Dosing question... First low BG need advice please

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Theresa W

Theresa W

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Izzy's first time ever below 100. While this is great I am also super confused/ anxious about his evening shot. Normally I shoot at 8pm and 8am. I tested him this morning and then again when I got home from work at 7:15pm. He ate a can of FF Chopped Grill and then part of a can of Weruva Chick Frick A Zee.

Shoot or no shot?! Any advice would be so appreciated for this newbie
 
I would not give insulin. If you already fed you could try checking him 2 hours after his meal and shooting then if he needs it.
Others might have a better idea or maybe an idea of a dose for insulin. I don't feel comfortable suggesting a shot on a 96.
 
shooting 2 hours after his meal will push his next dose later by 2 hours too. IF he gets a dose 2 hours after his meal it's a good idea to lower it a bit since he's not getting the carb load or food spike because he already ate.
 
Ok. I would test again in an hour. 86 after eating is a great number too! It's basically the same number due to the 20% variance in the meter.
 
I'll check back in an hour and see if you posted his +2 after meal reading. If you skip insulin tonight he might have a higher reading in the morning but a higher number is better than risking a severe hypo tonight.
 
You can test when you want to! Don't feel obligated to take my advice. Although I definitely do not think he should get insulin on his current number.
His last insulin shot was about 12 hours ago right?
 
This could be a good sign! I think it calls for a possible dose reduction too. But the pros could clear that up when they join us.
 
Sorry. It took a bit to get an ear to cooperate
He is at 61. And I just opened another can of FF and he is eating
 
Hmm. Yeah that's definitely going down. I guess it's possible the 4 units was too much and is lasting much longer than it usually does.
@Kris & Teasel @Sue and Oliver (GA) any ideas if you're around?
I would test again in 20-30 minutes to see if there's a rise. If he keeps going down I would feed more. It's possible his pancreas has taken over but I would check to see if he rises at all after this last snack.
 
About how much of the FF did he eat and did you get another test done yet? I'm very curious about this now!
 
I'm still pretty new at this, but I've seen in a couple of threads people say that a cat can't go hypo without a shot. Which (if that's correct) may mean that these are just safe happy numbers.

Of course, they also usually say that the next pre-shot will probably be high, so not to worry too much if that happens.

I wonder where all of the wise ones are tonight? You could maybe post on the main health forum to see if anyone from one of the other insulins can shed some light on these mysterious greens...
 
Ok that's basically the same number. I would try to get a test 20-30 minutes after the kibble. Dry kibble sometimes takes a bit longer to hit their system but you'll know if he's still going down or surfing.
I helped a woman with a similar situation. She fed her cat ALL night and he surfed around 70 the whole time. Turns out he was not diabetic/in remission. Not saying that is what is going on here but it is a possibility that his pancreas has taken over and he won't go up much from a "normal" reading in a non-insulin cat.
 
You could make a thread on the health forum and see if anyone else is thinking the same about the shot being out of his system or if it's lasting a weird abnormal amount of time. You can put the link to this thread in the post.
 
@Theresa W did you get any readings from the AM cycle today? Just wondered if that would show when he started dropping. At this point, if my calculations are correct, you're 14.5 hours after last shot of insulin... Is there anyone else that may have given him the shot? If not, I'm thinking he might be doing this all on his own. If that is the case he shouldn't go hypo but until you're comfortable with the readings you can continue to test or leave some FF out for him to graze on. I don't want to discourage you from testing or feeding and be wrong. One of my biggest fears is causing harm to anyone's kitty!
 
Yep, I think it's gonna be a long night. At least he likes to eat:)

I will try to test again soon. I did post to the health forum as well and someone did respond with the same idea. Insulin is out if the system and his pancreas is responding to the food.

Not sure how to put the link to this thread in the post. #newbie

And I SO appreciate all of your input. It's just comforting having someone listen and your feedback has been super helpful!!
 
Sadly work was crazy today and once I left the house at 9am, I did not return until 7pm.

My sister helps me give him his insulin when I can't but we didn't arrange that today. Plus we are both good about writing his dose/time in his notebook. So I am 99.9% sure he has been without insulin since 8am this morning.

I'll keep testing for awhile, I have plenty of TV to catch up on.
 
I really do hope that he's doing this on his own! That would be fantastic!! If he's surfing and you feel comfortable with it you can test every hour. It's your choice when you want to test of course. I catch up on my DVR recordings while watching Chuck's numbers too! :cool:
 
That is a VERY nice number after having extra food and dry kibble!
You're welcome and I'm glad I could help and offer support.
 
Hey Theresa! I see that @StephG was helping you out overnight...thanks Steph! I was fast asleep when this was all created...been a rough few days at work. If Izzy didn't have a shot, the insulin should be out of his system...meaning he should have been doing what he did on his own! As for that 61 you saw, one of the symptoms of the pancreas kicking in is that the BG goes DOWN after eating...which is what happened. All this to say that I believe that the pancreas kicked in which is why you saw a low number and why it stayed low.

The BG might be high today, but that would be normal. If you see a low number again, though DON'T Panic. At this point, there won't be any insulin left in his system, so a hypo won't happen.
 
I was down for the count last night too. Congrats, @StephG for being the coach! Izzy's dose has to come down after this episode and also because he'll be more insulin sensitive as a result of it. If he was mine, I'd opt for 2u this AM and slowly work my way back up in 0.25 u increments. I know that this is lower than any dose he's had so far but his safety is key. If you get more experience with events like this going forward you might be able to be a bit braver in the aftermath but this is new territory so I advise caution.
 
Great job, Steph!

Looks like a long cycle (so too much insulin) or the pancreas decided to join the party. Regardless, I like Kris' dose reduction. Much easier to increase by small amounts when moving back up, if needed, based on your home testing numbers.

So glad you are home testing. Giving insulin on that number would have been deadly!
 
8am 491

Saw that one coming:)

@StephG was indeed my hero last night. As well everyone who has chimed in.

My biggest issue is I am leaving on a work trip tomorrow night and returning on Friday afternoon. My sister will cover the first night by stopping in and giving him his dose. And the a pet sitter moves in on Sunday. She is a vet tech. I didn't think to ask her to to BG checks as part of the deal. Hopefully she won't mind
 
He might run high today with that reduced dose but it's safer. It might be a bit hard to decide on a dose to be given while you're away after this episode. The data you get today and through the day before you leave tomorrow will be important. You'll have to choose a dose that might be on the low side as the safest option.
 
Here is how today went
AMPS 461
+2 363
+4 334
+6 264
+8 327
PMPS 292

I missed the +10 (had to do some power shopping before my trip)

I will see what the next 12 hours and most of the day tomorrow bring but I am thinking I will stay with 2 units for the time being.

Love this board and all the support it brings!!!
 
Confused again...

+2 is 421

He didn't eat a lot prior to dosing but did show a lot of interest in my turkey sandwich. So he did have a couple of Halo cat treats.
Maybe I had a fur shot? But I always sort of massage the area where I injected to feel for any wetness. Sigh... one step forward two back:(

Any thoughts?
 
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Could be the food spike along with the bg going up after the insulin "ran out"and before the next shot kicks in. Prozinc usually starts really kicking in at +2 I believe... He could also still be bouncing from his lower numbers. A bounce can last a few cycles. I would get a +3 or +4 whichever you prefer and you'll be able to see if he's going down. If he's not it's possible it was a fur shot. I always smell his fur after his shot and if I smell the insulin I blow on his fur til I find the "clump" of wet fur. (bigger clump with a 5 or 6 unit shot so it's easier to find!)
The smell test will usually give it away though.
 
I wondered about those treats the other day as well. Guess it is back to plain old chicken.

I will check at +4. His poor ears need a break.
 
Do you have any neosporin with pain relief or similar triple anitbiotic ointment with pain relief? I usually put a thin layer on chuck's ear because he gets tested a lot. Seems to help.
 
I was giving baked chicken breast but have switched to Young Again, Stella & Chewy's salmon and something haha can't remember., or chicken and broth baby food (without starch). Chuck is very reactive to food so even half an ounce of something can stop his bg from going down on a normal day or make him go up. Apparently they can convert protein to glucose-- from what I was told by the owner of Young Again Pet food. I haven't researched this claim any further. But whatever works for your kitty and doesn't increase his numbers is the best snack to go with.
 
StephG said:
I was giving baked chicken breast but have switched to Young Again, Stella & Chewy's salmon and something haha can't remember., or chicken and broth baby food (without starch). Chuck is very reactive to food so even half an ounce of something can stop his bg from going down on a normal day or make him go up. Apparently they can convert protein to glucose-- from what I was told by the owner of Young Again Pet food. I haven't researched this claim any further. But whatever works for your kitty and doesn't increase his numbers is the best snack to go with.
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It's true that they can convert protein to glucose, Steph. It's not as easy a source of glucose but they can do it. I remember this from my university course in biochemistry.
 
I like the yellow preshot last night. I suggest 2 u again this AM and a couple of tests in the +3 to +7 range to see where it takes him. No need to torture his ears more than that. :)
 
I updated my sheet from last night. He had a high number again this am but things are working their way down.

My sister and the pet sitter will both test before shots while I am gone. Izzy may be stuck in this pattern for the duration of my trip. Time will tell.
 
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