? Lower BG results - URGENT

I am supposed to give Simba 3u of Caninsulin about now but his BG is the lowest it's ever been since being diagnosed a month ago (it was quite high before and that's why he's been having 3u). I haven't been able to reach the vet yet but what would you do? Would you reduce the dose? I really don't know what to do...

 

Just looking at your SS, Ana... BRB...
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Ana, that's rather a big dose this morning (if I read your ss correctly) on the number you've got... please keep a very close eye on Simba as he could go low... @Elizabeth and Bertie are you around this morning to keep an eye?

... oh we cross posted, Eliz!

 

If it were my cat I'd not give 3 units at that number. I'd reduce the dose quite a bit.

You could try 'stalling'; that is, waiting 20 - 30 minutes, without feeding, to see if the number comes up more on its own. (But still reduce the dose if the preshot is lower than usual).
Or give a reduced shot at this point. I'd be inclined to stall if possible to get a clearer picture...

Are you going to be around to monitor your kitty, Ana?

And is your kitty completely clear of ketones now?
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Going out shortly, back in a couple of hours.
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I have fed him but I haven't given him any insulin yet. Trying to reach the vet, still...
I will be around, yes.
He's been clear of ketones, yes.

Thank you!

 

Glad you haven't given insulin yet... I def think 3u would be too much (it does state 3u tho on your ss so change that when you can so we see an accurate picture). Probably the vet starts work at 9am so should be there soon.
Meanwhile you could test again and see what's going on with BGs.

I am also out this morning but keep posting here as other members will look in... btw if a query is urgent, try adding that in the heading, it will get more eyes.

 

Whoops, force of habit filling in the units straight away but I haven't given him insulin at all today, I deleted it now. All the vets and nurses are busy, I've been told. Just waiting for them to give me a call back. I think that they are getting sick of me

I'll see if I can edit the title somehow...

 

Go to your original, 1st post. Upper right hand corner - thread tool - point your mouse (cursor) at it and wait for the Edit Tile drop down menu to appear - click on it. It'll open the Title window - type whatever you need, like "dosage advice asap" and also, on the left of the title/subject line there is drop down menu for prefix - choose question mark. That'll get you most attention.

 

Thank you!

 

The vet said that it seems that Simba's treatment is working so to still give him 3u but to keep an eye on him and test again 5 hours after the shot. I have now given him the 3u as she said and will test him later. Keeping an eye on him though, of course. His levels were going up so I thought it would be ok to give him the 3u (still very inexperienced though). I think that he is recovering well as he hasn't been asking for food and water every minute of his life for the last couple of days which I take to be a good sign?

 

Please make sure to test two hours after the injection - do not wait 5 hours as you vet said! If he lowers offer him more food if he is willing to eat it. 3U is huge dose. You must test him frequently to make sure he is safe. How often do you need to test/post=reading at +2.

I am not familiar with Caninsulin - you may want to post on the Caninsulin Board to get helped. It is early in the US and many people are not online at the moment.

 

Seconding what Tanya said... Ana, PLEASE test again no later than two hours after the shot, to get an idea of how the insulin cycle may go.
This is the lowest pre-shot you've given insulin at, so we have no data to show how Simba may respond....

If you test him 2 hours after the shot, and he's dropping a bit too fast you can give a little ordinary food to 'steer' the curve to slow it down, and/or to prevent the blood glucose dropping too low.
If he's dropping really fast, and it looks like he really will drop too low, then you may need to intervene even further.

Do let us know what his BG is 2 hours after the shot ('+2') if you can.

The BG went up in response to the food, so the later preshot was no longer a 'true' number.
That's why, if the number is little low at preshot, we sometimes wait ('stall') without feeding to see if the number is rising on it's own, and is high enough to give that dose of insulin.

This lower preshot is a good sign, and very nice to see!
But it'll be important to monitor Simba carefully up until the peak of the cycle (till around +5, maybe).
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I think it will be ok but if it drops you may have to steer. Do you have some higher carb food just in case?

Hooray for a lower preshot today!

 

I have just tested again at +3 and it's 10.8. I will test again in 1 hour maybe keeping an eye on him until then? I just fed him as well. I have some dry food still, yes. At what point should I give it to him? (not sure he will eat it, he's not a dry food fan)

 

Next time I will know what to do, thank you

 

I'd test Simba again at +4 just to be safe as he may drop more and it will be useful data going forward. I wouldn't use the dry food unless it's absolutely necessary and right now he doesn't need it.

 

That's a great number. No need for concern.

I would test again in an hour or two, more to just see what this cycle does then out of concern. Looking good today!

 

Very nice numbers . Might be a sign Simba is showing you what the dose is really doing . Will check in later

 

No need for higher carb food at these numbers. That's only necessary if it looks like the numbers are dropping too low. These are nice!
And it's often possible to just 'steer' the BG numbers with snacks of ordinary low carb food.

It's good to have some high carb available in case of emergencies though. The little tins of Gourmet Gold 'in gravy' foods are a good bet. Some of us mark the tops of the cans with a marker pen to remind us they're high carb, so we don't feed them by accident...

Looking good...
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Thank you!

 

Thank you

 

Ana, don't worry about the high numbers this evening. This looks like a bit of a 'bounce' from Simba dropping into those lovely blues today. It's very common.

When a cat's body has got used to high blood glucose numbers it can be a bit of a shock at first when the blood glucose drops towards normal numbers. And the body can compensate by raising the blood glucose.

It was great to see that lower preshot this morning, and those lovely blues...
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Thanks so much for checking and putting my mind at rest!

 

Nice numbers! Don't worry about that bouncy red.

 

Thanks everyone, I still have one more reading tonight at 8pm.

So, when there is a big difference in the readings on the same day you call it 'bouncing'?

 

Short answer is yes.

 

Thank you

 

Very nice cycle today. Try to focus on the great mid cycle today and don't worry about the higher pre-shot. It's quite normal!