? 2/16 George PMPS 61, +1 70, +2 64, +3 63, +4 71, +5 71, +6 87

Hammy

Hammy

Member Since 2021
Hello. This morning George was 85 PS and tonight PS he is 61. Would you still give him the 1.5
I know I need to do a curve. This is the lowest he has been and I don't know when I should continue the same dose or skip, watch, etc. He did eat already about half of his can of friskies.

Thank you
Heather
 
Thank you. I tried researching and thought it would be ok to give 1unit. SO I did. I tested him right before giving him the shot at 830 and his numbers were at 68.

Tested now 1 hour later ( I usually inject him at 8pm CST, but waited until 830pm, I didn't want to wait longer, maybe I should have just skipped it. His number was at 70. I will try to test frequently tonight, I don't know how frequently I should do it. Every hour?
 
Yes. Test every hour and post here. Feed now and again in an hour after your test.

Are you following SLGS or TR?
 
SLGS but I haven't had success testing him all that much. Just this past 2 days I have gotten better.
The vet wanted me to start him on 2U
I thought that was too much when I was researching and learning.
Instead of starting over with .5, I just lowered it to 1.5 and was going to watch from there.
He use to weigh 22 lbs. He was down to 13. He is back to 15 now. He should prob stay at the weight he is at now, as he was overweight before.
(I am feeding him one 5.5 oz can of friskies in the morning and at night.)
I want to spread that out into more smaller meals, I do not have the automatic feeder yet.

I wish I didn't give it to him, but I thought we are trying to be consistent. I'm kicking myself now.
Thank you.
 
I just fed him a little bit. Will test again at 10:30 CST. (2 hours after injection) He is not happy with me checking but I am just THANKFUL I am getting blood out of his ears. He keeps rubbing and trying to prevent me from getting it. I need to get it on my nail and poke again if I must. I am embarrassed as I found my notes now on what to do if the preshot number is far below usual preshot numbers. I was just panicking and trying to stay on schedule.
 
Feed him again now and test at +2 (2 hours after the shot)
With SLGS, you hold the dose 1 week and reduce every time the BG number falls below 90.

Was there a food change involved after starting insulin? A switch to a low carb food?

Do you have enough test strips? High carb food or honey?
 
From your post in Feline Health -

I don't know what DKA is and he hasn't had keytones, but I need to recheck now that he is home.
I also do not know what a depot in effect means, does that just mean since I have been giving him 1.5U consistently that he will probably drop lower than 60?

Re: DKA, here's a post that explains, read when you have time. Don't worry about reading it right now, it's more important you watch George's BG.

Re: depot. Yes, Lantus is a depot insulin, in simple terms it means that some of the insulin gets used, and some gets stored under the skin and released over time. So you gave 1U tonight, but there's still some stored that will affect his numbers.

And don't worry, you'll get good guidance from the users here tonight. It will likely be a lot of feeding a tsp here and there to slow down BG drops. I keep a little cheat sheet/decision chart in my testing/shot area for quick reference, it may help you (but again, not something to do right this minute).

And what do you mean "now that he is home"? Was he hospitalized for something?
 
Thank you. No he wasn't hospitalized. What I meant was, he was tested at the vet for keytones, and I haven't tested him since his diagnoses.
I bought the strips to test, but I haven't been able to actually test yet.
My daughter is home with him in the day tomorrow, can I get a good reading on a strip pressed against his urine in a clumping litter or do I need to change it out?
I read that I might be able too, and I didn't want to change to much on him all at once.

Is it +6 hours that usually numbers are the lowest? When should I be most nervous testing?
I really wanted to keep him at 8am and 8pm but he didn't get his injection at 8pm but instead 830.
Will I be able to slowly get him back to 8 and 8?

I just tested him +2 hours. You can see it in the spreadsheet. I gave him a spoonful of friskes mixed grill with gravy pate
Will restest at 1130pm
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Feed him again now and test at +2 (2 hours after the shot)
With SLGS, you hold the dose 1 week and reduce every time the BG number falls below 90.

Was there a food change involved after starting insulin? A switch to a low carb food?

Do you have enough test strips? High carb food or honey?
Click to expand...
I have enough strips. No food change.
(He has been on canned friskies for a couple weeks, close to a month before I started insulin.
The high carb food I have is friskies pate mixed grill and tuna with extra savery gravy PLUS dry purina one kibble I am working on weaning my other cat off of.
Plus I have some fancy feast duos treats with real chicken that I don't think are high carb treats.)

Giving him a spoonful of each wet food as I wasn't sure which was better and a few treats when testing.
 
Here are Tips for collecting urine samples and information on Getting back on a 12/12 shot schedule. The half hour delay in shooting tonight is fine. You can shoot at your usual time tomorrow morning.

The lowest point (nadir) can vary from cat to cat and even from cycle to cycle. It is usually between +4 and +6 for Lantus, but some cats have nadirs earlier and others later. Testing at different times on different days will help you figure out what George's nadir is.

The reason I ask about a food change is because a change in diet can often have a dramatic improvement in numbers. We have had kitties go off insulin with a change to a low carb diet.
Does he usually eat the low carb variants (less than 10% carbs) of Friskies? Classic Pates and Flaked? This link will help you identify the carb% of various foods:
https://catinfo.org/chart/index.php

It looks like even 1.5U is too much for him considering how it is taking HC food to keep him above 50. For tonight, continue to feed what you are feeding him.

Can you update the thread title with his latest numbers please i.e. 2/16 George PMPS 61, +1 70, +2 64
 
Ok. updated thread title and I double checked the cat food for high carb and he got high carb spoonful an hour ago. Before that, it was his regular low carb one (it had more gravy than the others so I thought it had higher carbs, but it doesn't)

I am tired and my eyes hurt. My son is going to bed (he is helping me get good blood samples.) I might have to wake him up to help me, he just started new meds himself and goes back to work tomorrow and is nervous about the side effects he is feeling starting new meds, so I am trying not to have to wake him.

next test midnight thirty. that will be 4 hours. Should I be testing through until his next scheduled dose 8/830?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Here are Tips for collecting urine samples and information on Getting back on a 12/12 shot schedule. The half hour delay in shooting tonight is fine. You can shoot at your usual time tomorrow morning.

The lowest point (nadir) can vary from cat to cat and even from cycle to cycle. It is usually between +4 and +6 for Lantus, but some cats have nadirs earlier and others later. Testing at different times on different days will help you figure out what George's nadir is.

The reason I ask about a food change is because a change in diet can often have a dramatic improvement in numbers. We have had kitties go off insulin with a change to a low carb diet.
Does he usually eat the low carb variants (less than 10% carbs) of Friskies? Classic Pates and Flaked? This link will help you identify the carb% of various foods:
https://catinfo.org/chart/index.php

It looks like even 1.5U is too much for him considering how it is taking HC food to keep him above 50. For tonight, continue to feed what you are feeding him.

Can you update the thread title with his latest numbers please i.e. 2/16 George PMPS 61, +1 70, +2 64
Click to expand...
oops and yes, he usually eats the low carb variants. I thought one of them was higher carb, but it was still low carb friskies pate. I am giving him a spoonful of the higher carb one with gravy that is on the list for higher carbs.
 
Hopefully you won't have to test all night and he will start heading up. Keep him on high carb for now since it looks like he needs it.

So you gave him LC at +2 and HC at +3?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
. Keep him on high carb for now since it looks like he needs it.

So you gave him LC at +2 and HC at +3?
Click to expand...

I gave him LC right before his shot, LC at +1, HC at both +2 and +3.
What numbers an I waiting for? I know I shouldn't stop at one higher BG, I should have multiple
 
You want him to be rising without food to know he is safe.

Next time you encounter a number below 100 at PS, stall without feeding and post here for advice.
 
Hi Heather? Did you get the test at 12:30?

Any chance you can move up the shot timings a bit so you don't have to stay up too late? Like say 7am instead of 8am? If you are an early riser, you can shoot earlier so you can go to bed earlier.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
You want him to be rising without food to know he is safe.

Next time you encounter a number below 100 at PS, stall without feeding and post here for advice.
Click to expand...
Ok thank you very much. BG was 71. Should I keep feeding and treats or should I wait on the food and see how he is in another hour?
 
I could do 7 and 7. I'm more a night owl than an early bird, but I can shift it. I've gone back to bed if it was a late night. I do work tomorrow 9-330. My 19 year old daughter will be home tomorrow. I work 7 minutes away, and can leave immediately if need be.
 
Hammy said:
Ok thank you very much. BG was 71. Should I keep feeding and treats or should I wait on the food and see how he is in another hour?
Click to expand...

You can wait on the food and test in half an hour and see if he is higher.

Please get tests before every shot. Giving insulin without testing can put him in danger. If you post here everyday with his numbers, we can help you with dosing. :)
 
Hammy said:
I could do 7 and 7. I'm more a night owl than an early bird, but I can shift it. I've gone back to bed if it was a late night. I do work tomorrow 9-330. My 19 year old daughter will be home tomorrow. I work 7 minutes away, and can leave immediately if need be.
Click to expand...

There is no hard and fast rule for shot timings. People shoot as early as 5am and even as late as 9/10am. It depends on whether you are an early riser or a night owl. We recommend that people get a pre-shot test and one more 2 hours after the shot. You can stay with 8am/8pm if you are a night owl!
 
I will do that. I was trying to get numbers for preshots, but having a difficult time. I have 30g lancets, and don't use the lancet device anymore. I might be poking thru his ear since he is pulling away and moving. I'll test again at one. He did have treats with the last test.
 
Hammy said:
I will do that. I was trying to get numbers for preshots, but having a difficult time. I have 30g lancets, and don't use the lancet device anymore. I might be poking thru his ear since he is pulling away and moving. I'll test again at one. He did have treats with the last test.
Click to expand...

I use a lancing device. Some people free-hand. Warming his ear and massaging it before testing can help with blood flow. I used a wad of cotton under the ear to act as a support and to prevent an injury to myself!

Have you seen this sticky?
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
I have seen that and rewatched a few just now.
He did have 2 treats at 1230 and a tiny spoon of milkshake from my daughter's cup. I know that's not the best treat but he is nuts for it. It's rare he gets that. I did have some high carb food out. I don't think he ate some. But because of all that, I'm not sure a reading at 1 will show increase without food yet?
 
What treats did he have? Most of them are high carb (unless they are specifically low carb treats). And yes, even if they are low carb, the 1am number will be food influenced!

Even if he is not lactose intolerant, he is a diabetic! So unfortunately, no more milkshakes and no treats unless they are low carb! Poor George!
 
The two treats were fancy feast duos.
Crude protein 26%
Fat 13%, fiber 2% , moisture 8%

Usually the treats I give him is the freeze dried chicken. I only was giving him these tonight due to the low blood sugar.
115 am which was almost +5 is 71. Hopefully that's close enough to +5 and I'll check again at +6
 
great. leave some LC out and go to sleep!

post a new thread with his AMPS tomorrow. it might make sense to skip the shot or give a much reduced dose depending on where he is.

good night!
 
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