Petunia BG 21

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tunasmommy

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Had a scary thing happen this morning with Petunia.She sleeps in my lap and I noticed that she wasn't quite right and my hubby set her on the floor and she fell over.I had him put her back in my lap and tested her and her BG was only 21.We gave her Karo syrup with a 1/4 can of FF and she gobbled it up.I waited a bit and retested and it was 34.I talked to the vet and she said give her more food with Karo syrup and waited 45 minutes and it was 130.The vet called a few hours later and we discussed lowering her dose but made no decision.Tested her before her next dose was due and it was 489 so the vet said give her the reg dose.The vet will call me again before she goes home to make any other decisions.Am planning to do a curve on Sunday when my hubby will be here all day to help.This cat does not tolerate frequent testing she will start testing her hair out and her appetite is not as good so the bet said not to text her so often.
 
I would not give her the same amount of insulin again unless you want her to go hypo on you again. And after an event like she had today, she will likely be even more sensitive to the insulin. How many units are you giving Petunia? Even though she is high now, it is due to bouncing because she went so low earlier. Hoping some more experienced dosing experts will weigh in to help you REDUCE the dose.
 
AND if her appetite is not good, all the more reason to not give the same dose that caused her to go dangerously low today because she might not eat for you when you try to bring up her BG's
 
Do you know what her level was this morning? How many units did you give then? I am concerned that giving the same dose tonight could produce the same low results.

It is very likely she bounced. When her body perceives a lower level than she is used to, it releases extra glucose. So then the next test reflects that and looks high. But it can be the extra glucose and when it wears off, she is in the same place she was before, too much insulin going low.

I would urge you to reduce the dose. If she was given the same amount of insulin tonight as she got this morning, I'd suggest you get some tests in tonight. One 2/3 hours after the shot to see if she is dropping fast, and then 5/6 hours after the shot to make sure she doesn't drop too low.

Can we help make hometesting easier? We all have lots of tips and advice that helped us. The best way to keep her safe is to know what her number is before each shot and be sure the amount of insulin you plan to give is safe, and to get numbers 5 to 7 hours after the shot to be sure she doesn't drop into hypo range.
 
Whoa! Good catch! Glad you noticed what was going on and were able to steer with some food. What does are you giving?

As Bobbie said, Petunia might very well have a sensitivity to insulin after a hypo event. Most cats do. I'd be wary of giving the same dose...
 
How is Petunia doing? Another suggestion is to create a spreadsheet to record your test numbers. Great way to see the whole picture and to keep Petunia safe. Let us know if you need help with that.

Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty. To further my knowledge on diabetes, I would make it a habit to read other kitty’s postings and spreadsheets. Even though they are all different and will be different than your kitty, it was still invaluable information.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
I would not give her the same amount of insulin again unless you want her to go hypo on you again. And after an event like she had today, she will likely be even more sensitive to the insulin. How many units are you giving Petunia? Even though she is high now, it is due to bouncing because she went so low earlier. Hoping some more experienced dosing experts will weigh in to help you REDUCE the dose.
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Petunia gets 3 units of Pro Zinc. I talked to my vet at the time for her next shot and her BG was 489 so she had me give her 3 units I tested her again 6 hours after the shot and BG was 95.I just tested her again a few minutes ago right before her shot time and it was
399 so I gave her the reg dose .Dr.Smith will be calling me in the morning to check on her.
Merlin said:
How is Petunia doing? Another suggestion is to create a spreadsheet to record your test numbers. Great way to see the whole picture and to keep Petunia safe. Let us know if you need help with that.

Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty. To further my knowledge on diabetes, I would make it a habit to read other kitty’s postings and spreadsheets. Even though they are all different and will be different than your kitty, it was still invaluable information.
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Petunia is much better but her numbers are very high 489 at her 2 pm shot 95 at 6 hours out and 399 at her 2 am shot.
 
We think Petunia is bouncing from high pre shot numbers to low numbers in the middle of the cycle. (I explained why they do that in my post above. ). We urge you to reduce the dose, get those cycles 5-7 hours after the shot and see if they are flatter and not so low. When she stops dropping so drastically, her pre shot numbers should come down too. Human diabetics report it feels awful to bounce from very high to very low numbers, so we surmise cats feel bad during those roller coaster cycles too.

You might ask your vet if he has heard about bouncing and whether a lower dose might be worth a try.
 
I saw your post on the facebook page and the link here to your thread. I agree with Sue (who by the way has been doing this diabetes dance and advising on here for many many years). That 489 was most likely due to the karo you gave Petunia tied in with bouncing from going so low. Their bodies will throw out any reserves it has when it senses it's in danger. You then shot the same dose and you nearly ended up right back where you were in the morning. And then kitty bounced right back high. Classic overdosing. I too have been doing this many many years (since 2006) and have seen this happen more times than I can count. With some understanding of how it all works and advice from people like Sue, you can put a stop to the bouncing. Otherwise you will most likely have another hypo in the near future. I know that probably comes across harsh via typed word but in my head as I type it, just know that it is not.
 
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