Lower BG this AM

Hey!

Again, I’m working on chart but just wanted to ask a question - Mocha was high last night (580 before food/ 1U of insulin then 590 about 20 mins after).

He slept well then I checked this AM around 8 AM and it was low at 150.

In this scenario would you skip even after eating or let him eat and then check again before? He just moved in my apartment last night so I’m sure he was stressed and it’s difficult to get him to eat.

Part 2 of my question I feel like if he DOESNT eat a lot definitely skip the AM shot? Thanks!

 

Wow! That's a big drop!

Usually, with a low number like this at pre-shot, what we would do is to stall: don't feed, test again in 30mins to see if he comes up.

Details will depend on the insulin you are using and other things-- going to go check your previous posts and will be back with any questions.

 

One more thing: sometimes when you get an out-of-the-blue number like that, it's good to re-test immediately to see if it was a bad strip, etc.

 

OK, I think I've found your previous posts, and it seems that Mocha is a long-term diabetic who is undergoing a little domestic change right now , so that's good to know, but I still have some questions:

1) what kind of insulin is Mocha on?
2) has he ever had ketones or diabetic ketoacidosis?
3) what kind of food does he eat? Has he eaten at all this morning?

 

Hey! Yes his first night in my apartment was last night. He is on 1Unit of Lantus AM and 1Unit PM
I’m not sure if he’s ever tested for ketones but I can definitely buy some of those strips - he was at a private shelter that employed two vet techs though and they gave him medical help.

He ate a little bit and then started eating more just now when I gave him FF salmon pate which is what he ate at the shelter.

Though a little concerning his BG went down to 120 just now - I feel like I’m definitely going to skip the shot and just do his PM shot after checking?

 

Kudos for giving this kitty a fighting chance! My hat goes off to you.
I cannot give dosing advice but youre on the right path. I'm impressed.

Are you up for setting up a spread sheet and signature? Its the best way folks here can help you help Mocha. Pretty please with salmon pate on top?
Suggestions, Tech Support & Testing Area
jeanne

 

Yes, I'd skip this morning.

Lantus is a great insulin for cats.

I think they should have told you if he was ketone-prone, so that's good. It's good for any diabetic kitty to test regularly, too, just in case. With him not eating well, skipping a shot, and undergoing some upheaval, you definitely want to keep an eye on that and test him soon.

Lovely numbers, though! I'd maybe test one more time today to see whether he starts to climb back up.

One more question, and please don't be insulted by this, but we've had a lot of errors come by the boards lately what with there being less vet contact these days: we want to make sure that you are shooting 1U and not, say, 10U (most common error).

Here's a (blurry, sorry) photo of the markings on half-unit and full-unit U-100 syringes to verify:

 

Thank you for the advice! I’m sure I’ll be posting here more frequently as we get in the swing of things. And the Vet Tech has been open to me texting her as well so that’s helpful.

As for the insulin yes I definitely only gave him 1Unit last night after he ate and not insulted at all! They actually gave me a pen with Lantus so it’s super easy to just click over to 1 Unit to make sure there’s no user error.

 

When you have a chance, setting up your signature will really helps us remember the basics about your cat, like the insulin, food, and any meds he’s on. Can you please do that for us? It’s hard looking for old threads

Thanks!

 

Absolutely - will do that after work hours today!

 

Also - just GA question, he was low this AM (138 then 140 after he ate a bit 30 minutes later ...then he ate more and went to 185 about an hour and a half later).

if you don’t dose 1Unit because it’s too low do you then dose after it went up and just keep 12 hours between shots or just skip the dose and start again in PM like normal?

I suspect once he’s settled and he’s eating more regularly and comfortable in the apartment I won’t need to skip but since he didn’t really eat I was worried to dose him so low of a #. Thanks!

 

Depends... usually, most people prefer not to get really off-schedule (you'd have to stick with the new time for a while, moving it slowly back over several days), so they end up skipping if it's more than an hour or two late. If there's any question about ketones, though, you always want to shoot something if at all possible (luckily, that doesn't seem to be Mocha as far as we know).

Generally, with Lantus, you want to keep as consistent a schedule as possible. I think skipping this time made sense, once he's more settled in you might make a different decision on a different day though.

Another thing to think about: around here, we try to adjust doses by 0.25U at a time (cats are so small, often getting just the right dose is a matter of these tiny adjustments!). You can't do that using the pen needles with the lantus pen (full unit adjustments only), so what a lot of us do is to get separate syringes, and just use the pen (minus the needle) as a kind of mini-vial, poking the syringe directly into the rubber pad at the top. Especially if Mocha stays in these lower numbers, he just might be due for a dose decrease soon, so you'll want to have some options between 0 and 1! (or in the other direction, if that's what he needs, a smaller increase than doubling the dose from 1 to 2)

 

and PS, when you see the "GA" tag on a post, what that means is "Gone Ahead" or "Guardian Angel", for a kitty that has passed away, not "General Advice" or "Georgia" (which is what I first thought )

 

LOL ME TOO! I think thats where every American goes first..."Hmmm must be from Georgia"

 

Oh my! I was sure it was General Advice. Sheesh thanks for correcting that before I acted something like that creating a thread!

 

Yeah, whenever us oldtimers see the "GA" at the front of a post, our hearts sink until we read through and realize. It's always a nice surprise when that happens, though, so there's that!

 

Hi there I second Nan about getting U-100 syringes with half unit markings like the picture she showed you of the syringes, if you have to decrease down the road you wount be able to do that dialing with the pen.