glucose readings

Hi,
I took my diabetic cat in for a check up and his glucose reading at the vet was 494 yet 45 minutes later when I got him home and took his reading it was 182. Can a trip to the vet stress him out so much it changes it so drastically?

 

Yes Vet stress can cause a huge swing in BG readings. I know one of my cats will just about lose his mind at the vets yet is the sweetest most laid back cat you will ever meet at home. But that alone I don't think ( and I could be wrong) could cause such a drastic swing, but it also could be a difference in how the test was done at the vet's office vs how you got yours at home. Since I'm not completely clear on the difference myself hopefully someone with more experience will be along shortly to clear it all up for you.

Mel

 

A difference like that can happen but it seems very large. What meter id the vet use? What meter did you use? Why not check BG again.

 

I'm not sure what meter the vet used. I used the Walgreens meter. I was trying to get a reading close to the same time the vet did to compare. I had taken his BG before at different times and I have never seen it above 300, yet 3 times at the vet it has been over 400.

 

B.K. can have a 300+ jump in his BG levels from going to the vet. Chester doesn't stress the way B.K. does, but even my laid-back lump of love jumped 100+.

 

If you want to check your meter, take it with you the next time you go to the vet and test with both. That should give you a good idea of the difference. And yes, vet stress can really raise the readings.

 

thank you all for your opinions and suggestions, you are all so helpful and it's nice to know I am not alone...I talked to the vet last night and asked her that if my cat''s BG level sky rockets because of stress then why does she want me to double his insulin...she said that if he is still peeing and drinking a lot than he should have his insulin doubled...I checked his BG last night at the time he was supposed to have his shot and it was 406 (the highest it's ever been at home) so naturally I gave him his shot. I'm wondering about the food he is eating. I have been going thru different kinds like crazy trying to find a wet food he will eat. I finally found "Soulistic" by Petco and it got rave reviews by owners of diabetic cats...has anyone out there used this food?

thank you,
Lyn

 

Doubling what dose of insulin? It is one thing to double 1 unit to 2 units...but doubling 2 units to 4 is a different story. Insulin doses typically are raised in 0.5 unit increments.

I assume from your post that you are testing at home...could you please fill out your profile to include insulin type, current dose, food, other medical conditions, testing results, etc? That way we can actually base our advice on facts...

Jen

 

I can't seem to find where I can update my profile...he was diagnosed 3 weeks ago and started on 1ml twice a day and the vet mants me to double it to 2ml twice a day. I can't recal the type of insulin, I will get that later. I tried the purina DM and my cat refused to eat it. So I've tried several different kinds of we kitten food, Iams, Max cat, wellness, Blue Wilderness, he is just so picky. He, "Tiger" is a 13 year old male siamese mix who was overweight before all of this. He lost 7 lbs. He doesn't have any other medical issues. I've tested him a couple of times at home, 6 hours after morning shot and his readings have been 163,182 and 206. I can only do that time of day during the weekends as I work Mon thru Friday. I am going to do a curve this Sat. I think I am supposed to start 2 hours before first shot and then do every 2 hours after that...is that right?

 

Up at the top left of the page is something called User Control Center - go to that and follow through to profile.

So you are giving 1 unit (not mls) and your vet wants you to go to 2 units. You've some spot checks that show numbers under 200 at approximately midpoint between shots, and you are feeding foods that may be relatively low in carbohydrates. This is good information It is important to know a few more things though...insulin type is VERY important, as is preshot test values (ie testing prior to shot). it may be that 1 unit isn't enough especially given the urination and water consumption, but you just don't have quite enough data to really know.

Yes, a curve is helpful and starts prior to shot and then continues approx every 2 hours until next shot. But preshot tests and spot checks are very helpful as well, especially as cats like to throw weird numbers sometimes when it is curve day...they like to mess with us, I think.

Does this help?

 

Jen means, please create a profile with all the info about your cat's diabetes, food, insulin type and dose, etc :smile: Instructions on how to create a profile and link it to your signature is here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17766

Insulin is measured in units, not ml.

1 ml would be one entire 100 unit insulin syringe, which is basically an OD for most diabetic cats.

Your cat is smart :smile: Purina DM isn't the best food for a diabetic cat. It's basically a bunch of worthless ingredients at a huge price.

Low carb canned or RAW is what you want to feed. Have you tried Fancy Feast? Many cats will eat that and there are many low carb varieties. There are many other brands. It may take some trial and error to find a brand or two that your cat will eat. Take a look at the food charts: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

It would also help if you could put the blood glucose numbers into a format like this:

PS
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
PS

PS is the pre-insulin blood glucose level. The + numbers indicates how many hours after the insulin shot the blood glucose level was taken, ex +3 344 means 3 hours after the insulin shot the blood glucose level was at 344.

You can post numbers in posts using the format above. Or, what many people find easiest, is to use a Google spreadsheet and link that to the signature. Instructions on how to set one up is here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

You must test before giving any insulin. That is the only way you know if it it safe to give insulin or not. For random testing, a few times after the insulin shot is fine if you can do them. It doesn't matter if you randomly test during the day or night.

[/quote]

Test the blood glucose level and give the insulin. Feed normally. Then test approxmately every 2 hours until the next PS. Don't go nuts trying to test exactly every 2 hours. If your cat gets cranky and hides, let him take a break and try testing later.

 

ok so I think I've added Tiger's info within my profile. I do a lot of work in several computer systems and have never seen anything quite like this.
Anyway, thank you all, you have been so helpful and patient since I am a newbee and am still not familiar with all the verbiage...
Tiger gets 1 unit twice a day. I have tried several different foods that are on the binky's page, but I have not tried the fancy feast...according to Binky's Table it would seem a bit high in carbs, is it not?
And yes, Jen your information is very helpful and your right, once I can do the curve I will know better on what I am dealing with.

 

Hi,

There are people here who use Fancy feast, evo and wellness I believe are popular ones too (I'm in Europe-different food)

Did your insulin come in a box? Should say on the side.
Or is anything written on the vial itself?
The syringes you are using-do they say u40 or u100 on them? (possibly a red or orange cap)

I'd stick with the 1u until you know what insulin you are using
and you are getting consistent glucose readings.

Do you have control solution for your glucometer? If so then you can test your meter. My cat was one of the most distressed animals you would ever see at the vets and her bg would normally go to just over an extra 100 points so your difference does seem high. It is possible that it is the vets meter and not yours :mrgreen:

 

Link to your profile on Google: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id ... 7GLM1jaMlA

It's readable but all the HTML is showing. The Coolification code goes in the special HTML code section of the Google document. The profile instructions tells how to do this: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17766 It's part C.

Also, put the link to your profile in your signature. That way it will show up whenever you post and people don't have to go looking for it. Go to User Control Panel then Profle then Edit Signature.

No. Many of the regular Fancy Feast are under 10% carbs which is good for a diabetic cat. The regular Fancy Feast is on the "old" canned food chart: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html

In general, look for canned foods that have a number 10 or less in the carb column of the food chart. Do keep a few high carb (18%+ carbs) canned food in the house to use in case of a hypo. The hig carbs will raise blood glucose levels. The gravy-based grilled and sliced varieties of Fancy Feast are great. Other grayv-based canned foods will also work.

Keep treats low carb, too. Here's a list of popular treats: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

 

The insulin Tiger is on is ProZinc. My meter does have a control solution. I wasn't really sure what that was for, but it would seem that it checks the accuracy of the meter itself? I will have to try that, thank you
I am limited to the times I can check his BG during the week. I checked him last night about 2 hours after dinner when he was due his shot and he was at 390 so I gave him 2 units. I gave him another 2 this morning and I will check him again tonight. I am wondering, if I get his BG under control will that possibly give him a better appetite? I'm just so afraid that he is going hungry sometimes because he is being so picky. He sometimes likes the food at first but then he turns his nose up to it the next feeding. I have opened 3 or 4 cans a day trying to find something he'll eat. I have also been back and forth to the pet store trying different foods so much that they call my name when I walk in (a Cheers reference) haha seriously about 9 different brands of wet and dry kitten food. I'm embarassed to say that I fed my cats meow mix all their lives and I actually started to get both my cats on better food about 3 months ago and it has been an awful experience...my other cat (Snuggles) I think she is just being a copy cat and has been picky too I am driving myself crazy trying to make sure Tiger is eating enough

 

Have you seen this link? It may have some ideas for you: http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

 

The high bgs can make them feel like cr*p which causes inappetance. This will improve with treatment but be vigilant on whether he is eating or not...I had to forcefeed my Squeak for a bit...

 

Thank you for the link Sue...I have tried a lot of those suggestions, warming not warming, pretending I'm making his food while I am making dinner, he really enjoyed some beef the other night which he has never liked beef before and he seems a bit put off by tuna and sardines which is not like him either. I haven't tried the catnip, maybe I'll try that since Tiger has enjoyed it in the past

 

Fortiflora is also something that lots of people use to stimulate their appetite. I think you can get it at the Petsmart vet or on Amazon. It's a powder that you sprinkle on food - apparently some kitties are crazy for it.

 

So I gave Tiger some Fancy Feast and he seemed to enjoy it but then vomited it all up about an hour later. He hasn't done any vomiting thru out this whole thing. I also tried some cat nip, he loved rolling in some but it didn't make him want to eat. I took his BG last night ps and it was 600+(but wasn't acting like he was in distress), I gave him 2 units and 2 hours later his BG was down to 429. I really just don't know what else to do, I'm at my wits end...I guess the next and about only thing I can start doing is force feeding him?

 

I advise getting some ketone test strips (available at any pharmacy) and testing his urin for ketones.
I use a small plastic cup and hold it under J.D.'s tail when he pees to get my sample. Other people use a ladle to catch it, and some people can hold the test stip directly in the pee stream. My cat had DKA , and it is very dangerous and expensive to treat. Please read this link when you have a chance http://www.petplace.com/cats/diabetic-ketoacidosis-dka-in-cats/page1.aspx I don't want to scare you. I just want you to test to be sure. The test strips are like $10.00 for 50 strips.

 

The fortiflora works pretty good for me to get Shadoe to eat.
When she was not feeling well, all I had to do was open the pack and give her a sniff and she nearly slapped the pack out of my hand! I sprinkle some on top of her food and she tried to lick if off the food LOL. But, it got some food into her so it as a good thing.
Whenever she seems a bit off her food, I just sprinkle a bit on her foods. I got a box of it from my vet office but I am sure you can get it other places as well.

I was wondering about eating the fancy feast then vomiting it later - maybe you could try some different flavors , and also, maybe just give small bits of food. If you give the food spread out over some time, maybe it ill settle better and not come back up.

 

hi Lyn

As Jen pointed out, doubling the dose when the dose is very low (.5 unit or less) is one thing, doubling it when it is higher is much different. Also, I may have misunderstood the timeline, but it strikes me as odd for a vet to say that based on how much Lucky is drinking and peeing is sufficient to indicate need to adjust dose, over just a day or two.

You may have figured this out already, but Big thing regarding the dose of shots: Lucky's responses, especially the therapeutic, "good" responses to insulin that you seek, are mostly not immediate or visible within hours or even days.

Yes, ProZinc will act within a few hours and the glucose level will reflect it, but Lucky's systems will not reflect the "real effect," for many days. Blood glucose responds in a delayed manner to a pattern of injections, and that makes dose adjustments tricky. Have you read all the FAQ's on these boards (including the "how to handle HYPOs" http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887)?

Re your original question, and for what it's worth, I found the Walgreen meter to register quite a bit lower than other meters, at all ranges. My vet's meter would say 370, and the Walgreen (a "TRUEresult" I think) 205 at home, that kind of thing. That could have been vet-stress, but I reproduced the same relationship at home comparing the Walgreen to two others, one of which was the Contour I ended up using. In Walgreen's defense, it could have been just my particular meter.