First shot and worried bg is too low, help

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Melissa24

Melissa24

Member Since 2015
Hi.

First day giving shots.

I gave a fur shot this morning :( So I got Callie's first does of Lantus in her tonight. She got 1u.

She started at 287. At 2+ she was down to 115 and now at 3+ she is at 67. Worried that she is only three hours in and so low. I am giving her some dry food as I am not sure. No signs of hypo, just an anxious first timer!

Any advice!
 
What kind of meter are you using?

Do you have any high carb food in the house (Other than dry?) Something like Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers is what most of us use. The dry takes too long to get into the bloodstream and then too long to get back out again, so we generally don't like to use it unless it's all you have.

You'll want to test again about now (30 minutes after the +3) to make sure she's not dropped any more
 
Just tested again and she is at 56. I have fancy feast classic with cheddar and chicken, do you think that will do or give her something else? Thank you!!
 
The Classics are pretty much low carb....Do you have some Karo/honey/syrup?

If she drops below 50, put a couple of drops into a little of her low carb food to help bring up the blood glucose

It'll also help if you'll keep an updated subject line with her numbers...like PMPS ###, +2 ###, +3 ##.......etc
 
Looks like 1 unit is going to be too high a dose too!

Keep testing at least every 30 minutes for now...we want to keep her safe! I'll try to keep an eye on you!

When you have some time, it'll help if you'll put some information into your signature line too (so we don't have to keep asking the same questions) If you look directly below my comments, you'll see what I have in ours (like names, type of insulin/meter, etc.)

Just find your sign on name at the top right and click...choose "signature" and a new box will pop up for you to add that information to.

Later, it's also important for you to start our spreadsheet program. We'll always want to see how she's been doing before giving you any advice. Here are "Instructions on setting up the FDMB spreadsheet". If you have trouble with it, let us know!!
 
Okay, so now she is at 59. I did give her a little Karo on my finger before you suggested it just to be safe.

Thank you for all of the posting advice as well. Since I am new, what does PMPS stand for?

I do have a spreadsheet started but it may be a little different than the one suggested. I will have to check that one out!

I agree with one unit being too much for her. I am glad I am home testing or tonight could have gone very badly.

Thank you so very much
 
OK....we ALWAYS test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to give insulin to at all

The AMPS is the AM Pre-shot (morning Pre-shot) and the PMPS is (you guessed it!) the PM Pre-shot (evening Pre-shot)

We like to have all food taken up for the 2 hours before Pre-shot tests are done so they're not influenced by food....then you Test/Feed/Shoot...all within about 5-10 minutes

Test ...to make sure they're high enough....Feed to make sure they're eating fairly normally...and Shoot

We really like our spreadsheet because it's easy to use and easy to watch for "patterns" since it's color coded....if you want to see how it looks, feel free to click on China's (in our signature)
 
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I was testing before shooting but I did do it after she ate. Good to know to switch those two. Also, my kitty is taking forever to eat her meal about 15-20 minutes. So our whole routine seems to take a bit longer as of right now. Thanks for sharing the spreadsheet again!
 
Melissa24 said:
Also, my kitty is taking forever to eat her meal about 15-20 minutes.
Click to expand...

As long as she's eating fairly "normally", that's fine...she can dine at her leisure....With Lantus, the onset of action isn't usually for about 2-3 hours after the shot so it's not as important as it would be if she was on a harsher insulin

Most of us shoot while they have their head in the bowl ;)
 
Even though you have given karo, it could wear off in a couple of hours, so you'll have to keep testing to make sure she is still in safe number range when it does. The other option is to carb her up really high (over 100) so you don't have to worry as much about it.

How much does Callie weigh? Is she eating all wet food now? The answer to those questions can help us figure out what might be a better starting dose. Do you have syringes with 1/2 unit markings?
 
Good advice

Callie weighs 8.5 lbs and is on all wet food, except for the dry I gave her a little while ago. I do have syringes with 1/2 unit markings.
 
Looks like 1 unit might have been an appropriate first dose, but some kitties just need less than others. I think I'd go back to .5 unit and see how she does there.
 
Sorry Melissa....my internet connection has been acting up so I asked Wendy to keep an eye on you in case it went poof (and of course it did!)

Glad to see Callie is up some...and I totally agree that you should try .5 tomorrow if she's high enough to shoot at all.

Generally we say if they're under 200 at Pre-shot time, you should stall, don't feed, and post for help....at least until you get some more data on how Callie is going to respond

Better that she's too high for a day than too low for a moment
 
Good Morning and thanks for checking in. We tested at 11 last night and she was at 182. So we went to bed.

This morning her AMPS was at 382. I am guessing the dry food kicked in! I am still going to give her just .5u in just a minute after she eats.
 
Hi. Thank you again for all of your help last night. I was very nervous and your help made all the difference being new :)

Today was thankfully not eventful! I added my spreadsheet as well so you could see her numbers. I don't know how to make it just be Callie SS instead of the long link...any tips?

I have only given .5u each time today. Are you thinking that her pre-shot numbers could still be high from the dry food last night? I don't know how long that stays in her system. Prior to the dry food her pre-shots were between 271-299.
 
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