12/26 Zoot! AMPS 205; +6 158; PMPS 128; +3.5 98 ; +5.5 121; Need advice on testing and AM dosing.

[Cinnie Cole]

I shot his full 1.75 units of Lantus after the PMPS of 128 per SLGS guidance, and it appears he is headed into lower numbers tonight. At +3.5 his reading is 98. I will test again at +5.5 or +6 (that is pretty late for me but of course I want to be sure he is okay). He is relaxing but also up and around and looks fine. I am a bit scared of hitting those lower numbers.

He got his usual small treat of 3 tbsps of his low-carb food after the +3.5 reading. Should I have withheld his food? It only occurred to me after the fact that it might mask his real numbers when I test again.

Do you have any other advice on testing tonight?

For dosing in the AM, if he does go below 90 tonight then am I right that I should reduce his dose by .25 unit?

Thanks!

 

[Sarah and Blaze]

I give Blaze his LC snacks in the auto feeder at +3, +6, +9 every day and night cycle, no matter what his pre shot numbers are. I only give him MC or HC snacks when he is dropping quickly and I need to slow him down or if I get a mid-cycle test and he’s dropped a lot. You don’t need to withhold the LC snacks, it was totally fine to give him LC at the +3.5 test! I think the bigger meals, like breakfast and dinner might cause a food spike, but the smaller mid cycle LC snacks shouldn’t cause a huge food spike.

I would probably grab a +4.5 and maybe +5.5 and go from there on testing for the night. More tests if numbers are a lot lower at those tests.
And if you’re following SLGS, any number 90 and under earns a 0.25U reduction and you would start that reduction tomorrow morning if so.

 

[Cinnie Cole]

I would probably grab a +4.5 and maybe +5.5 and go from there on testing for the night. More tests if numbers are a lot lower at those tests.
And if you’re following SLGS, any number 90 and under earns a 0.25U reduction and you would start that reduction tomorrow morning if so.

Thanks so much. His +5.5 is 121 so it looks like he is more surfing than sliding - one thing is that he generally does not have massive numbers swings, so I feel much better about the night tonight. Will have my husband watch him (he doesn't do BG tests) and let me know if Zoot! needs checking at +7 or +8.

Also thanks for the info on feeding. The effects of smaller amounts of food was a real mystery to me.

 

[Sarah and Blaze]

Thanks so much. His +5.5 is 121 so it looks like he is more surfing than sliding - one thing is that he generally does not have massive numbers swings, so I feel much better about the night tonight. Will have my husband watch him (he doesn't do BG tests) and let me know if Zoot! needs checking at +7 or +8.

Also thanks for the info on feeding. The effects of smaller amounts of food was a real mystery to me.

You’re welcome! It looks like he’s surfing nicely now! That’s awesome that Zoot! doesn’t have huge swings in numbers. My cat, Blaze, occasionally takes some big dives in numbers so I never know what to expect with him

But Zoot! looks good tonight. He’s probably close to nadir too, I’m guessing? So hopefully he just surfs along safely for the rest of the night and you can get some sleep! I totally get it with the husband not testing. It took a lot of coaxing to finally talk my husband into learning how to test BG, but he won’t stay up late to test

and you’re welcome on the food info. I know every cat is different, but from what I understand, the LC snacks don’t usually affect the BG too much so it’s fine to give the small snacks throughout the cycle. It’s supposed to be better for diabetic cats to have several meals a day, bigger breakfast and dinner and some small snacks throughout the cycles, to help them surf safely. I’ve only been at this since August but have gotten so much help and information here so I’m happy to pass along things that I’ve learned and been taught

 

[Wendy&Neko]

No worries feeding mini meals throughout the cycle. However, it is better to limit them to before nadir if you can. After that, the insulin is already waning, and adding carbs to the picture can really slow down the insulin action. That means duration will be shortened and you'll get those higher preshots as the insulin has worn off. The ideal Lantus curve is flat, where the insulin from one cycle is just wearing off as the next cycle's insulin begins.

 

[Cinnie Cole]

it is better to limit them to before nadir if you can.

Great guidance - so at 2 AM he got some some food, but not a meal. We only give a rounded tablespoon of his food or some plain roasted chicken breast pieces. We will at least reduce the amount after nadir. Thanks! He is 202 AMPS so he surfed the night away - my husband was up (he is a writer) working, and kept an eye on him all night. He was totally normal (Zoot!, I mean).