First shot of insulin

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JennyBankers

Member Since 2014
I gave her the first shot of insulin 1.0 at 545 tonight (b/g 293) - she is already down to 136 at only +2. Is she dropping too quickly? What should I do? Wait and retest?

She is currently eating some more of her wet food.
 
She is dropping a little fast but still in safe numbers (we don't start to worry until she drops below 50). I'd let her eat a little and maybe test at +4 to see where she is.

Glad you are testing so you can know how this first dose is working. :-D
 
Just tested at +4 and she is at 81 now. She ate a little more wet food about 1.5 hours ago, but she won't eat anymore right now (she has never been an "eat a meal" type of cat). I am going to retest again at +6.
 
She is dropping pretty fast, but the numbers are still on the safe side. I don't know if many people will be on the forum later tonight, so here's some advice about lower numbers. If she is under 50 at +6, I'd give her a little bit of the gravy off a higher carb food if you have it. If not, maybe a little bit of honey on her gums. You do not want her under 40, so if she drops that low, you need to boost her up.

If this wasn't her first cycle, I wouldn't be concerned. But since it is, and you don't have any data to draw on to know what she might do, I'd err on the side of higher vs lower levels.
 
Thank you for the advice. I have some of her pre-diabetes wet food with gravy/sauce that I can give her if her levels keep dropping (plus Karo syrup). I'm thinking that I should cut her dosage in the morning to .5 units and see how she does with that dosage (especially since I won't be home to test her during the day due to work - I will be able to get a +2 reading on her but that's it).
 
I think reducing the dose to .5 is a good idea. Better to increase slowly If needed than to try to figure out how much to reduce. Don't be surprised if she is a little higher in the morning. When their body perceives a number lower than they are used to, it releases extra glucose and that can cause a bounce in the numbers. And if you do give some higher carb if she drops low, that can mean a higher amps too.

A teaspoon of gravy is better than Karo, if you have the choice. It is more likely to cause a slower steady rise. The syrup can cause a higher faster rise but maybe not last as long.

Now that you have a plan, she will probably stay higher and be fine. Hope so!
 
Nice numbers!

Good catch on the fast drop.

It is pretty encouraging to see a green on your first dose! You may find that using U-100 syringes with a conversion chart will let you fine tune your dosing. Basically, on a U-100 syringe, every half unit tick mark is 0.2 units worth of a U-40 insulin. Every full unit tick mark represents 0.4 units of a U-40 insulin.
 
I can't get my cat to eat right now for her morning shot. I even took up all but a teaspoon her her wet food at 1130 last night. How in the world to you all get your cats to eat on demand?
 
Hi,I am a newbie also,only 3 days into giving shots and testing,so I don't know much.I tried Dr.Lisa Piersons trick( from catinfo.org),which was to sprinkle some Forti Flora on which comes in little packets.It is a probiotic with Brewers yeast in it,all 6 of my cats go crazy over it! You can order it on amazon. But of course you need something for now,so another trick is Parmesan cheese,or a little bacon grease..both have worked for me.Best of luck with your kitty.
 
JoyceOlive said:
.... Forti Flora on which comes in little packets.It is a probiotic with Brewers yeast ...
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Don't know about the brewer's yeast; it is made with animal digest, which is what gets sprayed on dry food to make them eat it.
 
I put out a little canned tuna fish this morning in her bowl after 2.5 hours of not eating. She is currently eating that out of her bowl and I hope that makes her eat the food too. She was at 236 this morning and is at 142 at +2.5 with only .5 units (estimated because I don't have 1/2 unit marks. I'm going to get the u 100 syringes today.)
 
Good morning Jenny,

Looks like she maybe doesn't want to be on insulin long! Good job getting her to eat. You could offer food overnight and pull it up 2 hours before the preshot (if you're like me, you're up at 3 am anyway) if she is likely to be more hungry then.

Your .5 should be okay but yes, the U100 needles will let you shoot .1 and .2 if needed.

If you have to be gone today, leave out some food (cats will eat if their blood sugar drops low)

Sure glad you are testing! :-D
 
She ended up not eating much, so I left the wet food out for her in hopes that she will eat if her blood sugar gets too low (I'm at work until 5pm today). My mom is going to check on her around noon today to see if she ate and make sure she isn't showing any signs of hypo (I haven't taught her how to blood test yet although she wants to learn so she can check on her occasionally for me).

I usually am up at least once during the night so I will start pulling up her food bowl around 3am. She has always been a grazer and typically eats her "dinner" during the night, so I'm not sure when the meal is actually being consumed. She does the same thing in the morning - begs for breakfast then doesn't eat until sometime in the day when I'm at work. I'm tempted to put a video monitoring system on her food bowl. :lol:

Thank you for the wonderful tips and keeping me halfway calm during my first 24 hours of shots. I'm a little overwhelmed and was getting frustrated that she wouldn't eat this morning. I'm hoping my worry about her will decrease with time and experience.
 
Mom sent me a picture of Marbles' food bowl and she hasn't touched her food as of 230pm. Mom said she seemed fine when she petted her - she was sleeping (of course!) and woke up. I got the U-100 syringes from Wal-Mart today so I can give her smaller doses easier with the dosage converter table ($12.49 for a box of 100 - SO MUCH CHEAPER than the vet).

I also bought some of the special diet Friskies pate to see if she will eat that tonight - she was always a Friskies eater before so I'm hoping it will taste similar enough to her old wet food.
 
There are other tricks to try. Sprinkle on a favorite treat: Bonito flakes or Purebites crumbled up work well. Add a little warm water to make a gravy. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese or tuna juice. Heat it up in the microwave until nice and stinky.
 
I will try some of those tricks tonight if she won't eat. She should be good and hungry after not eating since late last night. I even tried to give her a treat this morning and she turned her nose up at it. :YMSIGH:

How much food do you consider "enough" to give her a shot of insulin? I know the vet told me she should eat a full meal but my cat doesn't eat meals....I would be happy if she ate 1/4 a can at one sitting but I'm not sure if that's enough to give her insulin afterward.
 
Marbles tested at 73 tonight. She didn't eat all day but she did eat about 1/3 can 20 minutes ago. I am going to retest bg in a few hours but I'm thinking I should skip this shot altogether tonight?
 
Unless she jumps over 200, I think I would skip. The low number is probably partly due to her empty stomach, but she also seems to going lower and responding well to the insulin.
 
She ate almost a whole can. I'm wondering if the insulin made her feel bad last night/this morning which caused her not to eat. It isn't like her to not touch her food all day. I'm glad she's getting something in her tummy. I will test her in a little while to make sure her number is coming up.
 
She jumped to 195 2.5 hours after she was 73 at PMPS (did not give insulin). Should I give a low dose of insulin (.2) tonight or wait until the morning to give her anything?
 
Do you have to go to work in the am? No prediction of what might happen so you'd want to be able to be flexible. If you can be, I'd think it'd be fine. Tomorrow just be sure she is at least 8 hours from the previous shot, over 200 and do two tests to be sure she is rising.
 
Yes, I have to go to work in the morning - must leave by 840am at the latest. That's one of my biggest concerns with this whole process is that I work M-F 9-5 and it isn't easy (and sometime not possible) to come during lunches. Maybe I should just wait for the morning shot.
 
I think skipping is fine. Just think of it as a fur shot - those happen all the time. :-D

But tomorrow, if she is higher than usual, I'd still keep the dose low - maybe lower than .5, especially if she hasn't eaten much.
 
I am definitely going low with the insulin tomorrow - my plan is .4 if she eats and .2 if she doesn't eat as long as her bg is over 200. I would rather her be too high than too low especially after seeing how it affected her personality - she wasn't quite herself until her bg started to go up this evening. I am so worried about her going hypo while I'm at work. nailbite_smile
 
Marbles ate her entire can of wet food last night (1/3 can right away and the rest over a 4-5 hour period). She hid from me yesterday morning, but after eating food last night she was more of her loving self and came when I called her for her b/g test. cat_pet_icon

She ate 1/2 a can of wet food this morning before her shot. She was 295 this morning before food - I gave her a .40 shot of insulin @ 830am. I'm now at work until 5pm biting my fingernails hoping that she will be fine when I get home today. I left the other 1/2 can of wet food out for her to snack on throughout the day.

Thanks for all the support - this dosing stuff is scary especially having to get it adjusted to the correct level and making sure my stubborn cat eats.
 
This sounds like a perfect morning - ate her breakfast, nice amps, good choice on dose. With food available, she should be fine today. You are getting this!
 
Jenny,

Your posts are very helpful to me! So glad to see your progress and that you are getting the hang of it just after a couple of days. I am bringing my cat Nala in later today so they can train me on the insulin. I am about to go to Walmart now and pick up a Relion Confirm with all the accessories before I even go into the vet later. I am not sure whether or not my vet supports at home testing but I plan on doing it regardless for peace of mind.
 
alohaamoore said:
Jenny,

Your posts are very helpful to me! So glad to see your progress and that you are getting the hang of it just after a couple of days. I am bringing my cat Nala in later today so they can train me on the insulin. I am about to go to Walmart now and pick up a Relion Confirm with all the accessories before I even go into the vet later. I am not sure whether or not my vet supports at home testing but I plan on doing it regardless for peace of mind.
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I'm so glad that my progress is encouraging you. The home testing is so important. I can't imagine giving her a shot blindly now that I am home testing and seeing that her numbers can easily drop low and stay low at the next shot time. Good luck with your testing and injections. I gave my cat one shot further back, but she much prefers the scruff of the neck - doesn't even flinch when I give it to her. She takes her shot better than the ear prick but I really think that's just because she doesn't like me touching her ear. Also, warming the ear or playing with it before you prick really helps to get the blood flowing! Some people have talked about getting a baby sock filled with rice and warming in microwave for 30 seconds to hold against the ear. I haven't tried that yet but it doesn't seem necessary with my kitty.
 
Thanks again for more helpful information! What did your vet say about home testing? I am hoping mine will encourage it and even show me how to prick her ear. I leave for her appointment in about an hour so I am doing as much research as I can before I go in.

I just got back from Walmart and I am setting up the Relion Confirm and the only thing I didn't understand when setting up is the "Setting Test Averaging" setting. I kept it on OFF but not sure if I chose the right setting.

The manual says:
NOTE: "Lo" results are included as 20mg/dL in the averages. "Hi" results are inclded as 600 mg/dL in the averages.
Press the Down Arow button to cycle through the test averaging choices: "oFF" (not displayed, "14" (14-day average), or "30" (30-day average). "AVE" appears near the middle of the screen.
If you select either 14-day or 30-day averaging, your average test result will appear when you recall results from memory.

Also, do you have a chart for converting/reading the numbers for the Relion Confirm? My vet told me yesterday that Nala's is at 433 (i'm guessing in animal numbers) but do you know what number that would convert to on the human Relion Confirm?
 
The average is just a feature of the meter. It will automatically average the the last 30 or 14 days and allow you to display the average as well as being to able to view past individual results.
There is no magic conversion. The meters, event the per-specific hand-held meters are only +/- 20%
 
An estimate for a human glucometer is likely to be between 0.6*AlphaTrak to 0.7*AlphaTrak, +/- 20%,
 
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