Vetsulin dosage help

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Also - half a unit may not seem or look a lot TO US but remember than insulin is a very potent substance so that half-unit can make a lot of difference... just saying so you are aware and can be cautious about giving an extra half-unit if pre-shot numbers are not as high in the future...
 
Thanks, not sure why I panicked this morning, but will not budge again! ☺ I have to run my kids around today so I won't be able to get a reading until a bit later. I'm going to get her some lunch meat chicken while I'm out too!
 
Could you do a reading before you leave? BTW lunch meats tend to be too high in sodium for kitties. Some boiled chicken or roast without added spices...especially onion and garlic is a better choice
 
PLEASE test before you go...Vetsulin can make the numbers drop very fast in the early part of the cycle


ETA If the numbers have dropped too much more you may need to intervene with some HC food before you leave, especially if you are not going to be around for awhile
 
Petrina, I don't think you are fully understanding the situation. Smudge has dropped 360+ points in just 2 hours. The insulin may continue to push her numbers down for another 3 to 4 hours. If she continues to drop at that rate, her defenses will be pushed very hard to keep up and keep her safe. Your cat could be in serious danger. PLEASE test again before you leave the house. Smudge only has so much of a reserve of glucagon to use and once it's used up, she will have a hypo episode which if not caught and dealt with immediately could be fatal.
 
Please take note of this, Petrina... I know you're busy but can you get someone else to run the kids around so you can do what Smudge needs you to do for her today? We really don't want her continuing to drop this fast... she may not but we have to keep her safe. This is really why we suggested you stick to the 1u, which may not have had a good duration but nevertheless kept Smudge safe.
This is a marathon, not a sprint - sadly you won't find an "ideal" dose in a day or two, it's a matter of testing at least before each shot and ideally a couple of times in between, to be quite sure that Smudge doesn't veer towards hypo numbers. You wonder what would have happened if you'd given the dose suggested by the vet - well, either Smudge could have had a hypo, or she would carry on bouncing and giving you high numbers. I know you're busy but you will have to keep a close eye on things at this early stage especially.
 
Jeff Phillips said:
I was giving Scooter a lunch meat treat 2 days ago and he spiked 600+. Couldn't figure it out so I narrowed it down to the lunch meat. Sure enough it was high in sugar. Uggh
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Thank you for reminding me of that fact. Processed meats are high in both sodium AND sugar...neither of which we want out kitties to eat.
 
Diana&Tom said:
Also - half a unit may not seem or look a lot TO US but remember than insulin is a very potent substance so that half-unit can make a lot of difference... just saying so you are aware and can be cautious about giving an extra half-unit if pre-shot numbers are not as high in the future...
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To put it in perspective, that half unit is a 50% increase from 1 u. That's huge.
 
I felt so bad for leaving her but I didn't know what else to do, has to run kids to some places, my mom is older and doesn't drive so had to shop to get her food and stuff for the week, Im always running crazy it seems.

retested at 9hrs and she was at 488. I am not going to give any lunch meat. I worried because tomorrow is back to work, she's all I think about when I'm gone. Will test again at 630.

We have a vet appt tomorrow and I was planning to reschedule until I got this under control, god forbid they would probably tell me to go up to 5. I'm assuming her numbers will be higher than 488, in case there is noone on the board at that time I will plan to keep at 1.5?
 
Just curious since she drops so much in a short amount of time even on the low dose, should I inquire about an alternate insulin? Or too soon?
 
Petrina

With the big drop Smudge had this morning at only 2 hours after the shot there is a good chance that she may have dropped lower, maybe much lower during the early part of the cycle. A big drop or low numbers will cause a "bounce" into higher numbers later in the cycle. so you may see even higher numbers at shot time. HOWEVER you should NOT increase the dose because of higher preshot numbers. Without knowing how low Smudge got today the safest dose would be to stay with the 1 unit for a few days and try to get some extra early tests in besides the preshot test if possible. At this point it is too soon to say whether Vetsulin is the right choice in insulin. Right now it is a matter of finding a good dose and slowly working up as needed.

Using 1 unit will be a safer dose when you are not home to test more during the day. As far as the vet appointment, I would hold off for now and do more home testing with the smaller dose. You vet seems to think the answer to high numbers is always to increase, while that may be contributing to the higher numbers by causing bounces and could put Smudge at risk of a hypo. You already saw how a much smaller dose dropped the glucose numbers quite a lot. I shudder to think what the dose the vet suggested could have done. It does take some time for the body to become adjusted to having external insulin given and doing it in a safe manner is the best approach.
 
Doing okay, getting used to the routine ☺I was so mad at myself yesterday because I ran out of test strips but got some more, she is starting to hate the testing! I ordered some freeze dried treats from chewy.com that are supposed to be okay for dm. I have been nosing around other spreadsheets to see how other cats do. Still testing high on preshots, so just hanging in there! Thank you for asking. I feel like I'm part of a club!
 
You are part of a club, Petrina! Can you try to keep your ss up to date so we can see what's happening... and don't get too involved with other cats' ss for now... every cat is different and how one cat responds to one dose may be totally different to how another cat responds. Keep testing at pre-shot times and at whatever intervals in between you can, and log the numbers so we can see. Smudge will learn to associate test time with treats so carry on with those!
 
I couldn't agree with Diana more. Other spreadsheets can be helpful once you get a handle on how your cat reacts to insulin and you have a reasonably good understanding of all the nuances of insulin and how it works but in the early days, checking other spreadsheets is only going to add to any confusion and possibly create more anxiety for you. Different insulins behave differently and are dosed differently so checking a spreadsheet for a cat on another type of insulin is not going to be helpful at all.

While tests between 2 and 6 hours post shot are going to give you the best information for moving forward, any tests you can get are valuable so please try to test at least once during each cycle as well as pre-shot and keep the spreadsheet up to date as you go. We really want to help you get Smudge sorted out but without some testing it's very difficult to know what to suggest. I see he hasn't moved much today and that is concerning.

Have you been giving Smudge 1u or 1.5u of insulin the last couple of days? Have you checked ketones again recently? If not I would strongly recommend you do so given the high BG.
 
Chris & China said:
Nice to have another Missourian in the group!! There are a couple of us from MO here
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smidge&smudge said:
I

I am going to work on her profile, thank you, was not sure how that was done ☺. I read your baby's, I am also in Missouri, St. Louis.
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I'm close to the two of you as well! I'm in Jerseyville, IL, about an hour north of downtown. I switched from the vets office here in Jerseyville to Horseshoe Lake Animal Hospital and LOVE them there! The reason for the switch was originally because of Frannie having hacking issues and getting no answers to my questions and concerns of it and him saying it wasn't asthma or something else when it was occurring at least ever 4 weeks. After the switch to HLAH, she does indeed have asthma. Then when took her in earlier this month for her always trying to pee, she did have a urinary infection and that's when had found out she was diabetic and starting on 2U Vetslulin once a day in the AM. Yes, only once a day and she seems to be doing well that way. She has one more day of dry food and will strictly be given moist food twice daily. I had asked about if it should be just pate b/c of the high carb count, but was given a list of foods from them to check for low carbs 10% and under and there were some on it that weren't all pate and he said that it would be ok. I had emailed the vet and was given positive thoughts that it would be ok.
 
Hey there,
If anyone is still follwing this thread I just wanted to shout out a big thank-you!!!! Had a really good conversation with my vet today, and I am not sure where I would be if I didn't have all the information that I had learned from here in the very short time since diagnosis.

So, have not been very good about recording on my spreadsheet (half the time my kids have my phone so I've been recording in a notebook so I wouldn't forget. Even on the lower doses she has had some drastic highs and lows that don't quite make sense.

Updated vet today on what I was doing and she actually was encouraging home testing, and said that most people don't do it, and I'm sure because I was such a hot mess she probably wasn't going to get me started on that at first. So basically after providing the info apparently I have a difficult to regulate cat, and requested that I do a curve this weekend. And I'm thinking I've read all about that ☺. Until then since she knows I can test she is on a sliding scale and I am going to do the curve on Saturday and see where to go from there.

So feeling a bit hopeful, my vet was really cool and encouraging home testing. And seriously, if it wasn't for the board I would not be doing this, and who knows where I would be. On the way home from work I stopped at one of the best places in St. Louis and got her some brisket for a special treat (no sauce of course)
 
Thank you so much for the update. We all know how difficult this sugar dance can be with our beloved furry kids. Don't apologize for not responding immediately. We all have lives, other responsibilities and down days. Just remember we offer emotional as well as "technical" support.

I am so glad to hear the vet is being supportive and on board with testing and letting you do the curve at home which will give you the best info. This journey is a marathon not a sprint so we all have learned to be patient and understand how difficult that can be. Ultimately, the journey does get easier and you and Smudge will both be feeling better very soon.

We'll be here for any questions, opinions or suggestions if and when you need/want them. You are part of the FDMB family now!
 
Thanks,
I was kinda depressed yesterday with her numbers, but have a bit of hope today, when vet requested the curve without me asking I felt hopeful. I am going to definitely keep her spreadsheet updated too.
 
We will get her better regulated. Listen two months in to her diagnosis my cat was still in the 300's and 400's. Two months later she was off the juice. So things change.
 
Petrina it is GREAT news that your vet is supportive about home testing... quite a few aren't so that's a huge advantage for you. You can really move forward now knowing that you have the vet backing you up and us cheering you on from the sidelines!
We'll keep an eye on your ss so we know what's going on ;-)
 
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