for a few days to see how her numbers react, stay same or go up. Will have my daughter watch her and leave low carb and no carb roast chicken out for her ask my daughter to test at 1230 pm before she goes to wrk. Will tell her to give no insulin. Will pray I get out of work to test and shoot at 6:30 but assume half hour late is ok but not ideal for charting. My husband said he will help with spreadsheet he does them at his job. Thanks again for all your help and patience. Am so glad I goggled Feline Diabetes. Sad to say it took diabetes for me to find out I was not feeding my cats correctly. Why do vets not tell ppl. Stupid Question, if they are fed right they may not get sick and need the vet (duh) :smile: Am very lucky God watching over Buttons when her sugar went so low.

 

Just a note on napping: The average sleep cycle in a human is about 45 minutes. If you need to catch a nap, try to make it 45 minutes, or multiples of 45 minutes. That way, you'll be trying to wake up when you are most able to do so. Trying to wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle is hard.

 

Buttons wa 276 at 11:17 that is 12 hours since the 1 unit she got at 11 am this morning. We did not give any insulin. There is low carb food on table. She will have choice to eat if she feels the need
Plan is to shoot tmr when tested at 6:30 am. If over 300 will give 1.5 under 300 will give 1 and my daughter will test her at 12:30 pm. This will be her new schedual 6:30 am and 6:30 pm eastern standard time
Will watch for a reply. This way it will be more accurate 12 and 12 tmr

 

Good morning Buttons was tested this am. Her BG was 245 les than 300 gave 1 unit. She has good appetite and looks very alert even though she has had only one unit of insulin in over 18 hours. I thought she would have been over 300 this morning. From my notes her BG went down 31 pts since last test at 11:17 pm yesterday. Off to work soon my daughter is home so she will check at around 12:30 to see where she is at. Am feeling less stress today it does get easier if you breathe.......

 

Yes, it is easier if you breathe. :mrgreen: that is what we call a nice long surf (same range for a long period). I am glad she is not super high this morning. It seems like one unit should be a good dose. If your daughter can get a test in during that 5-7 range so you can see how low one unit takes her, that would be a huge help?

 

That seems to be the toughest part of a diabetes diagnosis, to remember to breathe lol. I'm glad to see her number wasn't that high. That's the fun part with insulin is trying to find that good number to go with. Hopefully with the diet change 1 unit, will be good for a while

 

Ok will post Buttons whole day so it will be easier to follow.
5:45 up. Picks at the low carb options.
6-6:15 BG 245 gave 1 unit.
Watched her for 45 min. She was acting fine, alert and grazing.
11:50 BG 206
Acting normal all day eating a lot of my roast turkey I made for everyone, even dogs lol
6:15 BG 311 not sure why she went up so much but not worried. Gave 1.5 as she was over 300. Offered Friskies low carb ocean white fish after shot and she is picking at that or the roast turkey. There is no more high carb foods in this house.
Will try to test at 11:30 or so tonight she will not get any insulin till around 6:30 am tmr morning. She is hungry first thing in am, should she be allowed to eat before test. Thanks all.

 

Dirty birdsoaps looks like my Gilligan who passed away from kidney issues.....

 

You should try not to let your cat eat within two hours of the shot time or else you may have falsely high numbers on the test.

The numbers are looking good!

 

If she is really antsy about eating before the test, you could give her a few bites of a low carb treat. That might keep her busy and shouldn't mess with the numbers.

 

Would it be good idea to pull food when I go to bed around 9? She is a bit thin so I want her to get calories as much as possible. Am roasting chicken for them now. Any hints on what to tell vet. Seems to me by these numbers, 3 and 3 would have been to much for her. Just my thought. She is acting so much better. Socializing, grooming etc, she was in the window when I came home, hasn't done that in a long time, her eyes look clearer. She's not sleeping as much. And have noticed I don't scoop near as many large pee clumps. That is the other thing, I use chicken feed as litter, layer mash, its wheat based. With 13 cats clumping litter was killing my wallet. This works good, it clumps well, not like concrete, but adequate. Clumping litter becoming an environmental disaster, it NEVER breaks down. I can dig in my old manure pile and its the same as when it went out there lol Have cut litter expenses by 60.00 a month. Thanks again all. On a side note my husband tested the dog and he has LOW blood sugar lol

 

Buttons has a vet appointment tmr afternoon. Anny suggestions on what to tell vet about dosing. Is it like if they don't ask don't tell she will be at 5-7 hours after shot, but stressed as its a half hour away by car.

 

I would print off the spreadsheet (see my recent private message We almost have it.) If he asks, you can show it to him and tell him you are pleased with her progress. If he asks why you are shooting less, you could say you were scared she would go too low and are starting low and going slow with the insulin. It should be hard for him to argue that you are being too cautious. He may take a test at the vet and she is likely to be much higher than at home. (stress raises bg levels) and he might suggest raising the dose based on that stress influenced number. You can listen, but you hold the syringe so you get to decide what to shoot. Luckily it will be mid cycle so he won't be interested in giving the shot at his office.

Unless he is enthusiastic about the changes you have made, it is probably better not to mention that you are talking to people on the internet. You could say you have been doing a lot of reading - if he asks?

 

She was interested in the theory, but as I figure not enthused that it will work. As if it does there will be no money to be made, although she was VERY gracious as to Buttons hospital stay. She did not charge the daily hospitalization costs, that saved me about 250.00. I am pleased with Buttons attitude, she is acting more like a cat. She stays with the other cats, looks out the windows like she used to. I think if I was shooting 3 and three " blind" she would have been in trouble will see what happens tmr. She may just say keep doin what I'm doin, if she says increase, I will just kinda go along. When Buttons is OTJ she will find out. Will just give her wednesdays morning bg if she asks if I am testing at home. Will ask for her hospital charts so I can post for opinions. Am less stressed. As I was shooting 3x a day the larger numbers do not scare me. Buttons is young once her body adjusts to the new diet am sure she will be better. Now on the other hand I have 12 other sugar addicts "jonesing for a fix". Ain't gonna happen. I gave all kibble to the chipmunks why waste. Am sure they will enjoy the carbs during the cold winter here. Will work on spreadsheet prbly this weekend. I am working so much. Labor day weekend in seafood dept is horrid. Thanks again for the encouragement. I think I expected to much to soon. Her attitude is so much better it can't be all bad, when they feel like crap they hide. Testing tonite at around 11:30 so I get another within the 5-7 hour after shot number. It is so much easier with this meter. So worth the cost of strips, only need a hint of blood and it reads in about 3 secs. Will let all know how things go tmr.

 

Just had scary situation. Just heard Buttons yowling! Its 1:45 am EST. She was acting a bit odd, looked and all food was eaten. Offered food she was HUNGRY, should have tested, will prbly throw our 6:30 am Wednesday off but she got 1.5 at 630pm tuesday test she was 311. Over 300,1.5 might have sent her to low. She ate low carb couldn't get to the turkey. No matter her safety more important. 2:02am EST, after eating looks better. She was shapening her claws will try to sleep, will be up at 4:30 or 5 am ,will test BG need advice about dosing after this episode, depending on number we get.

 

Might have been low - might have just been being a cat. Last night our Civie (not diabetic) started howling after we went to sleep. Nothing seemed wrong - just wanted attention, I guess. You might be able to sleep better if you go ahead and test. :mrgreen:

Time to start a new thread - anytime they get over 2 pages long, time to start a new one.

 

I wouldn't worry too much. Like Sue said, she could just be being a cat and wanted extra attention but there's also the fact that an unregulated cat will be extra hungry. I swear before Hidey's numbers were stable he was going to eat the house lol. If. She's under weight you may want to start feeding her a bit more.....it keeps the peace lol. Curious to see what her number is this a.m.

 

Buttons Day.
5 am wake up, ravenous..... at low carb food. Then roast turkey.
6:30 am 279. But that is with food on board, am having hard time getting her fasted for 2 hours before first am test. Gave 1 unit. 8:17 crying looking for food again, offered low carb food, ate some seemed to quiet down. Alert sleeping in windows sharpening claws, socializing with others. Vet appointment today @ 1 will test before I go to get an idea how she reacts to stress. Did have large "p" on the piddle pad, my daughters cat will not go in dirty box so he is piddle pad trained. Really think it is Buttons that has been doing it for last few weeks and we blamed him lol. Never see her drink much to account for all that "p" am going to try to catch her doin the deed.

 

If you feed her at 5am and then don't test/shoot until close to 7, the number probably shouldn't be food influenced.

How much food does she get? The mini meals (like the one at around 8) are a good idea. She might be dropping a little by then and just need a boost. And, of course, she has learned that when she fusses, Mom feeds her. That may be more of a cat thing than a diabetic thing. :mrgreen: Some people think smaller, more frequent meals support the pancreas so feeding her every couple of hours is not a bad idea.

Good luck at the vet. And get working on that spreadsheet! :twisted:

 

How's Buttons today, and how'd the vet visit go?

 

Buttons is doing very well, me I'm exausted. I have 34.5 hours at work. Not getting much sleep the past 2 days.
Am going to try to get the spread sheet loaded soon. Just so much to do these days.
Vet visit went well. Her sugar was 411 by whatever test they do. It took at least 20 min for results, think she was wanting to increase her insulin nailbite_smile , until I showed her my notes :lol: , and how much juice she was getting now along with the " catkins diet". Then she was amazed and impressed! She was amazed at the numbers I was getting with such LOW amounts of juice!!!!! dancing_cat
These are yesterday's numbers and observations. Please don't drop me from forum cause I have not got them in spreadsheet lol.

6:30 am 279 acting better than she has in months! She prefers the hunman "no carb options" to the canned food. My daughter gave her 1 unit.
(+7) 411 at vets office after 1/2 hour car ride howling and crying all the way. The test there took 15/20 min to get that result.
(+5) 6:30 279 I gave her 1 unit.chasing flies out of food dish lol
(+3.5) 303! Watery stool. Seems every time I give her a shot her numbers don't go down. I must NOT be getting all insulin in her..... Did not shoot.
(+7) 1:45 crying at my bedroom door again. All but zero carb kibble gone, gave her wet food, she was hungry. As I am sure she did not get full dose at 6:30. Should have tested but I was wobbly and dizzy myself :lol:
Will have my daughter shoot in am to make sure she gets her dose. Is it ok for her to have ZERO CARB foods in am, before testing she is so very hungry at that time. When I know her numbers are better I will try to make her wait. Auto feeder not really useful as I have the other cats :YMSIGH:
Till tmr. Thanks all

 

No, we don't throw people off for not having a spreadsheet filled. :mrgreen: It is just easier to give good advice.

If she eats at 5am and then gets tested and dosed at 7am, that would be fine. 2 hours is enough for the food not to influence the number. Sometimes the first number is higher - either food or just because. But it is common.

So glad the vet was impressed! So many are threatened. Maybe you will help diabetic kitties at her practice in the future. Not surprised the number was high after the car ride and hard time getting test.

Please start a new thread. When it gets to 2 pages, it is hard for us to reply.

 

What is best way to continue thread?

 

Just start a whole new topic.....any topic is fine. It could simply state Buttons, unless theres a specific concern or topic your curious about. The more specific the more eyes will check it

 

Buttons has a new topic called Button's diabetic journey.