03/09/21 Fergus AMPS 403 +6 377 +9 439

Dawnthebikegirl

Dawnthebikegirl

Member Since 2021
I'm new to this (5 days now) and using SLGS. (My vet wanted me to give him 3 units right out of the gate)
I'm in Ontario, Canada.

I'm using Lantus and giving 1 unit every 12 hours. Prior to starting insulin, i switched his diet and now he eats only raw and some low carb canned food.

I've done the spreadsheet, but because of my work schedule, i can't always test at regular intervals.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...uEip0aSypiXOIB3SwOZkl99YfbA08Tme6JGtZlQ#gid=5

His numbers are getting really high and I would really like to up his dose. He's been lathargic and not super hungry. I'm starting to worry.

I hope I got all the necessary info.
Please advise.
 
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Hi Dawn (I hope I got your name, right!),

Welcome to FDMB. Am super impressed to see you've got your SS up and posted the thread title as per our posting guidelines! :cool:

Could you also please set-up your Signature? It's basically a summary of the information we need about your cat to give you advice. The spreadsheet and signature are the things we look at when asked for help. It saves us asking you the same questions again and again. It also saves you the effort of giving us the information every time you post!

Here's how you can set-up your Signature:
  • In the Menu, under your user name, click on Signature.
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
  • There is a limit of two lines. You may separate info with commas, dashes, | etc
  • Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom.
On the dosing front, it takes the Lantus depot a week to fill. I will tag @tiffmaxee for her input, but it may make sense to hold the dose at least 5 days, if not the whole week.
(Changing to a low carb diet first and starting at dose of 0.5-1U is what we recommend here. Vets tend to start cats on too high a dose and wait for numbers to drop too low to make dose changes!)

Since you are feeding raw & low carb canned food, you can follow the TR protocol if you can get at least one more test per cycle in addition to the pre-shot one i.e. 2 tests per cycle or 4 tests per day. TR is a more aggressive protocol with increases as often as every 3-5 days. You would be able to get Fergus to a better dose faster than with SLGS.
 
Welcome. Have you been shooting every night? The ss isn’t completely filled in. Yes, you need to let the depot build for a week before increasing. TR will give a better chance of remission or at least get those high numbers down. You still would hold the initial dose a week so you dint need to decide yet. Some prefer to ease in with SLGS so it’s up to you. Being more aggressive at first will have quicker results so it’s up to you.
 
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Bandit's Mom said:
Hi Dawn (I hope I got your name, right!),

Welcome to FDMB. Am super impressed to see you've got your SS up and posted the thread title as per our posting guidelines! :cool:

Could you also please set-up your Signature? It's basically a summary of the information we need about your cat to give you advice. The spreadsheet and signature are the things we look at when asked for help. It saves us asking you the same questions again and again. It also saves you the effort of giving us the information every time you post!

Here's how you can set-up your Signature:
  • In the Menu, under your user name, click on Signature.
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
  • There is a limit of two lines. You may separate info with commas, dashes, | etc
  • Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom.
On the dosing front, it takes the Lantus depot a week to fill. I will tag @tiffmaxee for her input, but it may make sense to hold the dose at least 5 days, if not the whole week.
(Changing to a low carb diet first and starting at dose of 0.5-1U is what we recommend here. Vets tend to start cats on too high a dose and wait for numbers to drop too low to make dose changes!)

Since you are feeding raw & low carb canned food, you can follow the TR protocol if you can get at least one more test per cycle in addition to the pre-shot one i.e. 2 tests per cycle or 4 tests per day. TR is a more aggressive protocol with increases as often as every 3-5 days. You would be able to get Fergus to a better dose faster than with SLGS.
Click to expand...



I think i set up my signature. I would like to do TR, I can get the +3 reading after AMP, then the +6 reading after PMPS.
Would that work?

I just upped his dose .25. I'm sorry. I know i shouldn't have but it was just so high and i was worried about him getting a UTI again. The vet said the sugar in the urine probably caused it. His numbers dropped drastically the first hour and now i'm worried about hypo. Ugh. I'm so bad at this. I know i need to be patient. I hope i didn't really mess things up.
 
Dawnthebikegirl said:
I think i set up my signature.
Click to expand...
The Signature allows only 2 lines. Could you put all the info you have into one line and put the link to your SS in the second line? Look at all our signatures to get an idea of what I mean.

Dawnthebikegirl said:
I would like to do TR, I can get the +3 reading after AMP, then the +6 reading after PMPS.
Would that work?
Click to expand...
Sure.

Dawnthebikegirl said:
I just upped his dose .25. I'm sorry. I know i shouldn't have but it was just so high and i was worried about him getting a UTI again. The vet said the sugar in the urine probably caused it. His numbers dropped drastically the first hour and now i'm worried about hypo. Ugh. I'm so bad at this. I know i need to be patient. I hope i didn't really mess things up.
Click to expand...
Yes, diabetic cats can be more prone to UTIs because of the sugar in their urine. Does he have a UTI? That can elevate numbers.

See how this cycle goes. 394 to 302 is a big drop but 302 is still a high number (over the renal threshold). Can you get a test later in the cycle - tonight that is?

Do you have data on his BG before you started insulin. Were you testing him during the food change?
 
I think i've correctly updated the signature

He had a UTI 2 weeks ago. That why i took him in, and that's when we discovered he had diabetes. They gave him an antibiotic shot, and the vet said to wait a week to treat diabetes until the shot did its work. I took him in 5 days ago and they said the UTI was clear, then they did the glucose curve with 3 units of Caninsulin. Those numbers were AMPS 23.8 +1 20.4 +2. 20 +3 18.4. +4 14.3. +5 10.4. +6 8.8. +7 8.9

So I had a week to transition the food. I did do some tests that week but I can't find the paper now (UGH!). I remember it sitting around the 18mark, but one night it dropped to 14.5, but then it went back up again. I was really hoping if the UTI cleared diabetes would go too. Alas no.

I have to leave for work in an hour, but maybe i can call and go in a bit later. Do you think i have to worry about Hypo?

Also THANK YOU !!!!!!
 
Dawnthebikegirl said:
I have to leave for work in an hour, but maybe i can call and go in a bit later. Do you think i have to worry about Hypo?
Click to expand...
Just get another test before your leave. That should be enough. I would be very surprised if he dropped dangerously low!

The range for normal blood sugar for a cat is 2.8 to 5.5 mmol on a human meter.
 
He could still have a UTI. Your vet should have run a culture and sensitivity to find the right antibiotic just like doctors do for people instead of a shot of a drug that may or may not work. What was he given?
 
Ok.. Thank you again. Honestly. I was having a heart attack. Thank you thank you.

I will do another test before I leave.

Should I go back to dosing him 1 unit tonight? His schedule is 1pm and 1am.
 
Probably I would give 1.0. The initial depot will take a week.but how much does he weigh? We can figure out the correct starting dose since you will follow TR. Then you will be able to increase quicker. You can’t rush the process as you might miss a good dose.
 
Are you up from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. or later every night? Are you shooting at that time due to work?
 
tiffmaxee said:
He could still have a UTI. Your vet should have run a culture and sensitivity to find the right antibiotic just like doctors do for people instead of a shot of a drug that may or may not work. What was he given?
Click to expand...

I think the shot was called Covenia? I heard (after it was given) that they are not a good idea... but when they did the urinalysis this past Monday they said the UTI was gone.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Probably I would give 1.0. The initial depot will take a week.but how much does he weigh? We can figure out the correct starting dose since you will follow TR. Then you will be able to increase quicker. You can’t rush the process as you might miss a good dose.
Click to expand...

He weighs 13 lbs.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Are you up from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. or later every night? Are you shooting at that time due to work?
Click to expand...

Yes. I work from 4pm- 12 ish (depending)
I don't get home till just before 1... so that seems the most consistent schedule.

I can dose him at 1. Take his reading at +3. Dose him at 1am... set and alarm and test him at +6
 
tiffmaxee said:
Were they sure he even had a uti without a c& s?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what that is. They did a urine analysis and blood work.
I'm sorry. He's never even had a UTI before so I don't know anything.

Also. I just did my last check before i go to work. it's +3. 12
I hope it's ok for me to leave him.
 
A Culture and sensitivity should be done to see what type of bacteria and what antibiotic works best for it. If it’s gone great though.
 
Thank you for this. I'm trying really hard to wrap my head around all it and read all the stuff on the form on how to post as well. The one thing I read was that you are to start a new "condo" every time? I don't understand what a "condo" is. So should I make a new thread with today's numbers instead of adding on here?

But with regards to my Fergus. I'm just all over the map and I'm sorry. Yesterday his numbers were so high and he wouldn't eat, so I thought upping his dose a small amount would be good, but then his numbers were really dropping and I panicked and gave him some kibble before I left for work (even though you said he'd be ok). When I got home he was at 24.9!!!! UGH. I feel terrible.

I want (and need) to up his dose for sure, but I want to do it on a day that I'm here to really watch him, and that won't be till Monday. Maybe I'll hold the dose at 1.25 (so hard to get right because the needle is so small). But for his weight, 1.5 seems right.

I also feel terrible for poking him so much. His poor little ears! I wonder in the end if it's cost-effective to get the Libre. Until then I've devised a schedule to test +3. +6 and +9.

I'm so grateful for this forum. It helps me breathe knowing I can ask these questions, as rhetorical as they may seem.
 
Dawnthebikegirl said:
I'm trying really hard to wrap my head around all it and read all the stuff on the form on how to post as well. The one thing I read was that you are to start a new "condo" every time? I don't understand what a "condo" is. So should I make a new thread with today's numbers instead of adding on here?
Click to expand...
Yes. We ask members to start a new thread every day so the threads don't get too long to read. Condo is slang for thread.

If you will start a new one, I will respond to the other issues/questions above in that one. :-)
 
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