Normal levels within 6 hours- do I still need to test every 2 hours?

Hello! My kitty was just diagnosed today with diabetes. Her initial reading was 586!!! But now 6 hours later she is down to 69. I was told to test her every 2 hours for 3 days. My question is; Do I need to still test every 2 hours even though her numbers have changed so rapidly?
She is on Novolin N

 

Hello and welcome. Can you tell us a bit more?
What dose of Novolin N?
What meter are you using?
What are you feeding?

That is a huge drop, was the initial reading before or after food?
Can you post the numbers you have and the times?

 

Yes. Testing every 2 hours lets you know if he is in danger of hypoglycemia, a fast acting and sometimes fatal condition. Testing lets you and your vet know how well your kitty is responding to the insulin. It tells if the dose needs to be adjusted. You won't have to test so often in the future. We usually test just before feeding and giving insulin. This is how we keep our cats safe.

 

I have to sign out in a minute but here are my initial thoughts, by +6 you should be seeing the lowest point of the cycle but with such a large drop I am worried about the dose being too high. Can you post in the Health forum with the information I asked for and a link to this thread using a ? prefix as we need a few more eyes on this before the next dose is due. We can help you with all you need to know - well done on home testing by the way.

 

I'm using the AlphaTrak meter for animals. She got an initial dose of 1.5cc when her reading was 586. About noon. 2nd reading was at 2pm & she didn't eat & was 430. Gave 2cc Novolin N.
At 3pm she ate 1 cooked shrimp & 1 tbsp tuna with 1/4 tsp orac energy greens mixed with olive oil in 1 tbsp tuna.
Reading at 4:45 was 283 and ate 1 small cooked shrimp. Gave 1.5cc Novolin N.
8:15pm no food & reading was 63.

My vet told me to continue giving Novolin N until she was normal but I'm thinking that wasn't so good.
Soooooo.... At 10:45 she ate 2 tbsp dry Royal canin Maine Coone food.
12:20 she ate 2 medium cooked prawns.
I was worried she might go to low.

 

Just took another reading at 1am & it was 120!! So hooray!! I rewarded her with 1/4 cooked prawn. I feel so badly cause I'm horrible at getting the blood from her ear. :-( I looked at the pics on the forum & warmed the ear up & it was MUCH better!

 

I should also mention that at 14 years old she was in perfect health until she got a severe ear infection. The ER Dr gave her Baytril which I stupidly gave for the full 7 days. She's now blind in one eye and lost vision in her one "good eye." The new vet treated her with Depo Medrol which may have caused this blood sugar issue. But my baby girl is a trooper and isn't giving up and is putting up with whatever is necessary. She's even gotten over the depression of losing her sight.
But I knew when she was losing weight like crazy, drinking tons of water & peeing large amounts that something was wrong.
Since we have been giving her "greens" and started her on insulin she has perked up immensely!! She's such an appreciative little doll!

 

Hi and welcome. Do I understand that you are giving the Novalin everytime you test? Did your vet tell you to do that? It is supposed to be given every 12 hours. Glad you're testing. Post on Health or the Vetsulin/Novolin forum for more help.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/vetsulin-caninsulin-humulin-n.19/

 

Would you mind reposting in the main health forum to let us know how you're doing?

 

@LizzyGodiva - Re Sharon's question above, can you please clarify what the situation is? This is really important....
.

 

Have just sent message to the OP hoping she may receive that as an email...
Message reads:

"Hello,

Regarding your posts in the Welcome Forum:
Insulin should normally be given twice a day (every 12 hours). Can you please clarify the situation regarding your kitty? And can you update us about how your kitty is now?
You can reply in your thread here:
Normal levels within 6 hours- do I still need to test every 2 hours?

Hoping to hear from you very soon.

(If you are at all concerned please DO call a vet for advice).

Elizabeth"

 

Ok I think I posted another intro on the main feed.
Lizzy tested 326 at 7am so I administered 1.5cc Novolin N.
I'll test in 2 hours again. But I won't listen to my vet about giving more then 2 shots. He just wanted her numbers down so he said it was ok to administer more but that was scary last night! I could finally get some sleep once she was 120.

Lizzy refuses to eat ANY wet food. She has her entire life. I've waisted another $20 trying many brands. But she LOVES cooked prawns and I've actually been giving her 1tsp tuna with orac greens mixed with olive oil in it. I started that 4 days before we got the diagnosis of diabetes but she was already more active, peeing & drinking much less too. She loves broccoli & chicken breast cooked on the barbecue so has anyone had success with making fresh food?

 

I was told to give her as much as needed yesterday to bring her numbers down. Which I now see was wrong. :-( I will only administer 2 times today and only if she needs it.
Im so confused why I test before food then feed then test 2 hours after? Is that just to see what's causing the spikes? Because it's appearing that it's when she's not eating that she's high?

 

Oh, @LizzyGodiva , I am very relieved to see that you and your kitty are OK.... Phew!

First off, do you have a recent blood glucose test for your kitty? And how many hours ago (we're all in different time zones) did you last gave insulin?
And when did you give insulin before that, and how much?

What we usually do here is:
1) Test. ..That's to see how high the blood glucose is without food; and to check that the blood glucose is high enough to give that insulin shot.
2). Feed. ..That's so that the kitty has food on board for when the insulin kicks in.
3). Shoot.

What exactly are you feeding your kitty at the moment?
....And what's her name?

Eliz

 

Hello! I've listed all the times and readings & info on another post. Would you have access to that? Over the last 12 hours she's been at a normal level. It's only just 1/2 hour ago the reading was 263.

She has ALWAYS hated moist food so I've been feeding her cooked prawns. I know they shouldn't have tuna but I've been giving her orac energy greens in it. 3 days before she was diagnosed she actually really improved. She's acting much more normal!

 

She likes plain chicken cooked on the grill, broccoli & peanut butter. So I'm thinking of making her own moist food.
Dry food is Royal Canin Maine Coone formula which when I read the analysis it's healthier than what they wanted to prescribe.

 

I must admit I'm a bit confused at your vets instructions. Let's try and get things on track.

Your insulin is one of the short acting insulins and should be dosed every 12 hours, it works by dropping the glucose level in the first 4-6 hours and then a rise again until it is time for the next shot when the insulin will be out of the system.

You are testing quite frequently at the moment which is fine but those strips are expensive, many people on the board use a cheap human meter with cheap strips - if you tell us where you are located someone can give advice - we are from all over the world on this board.

Feeding regime is important with consistency of what you feed and when, if you are thinking of changing food you have to be testing and understand how your cat responds to the insulin - so for now I wouldn't try to do too much at once, feed what the cat is used to and don't make changes yet. We call it a marathon and not a sprint, a 263 reading is fine at this stage.

So, you need to check glucose pre meal morning and evening when there has been no food given for at least 2 hours. Then feed, then give the insulin after food. As your insulin can drop the sugar quite quickly compared to some others it is important food is on board before you give insulin. Its ok to give additional food during the day as long as the timing and type of food is consistent. A reading 2 hours after insulin and at 4 and 6 hours will help to gauge how your cat is responding to the insulin.

We use a spreadsheet to track the glucose readings and dose and its really useful if you need help in a hurry so can you set one up and add key information into your signature, if you need help just yell as we can help you. Trying to force the glucose level down too quickly can result in the readings going too high as the cat's body interprets this as an emergency and releases glucose which you don't want to see happen.

What you also need to do is periodically check the urine for ketones using strips which can be obtained anywhere that sells diabetic supplies, anything more than a trace is an emergency and you want to see negative - ketones are bad news and can result in a very expensive emergency trip to the vet so we like to avoid them wherever possible.

2 units every 12 hours is an ok starting dose and it will take time to determine if the dose is right, but as previously I am worried about that huge drop. Are you able to consistently test during the day?

Does that help at all?

 

Yes this helps a lot. I live in Tucson, AZ. I just checked online & I see that the test strips are horrible!! However the meter and 25 strips, syringes etc were given to me just to use. It had been a donation from another patient.

I feel better knowing that her BG levels will just go higher after 6 hours. I was thinking they always needed to be within normal range.
Truthfully I've started testing 2 hours after food & her shot, then every 4 hours after that. I kept her insulin 12 hours apart today. Testing every 2 hours was killing me! Lol. I'm so exhausted.

She actually was in normal range just until she was due for her insulin and her reading was 371.
She was acting so happy today and looked more like herself finally!!! It was very encouraging.

 

I'll have to call around about the ketone strips. How can the urine be on it if it's in the litter box? Just go over to the box immediately after she's done?
Thanks for putting up with my stupidity!

 

Just making sure you saw my reply with all the info?
I just learned how to use the spreadsheet though. I was just writing everything down on a blank one.

 

Hi for ketone testing, some use a ladle to collect urine, put some Saran Wrap in the litter box to catch a small pool of urine or use a nonabsorbant litter such as aquarium gravel to get a urine sample. If you can set up the spreadsheet that will help you, your vet and us to see what's going on
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Why don't you start a thread on the Main Health Forum or the Vetsulin/Humulin forum to get the best advice.

 

Ok great! I'll find that one. Sorry. This is just all so new and I'm just getting used to testing. It was soooooo frustrating because I didn't know I only had 30 seconds to test after the meter was ready. Plus getting the right amount of blood was tricky. So needless to say I ended up wasting about $20 in strips :-(

 

Thanks so much! There's so much to learn. She's been acting so much more like herself it makes me more determined to help her. I will start a couple other posts on the correct forums now that I can figure out how to do it. This forum has been a life saver for me!! I am getting her ketone strips today.
I can't wait to see the "stink face" look she'll give me when I adjust her box to collect the urine!! Lol! She's a huge Norwegian Forest cat so even her box is extra large. Poor baby lost 4 pounds before getting a diagnosis. Her appetite has already perked up and she's so much happier!!
Thanks for your help and I'll find the correct forums to post on!

 

If you wanted to switch to a human meter then Relion brand from Walmart is popular, you need a meter with cheap strips that takes the smallest volume of blood. When you set up your spreadsheet pick the one that is correct for your meter. If you need help with setting up a spreadsheet then just ask as there are folk who will help with that. Glad to hear she is doing better. We like happy cats

 

The ReliOn Confirm and Confirm Micro (aka Arkray USA Glucocard 01 and 01 Mini available at www.ADWdiabetes.com) use the same small blood drop size as the AlphaTrak.
If you're having difficulty testing, try using lower gauge lancets to prick the ear - 26-28 gauge lancets, labeled for alternate site testing, may a slightly bigger hole, increasing your odds of getting blood.

 

Lizzy is being given2 units every 12 hours. She's been stave around 233,240,253 all day today. I'll work on putting the info on the thread for her chart.

 

Those numbers look fine considering you are just starting out - looking forwards to seeing her chart. I see you have posted in the C/V/N forum as well so shall we continue over there?

 

Sure!
I'm trying to figure how to balance my own sleep with testing & feeding. Even though her numbers are staying in the low 200's she's becoming very talkative and has interest in life again.
I'm making her own moist food which I'm adding Orac Energy Greens which is full of vegetables & probiotics etc.
I've only had salmon & chicken & tiny amounts of albacore tuna in water. Which I'm soaking everything to get the salt out.
My Dad is "getting" me a rabbit so I can experiment cooking that for her. She HATES beef.
Others seem to be so upset with my that I'm giving her 10 dry kibbles. But her food is 29% protein has fiber, omega 3's. Her appetite is picking up so until I can get some chicken & rabbit cooked it hasn't been affecting her numbers at all.
I wish she was a cat who liked canned wet food. But over the years I've waisted $100's on food that I end up giving away.
Norwegian Forest Cats are a domesticated natural breed anyway. She's always eaten much differently than a normal cat.
I'm just focusing on getting a routine with testing, insulin & when she finally wants to eat since I'm giving her supplements I don't see why cooked prawns & Salmon & broccoli are upsetting to others.

 

You might like to consider raw food if you are interested in making your own as it is the most natural diet for cats. If you are interested then please post on the main health forum as there are a few users who make their own or who buy frozen ready prepared. It has to be a cat specific diet due to their particular dietary needs, this page goes through the how to make your own http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

There is a general disapproval of dry food due to carb count, lack of moisture and concerns about contamination but some dry foods are low carb and ok, and during early stages when transitioning food then often people have no choice but to continue some dry food.

If she is doing fine and you are struggling with sleep then that's pretty normal, I am sleep deprived as I have to get up early on work days and used to catch up at the weekends with longer sleeps but no longer. However, I do try to catch up at weekends after feeding when I can. You could try getting a pre bed test and if she looks ok then you will sleep more soundly. I couldn't do middle of the night tests like some people manage!

 

I've been switching ears each day to test on. I switched to 33 gauge lancets so she won't flinch. On her ear that's healing for the day I put neosporin & a product called traumeel which I use on myself. It's made in Bulgeria now instantly helps pain & bruising. When I clean the ear I use a mixture called "Dit Da" which is a mixture of tinctured herbs in vodka to stabilize it. I am basically using the vodka with only the herb liquid to clean the ear I'll be using that day. It's been working out much better! Lizzy is feeling so much better she just gives me her ear. It's amazing what they'll do when they want help. I'm so thankful I can make her feel better! I thought I was going to lose her.

 

Ok great! I tried to find the forum for it but couldn't find it so thanks!!! And thank goodness I live in the rurals where bunnies and fresh meat is ample!! Lol.

She seems to be taking about 5-6 hours after the insulin shot which I've been reading is quite normal. I've also just been watching her behavior. When her BG is too high she runs a bit of a fever and is lethargic. I have lots I have to take care of today but will finally post her chart up. I just know people are going to freak out when they find out I gave her 3 shots her first day. :-/ Oh well. I'm on track now thanks to you & others!!

I'll look up the making food thing. Lizzy is 14 & I know her personality quite well. She's a very stubborn baby! Lol. But she's loving the salmon, broccoli, chicken. I get to try rabbit. The fun never stops! Hahaha!

I'm so thankful I work from home.