Glucose Level Dropping, Want Advice on Dosing - Humulin N

[Beck]

I had another thread asking about my newly diabetic cat Pepper, but decided to post here for more views. For the past 2 days, her morning test has been getting significantly lower. I had slightly reduced her dosage yesterday when I noticed this. It still dropped further today. While it' still in the pink, I'm wondering if I should give her insulin or a reduced dosage at least.

On that note, apologies for the spotty spreadsheet. I finally was able to test her without help for the first time this morning. She's still quite the wiggly worm when I test her.

Anyways, she's on Humulin N. Is this possibly a delayed effect of the insulin? or is it possible she's starting to go into remission? Either way, what should I do about her dosage?

Some Notes:

I suspect before she was diagnosed, she had become diabetic briefly in the past. Like at least 3 times, but only for 3-4 weeks at a time.

She has been eating a fair bit of chicken the past 2 days. She normally has Friskies pate. I think she snuck a bit of dry food last night though.

 

[Beck]

I'm a bit sad I didn't get any responses, but I'm sure it's hard to give advice with the lack of data so far. She did get her first yellow reading today(for AMPS or PMPS), but I did test her about an hour early.

Unfortunately she's becoming less cooperative over time with the testing. She's doing everything she can to get the chicken without the pricks. I thought I was using too small of a lancet, so I switched to the 26 gauge. Sadly, it's still taking multiple pricks to get any blood out of her. When I do hit blood, it's far more than I need too. : /

So any advice on getting blood out of her would be helpful. I'm already using Neosporin and warming her ear with a tiny bottle of hot water. Perhaps I should have made this another post, but oh well...

 

[cmonmiracle]

You might get more answers in this subforum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/caninsulin-vetsulin-and-n-nph.19/

Sorry I can't be more help, I'm new here myself.

 

[Nan & Amber (GA)]

I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier. I saw that you had some discussion going on your other thread, and felt I couldn't really add much here-- I've never used Humulin N and do not feel comfortable giving advice on dosage.

It sounds like you are doing the right things on the ear pricks. Sometimes it just takes time for the ears to "learn to bleed". Sometimes you just have to find the right spots for your cat's ears. I know with mine, she has one ear that bleeds quite easily, and one that just won't, no matter what I do.

Is there any chance she'll let you mess with her paws? A minority of cats can be tested on the paw pad (for that you have to use the thicker lancets), and I've heard it can be easier to get blood that way (I've never done it myself-- I do not have a cat in that minority, I can't imagine her letting me do that!).

 

[Beck]

I know with mine, she has one ear that bleeds quite easily, and one that just won't, no matter what I do.

Is there any chance she'll let you mess with her paws? A minority of cats can be tested on the paw pad (for that you have to use the thicker lancets), and I've heard it can be easier to get blood that way (I've never done it myself-- I do not have a cat in that minority, I can't imagine her letting me do that!).

Good to know I'm not crazy for thinking her right ear bleeds easier than the left. Does drawing from just the one ear cause any more noticeable irritation? So far it looks like her ears are healing fine, but she acts as if the prick is something horribly painful. Sometimes she he even lets out the saddest little mew the moment I prick her. : /

I could try the paws, but I get the feeling she'll let me do it once and then never again.

 

[Beck]

Unrelated, but I've noticed she has sniffles/congestion going on tonight. When I think about it, about a week before she was diagnosed she had sniffles/congestion for a few days, but it went away on it's own. Whatever it was the previous time, didn't seem to be contagious. Hopefully it's just allergies. Only other symptoms I see are maybe a slight eye wink and a little dry skin on her tail. She has been trying new food the past few days.

Figured I'd ask here in case there's something I need to watch out for on account of the diabetes. Any info is appreciated.

 

[Beck]

You might get more answers in this subforum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/caninsulin-vetsulin-and-n-nph.19/

Sorry I can't be more help, I'm new here myself.

No worries, thanks for the reply. I originally posted in that subforum when she was first diagnosed, but it doesn't seem there are many who use Humulin/Novolin N.

 

[Nan & Amber (GA)]

Good to know I'm not crazy for thinking her right ear bleeds easier than the left. Does drawing from just the one ear cause any more noticeable irritation? So far it looks like her ears are healing fine, but she acts as if the prick is something horribly painful. Sometimes she he even lets out the saddest little mew the moment I prick her. : /

To be honest, I've pretty much given up on that one ear, so I'm not sure! It's not ideal to use only one ear and it can get a little irritated with a lot of testing in a day, but using the neosporin usually means it's back to normal by morning. Amber jumps a bit when I poke, but she also jumps when she thinks I'm poking even if I haven't done anything. Honestly I think she's trying to run through the whole routine of actions as fast as possible so that she can get her treat!

I have heard that poking on the vein itself (that's when you get lots of blood) can be a little more painful. Also, if you aren't already, make sure you are applying a little pressure on the poke site after getting the blood. It's not just to stop bleeding in the moment, it also cuts down on bruising and later irritation, especially at heavy-bleeding sites like on a vein.

 

[Bellasmom]

Good to know I'm not crazy for thinking her right ear bleeds easier than the left. Does drawing from just the one ear cause any more noticeable irritation? So far it looks like her ears are healing fine, but she acts as if the prick is something horribly painful. Sometimes she he even lets out the saddest little mew the moment I prick her. : /

I could try the paws, but I get the feeling she'll let me do it once and then never again.

I always use paws, I rotate and to me it’s a lot easier I could never get the ear thing down, I do paw, give treat

 

[Bellasmom]

No worries, thanks for the reply. I originally posted in that subforum when she was first diagnosed, but it doesn't seem there are many who use Humulin/Novolin N.

I use Novolin N, new to here too but will help if I can

 

[JanetNJ]

Unrelated, but I've noticed she has sniffles/congestion going on tonight. When I think about it, about a week before she was diagnosed she had sniffles/congestion for a few days, but it went away on it's own. Whatever it was the previous time, didn't seem to be contagious. Hopefully it's just allergies. Only other symptoms I see are maybe a slight eye wink and a little dry skin on her tail. She has been trying new food the past few days.

Figured I'd ask here in case there's something I need to watch out for on account of the diabetes. Any info is appreciated.

Is there any discharge from the eyes of nose?

Any chance you can do a curve or a few extra tests this weekend? Not a whole lot of mid day info so folks are hesitant to give dosing advice.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I'm going out on a limb by saying that I think the dose is a bit too low. It's hard to advise without the necessary data, though. I know you're working on the testing process. Maybe try staying at 1 u consistently while you work on the testing thing? Changing doses up and down even a little bit can make BG numbers more erratic until you have a good dose range figured out.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

And keep testing for ketones!

 

[JanetNJ]

I'm going out on a limb by saying that I think the dose is a bit too low. It's hard to advise without the necessary data, though. I know you're working on the testing process. Maybe try staying at 1 u consistently while you work on the testing thing? Changing doses up and down even a little bit can make BG numbers more erratic until you have a good dose range figured out.

I agree. I’d stick to 1 also.

 

[Beck]

I have heard that poking on the vein itself (that's when you get lots of blood) can be a little more painful. Also, if you aren't already, make sure you are applying a little pressure on the poke site after getting the blood. It's not just to stop bleeding in the moment, it also cuts down on bruising and later irritation, especially at heavy-bleeding sites like on a vein.

I don't think I've been hitting the vein, at least not since the beginning. It's luckily pretty easy to see her veins. I've been blotting her ears with cotton balls afterwards, though she isn't always cooperative.

I always use paws, I rotate and to me it’s a lot easier I could never get the ear thing down, I do paw, give treat

Does she willing lift her paw up, or do you have to pick her up to get a sample? Also, what gauge lancet do you use? Thanks!

Is there any discharge from the eyes of nose?

Any chance you can do a curve or a few extra tests this weekend? Not a whole lot of mid day info so folks are hesitant to give dosing advice.

I'm not exactly sure what qualifies as discharge. Nothing from the eyes. Nothing drying on the nose, but she did have some cream colored snot come out after a sneezing fit last night.

I'm hoping my mom can help me get some extra tests in this weekend. I actually failed to get a test this morning. Didn't seem to matter what ear or what size lancet, I wasn't getting any blood. Will have to try the paw method tonight.

Maybe it's because of the congestion issue, but she only ate few pieces of chicken this morning. I'm afraid to give her insulin until I get a test out of her and she starts eating more. She was pretty ravenous all the time up until a few days ago. Though I think she was still eating as much as the average cat til this morning.

 

[JanetNJ]

I don't think I've been hitting the vein, at least not since the beginning. It's luckily pretty easy to see her veins. I've been blotting her ears with cotton balls afterwards, though she isn't always cooperative.



Does she willing lift her paw up, or do you have to pick her up to get a sample? Also, what gauge lancet do you use? Thanks!



I'm not exactly sure what qualifies as discharge. Nothing from the eyes. Nothing drying on the nose, but she did have some cream colored snot come out after a sneezing fit last night.

I'm hoping my mom can help me get some extra tests in this weekend. I actually failed to get a test this morning. Didn't seem to matter what ear or what size lancet, I wasn't getting any blood. Will have to try the paw method tonight.

Maybe it's because of the congestion issue, but she only ate few pieces of chicken this morning. I'm afraid to give her insulin until I get a test out of her and she starts eating more. She was pretty ravenous all the time up until a few days ago. Though I think she was still eating as much as the average cat til this morning.

Could be allergies. Could be a cold. If it’s a viral cold you've gotta just wait it out. If the snot gets worse you'll wanna have her see a vet. If you have a vaporizer you may wanna use it. Let her be in a bathroom with a steamy shower

Testing will get easier as the capillaries grow. Maybe a 26 gauge lancet would help.

 

[Bellasmom]

I don't think I've been hitting the vein, at least not since the beginning. It's luckily pretty easy to see her veins. I've been blotting her ears with cotton balls afterwards, though she isn't always cooperative.



Does she willing lift her paw up, or do you have to pick her up to get a sample? Also, what gauge lancet do you use? Thanks!



I'm not exactly sure what qualifies as discharge. Nothing from the eyes. Nothing drying on the nose, but she did have some cream colored snot come out after a sneezing fit last night.

I'm hoping my mom can help me get some extra tests in this weekend. I actually failed to get a test this morning. Didn't seem to matter what ear or what size lancet, I wasn't getting any blood. Will have to try the paw method tonight.

Maybe it's because of the congestion issue, but she only ate few pieces of chicken this morning. I'm afraid to give her insulin until I get a test out of her and she starts eating more. She was pretty ravenous all the time up until a few days ago. Though I think she was still eating as much as the average cat til this morning.

What I do it’s get all my meter stuff together and treat, pick him up lay him on couch, he just lays there, I stick get test, give the treat and we are done, he lays on his side, I do clean his paw with alcohol wipe before

 

[Beck]

Could be allergies. Could be a cold. If it’s a viral cold you've gotta just wait it out. If the snot gets worse you'll wanna have her see a vet. If you have a vaporizer you may wanna use it. Let her be in a bathroom with a steamy shower

Testing will get easier as the capillaries grow. Maybe a 26 gauge lancet would help.

Bleh, she puked just now. Maybe she's eating too much chicken too soon. She happily ate some broth from the canned food afterwards, but doesn't seem keen on solids. She's acting like she's hungry, but wary of most foods.

I would assume a cold would be contagious? Whatever it is, it's not passing to any other cats. And she's regularly in contact with at least 4.

I tried a 30 and 26 gauge lancet this morning with no luck. Unfortunately it seems like either I hit a spot willing to bleed or not. I can usually feel when I hit something fleshy enough to bleed, but it's still really hard finding those spots. The 26 spooks me a bit as when I do hit blood, I get several drops.

What I do it’s get all my meter stuff together and treat, pick him up lay him on couch, he just lays there, I stick get test, give the treat and we are done, he lays on his side, I do clean his paw with alcohol wipe before

I think I can get her to lay on the couch no problem. I'm just worried she'll bolt as soon as I prick her. But it's worth a shot anyways. Thanks

 

[JanetNJ]

Bleh, she puked just now. Maybe she's eating too much chicken too soon. She happily ate some broth from the canned food afterwards, but doesn't seem keen on solids. She's acting like she's hungry, but wary of most foods.

I would assume a cold would be contagious? Whatever it is, it's not passing to any other cats. And she's regularly in contact with at least 4.

I tried a 30 and 26 gauge lancet this morning with no luck. Unfortunately it seems like either I hit a spot willing to bleed or not. I can usually feel when I hit something fleshy enough to bleed, but it's still really hard finding those spots. The 26 spooks me a bit as when I do hit blood, I get several drops.



I think I can get her to lay on the couch no problem. I'm just worried she'll bolt as soon as I prick her. But it's worth a shot anyways. Thanks

I use 28 gauge myself.