new, unstable blood sugar

Hi all, I am lost and need help, my cat George who is over 20 pounds is not feeling good today. I tested him about a week ago and his blood sugar was around 580. I increased him from 5 to 7 units of hummalin. I am trying to get blood from him today and keep missing the vein in his ear. I gave up and I have a feeling his numbers are still bad.

I think my main problem is getting blood, then maybe I can adjust better or begin to adjust with the help of this board....thank you Kim

 

I am sorry your kitty is not feeling well. You have come to the right place though! I am curious about one thing - did you increase from 5 units to 7 units at once, or did you work up to the 7 units by small increases? A 2 unit increase at once is quite a large increase and you may be going through hypoglycemic episodes (ultra low blood sugar) followed by high rebound numbers when the body tries to protect itself.

How long has your kitty been on insulin? What kind of food are you feeding?

You are heading in the right direction learning to home test. It is absolutely vital so that you know what his unstressed glucose numbers are and can avoid a hypo situation.

 

Hi Kim,

You're asking in the right place! I'm new here myself, and my cat was on 5 units twice faily, and also getting numbers in the 500-600s. With a lot of advice from people on this forum, I've been able to get slightly better numbers now, on a decreased dosage, of a better insulin. Check back often and you'll find a lot of good advice! I'm too new to give you any myself, but if you browse my thread history you might find something useful.

Good luck!

Sophia

 

Hi Kim, and welcome --

First off, when George was diagnosed, did your vet say anything about George having ketones / diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)?

Secondly, what type of food are you feeding him? And, if you haven't given him a shot this evening, please hold off for a bit while I gather some information for you to look over. (Back in a bit, just wanted to post this to ask not to shoot if you haven't already.)

Also, any chance you can get a current BG reading?

-- Jean and her Gwyn

 

Hi I am new here only been doing this for 3 weeks. Some one here told me how to get blood first put some rice in a sock and heat in microwave for about 20 second hold on to his eat Wrap a big towel around you boy so he feels safe do the pick he can`t get away and after it is over rub his ear a bit put a bit of cream on his ear Let him know you love him You will do better. I had such a hard time getting blood but now so easy .Wrap in towel hold heated sock on ear 30 seconds pick ear and check blood on meter Good luck and this place is wonderful star here and people will help...If you need any help I will do what I can LOL Kath :mrgreen:

 

He was dx 5 months ago, I feel like I am messing his life up by not being able to test properly. Just started feeding him Orijen.
Vet said nothing about Ketones.
Jean I just gave him his shot. I have heard about the rebound thing. I got a test in a few days after the new adjustment, which I did do 2 units all at once. It had gone down about 100ish.
Right now he is dealing with diarehia, does that mean anything?

Learning to use this board, hope I rememberd all the question everyone asked me...thank you so much for quick help. Kim

 

Sorry for the quickie post there

One of the things we quite frequently see are vets who treat diabetic cats as if they were small diabetic dogs. Unfortunately, cats react to insulin quite differently than dogs. Some of the mistakes we see due to this are:

1. Starting dose based on weight. Dogs get a starting dose based on their weight; cats should generally start at 1 unit per shot (unless ketones may be present).
2. Giving shots once a day. In dogs, insulin can last an entire 24 hours. Cats have faster metabolisms and almost always need shots twice a day.
3. Raising the dose too quickly. Most of the time, you need to give each dose 5-7 days to 'settle in' before you consider raising it.
4. Raising the dose by too much. Most of the time, when you increase the dose, you'll only do so by 1 unit at a time. (With some insulins, you'll only raise by 0.5units at a time.)

Assuming the George did not have ketones, if your vet started you at more than 1 unit of insulin at a time, had you give shots just once a day, or raised the dose without a sufficient 'settling in' time, you are probably giving George too much insulin.

The first thing I'd like you to read is Melissa and Popcorn's post on how to recognise and treat hypos. Read it, print it out, and tape it to the side of your fridge. When you suspect a hypo is *not* the time to find that your internet connection has gone down. The second thing is to go over Jojo and Bunny's post on stocking your hypo toolkit, so you know what you might need to have on hand.


Then, back to basics. The next thing you'll want to check out is the Humulin N Primer. That'll give you an idea of how Humulin N works and how to best use it in your cat. I'll be honest: a lot of cats don't do very well on Humulin N, but there are some cats who do fantastically on it (there are cats who do well on each of the insulins). One of the reasons Humulin N isn't usually one of the top choices is that it takes effect quickly and has fairly sharp drops in blood sugar levels -- and it also wears off quickly in most cats, usually before it's time to give the next shot. But since you're already on it, it's worth trying, so read the primer to learn how to use it best. Any questions, please ask; we *know* this is a terribly confusing situation and we'd much rather answer a so-called stupid question than have someone actually *do* something questionable.

You'll note that one of the recommendations in the primer is get a pre-shot blood sugar reading (so you know whether it's safe to give insulin), then feed George some food (after the test so you don't 'contaminate' the reading with a food spike, and before the shot because you want the cat to have some food in it's stomach to help offset the drop in blood sugar that the insulin is going to induce), and then give the insulin. They also recommend to start at a low dose of insulin (generally 1u twice a day), and raise the dose slowly, after the cat has had a chance to adjust to the insulin. There's a lot more info there as well.

The other thing you should familiarise yourself with is rebound. It's simple enough to see that not enough insulin can cause high blood sugar readings. It's not as easy to see that too *much* insulin can *also* cause high blood sugar readings. Basically, what happens is that the body notices that the blood sugar is going too low, panicks, and dumps a bunch of stored sugar into the blood sugar. Unfortunately, that panicked, uncontrolled release of sugar into the blood stream is going to raise the blood sugar levels the next time you test. If you see a high reading and increase the insulin without determining the real problem underneath (too much vs too little insulin), you risk making a bad situation worse. This is because, eventually, the body *will* run out of sugar stored in the body, and George *will* hypo.

So: please read up on rebound and hypos, and please at least *consider* dropping your insulin dose. *Sometimes* -- *very* occasionnally -- we do see a cat who needs that much insulin. But in the vast majority of cases, the cat was started at too high a dose, or the dose was raised too quickly, or the dose was raised by too much.


You'll get recommendations to switch to low-carb foods, which are *much* better for diabetics, but that's not a safe thing for you to do at the moment. You'll want to get a bit better at blood testing and also reduce the dose before you change foods. Switching a high-dose cat to low-carb food without reducing the dose can be Very Bad Indeed.


Does your vet have you checking for ketones? Ketones are not-common but still possible side effect in any person or animal with unregulated / under-regulated diabetes. Small amounts of ketones may be treatable at home; large amounts of ketones may require hospitalisation in a 24-hour care facility. If you test for ketones at home, you can catch them early and hopefully avoid the expensive hospitalisation.

To test for ketones at home, pick up some ketostix from the diabetes section of your local pharmacy. (I've always found them in the aisle, though some folks report their pharmacist keep them behind the counter.) You test for ketones by sticking the the stick in fresh urine. If the stick changes color, ketones are present.


Finally, hints on home-testing: I assume you've gone through the hometesting links and tips thread. In many cases, the problem is that the ear isn't sufficiently warm -- warm ears promote blood flow . A lot of folks use a baby sock with a little rice in it, heat that in the microwave for a few seconds, then put it inside the ear, wait a moment and poke. The rice sock both warms the ear up and gives you a sturdy background to poke against.

I never had a lot of luck with the rice sock. I used to give Gwyn's ear a vigorous massage to get the blood moving instead, and I used a cotton ball on the back of her ear to poke against. Sometimes you can put a finger on either side of the poke-spot and push toward the poke-spot, kinda 'milking' the ear for blood.

Are you using the lancet pen device? There are different depth settings on the pens; it's possible you need to switch to a deeper setting for George. Gwyn hated the lancet pen, so I always just free-handed the lancet. If the problem is that the blood is being absorbed into the fur before you can get it, try putting just a tiny bit of Vaseline where you plan to poke; that'll help the blood 'bead up'. If the problem is that George moves his head before you can get to the blood, try scraping it off on your fingernail and testing from there.

Also, you're not looking to hit the vein; if you can, you want to aim for the sweet spot (there are several photos of it in the hometesting links and tips post I linked to above). You might also try moving up or down the edge of the ear a little bit or, if George has been sleeping with one side of his head down, use the ear that was on the 'down' side.

After you've got the blood on the test strip, put pressure on the poke-spot for a moment, to reduce the chance of bruising. Also, always give George praise and cuddles before and during testing, and always give him a treat afterward, even if you were unsuccessful in getting blood. We have cats who come running when they hear test meters coming out, and others who remind their humans that it's testing time

-- Jean and her Gwyn

 

Hi Kim --

> He was dx 5 months ago, I feel like I am messing his life up by not being able to test properly.

Everyone here feels like they've messed up their cat's life in some way. Keep trying with the testing; it *does* get easier. How long ago did you give him his shot? And would it be possible to get a BG reading now?


> Just started feeding him Orijen.

I couldn't find Orijen on Janet and Binky's food charts, so I'm afraid I have no idea how many carbs they are. (Not being on the charts means they wouldn't share the information when they were contacted for it.) And I note their marketing material says it's low-carb, but that's just in relation to other foods. What food did you have George on before the switch to Orijen?


> Vet said nothing about Ketones.

Unless your vet is criminally irresponsible, they should have tested for ketones. I'm going with your vet is *not* criminally irresponsible and tested for ketones and decided not to tell you that there weren't any because the whole thing just gets entirely too confusing

That said, any unregulated / under-regulated diabetic is at risk for developing ketones. The next time you're at the pharmacy, please consider picking up some ketostix and testing for them at home. It's something like $15-20 for a bottle of 90 strips and can potentially save you thousands of dollars in emergency hospitalisation costs.


> I just gave him his shot. I have heard about the rebound thing. I got a test in a few days after the
> new adjustment, which I did do 2 units all at once. It had gone down about 100ish.

If you base dosage adjustments on a single reading, you risk not recognising that your cat may already be in rebound and risk making things worse. If you increase dose by more than 1 unit at a time, you risk overshooting George's proper dose. (Err -- all of this assumes no other health issues present that require more urgent attention, like ketones or hypos or whatever.)

Anyway, before adjusting insulin doses, what you really want to get is a blood sugar curve. That's when you take a pre-shot blood sugar reading, then test every two hours until it's time for the next shot. Some folks will even test hourly for the first little bit, the first time they curve on a new insulin. In the Humulin N Primer, Sweetgrass notes,

> Right now he is dealing with diarehia, does that mean anything?

Not necessarily. I'm assuming he has no real history of diarrhea to speak of, in which case it could just be stomach upset from the food change, especially if George went from a dry kibble diet to canned food.

Does George seem to be having any problems urinating, any pinkish tinge to his urine, and blood clots showing up in the litterbox, or trying to pee in inappropriate places? All of those could be signs of a urinary tract infection, which is a not-uncommon side effect of unregulated diabetes. And some cats will appear to have diarrhea when they have UTIs -- they're trying so hard to urinate that they over-defecate. Or, if George is currently being treated for a UTI or is receiving anti-biotics for some other reason, then those can cause diarrhea as well.

In the absence of other medical issues or medications, I'd suggest it was the food change. If the change happened a few days ago and his diarrhea is better than it used to be, you can try keeping on with the change. Otherwise, try reverting back to the old food and then slowly adding increasing amounts of the new food to it until you can fully swap over without affecting his stomach.


> Learning to use this board, hope I rememberd all the question everyone asked me...thank you so
> much for quick help.

It's a *lot* to absorb, we know. And if we miss answering one of your questions, or you need something clarified, please feel free to ask again.

-- Jean and her Gwyn

 

Hey Kim,

I'm new here too & still trying to get our buddy Max regulated. As such, we're a mess- so frustrated and worried, just like you I bet.

I might be able to help you get your blood sample though. We had a heck of a time at first- soooo many tears, and soooo much stress, both for us and for Max. It took a couple weeks, but we found a system that works for us, and maybe it will work for you too. We went from having max yowl and struggle and both me & DH crying (don't tell him I told) to having Max actually come to us for his tests!! Here's what we did:

1) Calm down. It's hard to do, but you HAVE to. Ever notice how kitty comes to see you when you're not feeling well? Its because somehow they can sense our feelings, and even if you're pretending you're ok, if you're tense or upset, kitty will pick up on it and freak.

2) Change your pricker & your monitor/strips. This can be expensive, but totally worth it. If you have a diabetic family member, hit them up! They can get a new free monitor with every purchase of test strips. If you have a good relationship with your pharmacist, he may even comp you one. We use the "Bayer Contour" monitor and test strips. Even diabetic humans I know have commented on how little blood it needs to get a reading. As a comparison, it takes nearly half as much blood as the OneTouch. The tricky thing is, since it needs so little blood, the pricker it comes with is useless for cats since they tend to have a little more fat under the skin. We now use the pricker from the OneTouch Ultra, which gets so much blood at a setting of 6/10 that we need a kleenex to stop the bleeding. Yes, it does mean buying/obtaining 2 different monitors, but for us it was WELL worth it. (we went from having to prick Max up to 10 times (or more, really) unsuccessfully, to getting our sample first time 8/10 times.

3) Designate a test spot, and always test there. Cats seem to like routine (mine do anyways) and for Max, if we're bringing him to 'the table' he knows why, what to expect, and that he'll soon be getting a treat.

4) Always give a treat (high protein or wet food) for every test. If you're not having any luck, treat him all the same. Only treat at test time. He'll come to think of test time as treat time.

5) Be firm & Assume the position! Find a position that works for you, but remember you are the boss. A calm, reassuring but firm hand goes a really long way. For me, I get Max to lay down on the table by lightly pressing his back until he sits, then I lean over him from behind so my body is over most of his body, leaving my hands free to hold his ear/head. It works to restrain him, but after the first couple times he found it comforting- he stopped trying to get away and would even nuzzle & purr. In the very beginning, when I had trouble calming down, I found whispering to him calmed us both down.

6) Find the sweet spot and stick with it. There are tons of 'how-tos' and youtube vids showing you where this is, so I won't get into it. I will however suggest that you always prick in about the same place. That part of the ear will start to bruise- quite badly at first, but it will heal and get pretty hearty. The bruising will actually make it so there is more blood in the area. Don't worry- it doesn't hurt your cat. If you don't believe me, prick yourself! See?

7) If the ear is cold, massage it with your fingers. You can also take and old sock, fill it with 1/2 cup uncooked rice and microwave it for 10 seconds or so. Test the temperature then hold it to your cat's ear until the ear is warm to the touch. A warm ear is a juicy ear.

8) If all else fails, double prick. Carefully, without smudging the blood from the first prick, prick a second time right next to the first test. Hopefully, the blood from both tests will pool and enable a sample.

That's it! I really hope this helps you because I know exactly how you feel!! Don't forget, when it's all over to take a couple minutes just for you- you've earned it, and I bet you need it.

 

Wow, that is alot of info. Thank you!!! I am going to print that out, and go over it a few times
Read to Orijen bag and can not find the carb info, but it does say it has no grains 75% animal product 25 percent, veggies and botanicals. I bought because it does not have grain in it.
The vet did start me on half of unit, we went back every week for bs testing and adjusted the dose up to 5 units, until I finally got another test and saw the sugar was high again, called the vet and they told me to raise the dose. I went on line to read and learned about the rebound info. But getting the blood is so hard.

Holly thanks for releating your experince getting testing, and Jean you gave me so much info, I am going to print and reread, thank you so much. I appreciate all your work in helping us...Kim

 

I don't know which flavor of Orijen you are feeding, but I pulled the ingredient list and here:

INGREDIENTS
Fresh deboned chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, russet potato, fresh deboned salmon (a natural source of DHA and EPA), herring meal, sweet potato, fresh deboned lake whitefish, peas, fresh deboned walleye, chicken fat (naturally preserved with vitamin E and citric acid), chicken liver, salmon meal, fresh deboned turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh deboned herring, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil, chicory root, dehydrated organic kelp, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, saskatoon berries, black currants, choline chloride, psyllium, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, sea salt, vitamin supplements (vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin C, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12), mineral supplements (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium), dried Lactobacillus acidophilus product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

While yes, they are using real meat and meals, the fact that potatoes are the 4th and 7th ingredients is very concerning - meaning that the higher up on the ingredient list, the more of that product is in it in - potatoes are HIGH carb and not good for diabetics.

Apples, peas and carrots are also high carb and high sugar foods - again not a good choice for diabetics.

I just posted the following to someone else about dry food and it applies here too:

Additionally, if he is eating the wet food, is there any need to keep feeding him dry food? While yes, you bought expensive dry food and it's supposedly a higher quality, the fact is, it is still dry food and ALL dry food is bad for cats.

Please take a look at Dr. Lisa's site and reread this: http://www.catinfo.org/

It explains why dry food is bad for cats.

Now if you are concerned about how to leave wet food out 24/7, I can help with that. It's actually very easy:

Just add extra water to the food - for example for a 5 ounce can - I will add 1/2 can of water to the food. For a 3 ounce can, I will add an entire can of water to the food and mix it up.

Also, you can take that formula and freeze it. Once frozen, you can serve as normal and it will take a few hours to thaw and be ready for cat to eat. So, if he eats all his regular food up and there is nothing left for later, using the frozen method, will ensure there is fresh food available later on.

You may also want to get a timed feeder - there are several available and this will allow you to put the food in there, set the timers and it will automatically at the set times - again allowing for 24/7 food for cat.

 

I have to second what hollymayb suggested with getting a different tester. I also had horrible stressful attempts to test at first, but with a new tester and a new technique, it's much better.

I started with the TrueTrack because the strips are cheap, but it requires one microlitre of blood. We went through 40 test strips in the first week, many wasted on not getting enough blood (you can see from my SS how many readings we actually got last week - well those were 40 strips!)

Friday I switched to the FreeStyle Lite, which requires 0.3 microlitres - a third!! No wasted test strips yet, even the tiniest drop is good. The Contour that hollymayb recommends requires 0.6 microlitres. Just something to keep in mind. Although the Contour was much better rated on Consumer Reports, I went with the FreeStyle for the smallest blood requirement.

As for techiques, I also pre-warm with a rice sock. Odiesmom taught me how to do it using a flashlight. I hold Heart's ear over the "face" of the flashlight, and I can see where exactly the veins are (I prick from the back now - started pricking the inside of the ear at first, probably from misinterpreting the sweet spot picture). The flashlight face also gives a hard surface to prick against, which makes it easier and less painful than if there is some give as you're pricking (as there is with the sock). This way it goes in super fast.

Anyway, I'm getting the hang of it slowly as well. Got a one-shot test result this morning (yay!) thanks to advice on this board.

 

While you do not want apples, carrots, and potatoes in high quantities (I would argue for no potatoes at all) - a popular prepared raw food diet (nature's variety) does include apples and carrots and a few other things, but toward the end of the list. They publish their as-fed values and the carbs are 2% even with that stuff. It all depends on the quantity. I've been feeding that to Oscar every day for a food bolster and seen to difference in his BGs

I do feed orijen to my dogs. While I think it is a great dry food - I don't think the carbs are low enough for a diabetic kitty. If I remember right, I think it is the neighborhood of 20% carbs.

 

So I am learning to take his blood sugar better. Yesterday 6 hours after his shot it was 46...almost to low, right? I took one pre shot this morning and it was 249. Poor George has brusied ears. I now learned my lesson and need to put my low level reading glasses on.

Can I just feed him meat, can not get any lower in carbs than that. thanks everyone...Kim

 

cat's need a complete diet - feeding meat alone is not a complete diet. while you can use that as a treat, it's not complete - take a look at Dr. Lisa's site, she explains it well: www.catinfo.org

Also, getting a 46 and then a 249, says to me that you are on too high a dose and got a huge bounce. without knowing all his numbers, because of the testing problem, I suggest you lower the dose as a 46 is very low and can be dangerous.

Do you have a hypo kit together? http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... ?8,1700444

Don't mean to scare you, but the sooner you are able to test the better off you will be.

With regards to meters, I'm using a Bayer Contour and it is very easy to use and only requires a small blood sample. And you don't have to code the strips to the meter.

If you have a walmart nearby - they sell relion brand meters and they are inexpensive and easy to use.

 

I read the info on Hypo. I have a syringe around in case to put sugar in it. He was 46 yesterday and showed no symptoms at all. I also have been reading on foods, I will be switching to some of the recommended foods.
I wish I can test more to see what is going on with his bs...thanks everyone, this is not easy...Kim

 

kim i know it is not easy....at first. it is alot to take in, but we are numbering in the thousands here and i can guarantee you we are not genius''s but once you've been here a few weeks you will totally have it down. i promise. visit us every day. ask any and all questions. most of the folks here know as much or more than your average vet about feline diabetes. you will too! :mrgreen:
is there any possibility at all of you being able to switch insulins to one of those that is more commonly used around here. lantus, levemir, pro-zinc pzi ?
each day when you post, start like this ok.
his morning reading and what you shot him.
it will look like this
amps (am pre shot) and the # (lets say 250)
amps 250 3U (3 units
then if you test again during the day only give the # of hours since his last shot. it will look like this

amps 250 3U
+6 87

this helps us understand exactly what is happening ok.
your evening test and shot will look like this

pmps 320 3U

so the day will look like this
amps 250 3U
+6 87
pmps 320 3U

hope this makes sense for you.

 

Hillary thanks for the infromation I will ask for a switch in insulin. I do not think the Hummlin is stable enough for him.
I forgot to tell everyone why I did not think he was on rebound on 5 units. Sorry, may be important info. After giving him 5 units twice a day, he started to urniate, alot and drink again, which prompted me to take his bs. That was when it was well into the 500s. These symptoms are not rebound symptoms, am I correct, rather than his blood sugar is high again most of the time even on the 5 units. Kim and George

 

What dose did you give at 246?

 

6 units. i am thinking 5 may not be enough. i was giving him 7 which could be too much as others said.

 

From what I gather here, high blood sugar is a symptom of rebound, and with the high blood sugar comes the frequent drinking and urinating - so yes, those can all be symptoms of rebound.

Have a look at my spreadsheet. I've been getting terrible numbers, but after decreasing the dose (and switching insulin) my numbers are starting to get better (and I notice a change in my cat's temperament, too) After three weeks of 3-5 units a day, I was in the black and at a higher BG level than at diagnosis before insulin! Now at a lower dose of Lantus, things are starting to look up! As people have cautioned me though, it takes time, so I'm trying to be patient.

I really recommend setting up a spreadsheet and putting it into your signature so that gurus here can see what is going on. Hard to give advice without one!

 

The problem is, we just don't know because you weren't home testing at the time (not criticizing, just saying). The urination could be as mentioned due to high blood glucose levels caused by rebound, or your kitty may need more than 5 units of insulin. Testing at the clinic may or may not have been valid depending on whether stress inflated blood glucose levels.

So I think perhaps you need to increase the frequency of testing, don't raise the dose past 6 units, test urine for ketones whenever you can, and try to get a better picture of what is going on. If you are having issues testing, consider posting your location in case one of us lives nearby and can help in person.

 

What I did upon advice of the people here is decrease from 5 units a day to 2.5 units a day for a few days to see what happens and get my cat out of rebound if that was the problem. Then I switched to Lantus. Now that I know rebound is not an issue anymore, I can work on gradually increasing the dose until I get good numbers. Either way, his numbers didn't get worse with the decreased dose.

 

Wow I never thought of that thank you so much!!!! I could have been causing his rebound. Tonight before I was suppose to give him his insulin I did a test and was 50. So I did not give him any insulin. I hate testing!!!! So hard and he shakes his head, then my blood drop goes away. You guys are helping me save Georges life. thanks again

 

Now that Georges blood sugar is 50, when should I take it again?

 

KIm,

If that happens again, get the drop of blood on your fingernail. You can test it there even after George has left.

I would suggest you start a new topic and get some advice on dosage. You were absolutely right not to give insulin at 50. (Even if it's hard, thank goodness you are hometesting. Insulin at that number would have been very dangerous.) If you can get another test in about 30 -45 minutes, that would be good. He should be as low as he is going to get during the cycle, but you want to be sure he doesn't go any lower.

And you will definitely want to get advice before you face shot time tomorrow.

 

ok that's good you did not shoot him. 50 is waaaay low for +12...we can only imagine what he was in the middle of the day when the insulin peaks. this is very dangerous territory (not to scare you but it is) you should wait to see what he is tomorow before you shoot again and even that is bound to be a rebound #. it may be wise to lay off shooting for a few days and get him on that low carb under 7 carbs diet and see how he does. i personally think this cat could be in danger of hypo.
Lori

 

Thanks Lori and Sue. I never expected to see such low numbers. This group is helping me understand and get through this...thanks again. Kim

 

kim get a few tests in this evening if you can. but when the numbers go up (and they will) my opinion is don't shoot them.

 

Can you get another number?

I think Lori may have a good idea. The number tomorrow could be high because he is rebounding from going so low. You might just test for a day or two and get him settled into that low carb diet, without insulin. But if you decide to do that, you must test for ketones also. He was on a lot of insulin and we don't want him to go back into high numbers. You can get ketone strips from the pharmacy. They are inexpensive and available - human diabetics use them. You stick them under his stream while he is peeing. If that sounds impossible, put a piece of saran wrap into the litter and watch. Some cats like to pee on the plastic. You want to shoo him off before he tries to cover it up.