Rachel and Jasper
Member Since 2022
Would anyone be able to look over our spreadsheet and give me advice. I feel like his bg is still too high. I was a member of the feline diabetes support group on Facebook and feel like that was a setback for us.
Welcome to FDMB! While we ask all new members to start in Main Health, since you’ve been using Glargine for some time and already know the testing and feeding basics, I’m going to leave his thread here. I would ask you to please change the title by going to your first post here and clicking “thread tools” at the right and then “edit thread”. That will allow you to change the title to our standard which is:
9/2 Jasper AMPS XXX +2 XXX
Since I don’t know when the 426 was taken....which is really important, I don’t know where to put it in above but you can see what the example is and how others’ condo titles look.
I’m really sorry he’s gotten set back especially in light of his DKA. You’ve done a good job lately of getting in tests that help us know he’s on too low of a dose and the 1.75u has been held a little too long. While it’s possible he could have come down a little later in the PM cycle, it’s unlikely based on the BGs and it’s also likely he wouldn’t have come down much. Insofar as dosing, it varies by whether you are doing TR or SLGS which are both explained in the stickys at the top of this form. Stickys are very important info and it’s best for you both if you are able to start reading those as soon as possible and asking questions.
Under TR, his dose should be increased by 0.5u at each shot (also known as “bid”) to 2.25u because his nadirs are above 300 and he’s pretty flat. Under SLGS, the increase would just be 0.25u bid for a dose of 2u bid. Only you know which method is best for Jasper and also considering your lifestyle (whether you work, if you have kids or parents for whom you are caring, how much you can test, etc). TR will get him to a better dose faster as we reassess the dose after every six cycles or, if he drops below 68 on the AT, you’d decrease the dose immediately. With SLGS, we hold the dose for a week (unless he drops below 90) and then do a curve so that means if 2u is still not enough, he’s going to stay at higher numbers for a week. The decision is yours and we will support whatever you choose to do. Just as a quick note: if he is eating any dry food at all, it would preempt you from being able to follow TR as a requisite is a slowly wet food diet (e.g. canned or balanced raw).
When I look at his history, I do see BGs that warranted a reduction in dose; however, without more data (not a criticism), we can’t really tell if the dose was too high or he bounced and dropped lower when clearing the bounce. Bounce-clearing cycles can be very, very active ones with BGs dropping quickly and if you aren’t feeding the curve as the BG drops, then it can fall into reduction “territory” even though the dose itself could be fine. However, we are always cautious and if he drops below 68 (TR) or 90 (SLGS), we generally have you reduce with a few exceptions (e.g. back-to-back drops below those BGs). Keep in mind a dose that worked in the past might not be enough presently especially if he’s needed more insulin and hasn’t gotten it.
One thing you could do while you are adjusting to being on this forum, reading all the stickys, etc, and until you decided TR vs SLGS, is to increase to 2u bid for six cycles and then reassess. That’s a more conservative approach than increasing to 2.25u and gives you a bit of time to get your feet on the ground with this and get some more info. Up to you.
We are glad you and Jasper found us. Please let me know what questions you have.
Sounds like a plan. Thanks for fixing the titleThanks so much, i think at this point we will do tight regulation. I am home a lot to test the only thing is I am pregnant so I am trying to avoid waking up in the night to test but I am also teaching my husband to test too so he can take over everything once the baby comes. I think right now tight regulation does make sense for us though because i want to try to get his bg down as quickly as I can, hopefully without dropping too low though as I am just a nervous person in general. Thanks for your thoughtful response and I am so so glad I finally found my way here. I just absolutely adore Jasper, he is theost wonderful cat and I only want the very best for him!
I can’t stress how important it is for you to test ketones every single day u til his BG is down. I did this on my kitty and she never had DKA. You want to catch them when they are trace as ketones can move into DKA fast and once you are seeing symptoms, it’s a race. However, if you see trace or a bit more than trace, you can start giving extra food and water and we can increase the dose. Better that way than an expensive vet bill.Thanks so much! This all makes sense, I will do my best to get all the information I can. I will test for keytones today but he has had none for a long time every time I test and despite the high numbers clinical signs are all great wich is somewhat confusing but I am very greatful for.
Are you seeing my updated spreadsheet on my signature, i didn't realize but two members helped make two spreadsheets abd I am not certain that I linked the correct one. I am updating one every time i test but now I am confused if I linked the correct one to my signature.
You're fine, you just need to switch out the links. It's linked to your old one. Replace it with this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zgsf_qVoKKGr4EMlWjjKnrrMUyJPzd_-lw6wlOAzPa0/edit?usp=sharingOh gosh well I have been updating every test so I am not sure whats happening. Maybe I linked the wrong one or maybe there is something wrong with the one I am using. Honestly I am terrible with this stuff.
I think I linked the new one in my signature?You're fine, you just need to switch out the links. It's linked to your old one. Replace it with this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zgsf_qVoKKGr4EMlWjjKnrrMUyJPzd_-lw6wlOAzPa0/edit?usp=sharing
It looks like the current one that you are using is titled:
Jasper FDMB US 12/12 Insulin Spreadsheet Template for PET METERS
And the one linked to your signature is titled:
Jasper's Spreadsheet
Yep! I see it now and it's current to todays dateI think I linked the new one in my signature?