Max’s +6 hour test number was 1.7 . I brought him up to the vet and he tested 2.7 on the pet meter there , I fed a small amount of some high carb a/d canned food and tested 15 minutes later and it went up to 3.1 . His eyes are slightly glazed but he isn’t super lethargic . Is still moving around the house with me . It’s 10 hours in and I will be continueing to test until shot time but I don’t know what to do if he is still low like this . I know his chart isn’t great He is my mom’s cat , she has tried and can’t test him . I work out of town so test when I am home .
Hi there and welcome! Good job catching that low number today and feeding the HC. Hopefully you gave karo as well. Are you familiar with the procedure of giving karo/high carb and testing every 20-30 minutes to make sure kitty doesn’t drop back down? And as the numbers rise you can spread the tests out gradually a little longer. It’s very important to keep testing for 2 hours after giving HC. Going forward, I would reduce his dose by at least .5 units down to 2.5 units and carefully monitor him. We need to see if an even greater reduction may be warranted by numbers. You will get a preshot test tonight correct? You need to know if it is even safe to shoot. If you can tell me what time that will be (with time zone) I will make a point of being here to assist you. Now he may be bouncing high from that lime green, but we should find out. Shooting insulin without knowing where the cat is with his BG is dangerous, as today has shown. We have no idea what his preshot number was this morning but it looks like a reduced dose was perhaps in order. It’s also very important for our ProZinc kitties to get small snacks of a couple of teaspoons of low carb food during their cycles but before their typical nadir time. good times to give a snack like is +2 when theProZinc typically onsets and again at +4 and it cam be done again at +6 but not usually after that time. No food for two hours prior to the preshot tests.
Thank you for your response Suzanne . I just gave him the high carb food at +6 and +8 hours in What is Karo ? I just tested him again and he has dropped a bit lower . His shot time is in 1 hour ( 5:30 pm Pacific standard time ) Should I give him some more food now and see if it increases and then test every 20 minutes ? I will be home and able to continue testing untill tomorrow morning . I am in a course all day but can bring him into the vet if his numbers are still low and he needs to be monitored untill I get back in the afternoon tomorrow . My mom gives his shot at 5:30 am typically and leaves for work at 6:30 so would only be able to give him a snack one hour after injection . In the evening she can give the +2 and +4 hour snacks . I have tried so hard to teach my mom to test and she can’t get the hang of it and gets frustrated and then doesn’t want to try again . She has carpol tunnel and is in pain rite now but I will continue trying to get her to test . I know how important it is and dangerous for Max
And I am sorry. Karo syrup is corn syrup (used in cooking, usually desserts). It is used to bring blood glucose up very quickly in cats - in hypoglycemic situations. Corn syrup rubbed on the cat’s gums works very quickly to raise BG but it will wear off quickly so is best to give some HC food like Fancy Feast gravy lovers as well. You can also use real maple syrup or honey.
Since you are using an Alpha Trak meter you need to give honey now. 68 is the take action number on an Alpha Trak.
Then keep testing and giving more corn syrup or honey or pure real maple syrup and small amounts of HC food if you have it available until he stays up above 68 on his own. Do not give insulin tonight. We will talk about tomorrow later. Right now you need to bring him up!
I will update my bio that I am using human meter now and only feeding raw food . Should I still follow this same game plan for tonight using the human meter ? so do not give him his raw rite now for his dinner but instead syrup and high carb canned food ? And continue testing every 30 minutes untill his numbers raise ? And no insulin even if the numbers get high tonight , correct ?
Based on his number rite now do you think it would be ok to feed him dinner and continue testing every 30 minutes ? Or do you think he needs the high carb food still ?
I was going by the information on your signature. I am actually quite relieved! That low of a number on the AT would be not good at all (his lime green today.)
But that 94 is a food influenced number, correct? When did he last eat and what kind of food (carb percentage) was it?
Okay so we have too many messages crossing and I hope there will not be any confusion between us. I apologize but I was driving my car for the last 30 minutes and couldn’t be here. If he is at 94 now and it’s shot time and even if he had not eaten for 4 hours before you got that 94, I still think that he is too low to shoot tonight. We don’t have any data to really hazard a guess as to what would be a safe dose to give him at these numbers. Okay?
Yes it is shot time . I just fed him his raw food dinner now . I’m not sure how food influenced that number is . The last time I gave him food was 4 hours ago . It was about a teaspoon or so of weruva bff gravy lovers . I’m not sure the exact carbs but I thought would be high because of all the gravy ( I just went out and bought the HC ff I used to have but he hasn’t had it yet today ) if you think he is too low I agree it is better to be safe . I can continue testing him hourly and see how it looks in the morning
I honestly think that he’s had a really rough day. I would skip the shot for tonight. We just don’t have a lot of data to support our decision-making. If you test him now and he’s gone up a lot, you might try a dose, but I would have to see what his number is. He’s almost an hour late for his shot now so that will throw his morning off.
Is the Weruva food you gave him on this list? Is it one of the Oh My Gravy (OMG) foods. They’re not particularly high carb. https://www.bizave.com/foodlists/Weruva Low Phosphorus.pdf
Omg it is on that list and only 8% carbs ♀️ i feel terrible . Thank god he didn’t keep going lower I bought the ff delights with cheddar tonight though to keep on hand . He is at 117 now after being fed . I was looking back to his 2023 spread sheet and he had some low days but never this low so consistently all day long . I was using a pet meter then too and he was on a much lower dose
Yes. That is a low carb food. That’s why he didn’t go up very much. Just make sure that you and your mom have some corn syrup or maple syrup or honey on hand and some Fancy Geast Gravy Lovers cat food which is high carb. It’s going to be okay. We need to work out some system that will work for Max and keep him safe. I see you have your hands full and are trying to help. If he can’t be tested much right now, we need to keep him a little higher for the time being to keep him safe. Maybe we can gain data gradually.
Oh, his numbers for today are, I think, posted on the wrong day. I think they’re on April 16 and not April 17. If you can, would you move them down to the correct day? I see he’s going up some now. I feel relieved. He had a close shave today. If you were not there to test I don’t know what may have happened.
Oh thank you . I switched it to the proper day now and will run back up to Walmart and stock up on those specific foods . He has dropped back down a bit in the last hour . so just to clarify incase he continues going lower when using a human meter at what number do I initiate the HC and syrup ? what is a safe minimum number to shoot ? sorry for all the questions ! I appreciate your time and help so much
You give high carb food when he is at or below 50 on a human meter. Prior to that, you can steer hos numbers with anything under 10 percent carbs. It’s important to use very small amounts of HC food at a time so that you can keep him hungry in case you need to give the HC again (and again). If he gets filled up it’s not as easy to manage the numbers, but you can always give Karo/honey if necessary. Food is better as it will last a bit longer than the straight syrup.
I haven’t . Im on the fence if I should give 1 unit . ( I will adjust his evening dose to 12 hours from now
That just means you said you had to work today so I am assuming your mom can’t test and he will be on his own.
Yes. You are off schedule. It’s okay though. Did he eat already? If not then you can retest now to see where he is.
I’m in training for the next 9 hours . I can have him brought into the vet for his first 6 hours for my friend to test him hourly if needed .
Okay well he certainly will have plenty of food on Board to help him. I wish your mom could at least get a test at +6.
His eyes still seem somewhat glazed over . Not overly lethargic but just his eyes don’t seem rite . My gut is saying not to go to high . I’m going to have my mom leave him with my friend at the vets from +2 until +6 so she can test him for me
Yes , she will test him hourly for me . No I will give them his raw food to give him a bit of at +4 . He is at 255 rite now after eating an hour ago . Do you think maybe just 1.5 for now ?
If he’s going to be at the vet then it’s perfectly safe to give him more than 1 unit since he started out in yellow and is now probably higher than 202 where he was as AMPS. They can monitor and keep him safe. Okay just saw your message above. I agree with the 1.5. They can gather data for your spreadsheet.
Okay perfect . I will do this . Thank you . Yes I will shoot again at 7:15 pacific time . My syringes are the specific ProZinc syringes
Okay. Hopefully with half unit markings. It’s way easier than eyeballing half units and easier for .25 units as well. Have a good day. TYYL.
Hey , so today went pretty well ! He did have a couple snacks , on a typical day my mom is at work so can’t really give snacks though . I will be here untill tomorrow afternoon to continue testing him . do you think we should give 1.5 again ?
Looks pretty good for the time being! We can talk about your goals for Max later, but yes, I would try the 1.5 again tonight and gather as much data as possible.
Another excellent cycle last night. Fantastic nadir at 92. I hope you did not get scared. I would keep him at the 1.5 dose for now. Hold for a total of 7 days.
Okay , perfect I will keep him here for 7 days unless his numbers drop really low again im guessing ? thank you so much for all your help ! We appreciate it so much
I see you shot a reduced dose. That’s good. I hope you have tested him since then? Did you shoot late? Anyway, if he’s low like that you can wait 30 minutes or longer (an hour) if you have a little more time — and just don’t feed him and then retest him to see if his BG is rising. If it is, you should be fine shooting the normal dose since the new shot won’t onset usually for about two hours.
It is +2 hours in now and he is at 79 . We just gave him his regular snack now . I will continue testing him through the night a few times to check and see how he is because I’m nervous he will go further down . So below 90 no shot …but How do I know at numbers like tonight what is best to do ? I’m gone for 2 days at work starting tomorrow . My mom is having a hard time with the testing but did manage to get one tonight when we were practising . I’m really nervous though if she can’t get the test or if she does and it is low like this how much insulin he should be on for the next 2 days . I’m guessing it will depend on how tonight goes ? Say he drops below 60 tonight … I’m unsure what to do in the morning . Did I shoot to high tonight ?
I see that you only gave low carb food last night when he was at 56 and it looks like that was just perfect. I am really proud of you for not panicking. The LC snack did the trick. I would wait and see where he is for AMPS this morning. What happened on Saturday 4/20? I don’t see many tests, and I don’t see a preshot test for the p.m. cycle. I was just trying to interpret yesterday’s numbers in light of the previous day/night, but there are no tests recorded. I think you made a good choice last night to shoot 1 unit. It worked out nicely as you were there to steer the numbers— and no medium or high carb food was needed. Anyway, if he has an AMPS this morning that is similar to last night’s, you could consider a dose of .75 because you will be gone (all day?) and your mom is still learning to test. It’s great that she had a successful test though. She probably just needs practice to gain confidence. She will be home today and tomorrow to watch him and give snacks at +2, +4, etc?
Okay thank you . He is at 155 this morning . We just gave him .75 incase my mom has issues testing at +6 hours in . She will be home to give snacks at +2 and +4 though . If his number is higher at shot time tonight would it be best to go back up to the 1.5 or just to the 1 now ? I’m really sorry for the questions , trying to decide the rite dose is the difficult part . Saturday evening I was gone and my mom had just gotten out of surgery and was having a difficult time pre testing so he didn’t get it that night . She is much better getting the test though and did it again this morning so I’m hoping she can get the tests now . I will be away untill Wednesday now but still helping her with the dosing over the phone
Oh. So you actually will not be home in the evening. I understand. If she can’t get preshot tests then I would not advise shooting much insulin. His needs could change rapidly; we don’t know.
I understand about the surgery! No wonder she couldn’t test him. I hope she’s doing better now. He should not have been given 1.5 units of insulin without a preshot test that night and without any follow up tests. You just should have skipped the dose entirely probably. So if she can’t test while you’re away I think you should give only a very small amount of insulin. Without any numbers it would just be a guessing game though. But perhaps your mom will rise to the challenge and will be able to get a couple of tests. It sounds like she really is trying.
And never be sorry for asking questions! I love to help and to see “our” FDMB kitties making progress.
I’m using the mmol chart the transfers to the mg but I’m not sure why the .75 dose won’t show up on the other chart for some reason for this morning . But good news , my mom has gotten 2 tests on her own today and will pretest before dinner !!! His numbers are higher today than recently so she should probably go back up to 1 unit and see how he does ? she is off work for 2 weeks now after her surgery so will be able to test during the day and hopefully get an evening test in at either +2 or +4 before she goes to bed . His dosing time is a bit messed as he got it later friday so we are now doing 7am and 7pm . We need to get it back to his regular time of 5am and 5pm for when she is at work . Can we go down slowly over the next few days over half hour increments and just make sure to test pre shot ?
Great news about the testing! I can’t understand why the units aren’t transferring to the U.S. chart. It’s not even different— I mean it’s units of insulin so it’s the same for both of us. You can move his shot time back up to 30 minutes a day. You can do 15 minutes a.m. and 15 minutes p.m. or you can do 30 minutes at one shot time as long as his numbers are okay to shoot.
Why would you not take him back to his former dose of 1.5? Is it still nervousness about your mom’s ability to test? It’s okay if that’s it. We can call it a vacation dose (except you are hardly on vacation!) You can see how he does tonight on 1 unit if you like.
I can have her give the 1.5 . I just was nervous because of his numbers last night . If we go back up to 1.5 and he drops below 90 again then do we lower it by .25 ?
Yes, you would do that (lower by .25 if he drops below 90). Keep in mind that below 90 does not mean dangerous. It’s really just SLGS method that keeps the cats in a little bit higher numbers (target nadirs between 90 and 149). MPM method allows for more of the “healing greens” …. But all things in good time. I think it would be okay to try one unit for tonight. You said that your mom could test at +2 and maybe +4 and really I think we don’t want to push her. She is still recovering from a surgery. She may be tired. And we are already super proud of her testing! Later when you get back and you two are a team who can test and feed him, we can work on seeing if he’s going to be able to surf in the safe greens and perhaps earn reductions. Don’t stress and let’s not push your mother too much. Don’t you think so?
I do agree . I just spoke with her and she is not feeling great at all and seems a bit weak rite now . She will do the pre shot test in an hour and then feed him and I’ll let her know what to dose . I’m hoping to get an evening test after his shot but I’m just not sure if she will be awake for much longer tonight . But even these tests are huge for her , I think she understands at the minimum he needs the pre shot test
It still looks like he needs a little more insulin. He’s safe while you’re away though. How much was shot last night? I can’t see anything on the spreadsheet after the PMPS test of 220.
He was only given 1 unit last night and this morning . I agree he needs more also . Do you think 1.25 or 1.5 ?
Since you still aren’t home yet (right?) I would either wait or try 1.25. If your mom can’t test tonight then just stick with 1 unit.
No I’m not home tonight. I work a lot though so am gone often . I’m only there Wednesday and Thursday this week so really hoping my mom can get the tests in for him . She has been good with the pre shot tests and will continue doing that . She is off work for 2 weeks so can get the +6 hour in test during the day. The night time mid cycle test in the evening mite be a problem as she is usually asleep 3 after after dose though .
On April 24 in the pm we gave 1.25 … I’m not sure why on some days it won’t transfer over to the us spread sheet . My mom has been good with getting the tests in mid day . I will be home in the evening the next 3 days and will get some evening tests in also . We have switched his mid day snack to tiki instead of the feline naturals freeze dried and his numbers seem to be better . I am going to have to look into the amount of carbs his raw and freeze dried have again . The end of this week my mom is back to work so we will have no way of giving him a snack during the day . We are looking into an automatic feeder with his freeze dried but I will confirm the carbs are ok
