Marcus's BG is 82 --what do I do?

I just started testing last evening. Before that, I was simply giving him his shot and his food. Now that I'm testing, I get worried. I just started the spread sheet. Last night, we tested AFTER his 1 unit shot by 2 hours and he was 106. This morning 253, and we gave him 1 unit AFTER this. Tonight, prior to injection it was 82--we have held off giving the injection. We fed him.

So, what now? Retest his BG? And what number do we look for and should we still give him the insulin?

By the way he has PLENTY of energy--jumping like a champ (he never lost that ability)as always to the desk and onto the entertainment center where he is now perched and alert.

 

I just retested it. And he HAS eaten. It's an hour and a half after we last tested and it's up to 115. Shot or no shot? I know that last week, I would have just given the shot and not known, but knowing the BG makes me hesitate.

 

Welcome!

Since you just started testing, I think skipping the shot for tonight is wise. It will be easier to shoot and handle a low number like that with a little more experience, but since he is low and could go lower, it would require a lot of monitoring/testing on your part and dealing with bringing his numbers up if need be. Not something I would want anyone to deal with on day 2 of testing.

Always a good idea to test before you shoot, and tonight is a great example of that. What if the PMPS number had been a 40, but you didn't know until after you gave insulin? If you can get any tests mid cycle, that helps as well. We based dose decisions on how low the dose takes the cat (and that data point can be anywhere, but ideally it would be somewhere mid cycle) not so much on preshot numbers.

Have a read of the stickies up top and ask any questions you have, there's a bit of a learning curve, but Marcus looks to be off to a good start.

 

Marcus is a handsome fellow!

Yes, 82 is quite low for a pre-shot on an AT2, especially when starting out. I'm glad you were testing, and that you held off on shooting!

Generally speaking, when you get a pre-shot number like that, the thing to do is to stall; don't feed, and test again in a half-hour to see if he's moving up. And post here for advice, as you did tonight.

Welcome!

 

Thank you so much! I feel comfortable skipping the shot. I've been reading and learning as much as I can about the condition so Marcus will live well with this. He's such a good cat.

Amazing that you have a 21 year old cat! That's great!

 

Hello and welcome. Good for you on the home testing.

We have a couple of dosing methods here that we use. One called Tight Regulation Protocol and the other called Start Low Go Slow Method. Take a read over the two sticky notes describing them and see which one fits you and your lifestyle. If you choose SLGS, then that 82 would mean he had earned a dose reduction down to 0.75 units. Looks like Marcus is doing really well on the Lantus.

 

I am so lucky to have found this place! Thank you for being here for us!

 

Best place you never wanted to be!

 

Yes, kudos to you for home testing and also setting up the spreadsheet. You are testing for 2 reasons - to help with dosing, and to prevent a hypo.

You were correct to skip the dose. I never dose Leo unless he is 200 or above. Some cats hypo easy, and Leo is one of them. What a handsome fellow Marcus is. I bet he will end up with smaller doses in the future. We'll see how the patterns go on the spreadsheet.

 

Just to add onto Jeff's comments. Many people here, with experience and data, learn to shoot much lower numbers. The threshold of 200 is one we set for new members. With Lantus, the cycles are typically much flatter if you shoot lower preshot values. You will get there, just not yet.

 

This morning, the BG for Marcus is 102. No shot. What if I had not been testing?? Thanks again!

 

So, I didn't give a shot tonight because last night, 82 and no shot...this morning, 102 and no shot...and now 85....no shot. He has eaten and it's been about 3 hours. Should I check again?

I'm editing so I can keep it in a single message. I checked again and it's 84.

 

I would do a random check at some point to get more data. That's awesome that 3 no shots in a row!