Chloe

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Rachel said:
It is interesting that she stayed high all day (which was not what I expected to see). It is possible today is a bounce though.

I do agree though that the dose has been changed too frequently. We do have sliding scales on occasion, but that's not until we know slow, steady increases
haven't worked. I'd suggest sticking with one dose for 6 cycles (3 days) and then increase if warranted. But ONLY shoot if over 200.

And if you can continue getting some data when you can, that would really help. I know you can't get mid cycles during the week, but if you can grab ANY extra tests at all, that would help. I don't know when you leave in the morning, but if you can get a test on your way out the door, and then get one in the evening before bed, that's a great way to get extra data without having to alter your schedule.

GREAT job today!
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Djamila said:
I think you're right to keep her dose at .8u for a few days (as long as her pre-shot numbers are above 200, of course). That stability in dose will help us to see if today was a high flat cycle after a bounce, or if it's too low of a dose. Keeping this dose and getting some tests is the only way to know for certain which one is true.

You're doing a great job of getting tests done, and learning to make the best decisions for Chloe - it's a lot to figure out: food, testing, dosing, schedule...so hang in there!

One note about freezing the food - this probably goes without saying, but do take it out of the can before you freeze it. When I freeze food, I do it the same way as Sarah (Franks' Mom) in freezing it right in their bowls. Someone recently commented that their ceramic dish had broken in the freezer, so be careful about that. My cats have two metal dishes and two plastic dishes. Those have all been fine in the freezer. Then at meal times I give them non-frozen food to eat right away, and put out the frozen dishes down for them to eat later.

And really great job getting some mid-cycle numbers today. I know they aren't the numbers we were all hoping to see, but she'll get there!
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I don't care if I break any ceramic bowls in the freezer. I've been taking pottery classes for years and have plenty, in addition to my regular dinner bowls. I've been reading about cat bowls and found out that saucers are best because cats don't like having the sides touch their whiskers.
 
srk3cats said:
I've been taking pottery classes for years and have plenty, in addition to my regular dinner bowls.
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What a great hobby! I've always wanted to try that!

srk3cats said:
I've been reading about cat bowls and found out that saucers are best because cats don't like having the sides touch their whiskers.
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So that's why! Years ago my sister gave me these really pretty food bowls for them and they hated them. They would paw the food out onto the floor and eat it from there. Now it makes sense!
 
Excellent! Getting a mid day tomorrow and then some 10pm tests during the week will really help you figure out the best dose for Chloe. You're doing great at this!
 
Djamila said:
What a great hobby! I've always wanted to try that!



So that's why! Years ago my sister gave me these really pretty food bowls for them and they hated them. They would paw the food out onto the floor and eat it from there. Now it makes sense!
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Also, I learned th
Djamila said:
What a great hobby! I've always wanted to try that!



So that's why! Years ago my sister gave me these really pretty food bowls for them and they hated them. They would paw the food out onto the floor and eat it from there. Now it makes sense!
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When I had the late, great, Pogo, I learned that plastic bowls can give cats acne. Now, the late, great Purr-C used to take food out of the bowl with his paw and eat it from the floor, but I thought the reason was that he had been in a foster home and was competing with other cats for the food. Now Chico sometimes drinks water from his paw, but I haven't figured out why because the other cats aren't around. Maybe the water has some cat hairs in it. I am still working on the perfect cat bowl where the food doesn't end up on the sides. If they're hungry, they'll pull back their whiskers and eat from smaller bowls. The bowls with steep sides are good for dry food or water.
 
37 I gave her some honey on her gums, she ate about a tbsp. of FF and I gave her some treats. Now I will give her .8 and pray. no seizures that I've seen
 
Wait...what?!?! Has she had any insulin since her shot at 7:10 this morning? And yes, good job on the honey.
 
I think you already did. She's going to need to get her sugar up. I'm sure someone with way more experience sees this soon but you need to give her carbs and sugar.
 
Djamila said:
Wait...what?!?! Has she had any insulin since her shot at 7:10 this morning? And yes, good job on the honey.
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I gave her the AM shot. That was her last shot until now. Maybe it didn't work right. I gave her .8 and she's eating more food. She seems fine. Should I test again in a couple hours or sooner?
 
IF YOU GAVE THE SHOT PLEASE GIVE HONEY/SYRUP AND HC FOOD AND RESTEST IN 20 MINUTES. 37 IS FAR TOO LOW A NUMEBR TO GIVE A SHOT. BY THE TIME YOU SEE A KITTY SEIZING THERE COULD ALREADY BE PERMANENT NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE


PLEASE DO A RETEST RIGHT AWAY TO MAKE SURE THE NUMBER WAS CORRECT.
 
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srk3cats said:
I gave her the AM shot. That was her last shot until now. Maybe it didn't work right. I gave her .8 and she's eating more food. She seems fine. Should I test again in a couple hours or sooner?
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I would test again right now. If she's that low, it's possible that you'll have a big problem in no time. I'm worried for you and kitty!
 
I would also make sure to have the contact info to an emergency vet handy. Maybe even call them now to see what they say.
 
If you shot insulin at that low of a number then you need to be very vigilant. A person yesterday had their kitty go into seizures from a hypo. By the time a kitty starts seizures there is already neurological damage happening. Her kitty went blind and had brain swelling but was at the ER so did manage to survive. A hypo can be a very serious event and not to be taken lightly.

PLEASE retest right away to confirm that that number was correct.
 
My apologies for being so blunt but until you know EXACTLY what the numbers are and what is happening this is an emergency situation.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
If you shot insulin at that low of a number then you need to be very vigilant. A person yesterday had their kitty go into seizures from a hypo. By the time a kitty starts seizures there is already neurological damage happening. Her kitty went blind and had brain swelling but was at the ER so did manage to survive. A hypo can be a very serious event and not to be taken lightly.

PLEASE retest right away to confirm that that number was correct.
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Tuxedo Mom said:
Please do another test to triple check. Hopefully that 37 was a bad reading
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I think it was a bad read. She's finishing her dinner now. I'll test her again in a few minutes even though she's acting normally.
 
Please do a retest and post the numbers here right away. We are very concerned,. IF that 37 was correct this could be a very serious situation. Hoping that it was a bad read and the numbers are much higher, :bighug:
 
Anytime you get a low reading like that...please retest once twice three times and make sure that the reading is correct. If in doubt at all DO NOT SHOOT...wait and retest again in 10 or 20 minutes but NEVER shoot a low number like that. When I saw the post with a 37 and you were shooting my heart fell into my stomach. Praying to the powers that be that the 37 was a bad read and that the numbers are high...sounds funny to be wishing for high numbers...but rather a high number than when you have shot than a low number like the 37.
 
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Pretty please, Roberta....we are all staring at our computer screens having heart-attacks waiting for the number to be confirmed.
 
YES PLEASE give an update on the latest test number. There are some very worried people here

ETA Looks like Roberta is not on line now. I do hope that 37 was a bad reading but it would be good to have confirmation. I can't stay up much longer....20 hours since I have been up and very tired. Hope there are some others around to keep an eye on this.
 
She ate her whole dinner, licked her paws, and is now curled up on the bed sleeping. I think she's fine. However, this has motivated me to find an emergency animal hospital close by.
Also, please explain why you shouldn't give a shot when the cat is hypo.
 
srk3cats said:
She ate her whole dinner, licked her paws, and is now curled up on the bed sleeping. I think she's fine. However, this has motivated me to find an emergency animal hospital close by.
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Have you retested again to make sure that 37 was a bad reading?
 
Basically what you've done if you shoot on too low a number....the sugar is already low, you add insulin which helps pull the little bit if sugar that it is there into the cells. Because the body requires glucose constantly to function, and it was low to start with and the insulin makes it even lower, the body can no longer function. Brain activity and other necessary body functions can't continue without sugar. Passing out, seizures, and death can occur very quickly. Fyi...this is the same for any diabetic animal. Remember in Fried Green Tomatoes when Shelby goes into a hypoglycemic seizure in the hair salon? That's what can happen to kitty, only if you're not there for it (and even if you are there) it can be deadly.
 
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srk3cats said:
371. She took it like a champ!
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I hate to say it but THANK GOODNESS for a high number. Luckily it seems that 37 was a bad read, but please take this as an example of what you need to do if you ever get a very low preshot number. First off, do not shoot...retest without giving food and if the number is still low please post for help BEFORE shooting,

Hope the rest of your evening is uneventful!!


:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:


ETA Sorry for going ballistic..but only yesterday another person did go through a hypo with seizures and it was really touch and go for a while;
 
You can put the 371 in the +1 box on your spreadsheet.

And please forgive me for being bossy, but NEVER give a shot of insulin if Chloe's pre-shot number is below 200.

Please go back and re-read the posts in this thread that are #34, 62, 97, and 99. I know there is so much to learn right now, but all of those posts said that you don't give a shot if the number is below 200. Because there is so much information coming at you right now, I would suggest re-reading this thread often, along with the links that Mary Ann and Sarah just gave you.

As you can see from our level of panic and concern tonight, this is a very very important guideline. If you give Chloe insulin on a low number, it can kill her. Seriously. When I thought you gave her insulin on a 37, I thought there was very little chance she would survive that. That's how serious this is. I'm so so so glad that it was a false reading.

While we've never met you or Chloe, we all care very much for the well-being of everyone here and really want to help keep Chloe safe and healthy.
 
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/protocol-for-prozinc-pzi.165103/
When you have some time today it would be a good idea to read this document, make notes to yourself, post here with any questions you have, etc. As you can see from last night's postings people here really do get into a panic when they think a kitty is in danger. All we want to do is help but we rely on the kitty parent to become as well informed about the insulin being used as possible. Otherwise our advice might not make sense and/or actions might be taken that are life-threatening to the kitty.
 
I'm sorry we got into a panic last night. It happened again this morning: the first read was 67, but I immediately did it again and got 552, which is the highest reading ever. She had a great appetite and I gave her .8, or actually, a 'skinny' 1. I have a feeling the doasage is too low, but will stick with skinny 1 unit for another two days and see what the numbers are, unless you think otherwise.
It just occurred to me that maybe the high number is due to the honey I rubbed on her gums yesterday when I got the very low reading. I'm also wondering if the ReLion prime is broken or maybe the insulin is too old. The vet told me that it expires after 3 months. Is that true?
 
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Good job getting a second test when the first number seemed wonky this morning. Whenever you get a number that seems strange (either too high or too low), that's a good practice to check it again. I think it's a very good idea to stick with a dose for a few days.

How old is your insulin? Where have you been storing it?
 
We really do want to keep your Chloe as safe as possible. Does the reason you wouldn't give any insulin on a hypo make sense?
 
srk3cats said:
high number is due to the honey I rubbed on her gums yesterday
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Honey only raises numbers for a short duration that's why during low numbers you might have to reapply every 20 minutes until her numbers start rising on their own. I think it's like an instant sugar kickstarter. Shouldn't have any impact on her numbers today.
 
Djamila said:
Good job getting a second test when the first number seemed wonky this morning. Whenever you get a number that seems strange (either too high or too low), that's a good practice to check it again. I think it's a very good idea to stick with a dose for a few days.

How old is your insulin? Where have you been storing it?
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It's about 3 months old, but still half full (I'm an optimist). I've kept it in the refrigerator except for a couple of times early on that I forgot to put it back for several hours. I do have a new bottle on hand. Does changing bottles have any effect?
 
Rachel said:
We really do want to keep your Chloe as safe as possible. Does the reason you wouldn't give any insulin on a hypo make sense?
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I'm slow about medical stuff, but it's starting to make some sense to me. I once knew a diabetic man who had to eat snacks during the day. Is that the same for leaving some kibble out for Chloe?

Basically, if the numbers are consistently high, then increase the dose a smidgeon, but keep it steady. If the number is lower than 150, don't give her any more insulin. Better too high than too low. I'm a visual learner, so I'll try to find a video of what goes on in the body.
 
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