Advice please?

[Kathy1980]

It's been a little over a week that my cat Jack has been on caninsulin twice a day. He gets two units. In the beginning his BG was 23 in the morning and went down to 7. He is also on a strict low carb wet food (Friskies, FF pate) and he eats often with bigger meals with his shots. Yesterday his BG was 2.8 after about 4 hours post insulin. He was acting normal but since it was day off I was monitoring it. I gave him some treats (with carb) plus food and called my vet. He said it could be a mistake and that 2 units is not alot for his size, which is 16 pounds. He only instructed me not to give him insulin if BG is 12 or less. This morning it was 14 pre-shot, when it used to be 23. While I'm happy it's getting better, I'm afraid he will become hypo when I'm at work and I will come home to tragedy? I'm lucky that my mom is home and retired but she is not always home and can not do a monitor. I'm not due for a vet appt until next tuesday. I am going to discuss switching insulin to pro zinc.

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Caninsulin is a harsh fast acting insulin that can bring numbers down very quickly.

Without having more data it is very hard to say whether the dose is too high or whether another long acting insulin may be a better choice. The usual staring dose for Caninsulin is 1 to 2 units, but every kitty can react differently so getting data is important. Caninsulin usually only last 8-10 hours in cats before fizzling out. It lasts much longer in dogs, but because cats have a much faster metabolism the effects last much less time.

It would be most helpful if you could start a spreadsheet and input the data you have. This is a link to starting a spreadsheet:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

If you have any problems with setting it up just ask and someone can certainly help you.

What type of glucose meter and you using??? The low carb diet you are giving Jack is great.

That 2.8 (50US) reading is on the low side if you are using a human meter and definitely too low if you are using a pet meter. When using Caninsulin you should test, then feed, then wait 20-30 minutes before giving the shot. Because Caninsulin acts so hard and quick you mist always have food on board before giving the shot. You should test at every preshot +2 and +4 and possibly longer if the numbers are dropping too low.

If you can try to get the spreadsheet set up. It is such a valuable tool and makes it possible for experienced members to offer proper advice.

A change to Prozinc would be a good choice. It is a gentler long acting insulin and in many cats will last the full 12 hours between shots