911 hypo? Amps(no shot) +12 67 +13 55 +14 47 +14.5 66 +15 69 +16 102 +20 305 +21 340 +22 283

Kris/Wendy - what are your thoughts on shooting through the bounce? Would it be worth it to shoot 2u tonight and reduce in the AM instead?

I see you're in Eastern time, Aaron, but that's past my bedtime, so trying to estsblish tentative advice now. And do you have syringes now or just pen needles?
 
I live near Detroit. It's 7:50. His pm is at 11
Keep in mind he had twice his normal food earlier. And yes I'm about to grab syringes and food
 
Agreed on the historical overdoses, it was purely the DKA history that had me wondering about sticking with 2u (only for tonight).

Thx, ladies!
 
Given the past history and all the low readings of late, I think I'd be inclined to skip tonight to see if he continues to rise or not. I'd give the depot a chance to drain a bit more because it's possible those high numbers are his defense system in overdrive from the depot and he may drop again.
 
Just a side note, I got the syringes but they're 6mm. Half the reason I went back to the pen tips is because the 6mms were inaccurate in m opinion because I was smelling insulin every couple shots (fur shot.) I assumed the pen tips at 8mm would do better and they did in that regard. They didn't have 8mm 3/10
 
Some people use the 6mm needles and some the 8mm. As long as you have the half unit markings, it's an improvement over the pen needles.
 
I have not. I was assuming the 6s weren't going quite deep enough, never had a problem with the 8s. But regardless, that's something I can order if need
 
+10 (+22) is 283, should be good to see and/or enlightening.

Linda, is this exactly what you were mentioning?

I was going to wait until +11 to test but I'm glad I didnt
 
Okay, by that math his ideal caloric intake is 230-240. A full can of friskies is 190. Cans of glyco are 91 and I was giving him one a day (plus some dry.) Evidently I was vastly underfeeding? And with that, in my mind all I'm seeing is that I'm getting ready to increase his intake and decrease his insulin (from what has been normal.) Is this not bound to show high bg results from now on?
 
I couldn't find the Relion brand longer needles (29g) at two Wal-Mart's recently either. One told me they were discontinued and one said they weren't I used to get the Walgreens brand so I am going to try those again next.

Good call, Linda. I have to sign off soon so I'll defer to you all in dosing for tonight since I can't stick around.

Good luck tonight Aaron, and head bumps to Jasper! :bighug:
 
Aaron and Jasper said:
Just a side note, I got the syringes but they're 6mm. Half the reason I went back to the pen tips is because the 6mms were inaccurate in m opinion because I was smelling insulin every couple shots (fur shot.) I assumed the pen tips at 8mm would do better and they did in that regard. They didn't have 8mm 3/10
Click to expand...
You can get 1/2 inch (about 12 mm) needles. That's what I've used all along.
 
Dry food is really high in calories due to the high carbs. He may have been getting enough between the dry and the wet. It also depends on his level of activity. If he's lazy like my Rex, then he probably won't need that many calories.

More food doesn't equal higher BG. We will see how Jasper reacts to the new dose and the new food and go from there.
 
Aaron and Jasper said:
I'm getting ready to increase his intake and decrease his insulin (from what has been normal.) Is this not bound to show high bg results from now on?
Click to expand...
It's true that if a cat isn't eating much his BG can be lower. However, in a cat eating low carb (under 10%) food in proper quantities there can be a balance between insulin dose and calories consumed that maintains BG in a good range.
 
I'm on board with that. However, what would be the "too high" number if you're all asleep and I'm freaking out about not having shot
 
Aaron and Jasper said:
Okay, so in an hour and a half I should try to give him what, 100 calories?
Click to expand...
He might need a can and a half or so of Friskies daily to maintain his weight if it's good. Try splitting that total into maybe 4 meals a day - breakfast, lunch, supper, before bed or some other schedule that works for you. If you're out all day at work and can't afford an automatic feeder, try breakfast, supper and bedtime.
 
Re food, dose and BG: feed low carb wet food in sufficient quantity to keep your cat at a good weight. Test BG before each shot and at least once between shots in the +4 to +7 range or before bed to monitor BG and have data to assess dose. Food is only used in small amounts to control BG in a situation where it has dropped too fast or is getting too low and you want to control its descent with carbs.
 
I could only get a +1 and +2 before I go in to work if I have to go in. Might be able to go in late but idk I didn't go in today
 
I can check tomorrow AM too so you have lots of support for tomorrow. Even a +1 or +2 can often tell you what kitty will be up to for the rest of the cycle and you can leave some food out for Jasper when you leave for work to be eaten later. The big question right now is what Jasper's BG does overnight and that will help determine what dose to give tomorrow.
 
Pmps is 306. No shot. Fed 60% of a 5.5oz friskies can.

Should he have started back up that quickly?

And as always, thank you to everyone on this site for your constant kindness, love and support.
 
BG wobbles around so that extra 20 points is really not a concern and not much of a change. He may be on his way back up but right now it's hard to figure out what is bounce and what is real BG. Bounces can break at any time so better to be safe than sorry in this situation.
 
If you can, test Jasper two or three hours after he ate (assuming you are feeding him around PMBG time, then I think you can call it a night. That test will tell us if/how much his pancreas is kicking in after food.
 
Folks...this is a cat that has had DKA. With his current BG, why would we suggest skipping a shot when a reduced dose would at least give him some insulin and also drain the depot?

Yes, he’s probably really overdosed at this point and he might come back down tonight from the depot. But the depot started draining this morning with a skipped shot.

I count at least five dose reductions he earned. I would have suggested shooting 0.5u and then see how he does as long as Aaron was going to test.
 
Last edited:
Aaron

I’m very sorry for all your troubles of late. I know how much you love Jasper and are trying to do your best by him.

But remember insulin is a hormone, not a medication. You can’t shoot the same dose for months on end and expect the same results without checking the BG. Insulin is not “set and forget”. The way he’s been bouncing combined with the lower preshots indicates to me he has probably been hitting some lower numbers.

You should always get a preshot. He could very likely be in the 40s at PS. If you shoot without testing, especially with a dose that should have long been reduced a few times at least, you are putting him in harm’s way. If you can always get the PS and even just one other test during each cycle, it will help until things improve for you.

I would cut his dose back to 0.5u, grab some tests, and let’s see if it needs to go up or down after a few cycles unless he drops low again. In that case, you need to reduce the dose to 0.25u and let the depot equilibrate so we can see what the insulin is actually doing for him.
 
Last edited:
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
If you can, test Jasper two or three hours after he ate (assuming you are feeding him around PMBG time, then I think you can call it a night. That test will tell us if/how much his pancreas is kicking in after food.
Click to expand...
This is not correct information for this cat.

This type of information applies to cats that are in all green at a very low dose ( e.g. 0.1u). We don’t know if the high numbers are from a skipped shot, a bounce, or both. Numbers coming down three hours later can just indicate he’s got enough depot to begin to clear any bounce.

Kris & Teasel said:
It's true that if a cat isn't eating much his BG can be lower. However, in a cat eating low carb (under 10%) food in proper quantities there can be a balance between insulin dose and calories consumed that maintains BG in a good range.
Click to expand...
Let’s not confuse calories with %carbs from calories when we discuss food working with the insulin. If you have a large depot and feed 300 calories of 0% food, it’s not the same as feeding 150 calories of a 10% food. The latter is more likely to control the BG better.

You want to consider calories in determining if a cat is eating enough to maintain a good, not over or under, weight.
 
Aaron and Jasper said:
+11 (+35) is 322

Jasper seems just fine. He seems ready for his food lol
Click to expand...
I'm going to suggest you try 1 unit this AM (I'm guessing but he needs a dose reduction and no one else has offered advice) and get a test at +2 to see where he's heading. Will you still be at home to do that?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top