06/11/2022 85mg/dl bg What should I do?

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MsRigby

MsRigby

Member Since 2022
Good day!

My name is Janice and my cat's name is Enrique. I'm new around these parts. My cat was diagnosed on May 26. I was lucky to find this forum fairly early on this journey. I've been waiting to introduce myself and wish I had the time to write a lengthy and detailed post, but I have a concern that needs immediate attention. Enrique's AM pre-shot blood glucose was 85mg/dl today. I'm currently stalling without feeding and waiting to retest in a couple of minutes. Any advice on how to proceed is welcome. Should I skip his insulin?

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Just re-tested. It's been 30 minutes since the original test. BG is now 98mg/dl. I'm still unsure about giving him his insulin.
 
This will have to be quick. I'm about to go offline.

98 is still too low. There is not enough data yet to know what Enrique does during a cycle.

It is recommended for newcomers that they not shoot if under 150-200. Once you have more data (especially mid-cycle date), the no-shoot number will become lower.

Welcome. Waving from Canada. And thank you for being proactive with your cat's diabetes.
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
This will have to be quick. I'm about to go offline.

98 is still too low. There is not enough data yet to know what Enrique does during a cycle.

It is recommended for newcomers that they not shoot if under 150-200. Once you have more data (especially mid-cycle date), the no-shoot number will become lower.

Welcome. Waving from Canada. And thank you for being proactive with your cat's diabetes.
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Thanks for taking the time to answer. I will skip his morning shot and move on to feeding him. Will keep an aye on his blood sugar throughout the day.
 
Welcome to the FDMB. Lantus is dosed based upon how low it takes your cat so you need to get some tests between +4-7. It onsets around +2 so if that test is lower than the preshot get a later test. He was started on a pretty high dose unless he’s a very large cat. How much does he weigh ? Has he always been eating lc wet food or has his diet been changed recently? If he was eating dry or hc before you started insulin his dose will likely need to be adjusted. Getting the extra tests will help determine that.
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
I'm surprised Enrique's numbers were not higher.

Please watch him closely and try to get some mid-cycle tests in. 2 units may now be too much for him (the reduction point is 90 if you are following SLGS).

You can read up about dosing methods here:
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)
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Thanks for keeping him in mind. 2 units is what the vet recommended after his initial labs. As many here, I left the vet's office after diagnosis with very little knowledge about what to do. What little I was told at the vet's was mostly wrong or less than ideal. I read about the dosing methods, but need to go over them again. I suspect you're correct and a reduction is probably needed. I'm very grateful for all the help and guidance I've found in this forum.
 
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tiffmaxee said:
Welcome to the FDMB. Lantus is dosed based upon how low it takes your cat so you need to get some tests between +4-7. It onsets around +2 so if that test is lower than the preshot get a later test. He was started on a pretty high dose unless he’s a very large cat. How much does he weigh ? Has he always been eating lc wet food or has his diet been changed recently? If he was eating dry or hc before you started insulin his dose will likely need to be adjusted. Getting the extra tests will help determine that.
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Thanks for taking the time to respond. The day he was diagnosed his weight was 6.5 lbs. Weight-loss was one the symptoms that made me take him to the vet. I suspected a thyroid problem, but it was diabetes. He's 10 years old and has eaten mostly dry food all his life. When I started noticing he was losing weight I started supplementing his dry food with wet, because I though it was an appetite thing. When he was diagnosed I bought some prescribed dry food, but immediately suspected that couldn't be right and after finding this forum switched to lc wet. Luckily that switch didn't bother him at all. He seems to prefer the wet food.

I'm currently giving him insulin at noon and midnight. I work afternoons/night and that's what made sense when I started him on insulin. Now I'm thinking that I probably should change his schedule so I can measure his blood glucose mid cycle. Can you (or anyone else) guide me on how to do this? I imagine the change would have to be gradual, but I'm not sure on how to go about that.
 
I think the food change is going to help his bg come down and yesterday was probably not the first time it was under 100. You can move the insulin time 30 minutes every 24 hours or 15 minutes 15 minutes every cycle. If you find you need to skip again the next time you give insulin can be the time you prefer. So last night you could have given insulin at whatever time you want to use going forward. I suspect you will get an opportunity to do that again soon as 2.0 is a high starting dose for a cat his size.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
How are things going Janice?
Are you able to get any tests in during the cycles so we can see how low the insulin dose is taking Enrique?
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Hi there! I started transitioning him towards a new schedule that will allow for more mid cycle testing. He seems to be doing fine. His mood and appetite seem normal. No odd behavior. I will try to get more testing done during the week, but I won't be able to track a full cycle until my next day off which is Saturday.
 
MsRigby said:
Hi there! I started transitioning him towards a new schedule that will allow for more mid cycle testing. He seems to be doing fine. His mood and appetite seem normal. No odd behavior. I will try to get more testing done during the week, but I won't be able to track a full cycle until my next day off which is Saturday.
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Sounds like a good plan.
In the meantime are you able to get any tests in during the pm cycle. Even a before bed test would be helpful
 
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