dosage going up too fast?

[scootpatoot]

I have a 14 year old cat...weighs 15-1/2 pounds. This is his 3rd Diabetes go round. Twice he went into remission after a few months and now he is back way over 500. I've been taking him to the vet for 4 weeks now. He was at 587. Second week 547...Third week 364....this past week...587 again!! Is this chronic rebound. Do you think since it was coming down at the 364 week (two 3 unit doses a day) he should have left it there. He increased it to two 4 unit does a day telling me we were going in the right direction. Reading the posts, I'm thinking we should have left it at 3... During his other two diabetes episodes, we never went to 4 units...never even over 2 units. He's drinking lots of water, peeing lots and is very quiet and hiding during the day. His behavior is back to where it was week one before any treatment. I am so upset...I go to the vet today and I'm ready to challenge him on the high dosage.

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Since you posted in the Prozinc/PZI forum I am assuming that you are using Prozinc or PZI. If this is not correct please post which insulin you are using.

How long ago was your kitty diagnosed (the last time) and what was the starting dose? If it has only been 4 weeks then that is a big dose increase (4 units twice daily)

Glucose numbers do not stay the same all day...they can vary up and down depending on how long after the shot was given, how much food your kitty has eaten, whether the numbers went low and are bouncing up etc. It is very possible that your kitty could be bouncing from hitting low/lower numbers.

Are you home testing? Home testing will allow you to see what is actually happening with the glucose numbers each day and spot if the dose is too high or too low. A random test done at the vet is not always dependable. Many kitties will show higher numbers at the vet just from stress..some can be 100+ numbers higher than at home. Also is your kitty IS bouncing and the vet bases a dose increase on the higher numbers that come with bouncing then the dose could very well be too high. Home testing before each shot and then 1-3 times between shots will let you know how the insulin is working and how low it drops the numbers. Here is some information on home testing:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Also it would be very useful if you could set up a spreadsheet to record data from the vet and from home testing. Here is a link to starting a spreadsheet:

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

If you need help getting it started ( I sure did ) just ask and one of the members can help you with that. It is a very valuable tool that will let you, your vet and members here see what is actually happening with the insulin and dose. You need to be home testing to make the best use of the spreadsheet. It tells a visual story.