Just started glucose meter testing and have ????

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olivia1173

olivia1173

Member Since 2015
I'm new to this so bear with me.

The curves done at the vets off ice are as follows...
8.18
Using .5 units vetsulin
9am 345
3pm 98
7pm 132

8.26
Using .5 units vetsulin
830 482
12noon 390
3pm 295
6pm 294

9.3
Using 1 unit vetsulin
9am 538
12noon 381
3pm 361

9.10
Using 1 unit
935 442
1130 300
2pm 361

9.28
Trying curve at home as I think bubba is very stressed at vets office. We have been using 1.5 units since 9/10.
830 (before shot) 126
-gave 1.5 units at 9am
1130 55

Questions
1. What is a "good level" for a diabetic cat?
2. When/how do I begin to adjust his dosage?
3. Should I not have given him a **** this morning when he was 127? Then I'm off schedule...does that matter?
*** Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
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Hi - Can you please tell me what type of meter you are using; also how much time has gone by since you last tested your kitty and got that 55 BG reading?
 
Olivia, if your kitty's BG is less than 69 now, I want you to do two things:
1) Rub some Karo syrup or honey on his gums;
2) Then give him some higher-carb food - either canned with gravy or dry kibble - whatever he'll eat.
Then in 15 minutes, I want you to retest his BG and report that number here. (As we'll want to make sure his BG is rising after the syrup/food.)

Here's why: That 50 # you got an hour ago is too low as measured on an Alpha Trak, and we don't want him to go hypoglycemic on you.
So we want you to raise his BG # with some higher-carb food if the number you have now is @ less than 69.
We do not recommend you shoot insulin when the pre-shot BG test is less than 200. But don't worry; we all have made mistakes, and this situation IS correctible if you follow the steps above.

Please respond so I know that you've received this message. Thanks.:bighug:
 
See my post above. You really do need to help his BG rise now.
Syrup or honey on gums, then high-carb food. Then retest in 15 minutes & report that # here, please.
 
Great, Olivia! Once we get his BG # back up to within a safer range, we can talk more about the questions you'd posed earlier. (I'm so glad to know you're home testing, and that you decided to write in this morning!)
 
Gave him food and Karo syrup. I will watch him and test in a few minutes. Thank you!!!! I knew the dose was too high....but when we do the curves at the vets office the numbers are so high.
 
I'm so happy I posted today too! He is scheduled to go in for another curve this week but his stress level is off the charts when I pick him up that I thought I would give it a shot at home.
 
And you were correct about kitties getting more stressed at the vet's office; this often results in higher BG readings than you'd get at home (unfortunately, then sometimes vets start a kitty at too high a dose). Is better to do your curves at home - as with your kitty more relaxed, there will be greater accuracy. (Not to mention that it will also save you considerable expense.)
olivia1173 said:
I'm so happy I posted today too! He is scheduled to go in for another curve this week but his stress level is off the charts when I pick him up that I thought I would give it a shot at home.
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I would suggest you tell your vet (respectfully, of course) that as you already have a pet-specific meter that most vets recommend, that you think it's best for your kitty to have his curves done by you at home.

What's your boy's name, btw?
 
olivia1173 said:
Gave him food and Karo syrup. I will watch him and test in a few minutes. Thank you!!!! I knew the dose was too high....but when we do the curves at the vets office the numbers are so high.
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A visit to the vet can be a very stressful event, and cause BG to rise a good bit. If you can manage it, a curve done at home is probably going to show lower numbers, and be a lot less stressful on you and your kitty.
 
Here's a little tidbit for you: Did you know that some cats can have BG spikes from stress during a veterinary visit of 100 points or more? Amazing, isn't it?
 
I need you to give him a little more of that high carb food, please. (Do you have some with gravy?) We want to see him at 69 or above before we're feeling comfortable with his #s. After you feed again, re-test in another 15 min & report the #. Thanks, Olivia!
 
Just so you know: You usually need about 15 minutes or so, after the feedings, before you start seeing a rise in the BG# (gives the syrup/food a little time to do its job).
 
Robin&BB said:
And you were correct about kitties getting more stressed at the vet's office; this often results in higher BG readings than you'd get at home (unfortunately, then sometimes vets start a kitty at too high a dose). Is better to do your curves at home - as with your kitty more relaxed, there will be greater accuracy. (Not to mention that it will also save you considerable expense.)
I would suggest you tell your vet (respectfully, of course) that as you already have a pet-specific meter that most vets recommend, that you think it's best for your kitty to have his curves done by you at home.

What's your boy's name, btw?
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His name is bubba....he is 14 and was diagnosed last month. I will tell our vet that I'm going to do curves at home. Her office is very chaotic and i think I will get a better picture if I do it when he is calm.
 
Ha, Bubba! We have another Bubba here, too! His mom's name is Bobbie & she's a great gal - no doubt she'll pop in to introduce herself soon!:)
 
He has a twin brother named Brutus. They came to us as fosters along with their sisters and mother a little over 14 years ago! Their mom passed last summer (cancer) and his brother has mega colon. We have 2 other cats that are 18 and 19 years old. My husband says we run a cat rest home. It's a bit overwhelming. I will admit the diabetes diagnosis almost put me over the edge!!
 
olivia1173 said:
He has a twin brother named Brutus. They came to us as fosters along with their sisters and mother a little over 14 years ago! Their mom passed last summer (cancer) and his brother has mega colon. We have 2 other cats that are 18 and 19 years old. My husband says we run a cat rest home. It's a bit overwhelming. I will admit the diabetes diagnosis almost put me over the edge!!
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Yes, diabetes can make you feel pretty overwhelmed at the start. But that's what's so great about this forum - there's such great support here, and we all do our best to help one another. And over time, you learn that it's really not so hard to treat successfully!

Before I forget: Did Bubba get that additional ration, and are you about to do another test shortly? As we need to make sure he's rising sufficiently. Please let me know, ok?
 
Ok, am glad we're seeing a little rise happening --- BUT we'll need you to keep on with the steering with food & retesting every 15 minutes until we have him at least to 69 or more on your meter. Yes, a little more Karo certainly won't hurt; do it.
 
Robin&BB said:
Ok, am glad we're seeing a little rise happening --- BUT we'll need you to keep on with the steering with food & retesting every 15 minutes until we have him at least to 69 or more on your meter. Yes, a little more Karo certainly won't hurt; do it.
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Ok....will continue.
 
olivia1173 said:
He is in his favorite chair...walking fine. Seems alert and is acting "normal".
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That's good.

Just so you know, Olivia: I was reviewing the records of the curves on Bubba done in-office vs. what happened when you dosed him this morning at home.
And I would recommend that for the pm dose (if you have a BG at 200 or more, otherwise you may need to skip) you probably want to drop his dose down. (Look at that first curve done on 8/18.)

I'd rather see you go with 0.5U tonight, even if that means his pre-shot BG test tomorrow morning is a higher # than you'd like to see. As we know that Bubba gets very stressed at the vet's office, I think it would be prudent for you to go back to that 0.5U dose at home this next time, then check him mid-cycle. (Vetsulin usually doesn't cause a nadir drop until +4 hrs. or so after the injection. (Which may mean you'll need to set an alarm to get that mid-cycle BG test in tonight.) Based on those curves in your first post, you'd probably want to be checking him somewhere tonight between +4 and +6 hours after the dose.

Does this make sense to you? As we can always adjust his dose up a bit later on, if his mid-cycle numbers indicate that's what's needed.

What time zone are you in, btw? What time is it now where you are?

ETA: And what time would you be giving his next dose?
 
Just tested him and he is 83.

Thank you for that information....that is exactly what I was going to ask you. So if he is under 200 I won't dose him tonight...but if over 200 I will do the .5 dose and check him at 4-6 hrs.

I am going to keep monitoring him today....what if his numbers go up too high before its time for his shot?

I'm in the eastern time zone its 230 pm. I give his 2nd dose at 9pm.
 
olivia1173 said:
Just tested him and he is 83.Thank you for that information....that is exactly what I was going to ask you. So if he is under 200 I won't dose him tonight...but if over 200 I will do the .5 dose and check him at 4-6 hrs.

I am going to keep monitoring him today....what if his numbers go up too high before its time for his shot?
I'm in the eastern time zone. I give his 2nd dose at 9pm.
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It's great that he's risen to 83 - that's what we wanted; great job, Olivia! I'd say, based on his #s rising now, that you can hold off on feeding him any more & just recheck him in an hour. It is important that you recheck him, just to make certain he's not dropping again (but I tend to think he won't after having had several rounds of Karo + higher carb food).

Also: As long as his numbers stay up, please avoid feeding him in the two-hour window directly before his pre-shot test. That's something you want to try to hold to in regard to both AM & PM shots. As, generally, you don't really want his #s "artificially" raised by food before giving a dose of insulin.

If his #s start to run high before his next scheduled shot, that's okay. (As is better he's too high than too low, remember? And you did need to steer him out of too-low #s today, but not to worry - it'll all even out later on.)

If, say, he were at 170 at pre-shot test time, what you'd normally do is stall for about 15 to 20 minutes - withholding food - then retest his BG: Often, a cat's BG will start rising in anticipation of the meal! Then if the # you get on the second test were at, for example, 195, I'd imagine you'd probably be fine to shoot after feeding him his normal meal as long as you plan to monitor at mid-cycle.

But that said, we really prefer that he's registering at least 200 on the meter - and that's especially true for an Alpha Trak user. I will make sure I check in with you a bit before your pre-shot test time, too. (I am in AZ, so am 3 hours behind you in time - so your PM shot time is 6 pm my time.)
 
OK so it is more important that his number is above 200 before I give them the shot more so than to stay on schedule like the vet suggested....got it. So if he goes without a shot in the morning because of a low glucose reading then I would continue to test him throughout the day to make sure he is staying under 200 if he goes above 200 then I would give the dose? What is the cut off before I just give him the evening dose?

I can not thank you enough for this information!!!
 
So now I have some additional questions for you, Olivia:

Does Bubba have any other health problems besides diabetes? (Kidney disease, pancreatitis, urinary tract infections, bouts of diarrhea, etc?)
Is he on any medications or supplements (or has he been recently) at this time besides Vetsulin?
What is his weight? Overweight/ underweight?
What type of food does he typically eat (brand/formula) and how much does he get per day (in ounces)?
How often during the day do you usually feed him?

We have a spreadsheet template for you, in which you can plug his BG #s - we now have one that is specifically for Alpha Trak users, too: You'll see that in the instructions, and here's the link to that (just put a call out for help on the Main Forum if you have trouble getting that Spreadsheet up and running):
FDMB SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS
 
olivia1173 said:
So if he goes without a shot in the morning because of a low glucose reading then I would continue to test him throughout the day to make sure he is staying under 200 if he goes above 200 then I would give the dose?
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Yes, if it's his usual scheduled time for his shot. If he is under 200 at shot time, he will probably rise throughout the day, but better safe than sorry. You won't want to dose him again until his next shot time.
 
olivia1173 said:
OK so it is more important that his number is above 200 before I give them the shot more so than to stay on schedule like the vet suggested....got it. So if he goes without a shot in the morning because of a low glucose reading then I would continue to test him throughout the day to make sure he is staying under 200 if he goes above 200 then I would give the dose? What is the cut off before I just give him the evening dose? I can not thank you enough for this information!!!
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Well, you really want to keep him on a pretty regular schedule for his dosing; I'm assuming you're doing twice a day? Now as Vetsulin is an intermediate-acting insulin -and IF your schedule allows - it's probably ok for you to dose, say at +11 hours after the last dose if Bubba is already up past 200.

As for keeping him below 200 throughout the cycle; right now that's not really critical: The important thing at present is that you keep him from going too LOW: And on an Alpha-Trak meter, I'd say that - because you're new at this - you might not want to let Bubba go below 80 at nadir (the lowest point in the cycle) on your AT meter. As your spreadsheet fills in with numbers, you'll be able to start seeing what Bubba's own patterns are. This is why we recommend getting some mid-cycle #s, both daytime & nighttime cycles if at all possible, as these - along with the preshot #s - will give you a clear indication of how the insulin is working and whether or not a dose adjustment is required. I'd recommend that you consult the more experienced folks on the forums before deciding on any dose changes - as there are folks here who are very familiar with Vetsulin, and have used it with their own kitties.
 
The reason I mentioned using the Main Forum when you have a dosing question or other concern is that you'll get lots more eyes on your post. (You can, of course, post in the Vetsulin forum, as well.)

Also, if you have an emergency or an impending hypo-type situation (similar to what was happening earlier today with Bubba's very low BG#) you can use the red "911" icon: This alerts others that you need a response immediately.

And if it's just a general question, you can use the blue "?" icon. (Just so you know.):)
 
Robin&BB said:
The reason I mentioned using the Main Forum when you have a dosing question or other concern is that you'll get lots more eyes on your post. (You can, of course, post in the Vetsulin forum, as well.) Also, if you have an emergency or an impending hypo-type situation (similar to what was happening earlier today with Bubba's very low BG#) you can use the red "911" icon: This alerts others that you need a response immediately. And if it's just a general question, you can use the blue "?" icon. (Just so you know.):)
Click to expand...

There's a little prefix drop-down menu that allows you to insert one of those icons when you click on "Start a New Thread" and where you insert the title of the thread...
 
Robin&BB said:
So now I have some additional questions for you, Olivia:

Does Bubba have any other health problems besides diabetes? (Kidney disease, pancreatitis, urinary tract infections, bouts of diarrhea, etc?)
Is he on any medications or supplements (or has he been recently) at this time besides Vetsulin?
What is his weight? Overweight/ underweight?
What type of food does he typically eat (brand/formula) and how much does he get per day (in ounces)?
How often during the day do you usually feed him?

We have a spreadsheet template for you, in which you can plug his BG #s - we now have one that is specifically for Alpha Trak users, too: You'll see that in the instructions, and here's the link to that (just put a call out for help on the Main Forum if you have trouble getting that Spreadsheet up and running):
FDMB SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS
Click to expand...


Bubba has no other health issues. No other medications.

14 lbs....he is a very big cat...not over weight. Vet is happy with his weight.

Food...before diabetes is fancy feast dry and wet and all our cats are free fed. Like I said before bubba is our youngest cat and he is 14 so I pretty much give them any food the wanted. Most days I'm just happy that they eat!
After diabetes and doing all my reading about food. They are still free fed but they eat natural balance dry and both natural balance/fancy feast

Thanks for the spreadsheet...I will populate it when I get time.
 
olivia1173 said:
Thanks for the spreadsheet...I will populate it when I get time.
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Sounds good, Olivia.
Also (not trying to overwhelm you;)) ... but when you get the chance, please go to your profile page to put together your signature so it will appear with your posts (see mine above for an example) - noting things like Bubba's diagnosis date/ insulin type/ food, etc. & put ALPHA TRAK 2 METER and ALPHA TRAK SS (once you have your spreadsheet up & running) in caps so that people are well aware that you use a pet-specific meter rather than a human-type meter.
I'm SO happy to hear that Bubba has no other health problems;that's great!!! And I'll say it again: You did a terrific job steering Bubba back into a safe BG zone today!:bighug:
(Ok, Olivia - I'm done bugging you, for now ...:p)
 
olivia1173 said:
I couldn't have done it without your help! Thank you so much!!!
Just did another reading and he is at 138.
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Yea! I LOVE that number!!!:D

ETA: And now you can probably give his ears (and yourself) a break until pre-shot test time comes around.
 
Just tested again and it's 142 (850pm)....so no shot for now but I will test in another hour. If it's still below 200 do I need to test in the middle of the night?
 
Let's see what you get in another hour; and if he's not up @ 200, you'll just need to skip tonight; and the bonus there is that you won't need to test again until his AMPS test time!
 
Hi Olivia, I just wanted to say welcome and wow! you had quite a scare this afternoon and thank Goodness you posted and Robin assisted you. She is wonderful! Glad you found this forum as you will learn a lot to be able to help your Bubba. See you around the forum.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi Olivia, I just wanted to say welcome and wow! you had quite a scare this afternoon and thank Goodness you posted and Robin assisted you. She is wonderful! Glad you found this forum as you will learn a lot to be able to help your Bubba. See you around the forum.
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Thanks! Yeah...I'm not sure what we would have done without this forum!! Especially Robin!!
 
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