Fur Shot Frustrations..any advice?..Tuffy is not amused

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Tuffy n Friends

Member Since 2014
Hi everyone,
Dave was pretty sure he gave an accidental fur shot this morning, so we tested Tuffy at +3 and she was up to 179 from her pre-shot test at 105. 15 minutes later her BGs were 195 (high for her lately, I was reducing her shot today by .25 to 3), so we gave her a dose then. She immediately regulated and her numbers were as follows:
(new pre-shot 195)
+2 200
+4 126
+ 7 133

Now we are not sure how to get back to the schedule we were originally on. Dave believes that the time we give her the Lantus is working well with her natural rhythms and that is why her numbers have been so low. So we'd like to get back to that.

We normally shoot at 9 EST, so if anyone has advice on how to handle 1) when to shoot tonight and then 2) re-adjusting the dosing time, please let us know.
Thanks,
Nada
 
glad you posted! we always like hearing about Tuffy.

first, when you give a furshot, which everyone does sometimes, next time don't reshoot. you don't know how much got in and it's far better to have too little insulin go in than too much.

second, whenever you shot the second shot today, Tuffy's next shot shouldn't be earlier than 12 hours later. So . . . that's probably going to be some wonky time for you. might be the best plan is for you to skip the next shot and then you can shoot the following shot whenever you want to.

in other words, if you shot at 9am today, then again at noon, you can't give another shot until midnight tonight. i'd probably skip the midnight shot and shoot at 9am tomorrow to get yourselves back on your desired shot time.

the alternative is to work your way backwards 30 minutes or so per day - so you'd have to shoot at midnight tonight, 11:30am tomorrow, 11:30pm tomorrow night, 11:00am Thursday morning, 11pm thursday night, etc. 30 minutes once a day. i tried that a couple of times and when you've gotten 3 hrs off, it's so inconvenient i ended up skipping a shot to get back on track. it won't hurt her to do that.

fyi, it's also possible her blood sugar was rising this morning for other reasons, not because you had a furshot. give us a holler if you see that again and we'll help you figure out what's going on.
 
Thanks julie,

That all makes perfect sense.

Thanks for the advice, we really appreciate it. It's so frustrating to mess up when things were finally getting into a steady routine. Dave has a fever today too, so everything is haywire.

BTW, I am trying to get Tuffy's chart set up here. Hopefully it's just a few clicks away...
 
wonderful! we are handicapped when we don't have a spreadsheet! they are incredibly helpful! if you need help with it, just say so. there are people who can help.
 
It looks like the SS is working and just waiting for the numbers!

The hassle with Tuffy is that even if her numbers were really high, giving an early shot (e.g., an hour early) might mean that her numbers would tank. She is the queen of the dive! Given this particular kitty, moving the time in either 15 min. or 30 min. increments is probably wise.

Is this the first fur shot or is this a recurring problem? If the latter, sometimes, blowing air as you're ready to shoot so you can see the skin can help. Some folks have shaved a spot.
 
Hi Nada - SO SO Nice to see a Tuffy condo. I agree with all that has been said here. I can remember Barbara dealing with a diving kitty, i.e. falling numbers fast so many times. It might just be easier to skip the upcoming shot, and do the one after at the time you need, it won't hurt Tuffy any to do that. Barb was in that boat many a time. I can so understand the frustration... it is all such a learning curve.

I hope Dave feels better soon.
 
Thanks for the personal kitty advice. It was Dave's second time giving her shot and her said he knew he missed immediately, he even felt wet fur. I usually give the shot, but thought he better get used to it because I have a convention next week! Little did I know I was pushing him to learn a new skill when he was running a fever :(

I seem to have the spreadsheet up and running, if it shows on this post I'll start filling in numbers tomorrow. If I do a little each day, I should be able to keep up with it.

Nighty night,
Nada
 
I am thrilled to see a Tuffy condo and sorry to have missed your previous posts, but I've just gone back and read thru them now that I've found you!

I don't have a whole lot to add to what the others have said, except ditto. Tuffy is definitely the Queen Diva of Dives and Barbara told me more than once that she had come home to a # in the 30s or, not too long ago, I remember a 29...made Barbara crazy, but of course she loved Tuffy regardless!

You are truly special people for taking Tuffy in and then taking in Barbara's others as well. She was a good and kind friend to me and I miss her greatly, and it is so comforting to know that her kitties did not end up in a shelter. We talked about a lot of things, but most often our cats, our horses and working for lawyers (& UGH! on that one usually).

Anyway I am so glad you are here, LL has been a lifeline for me for years, and not just for my FD kitties incidentally. Barbara, and Tuffy, are very special to us all here in Lantus Land.

Call me or PM me anytime.

Desi
 
yuppers - ss up and running!
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what we need the most when we help a kitty is the immediate past 4ish days, but of course we like as much info as we can see! for now, you could just put in starting today and add on, then when you have time go back to today's line and insert rows above to add in previous numbers.

it definitely helps us if you always add the newest numbers at the bottom of the previous day's data. once in a while someone sets up the ss in reverse with newest numbers on top and that can be hard to figure out what's going on. does that make sense?
 
I looked at yours, and will follow the example. Barb must have recorded on paper then posted on the spreadsheet too, because she gave me a paper chart.
We will update the numbers tonight.
Thanks for you help last night. Tuffy never went over 200 before shot time. Yay :)
ND&T
 
Hi Nada & Dave, and, of course, Tuffy!

We are so glad that you will be posting and keeping track of Tuffy's numbers on your spreadsheet. Sorry about the furshot. I, unfortunately, am an expert at giving fur shots. :lol: One technique that I find really helps with Rusty (a Maine Coon mix with very long hair) is to pull up on a clump of hair so that you can see the skin. The pulling up of the hair makes an "automatic" tent.

We think of Barbara often. She was such a wonderful friend. Please give Tuffy and the other kitties scritches from us,

Ella & Rusty
 
Thanks for the tip. Tuffy has lots of long hair (but she doesn't shed much).

I have giving the injection down, but Dave has trouble there. On the other hand, I have trouble testing her, and Dave can handle that well. But between the two of us, we have her covered.

Started posting numbers on the SS today- and will keep updating as regularly as possible.

~N
 
Hi Nada - my hat goes off to you, and Dave. Taking on a FD kitty is not an easy task, and you have taken to it well. Her numbers look great. I know Barbara would be very pleased. Tuffy is cruising decent numbers, a sure sign that she is content, and happy. We always knew when Tuffy was upset, unhappy, scared, just not pleased - she'd always go sky high in the BG dept. To have her posting 100 - 200's is just great. Well done!
 
Hi Nada and Dave. I too was a friend of Barbara's. She was kind of like a mom to me and I miss her a lot.
During many phone calls over the years we talked about what would happen to her cats, and I'm glad that they have a great home. Bless your heart.
We've always enjoyed our Tuffy reports, and I am very happy to see you posting and letting us know how you are doing.
Barbara would often post a Caturday Tuffy Update, and we always loved hearing the stories and over the years we really got to know Tuffy ;-)
rub.gif

I think her numbers look great. Keep up the good work. I hope Dave is feeling all better soon. Hugs.
 
Thanks for the kind words. We are doing our best with Tuffy but she keeps us on our toes. Her numbers have been good, she gets a lot of stimulation and company since she lives in my home office. We even put a new futon in there so Dave can nap with her on worrisome nights.
Tomorrow is Caturday and Tuffy insists that we continue the redecoration of the office by adding curtains (opaque yellow), something in a frame other than a degree, and a handy new wall clock. Now she is a decorating diva!
~N
 
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