Bunny - Numbers Suddenly Trending Low

Lyn Kelly

Lyn Kelly

Member Since 2017
Hello. I am new to this group (first post) but have been managing my diabetic cats for almost six years. I hope I am posting correctly and following the guidelines.

This post is about Bunny. Quick background on her. She was hospitalized with Pancreatitis for two weeks in May of 2015. She was only given a 25% chance to live but she pulled through, becoming a diabetic in the process. She has always been difficult to manage as she will not eat wet food. She literally went DKA in lieu of eating wet food. So, she eats dry food. Her numbers have always fluctuated around 200 to 400 regardless of her dosage.

In December of 2020, Bunny had a mild case of Pancreatitis and was hospitalized for a few days. During that time, her glucose numbers were all over the place, from "Lo" on the monitor up to 700 at one point while hospitalized. The doctor at the hospital remarked that it was almost like her Pancreas while trying to work correctly again. After she was discharged, we started over with her dosage, starting at 1 Unit and working up to 2 Units during the past (almost) 3 months. Over the past few weeks, her preshot numbers have been getting lower and lower, a good thing until it is not. Tonight is the third time in a week where her numbers have been akin to this.

4:45 AM - 379 (Preshot) 1.5 Units of Lantus
I do not test between her 2 shots unless she seems amiss. This is how I have managed her for the past six years.
5:00 PM - 248 (Preshot) 1.5 Units of Lantus
7:45 PM - 107
9:00 PM - 60 (Gave her treats and honey on her gums)
9:30 PM - 71 (Gave her more treats)

I will obviously continue to monitor her.

Bunny has continued to eat and drink normal since her numbers have started lowering these past few weeks. Her litter box activity is the same. She is acting normal. I just do not know why her numbers would start trending so low. Nothing has changed. Three days ago I dropped her from 2 units of Lantus to 1.5 units and am hoping in the next few weeks I see her number not dip so low.

In December while she was hospitalized, they gave her an ultrasound to check all her organs, did a full blood panel, and a urinalysis. Aside from having Pancreatitis, she was very healthy. I am not sure why her numbers her going so low, but I thought I would share since this group as always provided good advise. Thank you. God Bless.
 
Hi Lyn, what a beautiful story you and Bunny have :) welcome to the forum, it is an amazing source of information and experience.

Since we are very new to the forum ourselves, i will let the more experienced people give you any diabetes related advice. What i believe will help anybody make a clearer picture of what is Bunnys trip to lowering numbers would be if you could create a spreadsheet and share it in your signature: read here how to do it

otherwise lower numbers seem to be a good change, crossing our fingers for you 2 :)
 
Hi Lyn and Bunny and welcome to the forum
Can you tell us what type of meter you are using...pet or human please?
Also what type of dry food are you feeding? Are you giving one of the low carb ones?
Do you test for ketones in the urine?

It would be very helpful if you could start a spreadsheet and fill out the last few weeks of BG numbers so we could see it please
If you are having any trouble setting it up I will ask @Bandit's Mom to help you.
Here is the link.https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

once we can see the spreadsheet numbers we will have more of an idea of what is happening.

Lantus dosing is based on the lowest number in the cycles so it is really important that you test at least once during the cycle to see how low the dose is taking Bunny.
Bron
 
Marina & Chico said:
Hi Lyn, what a beautiful story you and Bunny have :) welcome to the forum, it is an amazing source of information and experience.

Since we are very new to the forum ourselves, i will let the more experienced people give you any diabetes related advice. What i believe will help anybody make a clearer picture of what is Bunnys trip to lowering numbers would be if you could create a spreadsheet and share it in your signature: read here how to do it

otherwise lower numbers seem to be a good change, crossing our fingers for you 2 :)
Click to expand...
Thank you. God Bless.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi Lyn and Bunny and welcome to the forum
Can you tell us what type of meter you are using...pet or human please?
Also what type of dry food are you feeding? Are you giving one of the low carb ones?
Do you test for ketones in the urine?

It would be very helpful if you could start a spreadsheet and fill out the last few weeks of BG numbers so we could see it please
If you are having any trouble setting it up I will ask @Bandit's Mom to help you.
Here is the link.https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

once we can see the spreadsheet numbers we will have more of an idea of what is happening.

Lantus dosing is based on the lowest number in the cycles so it is really important that you test at least once during the cycle to see how low the dose is taking Bunny.
Bron
Click to expand...
I use an AlphaTrak meter. I have been keeping numbers, but on a notebook sheet, not in an electronic format. I will do my best to load it onto a sheet here, but I cannot promise it will happen soon. It is interesting to know that the dosage should be based on the lowest in the cycle. I have not ever heard that in my six years of managing my cats.

In terms of food, it is not the ideal food because she will not eat the ideal food. I know people say you just have to train them, but she would literally rather starve, and one time went DKA while I was trying to switch. So, high carbohydrate food is what she has. Thank you for the input. God Bless.
 
Hi Lyn,
The take action number and the number you reduce at for the alphatrak meter is 68 so Bunny has earned a eduction of 0.25 units with the 60 today, so new dose will be 1.25 units
With DKA in the history I would definitely be checking for ketones in the urine with Ketostix from Walmart of a pharmacy, at least a couple of times a week.
There are low carb dry foods available such as Dr Esley and Young again Zero carbs are two such dry foods. However you need to be monitoring very closely when changing over to any low carb food as the BG can drop 100 points.
Have you looked at the freeze dried and air dried foods available?

yes Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point not the preshot number.
Please keep checking the BG as 71 is just over the take action number of 68.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi Lyn,
The take action number and the number you reduce at for the alphatrak meter is 68 so Bunny has earned a eduction of 0.25 units with the 60 today, so new dose will be 1.25 units
With DKA in the history I would definitely be checking for ketones in the urine with Ketostix from Walmart of a pharmacy, at least a couple of times a week.
There are low carb dry foods available such as Dr Esley and Young again Zero carbs are two such dry foods. However you need to be monitoring very closely when changing over to any low carb food as the BG can drop 100 points.
Have you looked at the freeze dried and air dried foods available?

yes Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point not the preshot number.
Please keep checking the BG as 71 is just over the take action number of 68.
Click to expand...
Thank you.

At 10:00 PM, she was 98. At 11:00 PM, she was 105.

And yes, I have tried a lot but she will not touch anything except the "bad" food.

She was only DKA twice. Once when she was diagnosed in May 2015, and the one time she stopped eating because we were trying healthy foods in 2017. Otherwise, she has not had the issues, not even when she had Pancreatitis this past December.

I appreciate all the advice.

God Bless.

Lyn
 
Lyn Kelly said:
And yes, I have tried a lot but she will not touch anything except the "bad" food.
Click to expand...

Have you tried Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken or Young Again Zero? They are kibbles that are actually low carb enough for a diabetic cat. They're pricey though (although you can sometimes catch some pretty good prices on Dr. Elsey's)

If 1.5 is taking her so low that you have to intervene with high carb treats and/or simple sugars, I'd reduce her to 1.25 and see if that works better for her.
 
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