New Member - Tiger's BG Issues and dosing (part 2)

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Ok, in my sleep deprived state, I am a bit confused at the moment.

+6 hr reading is 397
do I give him a mid cycle dose and if so, how much?

the next opportunity I have to test will be at PMPS in 7ish hours. If you could help me with some color/doses I will check when I get home so I won't be begging for help throughout the night like last night.
 
Dawn J said:
Ok, in my sleep deprived state, I am a bit confused at the moment.

+6 hr reading is 397
do I give him a mid cycle dose of .5U?

the next opportunity I have to test will be at PMPS in 7ish hours.
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No no insulin until it's time for his shot. Just 2 shots a day.
 
Dawn J said:
Ok, in my sleep deprived state, I am a bit confused at the moment.

+6 hr reading is 397
do I give him a mid cycle dose and if so, how much?

the next opportunity I have to test will be at PMPS in 7ish hours. If you could help me with some color/doses I will check when I get home so I won't be begging for help throughout the night like last night.
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Over 200 do 2 units tonight. Let's see what happens. He is still clearing a bounce today after the low yesterday.
 
JanetNJ said:
Over 200 do 2 units tonight. Let's see what happens. He is still clearing a bounce today after the low yesterday.
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Thank you! I will update the spreadsheet with is PMPS numbers.

over 200 - 2U
Under 200 - 1U or skip?
 
It makes it easier since you are usually home to test through the day. We will get him in a better range. It takes patience for sure. I know we just want them to feel better right away, but it's definitly a marathon. How is he feeling? Is he eating good and acting normal? Oh! One other thing you could do to potentially get his numbers down is exercise! Get him moving. :). Laser pointers, shoelace, puff balls... Whatever he likes.
 
Dawn J said:
Thank you! I will update the spreadsheet with is PMPS numbers.

over 200 - 2U
Under 200 - 1U or skip?
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If it's under 200 stall for up to an hour withought feeding and see if the number is going up. If it goes up over 200 then shoot. Under you could skip or give a smaller dose. You could always post here and ask, too. :)
 
He is sleepy today, probably because I kept him up all night :) He is eating/drinking/moving around as he usually does.
I know from my own bought with Type 2 that it will take time and patience. Diet and exercise got me off all my meds, but it is SO different with a cat and I never had to do insulin, so figuring out the doses with each reading is where I am struggling. But thanks to you amazing people here, I am confident I will get where I need to be to help him win his battles.

It is hard for him to move for long periods of time because of his neuropathy, but I do what I can to keep him moving. I almost had him at a brief run the other day :)
 
Dawn J said:
He is sleepy today, probably because I kept him up all night :) He is eating/drinking/moving around as he usually does.
I know from my own bought with Type 2 that it will take time and patience. Diet and exercise got me off all my meds, but it is SO different with a cat and I never had to do insulin, so figuring out the doses with each reading is where I am struggling. But thanks to you amazing people here, I am confident I will get where I need to be to help him win his battles.

It is hard for him to move for long periods of time because of his neuropathy, but I do what I can to keep him moving. I almost had him at a brief run the other day :)
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Have you started some b12 methylcobalamin supplements yet?
 
Dawn J said:
figuring out the doses with each reading is where I am struggling
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Generally, you're going to hold the same dose for a certain number of days (usually 7 to start with) unless he drops below 90 at any time. Some cats do better on a "sliding scale" dosing, but we've found that most do better with a consistent dose.

At first, if he's over 200, you give the scheduled dose (2U for now). If he's below 200 at shot time, you should stall, don't feed and test again in 20-30 minutes. (you can repeat stalling for up to a total of 1 hour IF your shooting schedule allows you to shoot later the next cycle...like if your usual shot time is 8am/8pm and you stall until 9pm, are you able to shoot at 9am the next day?) You're stalling to see if the number goes up without the influence of food which is a pretty good sign that the last shot is probably starting to wear off and it's OK to go ahead and give the scheduled dose. Also, remember that when you decide to shoot, you're also going to be feeding which will also bring his number up.
 
Awesome! That means he cleared the bounce, fairly quickly too. Hoping today he stays yellow, and maybe blue!

Are you able to do a curve today? Even every other hour is good
 
his +2 is at 143

Working on his diet change as well. I started mixing the FF in with his Blue Buff (wet) and I have reduced the amount of dry food (the RX) that he is eating. I'm going to check again at +6 to see how he is doing.
 
Wow this is nearly perfect. +6 ish if you can, but I suspect he's already nadired

Edit: you're probably +7 ish now, be nice to have a test but not needed
 
+7(ish) came in at 585. Note that he had his afternoon snack about 30-40 min ago which consisted of BB & FF mixture with a bit of the dry afterward.
 
Dawn J said:
+7(ish) came in at 585. Note that he had his afternoon snack about 30-40 min ago which consisted of BB & FF mixture with a bit of the dry afterward.
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Hmm I wonder if that was real or bad strip. I wouldn't expect food to raise that much, likely another bounce. PMPS will tell.

Eventually we'll want to stop feeding after nadir when insulin is wearing off but we'll worry about that later.

I think he will probably bounce for some time (weeks, months)....today kind of confirms to me he was overdosed for awhile (not your fault!) and so his body is just kind of perpetually fight or flight
 
Dawn J said:
+7(ish) came in at 585. Note that he had his afternoon snack about 30-40 min ago which consisted of BB & FF mixture with a bit of the dry afterward.
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Might be bouncing because his body isn't used to the lower numbers. Give it a day or two to clear. Eventually he'll get used to good numbers. :)
 
PMPS is 362. I am going to feed and give 2U. I will do my best on testing tomorrow, I have to work my 2nd job in the AM, but should be able to get an AMPS and a +6
 
Good day! I'm doing a more controlled BG testing on Tiger today. I'm posting the results in my spreadsheet. Things are definitely looking better.. let's hope it keeps trending this way :)

I have another question.. with what is going on, should I be worried about the food change?
I am really suspecting it is the dry food that is causing his spikes, but I am having a hard time getting enough wet food into him (barely eating 1/2 a 5.5oz can at 12lbs) and he keeps laying where the dry food used to be. I feel like I am starving him :(
 
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I would still keep doing your best.... eventually they learn!

My cat is 13 lbs and eats about 3/4 a 5.5oz can twice a day. You'll get there!

Yes his spikes are both the dry food but also some bouncing. With today's drop I suspect he'll bounce again.

I would hold this dose until diet change is done (unless he starts to see green). It gets him in good numbers when he's not bouncing, but still high enough that the diet change won't send him too low.
 
FrostD said:
I would still keep doing your best.... eventually they learn!

My cat is 13 lbs and eats about 3/4 a 5.5oz can twice a day. You'll get there!

Yes his spikes are both the dry food but also some bouncing. With today's drop I suspect he'll bounce again.

I would hold this dose until diet change is done (unless he starts to see green). It gets him in good numbers when he's not bouncing, but still high enough that the diet change won't send him too low.
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Thank You!!!!
 
I'm keeping the spreadsheet updated with BG numbers, he is still all over the place, but they are definitely lower than what they have been in the past. I'm going to try to keep doing 4-5 BG tests a day so we can figure out his patterns.

I'm holding with the current dosing and will continue to struggle with the diet change. Getting him dry is a lot harder than I expected it to be, he just won't eat. So I've been mixing a handful (maybe 20-25 kernels) of the dry in with his wet, this has been helping and I'll start reducing the dry every couple of days. We have made it to 2 feedings a day. Although he makes me feel like the worst cat mom.. he lays were the dry food used to be out all day for him and just looks at me with the saddest eyes. I keep telling him it is for his own good, but I don't think he is understanding :)

You guys have been amazing!! I really can't thank you enough! I have learned more from you guys in less than a week than I have in 8 months with the vet. Your help has saved his life!!
 
Hoping he comes down for you a little bit today.

I hear you on the food...Mr Kitty outright boycotts all food when he doesn't feel well, and I just wish he had the logic/understanding of you need to eat man!
 
FrostD said:
Hoping he comes down for you a little bit today.

I hear you on the food...Mr Kitty outright boycotts all food when he doesn't feel well, and I just wish he had the logic/understanding of you need to eat man!
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We call Tiger Mr. Kitty too! they must be kindred spirits :) It isn't that he won't eat when he doesn't feel well, he is just a VERY picky eater. I've battled this for the last 12 years with both wet and dry foods.
 
I've been working hard on the food, I'm seeing that the numbers in pink are coinciding with the dry food for the most part. I got the B12, but I guess Mr. Picky spotted that right away and wouldn't eat yesterday. Today, I tried a smaller amount with more food and will work my way up to the whole capsule. However, his gate is starting to get worse. He is walking really far on his haunches and is really loud on the hard wood floors. Any other suggestions? Is 2U enough still?
 
Dawn J said:
I've been working hard on the food, I'm seeing that the numbers in pink are coinciding with the dry food for the most part. I got the B12, but I guess Mr. Picky spotted that right away and wouldn't eat yesterday. Today, I tried a smaller amount with more food and will work my way up to the whole capsule. However, his gate is starting to get worse. He is walking really far on his haunches and is really loud on the hard wood floors. Any other suggestions? Is 2U enough still?
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I’d do 2.25…. Get a before bed reading every night and if you are home at all, a reading between 5-7 hours after the shot during the day. No dry at all…. Stick with all wet. Good you are adding the b12. Put a little in each meal to add up to a capsule a day.
 
JanetNJ said:
I’d do 2.25…. Get a before bed reading every night and if you are home at all, a reading between 5-7 hours after the shot during the day. No dry at all…. Stick with all wet. Good you are adding the b12. Put a little in each meal to add up to a capsule a day.
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Unfortunately, my needles only have 1U markings. I can do my best at eyeballing a .25 add :)

I'm working on getting him off the dry food, it is super hard since he has been 100% dry food and only a tbsp of wet at shot time for the last 8 months. I'm hoping to have him completely off the dry by the end of the weekend. Today was the first day he really devoured his wet food and it had the B12 in it. However, my other cat is not weaning as well from the dry and she is starting to lose some weight.

I'm testing as often as I can. It is just me and the cats here and I work 2 jobs but I am keeping the spreadsheet updated after every test.
 
Dawn J said:
Unfortunately, my needles only have 1U markings. I can do my best at eyeballing a .25 add :)

I'm working on getting him off the dry food, it is super hard since he has been 100% dry food and only a tbsp of wet at shot time for the last 8 months. I'm hoping to have him completely off the dry by the end of the weekend. Today was the first day he really devoured his wet food and it had the B12 in it. However, my other cat is not weaning as well from the dry and she is starting to lose some weight.

I'm testing as often as I can. It is just me and the cats here and I work 2 jobs but I am keeping the spreadsheet updated after every test.
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Here’s a link to some syringes with half unit markings. :)Your pet will love this PetTest U-40 Syringes, 31 Gauge x 5/16-in, 0.3-cc, 100 syringes:
https://app.chewy.com/Ek10hRQgRlb

hey all we can do is the best we can. :)
 
What times are you able to test? If you can get a +4 or +5 I would shoot full dose.

Otherwise, I would shoot 2U. Usually we say over 200 is safe to shoot full dose but given diet transition and that 110 the other day I'd be a little careful if you're not home
 
FrostD said:
What times are you able to test? If you can get a +4 or +5 I would shoot full dose.

Otherwise, I would shoot 2U. Usually we say over 200 is safe to shoot full dose but given diet transition and that 110 the other day I'd be a little careful if you're not home
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I should be able to get a reading around the +4 hr mark, but not guaranteed as I'll be out of the house most of the day. I'm going to give 2U just to be safe. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
 
Interesting. He may still be breaking the bounce so don't be surprised if he's flat-ish at PMPS. But same deal - I'd try full dose if you can monitor.
 
PMPS is at 301. I know he may be still bouncing, but a diet change is proving to be a very good change. Day 1 with NO dry food. He is eating well with a mix of 50/50 FF and Blue Buffalo in hopes to be on all FF in the next couple of days. These are some of the best numbers I've seen from him since his diagnosis.
 
Dawn J said:
PMPS is at 301. I know he may be still bouncing, but a diet change is proving to be a very good change. Day 1 with NO dry food. He is eating well with a mix of 50/50 FF and Blue Buffalo in hopes to be on all FF in the next couple of days. These are some of the best numbers I've seen from him since his diagnosis.
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That's great! If you don't see lows mid cycle under 120, I'd go back to 2.25. Do you have any days off on the weekend?
 
I'm so sorry! This weekend was a nightmare with my schedule. I was only able to get AM/PM tests. His numbers were high, but I caught him on Saturday in the dry food that I put out for his sister. It was in a place I didn't think he could reach, but apparently the B12 is working as he was able to jump up there and get into it. This would explain the higher numbers over the weekend. I have updated the spreadsheet with all his numbers, and this weeks schedule is more manageable so I can get some +4/5 and +6/7 readings to see how he is doing completely off the dry food and his wet food is now over 50% Fancy Feast.
 
No. If you can monitor and have hypo kit I'd try 1-1.25U. if not, you can either skip or do like 0.25-0.5U.

Please test again though before you shoot to make sure he's flat or rising
 
FrostD said:
No. If you can monitor and have hypo kit I'd try 1-1.25U. if not, you can either skip or do like 0.25-0.5U.

Please test again though before you shoot to make sure he's flat or rising
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His +1 is at 201. Since he is rising, I gave him 1U. I'm home all day, so I will be monitoring him closely.
 
next time you get a preshot under 200, stall without feeding for up to an hour and see if it's going up. If it goes over 200 it's usually ok to shoot the full amount.
 
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