? Dose increase? — 4/30 - Chloe - AMPS=315, +4.5=285, +8.75=344, PMPS=367, +3=377, +10=281 —Momma away

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Chloe'sMom (GA)

Chloe'sMom (GA)

Member Since 2015
Hello all from my vacation-

My sister has been doing pretty well with taking care of my Chloe, and while giving the insulin shots proved to be pretty difficult for her initially, she thinks she has it down now. The glucose testing has been a breeze and Chloe even allows her to test pretty calmly now too. But — her #s are shooting up and up. Before my trip, it seemed that .75u was too much and she was dipping down tonglucose levels way below 50, now it seems .5u is too little? While we think there might have been a few mis-shots or fur shots, my sister feels pretty confident that she’s gotten the technique down.

Chloe is seemingly enjoying her Auntie visit and eating well and doing her normal kitty things, but I will have to be honest and say that this momma is a bit concerned.

It’s nearing 11pm where I am now, so I’m not sure how much longer I can stay up, but my sister can take over the posting and read any and all advice.

Should she bump up that PM shot, or leave it? Is the higher # due to stress? I think it’s partly due to the fur shots, but not sure.

Thank you all for your insight!

Heather & Vanessa
 
Any chance you could indicate on the spreadsheet when you think those furshots might have been? You would need six cycles in a row of good shots to fill the depot. Any misses or furs can impact later cycles.

Remind me how much longer you are gone? With those 20's on 0.75 units, I would be cautious now.
 
@Wendy&Neko siggy says 2 week trip leaving 4/28

Tough call, I agree with Wendy, considering there may be furshots in the mix and she went low on that dose before...

I’m sure Vanessa is perfectly capable and a lovely sister and person to care for Chloe, but I would always be wary of having someone do a dose change without having some experience. We all made mistakes in the beginning and it’s so easy to mess up measuring a dose and not know what line means what and especially so when your dose isn’t even on the line. Is she able to test for ketones? That’s my concern with Chloe’s numbers being a little higher. If she can test for ketones, I would be tempted to keep her at this dose for now, assuming ketones are negative and reevaluate after some more shots are in. I would also think it’s not at all unlikely Chloe could have higher numbers from stress/because you are out of town. I know my cats get all funny when I have left town, haven’t done it since FD, but they bored eat and things like that, wouldn’t surprise me if it showed in the BGs. :confused:

Hi Vanessa! It’s awesome you’re looking out for Chloe, we are here if you need us! :)
 
Y'all, I'm kind of freaking out here. This is Vanessa, Heather's sister. I thought I had been doing a good job of giving Chloe her insulin over the past couple days but this evening I think I screwed it up royally. I had a good stick and then pushed the plunger in, but when I pulled the syringe out I had insulin on the finger of my opposite hand!? I used my right hand to hold up her scruff, used my left to insert the syringe into the scruff at about a 45 degree angle, pushed in the plunger, then pulled the syringe out. When I pulled the syringe out, I felt that my was right index finger was wet! I smelled it and it's definitely the insulin. So I'm afraid I didn't get any of it into her. :( So I guess somehow the needle came out the other side of her scruff??? So I got out a new syringe and gave her an additional .25 unit just in case. I'm so lost here and Heather is in a different time zone, so I can't reach her. I feel like I need to take her to the vet in the morning and get their input and an official lesson on how to give insulin to a cat. And perhaps they can shave a spot on her? She's so fluffy, it's hard to see if I'm getting the needle in or not. Is there another place on her body to give her the insulin? As you can see from Heather's earlier post, Chloe's glucose has been running high. And now this....HELP! Heather doesn't return until late May 12. :nailbiting:

Vanessa
 
Hi Vanessa, it’s okay, there’s a bit of a learning curve even if you’ve had a few times to practice. We’ve all done what you have just experienced, it happens sometimes. As a general rule, we don’t give more insulin after a furshot because you can never be sure how much went where you wanted it to and how much didn’t. If you could test at +3 tonight we might have an idea how much insulin she got. There are other places to shoot, many shoot in their sides ‘flanks’, I don’t know if Chloe will be cool with that? I think it would be great if you could swing by the vet. Shaving a spot can really help you see what you’re doing. You want to get it in a fatty area if you can.

We are here to help, post anytime there is usually someone around. :) Let me go find some resources for you on where to shoot.
 
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this is my humble opinion but I want to throw it out there for consideration.... this is what i see in the spreadsheet....

Chloe was having a lot of drama and even after the fourth/fifth cycle after the dose decrease , she was still giving green numbers....
so it wasn't just the depot in play by that time.

I think she is still seeing some green in the wee hours where no one wants to wake up and test.
I would personally try to concentrate on the getting the next couple of shots right , and stay at the 0.5 units...

the fur shot may just turn out to be a small blessing that she wasn't seeking another dose reduction sooner than later.
 
Fur shots happen to everybody! If that's what has been going on, it can definitely explain the numbers.

Shaving a spot can help, but I have the feeling that you will be able to get the hang of this with the extra info people have posted here. Breathe, cool down, and you'll do better next time. :bighug:
 
Thanks everyone for your help! I know Vanessa is sleeping at the moment, but this info and maybe a lesson at the vet will help. The shaving is a good idea. I just want to get her numbers back to the 200’s if not the 100’s. I’m trying not to be a worries momma many thousands of miles away, but I will admit - it’s hard.

Keep those paws crossed. Vanessa has been doing so amazing for Chloe so far. I do trust she was be ok! :bighug:
 
So, Vanessa was able to get +10 and she’s dropped down to 281. That makes my nerves better, but I’d still like to see her in the 100’s.

Her AM shot time is 8am EST, which is 2 hours away. I think once I see that number, I will know for sure whether she should take Chloe to the vet or not. Right now, to err on the side of caution, I’m thinking it would be a good idea.

Thoughts?
 
Heather: I'm of two minds on this one.

Is the vet trip so that Vanessa gets a demo for the injection and maybe shave the injection site, or more?
How much is the vet trip going to stress Chloe?
What is the vet going to do for Chloe, and is that going to be better than what Vanessa can do at home with guidance from us?

I think we've established we have fur shots in the mix to account for at least some of the higher numbers. I would tend to see first if Vanessa can fix her shooting technique with the information given.

Is Chloe ketone-prone? Can Vanessa test for ketones? That would be a way to be reassured that a few days in higher numbers is not risking disastrous consequences.

(Sorry if you've already given some of the answers elsewhere.)

ETA: just to be clear, not wanting to discourage you from the vet if it's helpful, but I'm wary of useless trips that end up doing more harm than good.
 
Chloe'sMom said:
So, Vanessa was able to get +10 and she’s dropped down to 281. That makes my nerves better, but I’d still like to see her in the 100’s.

Her AM shot time is 8am EST, which is 2 hours away. I think once I see that number, I will know for sure whether she should take Chloe to the vet or not. Right now, to err on the side of caution, I’m thinking it would be a good idea.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I agree because of Chloe’s history with ketones, best to make sure those shots are landing and shaving a spot should help a lot, especially if she is fluffy. When at the vet, ask if they can check her ketones just for some extra peace of mind. :)
 
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