5/3 Evey HYPO AMPS 131 +1 149 +8 79 +10 151 +11 95 PMPS 122 +1 95 +2 76 +3 38 +4.5 36

? - 5/2 Evey AMPS 151 +2 115 +4 59 +8 58 +10 83 PMPS 90 +2 130 | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

After I gave Evey a wrong dose yesterday morning and the vet told me to skip a shot last night, I changed it back to 0.75U today. She surfed quite well in the morning but she dropped to 38(handheld meter)/52 (libre) at +3 in the evening. I fed her some higher carb wet food twice already but her BG still hasn't increased yet.

After the vet saw how high evey's BG went after skipping a shot, the vet suggested me to give her insulin once a day because her BG was in normal range after I skipped a shot. He suggested me to do this for a week and see if she can get to remission. I remember giving insulin once a day is not a good idea? I can't remember where I read it. I would like to know what's your opinion on this. @Bandit's Mom @Wendy&Neko
Thank you~

 

A cat's insulin needs go up and down and our job is to be guided by the numbers and adjust the dose accordingly. A dose that is right one week can be too much or not enough the next. She has earned a reduction by dropping below 50. Her new dose would be 0.5U.

The reason you give cats insulin twice a day is that because of their faster metabolism, the duration of insulin does not last 24 hours. It's possible that Evey was dropping lower in the day even earlier but it wasn't caught because you weren't able to scan her in the day. We discussed this a few day back if you remember.

Did you give her some high carb food? Please test again 20 mins after food?

 

The vet thinks the duration of insulin last 24 hours for her since her BG was within normal range after she skipped a shot yesterday. Yes, I remember the conversation. The Libre curve doesn't show me the exact BG number. And the libre readings are not that accurate sometimes, like tonight.

Yes, I did and I already gave her all her meals that she is supposed to get tonight. I scanned her after food. The sensor just kept saying she's at 52. Her acutal BG might be lower than this.

 

Can you test her with your handheld meter now? When was the last time she had food? Did you feed her higher carbs?
Also, I don't see anything for today in your SS?

 

Thank you for pointing it out. There was something wrong with the SS. I saved it and upload it again. It should work now.

Yes, I did feed her higher carbs. But she is still dropping T_T

 

Looks like she needs more high carb food. She is in a mood to make you work tonight!

ETA: how old are the strips of the meter? Are you getting enough blood? Bad strips or not enough blood can also give wonky readings.

 

It's called the insulin depot, that's why the insulin seemed to last longer. But it cats, it doesn't. I have seen exactly two cats in my time here that didn't need dosing every 12 hours. Both were on drop doses, almost all green and needed a drop when numbers went up above a certain number. Evey doesn't look like that. She's still got lots of numbers above 100 on her spreadsheet.

It's not unusual to see a very active cycle a cycle or two after a skip - that's also part of what you saw today. Her new dose is 0.5 units, twice a day.

 

The strips are about 1 or 2 months old. I think they should be fine. The first time I pricked her tonight, I definitely got enough blood. The second time I pricked her, there were less blood on the strip than on the previous one. But just a little bit. The glucose meter beeped automatically after the strip sucked in enough blood. I assume the second one is accurate too. The Libre sensor showed she was at 61.2(3.4) when I scanned her. But the curve doesn't show a spike to 61.2(3.4). It has been just a flat curve showing 52(2.9). I assume the sensor reading wasn't so accurate.

 

Ya, I agree with you. Even though her numbers are within normal range, she still has lots of numbers above 100 which I think it is quite high compared to a normal cat. I feel more comfortable giving her insulin twice a day and gradually decrease her dose if she can get to remission. I just need to convince my vet about this lol

 

My philosophy now is that my vet does not have to know every detail as long as my cat is regulated, and the vet gives me the prescription, we're good. I learned how to make sounds in English (not my first language) that sound like I agree, kind of.

 

The "smile and nod" is a common technique used at the vets. You hold the syringe.

 

Yes, agree with the above comments. You get advice from the vet but ultimately YOU decide what's best for your kitty. Just like my personal doctor. I don't always agree with what they say and ultimately, I am going to do what I feel is best for ME. I know vet's can be extremely adamant and try to make you feel like you don't know what you're talking about but as Wendy said, "smile and nod" then do what you feel is best.

 

I think I figure out why the vet thinks she can get only one dose a day and her BG is in normal range. The noraml BG range that he uses is 71-159mg/dL (it's also shown on the lab test result). Based on this range, her BG is in normal range and not that hight. But FDMB is using 50-120mg/dL as the normal blood sugar range. She is not within the normal range yet. These two blood sugar ranges are quite different. He thinks 50-120 range is too low.

 

This is the normal range when using a pet meter and on lab work. Human meters (including the Libre) read lower. The normal range with a human meter is 50-100 mg/dl.

 

Do you happen to know how much a human meter reads lower than a pet meter? The human meter that I'm currently using is called Sinocare and I was told it reads pretty much the same as the pet meter. I don't think this brand is sold overseas. Maybe I'm overthinking this. I don't know if the range in this group applies for the readings on the human meter that I use. I tested her with both human meter and Alphatrak 2 when we were at the vet. It was 5.2 on human meter and 5.6 on Alphatrak 2. Does it mean the 50-120 range still apply? Sorry for all the silly questions~

 

Please don't apologize for asking questions! No questions are silly.

I haven't heard of the Sinocare. I know that the difference between human and pet meters is not very much in lower numbers (say below 6). So 5.2 on human and 5.6 on AT sounds about right. However at higher numbers, the difference is much more. Can be as much as 100s of points (in mg/dl) when you are talking about numbers over 300 mg/dl.

I used 2 human meters. The cheaper meter (Alere by Abbott) would read lower than the Accuchek meter in normal numbers. I would routinely get 30s and 40 and even 20s and LO on it! I would verify those lows with the Accuchek.

 

Thank you for your reply and being so patient with me ~