Insulin problems??

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Bkc

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Hello all, I'm in a nerve raking situation with my 12 year old cat Berry, just a brief background back last Oct he was diagonesed with diabetes it became noticeable when he went from a full tubby guy at 22lbs to a scary 13lbs now back at a manageable weight of 16.5 lbs. We have been giving him two shots of lantus solostar at 3 units paired with wetcat food (blue Buffalo and soulatisc) half a can a day and a small buffer in the middle of the day my girlfriend loves this cat to death. 3 weeks ago he had to have several teeth pulled. The vet did a blood sugar level which said I believe was 83mg at the time he was actually at 5 units and the vet said to move him down to 2 units. Well for last night and earlier today he, after only a few hours from his meal started carrying on like he hadn't been fed all day so my girlfriend caved and gave him a small something both times those hunger cries where the first flag he normally is fine after his two meals but he devoured those two extra meals like he hasn't eaten in a week, the second flag was he threw up almost an hour after he ate his buffer meal at 11am after his breakfast at 7 am, is this normal or should I be concerned and be calling the vet tomorrow? he hasn't had his shot tonight. I apologize for all that text, and grammar issues I'm typing this out as fast as I can on my phone
 
The vet dropped your cat from 5 units down to 2 overnight sounds rather inappropriate. Thats a huge decrease all at once.

Are you home testing? It really is critical to home test. I was resistant to it for a long time but finally got on board with it.

The throwing up might be he was voracious because his BG is probably high after such a dramatic insulin decrease and he ate too much too fast.

83 is a nice number. I'd be thrilled if i could get my cat to 83!

My cat is hungry all the time when his BG is high.
 
Acting like they're all the sudden starving is a big indicator of low blood glucose numbers......are you home testing?

If you're not, I'd strongly suggest learning how to home test so you don't come home to a tragedy.....we can help you learn how!
 
Are you home testing?

I don't have the carb content for Blue Buffalo, but if you have changed from a dry food diet or high carb wet food to a lower carb that can change his insulin needs. Also with having a dental done, and teeth extracted that could have caused an inflammation or infection, that could also change the insulin needs.

Often extreme hunger can be a sign of low blood glucose. so his number could be going too low
 
If you are not home testing with some of the signs you are getting I might suggest skipping the dose and starting home testing ASAP if he has never had any problems with ketones. Sometimes throwing up after a meal can be a "scarf and barf"
 
We did skip his shot tonight and he is just fine and we don't do home testing but have been looking at it, just don't know where to start, there is so much information we keep getting overwhelmed. And would it be cheaper than getting the glucose curve done?
 
Bkc said:
We did skip his shot tonight and he is just fine and we don't do home testing but have been looking at it, just don't know where to start, there is so much information we keep getting overwhelmed. And would it be cheaper than getting the glucose curve done?
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MUCH cheaper and more reliable AND less stressful for your kitty. Curves done at the vets can be off because with many kitties stress can cause their numbers to be much higher than they would be if testing at home..sometimes as much as 100 points or more.
 
Here is some information on home testing:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

It make seem overwhelming at first but it gets much easier as you go along. And there is always someone here to give you tips and hints on how to do home tests. The way I look at it is, if a person is diagnosed as diabetic they are told to test before each shot and during the time in between shots. It shouldn't be any different for our kitties, who can't tell us when they feel "off' . Newer veterinarian protocols suggest that people should be taught how to home test their kitties.
 
How to test looks quick and easy can someone direct me on how to base how much insulin to give based off his the reading? Even a chart would be helpful thanks
 
Bkc said:
How to test looks quick and easy can someone direct me on how to base how much insulin to give based off his the reading? Even a chart would be helpful thanks
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It is not based on a chart. It is based on getting data from doing a reading before each shot then another one during the cycle (time between shots) to see how your kitty is responding to the insulin. No kitty is going to be the same as another kitty and responses even to the same dose can change from day to day. That is why regular home testing gives a safe way to see what is happening.

If you could set up a spreadsheet:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

This gives a great way to record data with a colour coded charting that makes it very easy to see how the numbers are going each cycle. Glucose numbers can go up and down within each day from various effects and keeping track of the numbers shows patterns and trends.

Also if you could add some information to your signature..age of your kitty.type of insulin, when diagnosed, type of food you are feeding, type of glucose meter you are using (once you pick one up) any other health issues. this will make it much easier for people to offer opinions/advice without having to ask these questions each time.
 
Lantus dosing isn't based on the Pre-shot numbers....it's based on how LOW it takes them

It also works best when the same dose is given both AM and PM

Sliding scale dosing works with other insulins, but not Lantus

If you live in the US, Walmart has our most popular blood glucose meters....the Relion Confirm or Micro....they also take the tiniest sample size and the strips are affordable ($35.88 per 100)
 
Thanks for all the information I do apologize if I sounded inconsiderate I really appreciate all the Information will take it slow and loom at a glucose meter tomorrow
 
As far as dosing you can have two kitties wi
Bkc said:
Thanks for all the information I do apologize if I sounded inconsiderate I really appreciate all the Information will take it slow and loom at a glucose meter tomorrow
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It is rather overwhelming dealing with FD, but the more questions you ask the more information you get and the better prepared you are to deal with this.

Just getting a glucose meter and starting home testing will empower you!! :bighug:
 
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