1st time self testing BG!!

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jmason7

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So goes it... my first time self testing my 13yr old cat with diabetes. It has been 12 hrs since he was given his insulin, Pro Zinc and I am getting ready to feed him soft food and his insulin.. HIs reading was 364. My vet has him on 2 units (started 1 1/2 wks ago) but after reading these posts, I lowered him myself to about 1 1/2 about 2 days ago. So, with a reading of 364 should I give him the normal 1 1/2 units? I need to give him the insulin now so a quick response is greatly appreciated.
Also -- is there info on when to give what dosage with specific BG readings? I know from reading not to shoot with anything under 200.

One last thing --- kitty was soo not happy with his ear poke.. normal? I thought they didn't have many nerve endings in the ear so was suprised when he turned around and about bit me :( Just want to make sure I am doing it correctly. I have watched all the videos and read up on the tutorials.

Thanks!!!
 
I like to be cautious. The wet food can bring down the numbers. You could do one unit and give it a few cycles and raise if needed. Easier process than giving too much!
 
Wanted to give you a quick reply. There isn't a set dose for a set number. We gather data and see what dose causes what reaction. Every cat's body reacts differently to the hormone. The data will help guide you. In general, a regulated cat is in the 200+ range at preshot and below 100 at mid cycle, but not below 40.

Welcome to the Vampire Club! Be sure you give treats whenever you poke - it's the secret to this thing.

Can we help you set up a spreadsheet? Great way to keep track of trends and patterns and so helpful for us if you need advice on dosing. Here are the instructions:

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

If you need help, just ask.
 
Any idea on what treats to give a cat with pancreatitis? My cat would just love them but hasn't had any treats in about 7yrs because I am afraid the treat would set off his pancreatitis.. Yes, I have been than AR :) I might need to resort to this though in order to keep self testing.... hmm what to do...
 
Lots of people just boil or bake up some skinless chicken breasts without any spices. Then cut into chunks and freeze. Pull out a chunk for a treat.
 
There are several treats you can give:

Halo or Purebites - which are name brands of freeze dried chicken

Deli or rotisserie chicken - just make sure there are no spices on it -

My cats love Stella & Chewy's freeze dried cat food - especially the chicken flavor and you could use this as food as well as treats - http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product/50 ... -for-Cats-
 
Great and thanks for all the advice. Also, I just went into the template and plan on using it but in the meantime I am going to write down the BG numbers.
I just did it for the 1st time right before his scheduled insulin/feeding time. Do I do it again 1 hr after or 2 hrs after or both? I don't think me or my cat are ready to do the every 2hrs curve thing yet but would like to start getting some good meaningful #'s. Could you please give me your recommendation on when to do the self testing- how often after giving the insulin?

Thanks for all of your help!!!!
 
Some cats go up in the two hours after the shot because the food causes the bg levels to go up so you could wait on that one until you do a curve.

Tests at the low point in the midcycle are the most important. That will show you how low the insulin is taking him. So a test in the 5-7 hours after the shot is good. And a test 8-9 hours after the shot will show you how long the insulin is lasting.
 
Results after 1 day of testing

Ok - Here are my results after I day of testing. My vet has said to start with 2 units because his BG was in the high 400's when he was diagnosed 1 1/2 wks ago.
But, afer reading here I decided to lower to 1.5 starting 2 days ago.

Yesterday PMAMPS - 367
Today AMAMPS - 550 (Scary :()
+5 = 343
+8.5 = 318
Today PMAMPS = 370

Not sure if my lingo is correct but considering these numbers would you bump back up to 2 units? The morning preshot reading was a little scary...


He has been a free feed cat - i give him c/d wet before his insulin and w/d dry (per vet recommendation) to free feed on but today I pulled away most of the dry and just gave him the c/d wet in between testing time. He probably ate about 1 can of c/d wet today (maybe a touch more). I am waiting for felines pride food to come in and in the meantime I am giving him the wet c/d and trying to phase out the dry.

Should I just keep witht 1.5 units and keep testing to see if his body adjusts to the wet food? BTW - he also has pancreatitis if that matters.

Thanks for your input!
 
I would be cautious and stick with the smaller dose as you transition from dry to wet. With Oliver, he went down 100 points overnight when we switched; some cats show lower numbers over time. Your amps was high but the pmps was much better. Give it a few cycles?
 
Todays values for my cat Lucky ... Picture to be posted soon :)

AMPS = 337
+5 1/2 = 204 ( was excited to see this ......but then...)
PMPS = 449

I was thinking maybe he got a few nibbles of old dry food but how do you explain this? Since I have picked up the dry food over the past 2 days my cat is always wanting to be fed. So, I find myself feeding him his soft c/d food about 4-5 times per day.

Suggestions or thoughts?
 
Yes, just a few pieces of dry can skew the numbers higher.

What C/D food are you feeding? Even if it is wet, it looks like it runs about 22% carbs. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html We try to stay in or under the 8 - 10% carb range. I know we have a number of people whose kitties have pancreatitis but they feed lower carb food. You might start a new subject asking specifically about diet and pancreatitis.

If you are having trouble getting your spreadsheet set up, send me a pm. (Lower left hand corner of this post - the pm button] I'd be glad to help.
 
Yes, it is the wet for his pancreatitis- my vet prescribed the w/d dry but I have pulled that. I was going to order the Felines Pride turkey for him but want to double check with my vet first. I am definitely making a move to a lower carb wet food but need to figure out which one and seeing my vet on Tuesday for a fructosamine test anyways. So just doing this wet stuff between now and then.

I am uploading my spreadsheet today. If I need help I will definitely PM... Thanks for all your help.

BTW - today's AMPS - 440 :(

Julie
 
I am wondering why a fructosamine test? They are expensive, and you have numbers for him. Plus the past few weeks are going to reflect the dry food and higher carb food, so it won't give you much meaningful info. You can pretty much figure his numbers have run fairly high for the past few weeks. If the vet insists and you can afford it, it won't hurt. Just don't see the value.
 
The fructosamine test was scheduled from when he was originally diagnosed almost 2 wks ago. She doesn't know about what I am doing with the adjusting his insulin dosage, self testing, pulling away his dry food, etc. So, I figured I would go ahead and sit down with her and explain it all, the research I have done with this website, & find out if anything else she thinks I can do to help my boy. She is an awesome vet and has saved his life with actually syringe feeding him in the vet clinic between her other patients and really went over and beyond to save him when I thought I had lost him a couple of times. My only real question up to this point would be the recommendation of the dry w/d food. Plus, if she has anything else to add now-- I was thinking about the B12 shots also with his chronic pancreatitis.
 
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