? Callie's BG down to 81.

[Callie & Patches]

I did our usual before bed testing and Callie's BG was down to 81 at +3. I gave her 1/2 can of FF gravy lovers food and then tested again in an hour. That test was 99 at +4. I know that it could go down again as the food wears off. Since she is on Vetsulin, I know that her BG can drop fast this time of night and I always keep a stash of HC food and honey in her testing box (I use a plastic shoe box for extra testing and HYPO supplies)

Could someone take a look at her SS to see what is going on. Sometimes her BG drops low for no reason.

Callie seems to know when her BG is low because she comes and talks to me more then usually and then goes and waits for me to test her blood on her table in the family room. She is such a smart little girl.
Gone up to 169 at +5
220 at+6. I guess I can go to bed for a while. I will set my alarm to wake me in 1.5 hours. It's 1:38 now and I have to get up at 6 to take my granddaughter to work.

 

[Squalliesmom]

Glad Callie's BG came up and she is okay! What a clever little girl she is! Squallie usually lets me know if he has dropped too low, too, it's very helpful!

(I use a plastic shoe box for extra testing and HYPO supplies)

I do, too!

 

[JanetNJ]

She wasn't really in a dangerous number. Next time try just a bit of low carb food to even her out. Save the gravy for when she's close to a hypo... Or just a TINY bit of it. Otherwise you over correct and get numbers higher then you want. 80's are pretty safe healing numbers.

 

[Critter Mom]

She wasn't really in a dangerous number ... 80's are pretty safe healing numbers.

How 'safe' the lower BG numbers are at nadir can be very much dependent on the insulin in use; with a harsher insulin like Vetsulin a wider safety cushion is advisable. That 81 was measured on an Alphatrak meter so it wasn't very far at all above the bottom of the normoglycaemic range as measured on a veterinary meter.


Mogs
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[Callie & Patches]

It was early in the cycle and I was worried about where she would be going later on. It's worse at night when I'm afraid to go to sleep in case she drops lower and I'm not there for her. This is so different from last Spring when her numbers were so high that we were giving her 4-5 units.

I really wonder how she can go so low. She eats like a pig and it doesn't seem to effect her numbers.

 

[Critter Mom]

It was early in the cycle and I was worried about where she would be going later on.

It was a smart move to feed what you did when you did, Donna, and the later BG tests support your correct decision. An 81 BG (Alphatrak) at +3 is very uncomfortably low for a cat on Vetsulin. Anywhere from +2 through +7 is the period when Vetsulin is typically exerting its most potent BG-lowering effect. Even with the high carb meal at +3 Callie's BG didn't budge much at all by +4 (and her data shows that she can experience nadirs later than +4). And Callie's BG dropped again between +6 and +11.

Was it dry or wet high carb food you gave her at +3 last PM cycle?

If it were my cat I would be looking to reduce the dose. Other members may have different views.


Mogs
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[Critter Mom]

NB: On the night of 23/9/16 Callie was dangerously low - 41 (Alphatrak) at +4; well into hypo territory. The dose should have been reduced on the very next cycle.

I'm not sure whether you've seen the following forum sticky, Donna:

FDMB Caninsulin/Vetsulin Guide

The document only gives guidance numbers for human meters but for safety it recommends that nadirs as measured on a human meter for cats on Vetsulin are better kept out of double figures. While there is no direct conversion from human to pet meter BG numbers, human meters typically read lower than pet meters. Therefore in recommending a target nadir not lower than 100 on a human meter in the guide, one can infer that a higher value than 100 on a pet meter would be a safer target nadir to work with when treating with Vetsulin; something to consider when making your dosing decisions.


Mogs
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[Callie & Patches]

It was a smart move to feed what you did when you did, Donna, and the later BG tests support your correct decision. An 81 BG (Alphatrak) at +3 is very uncomfortably low for a cat on Vetsulin. Anywhere from +2 through +7 is the period when Vetsulin is typically exerting its most potent BG-lowering effect. Even with the high carb meal at +3 Callie's BG didn't budge much at all by +4 (and her data shows that she can experience nadirs later than +4). And Callie's BG dropped again between +6 and +11.

Was it dry or wet high carb food you gave her at +3 last PM cycle?

If it were my cat I would be looking to reduce the dose. Other members may have different views.


Mogs
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She only gets wet food. I'm trying to convince my hubby to put the 3 other cats on wet only. He has been mixing some wet with the dry after I bought a case of Friskies and then found out that it had rice in it. Since Callie can't eat starches, the civies would have to eat it or we would have to donate it.

I have been lowering her dose over time. Last night her PMPS was 171 and since she reacts so quickly, I only gave her .5 of the Vetsulin. When I compare her numbers and doses from just a few months ago to what she has now, I am wondering what is going on. She never has shown any hypo symptoms, but I am wondering if she had a mild hypo event that we didn't see and that has changed her sensitivity to Vetsulin. My other theory is that she is making enough of her own insulin to cause the BG drops. I hate to call the vet because she says I know more about FD then she does. She is very supportive. She insists on home testing and wants to see some curves every few weeks. She loves the SS and now wants all her FD to use it.

I am thinking of changing to Prozink. Perhaps it might help. It's a bit pricey, but she uses so little now, I shouldn't run out often.

Mogs, I want to thank you for all the advise and kindness that you give to all the members of FDMB.

 

[Critter Mom]

She never has shown any hypo symptoms, but I am wondering if she had a mild hypo event that we didn't see and that has changed her sensitivity to Vetsulin.

It is a possibility, Donna. That 41 (Alphatrak) was definitely far too low.

My other theory is that she is making enough of her own insulin to cause the BG drops.

Again, a possibility. Try recording the times and amounts of food alongside the BG data in Callie's spreadsheet to see if there's any pattern you can spot.

Mogs, I want to thank you for all the advise and kindness that you give to all the members of FDMB.

Thank you for this, Donna.

In my turn I have received tremendous kindness and help from other FDMB members. I have a lot to pay forward.


Mogs
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