newbie here -- 330 BG-- amount insulin to give?

Hi, I posted this in the welcome thread before reading the stickie that said to post health questions here (duh, sorry). So this is my question copied over here:

My 17-year-old cat, Sashet (or Sashi) was diagnosed yesterday. The BG taken at the vet's then was 400-something, and vet prescribed 2 units of Vetsulin 2x/day. But the bottle he gave me says it's Novolin NPH? (I didn't look at it till I was home.) I also just finally successfully home-tested Sashi right now and got a reading of 330 (using Bayer Contour). Is 2 units twice a day still a good idea? Should I adjust down to start, now that I'm doing my own readings?

Also, he's on 1 ml of Amoxicillin 2x/day because he has a broken front tooth, poor baby. We're not doing the surgery till his BGs are more stable, which the vet wants to recheck in two weeks. Should I worry about readings being off due to the amoxicillin at all, or is that not an issue?

If anyone has advice/suggestions, I'm all ears! Thank you so much from both me & Sashi.

 

Hi and welcome!
I am not sure those insulins are the same-I am going to tag @Bobbie And Bubba

 

by the way AWESOME that you are already home testing!!

 

Novolin and Vetsulin are both intermediate acting insulins....the problem with both of them is that they tend to be harsh and cause the glucose to drop sharply and then poop out before it's time for the next shot.....they're both better for dogs than cats

If your vet said Vetsulin and gave you Novolin, I might call and ask and make sure they gave you the correct one though because there are some differences

If the amoxicillin is pills, it shouldn't effect the blood glucose.....a lot of liquids contain sugar though

I'd suggest starting at 1 unit and testing to see how Sashi does

Here's some information on Novolin NPH too

 

The vetsulin and Novolin are two different insulin Vetsulin is for dogs and cats and Novolin is a human insulin also used for animals.

Glad you are home testing because that is the only way you can keep Sashi safe.

Most cats are started around 1 - 1.5 units to start. Do you know what Sashi's blood glucose (BG ) was when she was diagnosed (DX) And how much does she weigh?

 

I like Chris's suggestion to drop back to 1 unit and keep testing to see where Sashi is. Do you know what to do if the BG goes too low? What kind of meter are you using? Is it a AT2 for animals or is it a human meter? The reason I ask is because the "too low and need to act " levels are different between the two meters.

 

Thanks, @jayla-n-Drevon! I need to get better at the testing, but it was good to see that blood drop well up after only the first try. (Hope it wasn't beginner's luck.) My mom was a member here, so as soon as Sashi was diagnosed, I came straight here. She loved this place and said it helped her a great deal with her diabetic kitty.

Thank you too, @Chris & China. I will definitely call the vet on Monday to ask about the Vetsulin/NPH discrepancy. And will check out the NPH link.

@Bobbie And Bubba, it's a Bayer Contour. And yes, my mom had some hypo episodes with her cat, so I feel relatively comfortable on what to do if his BGs go too low. I've got Karo syrup on hand.

Sashi had his dinner already tonight but it's been suggested to not give him any insulin tonight and start in the morning, after I test and about 30 minutes after eating breakfast since NPH is a fast-acting insulin. He actually has not had any yet since he was diagnosed, since I pretty much wasn't sure about the prescribed dosage being accurate for him and wanted to home test first. My vet didn't weigh him before prescribing the dosage. I'm guessing he eyeballed it. Sashi's BG was 400-something (I can't remember the exact number) at the vet yesterday.

 

About the broken tooth, if that is causing Sashi pain, I would get it removed as soon as the antibiotic is done or right before because the antibiotic is going to keep the infection from the broken tooth at bay but, as soon as the AB is done, the infection will come right back causing pain and higher BG numbers.

 

Oh, and I just weighed him at about 9 or 10 pounds (my scale gave two diff readings each time, it's not super accurate).

 

I don't think it's causing him pain, or at least he doesn't behave like it does. I only noticed a problem because he was swollen above his mouth on that side. The vet was actually concerned about doing the surgery with his BGs so high, he wanted to wait two weeks to get them lower. I've got an appointment to bring him back on the 23rd to check his BG there again, with the intention of scheduling the surgery the next day if they look good. Of course the vet had to tell me all the bad things that can happen to a cat with high BGs who is under anesthesia, so I'm overall feeling...a bit flail-y about everything.