Skip or Dose Early? and Other dosing questions

Hello, I'm fairly new here; I posted in the main forum last week to introduce Finn a bit but have not posted here yet. I have two questions on dosing:

1. I have to go out tomorrow for a concert and am not sure what to do with Finn's evening routine. Since his numbers are still high at this point I am thinking it would be better to feed and dose him early (probably at around 8 hours post AM shot is when I'll have to leave) rather than skip his dose or dose him late (I have no idea how late I'll get home) but am not sure what's best. Do you think it would be better to dose early?
[He will not allow anyone else to handle him]

2. I've been testing Finn at home for a couple of weeks now. I'll link to the long post from the Main Forum below if that helps with background. Now we're at 2 units but his numbers are still up and down day to day which is a bit frustrating. One thing I'm not certain of is if the days his AMPS are high could he have been snacking on his food prior to shoot. He's left food out overnight. I bought an automatic feeder but have not used it yet. Should I have it turn to an empty dish a couple of hours before his AMPS just to be sure its not food? Or is it time to go to 2.5 units at this point?

3. How long is a vial of Prozinc good for in the fridge, does it start to loose its efficacy even if refrigerated? I got mine April 19th.

Here is the link to the first thread I posted that goes into Finn's history etc as explained it is really hard to get a full curve on him because he will not tolerate being handled too often so I have been prioritizing pre-shoot testing and the insulin shots. I've managed to get a few mid-day shots, which are not really much lower than AMPS. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...g-to-figure-this-all-out.197024/#post-2205887

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

Prozinc should last as long as it takes you to finish the vial. Spot's first one lasted about 5 months.
If you have to give it 4 hours early, I would say skip it (as long as no history of DKA). Prozinc can be dosed at 11-13 hours, but 8 hours is really pushing it. His numbers are high enough that it "might" be ok, but I wouldn't risk it if you're not home to monitor.

 

Welcome Laura and Finn! Sorry it took awhile for us to get here...this forum is usually busiest at night and in the morning...midday we're only here sometimes.

1. I agree with SpotsMom. I wouldn't dose him that early. At +8 he'll still have insulin in him and it's just too likely that he might end up going super low. If you get home within an hour of normal shot time, you could dose him then, but if not, I'd just skip for one night and pick back up in the AM. It happens to us all sometimes!

2. Yes, I'd have it turn to an empty dish 2 hours before shot time. You want a "true" number then, not a food influenced number. I know it's frustrating to see his numbers be all wonky, but it can take some time to get regulated. Remember, he didn't become diabetic overnight, so he won't be regulated overnight either! Now, with that said I think I'd go ahead and up the dose. Any chance you can do 2.25? I say that because even if those red AMPS are food influenced, he isn't dropping much mid cycle. You've done a really great job of getting mid cycle tests at different times on different days which gives a pretty good picture of what's going on most days (nice work!). With the fact that you haven't seen a blue, but just yellows and pinks mid-cycle, I think you're safe to go ahead and raise the dose. However, I'd do it on a cycle where I could monitor if you can.

3. SpotsMom answered this for ya. We generally think 4-6 months or so, but your testing can help determine that. If you notice him getting higher with no good reason, it might be the insulin wearing off.

Please feel free to ask any other questions you have! We're glad you're here, though sorry you have to be here!

 

I have a newly diagnosed cat. I simply cannot dose at exactly 12hrs (I am gone from home 15hr/day for work). I do have some help and I read that 11-13 should be ok? I had to dose at 9 hours today but checked a BS and it was over 200. Is this safe? My cats also don't eat on a 12 hour schedule, more like 9am and 5pm. Should I give a small snack at 5 and attempt to feed at 9 and then administer? I plan on trending my BS, but would like to know if its ever okay to administer outside the 11-13 and what I can do to keep my administrations safe!

 

Hi @Amanda Dix ! Wow, 15 hours a day...that's crazy! 11/13 is doable. Are you able to stick to that schedule pretty consistently with whoever is helping you out? We might need to slightly adjust your dosing so you give different doses to make up for it, but that's something we've done before for folks who have life get in the way like that! I really wouldn't dose at 9 hours...it's just awfully early when you should still have insulin on board. It's like if you take a double dose of medicine...it's too much and can cause a bigger dip in numbers. We've had some people who do dose on a different schedule like that but that's only when they have lots of data, and can monitor constantly. It would be best to stick to the 12 hour schedule as closely as possible...you have about an hour's worth of latitude either way (why 11/13 works) but more than that can be dangerous.

It's fine to feed a snack at 5PM. You want them to be off food for 2 hours before shot time, so a snack then and then full meal at 9 would be fine.

We'd be happy to answer any other questions you have! To help keep from hijacking Laura's thread would you start a new post if you have any questions? We can help you figure out how if you need. This place can be confusing when you first get here!

 

Thank you! This is the first time I've had to leave him over a scheduled dose. I've been excusing myself from functions with apologies up until now. It's a bit overwhelming when you start to worry that you'll never be able to leave them safely again but for now one day at a time

 

Exactly. This whole thing takes some getting used to. The more you learn, the better you're able to figure out how to fit your life and Finn's needs together.