Glucose levels

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jupiter_waltz

Member Since 2012
Hi Guys,

I haven't been giving my cat insulin for the last 10 weeks becuase according to her levels she is in remission. Just lately she has been looking a little down so I checked her blood levels and she was 162 before a feed, which is kinda border line high so I gave her a half unit of insulin. Just after her feed time and she recorded a 112 and is looking more like her happy self, preening away. I think the small unit works for her, even though you guys say never give an insulin shot under 200. The half unit is so negligble and seems to work because she starts to fatten up too. So I don't think all your rules work for all cats. Well thats my observation, hopefully I'm right. No one would know better than me of how my cat is feeling and behaving, so I think I'm doing the right thing.

Hopefully Brad
 
jupiter_waltz said:
Hi Guys,

I haven't been giving my cat insulin for the last 10 weeks becuase according to her levels she is in remission. Just lately she has been looking a little down so I checked her blood levels and she was 162 before a feed, which is kinda border line high so I gave her a half unit of insulin. Just after her feed time and she recorded a 112 and is looking more like her happy self, preening away. I think the small unit works for her, even though you guys say never give an insulin shot under 200. The half unit is so negligble and seems to work because she starts to fatten up too. So I don't think all your rules work for all cats. Well thats my observation, hopefully I'm right. No one would know better than me of how my cat is feeling and behaving, so I think I'm doing the right thing.

Hopefully Brad
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Good Morning :smile: How awesome that your girl's been in remission! What's her name? I don't think I've ever "met" you. My name is Kat & I live in Ohio. I took control of Gobbles' FD once I joined this site. You really know your cat and its great you're so perceptive of her. I'm the same way with Gobbles (my 10 yr. old Sugar Boy who is on Lantus--dx 11/17/12) and can easily tell when he seems "off". I don't give dosing advice so I have no opinion re: giving 1/2 unit. What brand of insulin had she been/is on?

If she's on Lantus, we don't say "never give an insulin shot under 200", but we do advise that for newbies. I didn't shoot under 200 at first, then progressed lower as I (and Gobbles) got more educated and experienced with Lantus. I finally shot at 91 last week, but that's because I keep track of his BG and he did need his shot, as he is not regulated yet and his numbers did not warrant to not giving a shot.

You're correct, that "not all your rules work for all cats", however, they aren't "rules", per se; it is advice--no one is making anyone do something. You hold the needle and it's your cat. A big motto here is ECID "every cat is different".

How is she eating? peeing? pooing? preening? purring? What kind of food does she eat?

Have a great Sunday and hopefully, her numbers come down to the normal range.
 
Hiya Brad,

I've been wondering how you and Sabrina were doing. Nice to hear from you!

The general advice to not give a shot below 200(11) is for newcomers. Those with experience of how insulin works in their cat often give shots lower than that. You do have some experience about how insulin works in your cat and have made a decision based on your experience.

And since you are now also hometesting you can monitor Sabrina to check that she doesn't drop too low... There was quite a drop in a short time between those two tests that you got so it might be wise to continue to check her until she reaches insulin peak (lowest BG) at around 5 - 6 hours after shot. (Is she on Caninsulin or Lantus now..?). If she drops too fast then you can slow that down by giving her a snack.

Eliz

Edited to add:
Just wondering why her blood glucose levels might have crept up recently... Have you changed her food at all (is she still eating low carb wet food?) Does she have any sign of infection? Dental issues...?
 
Hi Eliz and Kat (what an awesome name)

My cat's name is Sabrina and she is an Oriental Siamese. I'm using Lantus and am very cautious now after reducing the dose of 1.5 (vet recomendation) after Sabrina went into a twitching attack to 0.5 which seemed to work. Then took her off Lantus totally because she was always under the 200, but I think I had her better moderated using the small dose of 0.5 Lantus, Sabrina semed to fatten up and be more frisky. So I've started her on 0.5 lantus again.

Thanks girls
 
jupiter_waltz said:
Hi Eliz and Kat (what an awesome name)

My cat's name is Sabrina and she is an Oriental Siamese. I'm using Lantus and am very cautious now after reducing the dose of 1.5 (vet recomendation) after Sabrina went into a twitching attack to 0.5 which seemed to work. Then took her off Lantus totally because she was always under the 200, but I think I had her better moderated using the small dose of 0.5 Lantus, Sabrina semed to fatten up and be more frisky. So I've started her on 0.5 lantus again.

Thanks girls
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Sabrina's such a beautiful name. Do you have a picture? My sister christened me "Kat" several years ago (my real name is Kathleen) because she said I "played with people like a cat does to a mouse"...LOL....but that's not true nowadays!! It's obvious how much you love your girl and I applaud your caution--I would do the very same thing. Are you keeping track of her numbers? Have you given any thought to starting a spreadsheet on her? It's so nice to meet you and I hope Sabrina's numbers come down into the normal range soon. She may already be there, at nadir. Is it possible for you to test her a few times a day? I would at least test her before each shot, and then 6 hours after her shot is given. Just my suggestion cat_pet_icon
 
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