Confused about these Numbers--what do they mean?

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Puddles' Person

Member Since 2014
Hi,
My cat Donut had her first shot of BCP PZI this afternoon, .5 unit. Her pre-shot BG reading was 318.
At +1 she was 342.

At +3 she was 329.

At +6 she was 357.

Her numbers are rising instead of going down. Does anyone have a clue why? I am so confused by this, I know it is her first dose but wonder what this might mean. Thanks so much.

Molly and Donut
 
What was the insulin dose?

What is the meter? As a cross check, test your own blood or a control solution for the meter to see what you get.

Do you have to set a code number for the test strips before use? If yes, did you get the right code entered.

Check the test strip packaging; have the strips expired.

Was the fur wet in the area of the shot? If yes, some may not have gone in. It may smell like adhesive bandages, too.
 
The BG values are really the same since meter accuracy is about +/- 20%.
Do you have any other BGs to compare those with?
What are you feeding?
 
Hi Larry and Kitties,
I have been home-testing Donut for the past 3 weeks and her BGs fasting before shot are around 300. After a meal they rise slightly to maybe 350 and the dose of Lantus she had been prescribed, (1/2 unit) never made them budge more than 20 points which I understand might be within the margin of error. I would suspect my meter except for the fact that I have repeatedly taken it with me to my vet for comparison with theirs, even using the same vial of blood that they drew, and it always matched theirs within 20 points or so. Her BGs for weeks have always been in the 300-350 range, even after I switched her from her vet-prescribed high-carb high-fiber food to totally low carb canned. I had hoped to see some improvement in her BG numbers from the diet change but maybe it takes more than a month. Oddly, she shows none of the "classic" overeating, overdrinking or over peeing. She also has pancreatitis, confirmed by a biopsy a month ago and I believe someone wrote me that that can affect the BGs. The smallest dose of Lantus seemed to wipe her out so that is why the vet wanted to start low on the BCP PZI. But I wonder if the dose is TOO small and not doing her any good yet. So I don't know what to do. I live in a small town (Ironwood, MI) and I believe the vets here are kind of out of their depth treating feline diabetes. That's why I'm on this board all the time begging help. I so appreciate your response and any insights or thoughts. Thanks so much.

Molly and Donut
 
Hi BJM,
Thank you for responding. The insulin dose is 1/2 unit and yesterday was Donut's first shot. The vet had tried her first on Lantus but for some reason it made her ill so he scrapped it and is trying BCP PZI. I got Dr. Elizabeth Hodgins' book and that was her recommendation.
The meter is RELI ON Ultima and the test strips are fresh (just checked.) I didn't know about control solutions but have repeatedly taken my meter and test strips with me to my vet for comparison with theirs and they are always within about 20 points of each other so I feel fairly confident that the meter is fairly accurate. I don't have to set a number code (the vet tech helped me get set up the first time.)
Donut's fur definitely was not wet and I am very confident that all the insulin got it. I used to volunteer at a shelter and gave shots there, plus the vet tech checked my technique because I was afraid of goofing up.
I know I am impatient to see any sign at all that the insulin is working just a little bit and maybe it's too soon or the dose is too low. The vet said over the weekend to just dose her once a day and start low, so I will be testing her several times all through today and tomorrow. Thanks for any thoughts and troubleshooting advice. As you can tell, I'm a wreck about all this. (Donut was only diagnosed 6 weeks ago and I live in a small town where the vets don't see that many cats, especially diabetic ones :sad: )

Molly and Donut
 
Hi Molly,

What do you mean about a small dose of Lantus seeming to wipe her out? Was she acting strange or did she drop low on it? Does she take anything for her pancreatitis?

Is she only getting one shot a day? That is definitely not recommended. Once the shot wears off (after 12 hours) then she is even higher for the other 12. It sets up a roller coaster effect. If she were mine, I'd try .5 every 12 hours, getting midcycle numbers. If she is still in the 300s at preshot after a few cycles of 2 shots daily, then raise the dose by .25
 
Hi Larry and Kitties,
I wondered if that amount is just too low to be any help but was unsure whether it was ok to experiment on my own. May I ask what you think? Thanks.

Molly
 
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