2 hours after insulin BG 470

[suwannee79]

My little man's BG seems like it's steadily increasing and I'm not sure what to do.

After having 2 hypo seizures a month ago - potentially from being over dosed with 5 units of PZI 2x a day - I switched to a new cat-only clinic. They immediately dropped his dosage down to 1 unit while we figured out what was going on and did a fructosamine test - the next day they determined he was making his own insulin and didn't need the added shots. We stopped giving insulin for a day but his BG went back up so they started him back at .5 a unit 2x a day. Since then his BG keeps going up higher and down not as much so they've progressively been raising his dosage .5 units every week, we're now at 2 units 2x a day.

In addition to his BG his poops have become absolutely disgusting. He's always been a solid pooper but ever since changing to wet food a little under two months ago they've gotten progressively looser. At first they were just a darker color and we thought maybe that was from the food but about two weeks ago they started getting softer and smellier and now they are just eye watering piles of mush. I picked up 5 days worth of Metronizadole pills from the vet yesterday and gave him the first pill at 12pm today, same time as his shot.

Between the BG and the loose stool could there be something else going on here? Also, looking at the steady rise of his BG #s could we still be overdosing him without realizing it?

I was already going to do a curve today and now with his numbers where they're at I'm definitely checking him every 2 hours regardless - any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

It isn't uncommon for the bg levels to go up after insulin, usually as a reaction to food. The lowest point in your cycle should be around 6 hours after the shot. Do your curve today and see what the whole cycle looks like. Then you can decide if you need to increase or if he is rebounding from lower numbers.

This process takes a while. It is all about gathering data so you can make good dosage decisions. Be patient. We can help you figure it out.

Have you seen this document on PZI? http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=32799 It has lots of good information on how the insulin works.

 

[nwnews]

I think doing a curve is a great tool to see how your kitty is processing insulin. At least the new clinic is doing insulin increases in a more responsible manner. One thing you can try is mixing some canned pumpkin in with the wet food to see if it helps firm things up. Another thought might be trying a unique protein/carb food to see if its a allergy. Royal Canin makes a green pea/venison or green pea/duck food that is sold at the vets. Or Natural Balance makes the same thing which is available at Petco (my understanding is that its the same formulation - the people that developed this food defected to Natural Balance). The main thing would be to use a food that is a single type of protein/single carbohydrate - something the body hasn't seen before. Jan