Gramps Insulin levels.... Pls Advise

[Catlady38]

GOODMORNING ALL.....

I want to first thank everyone at DCIN For helping me understand how this Organization/Board works.... I am very impressed about the knowledge many of you have! I am so happy to have found you! I would be lost!

Gramps 3/27/12....
Before he ate I tested his BG levels and it was 341. After he ate, I gave him 4 units of insulin. Then two hrs after he ate, I tested his BG level agaion and it was 266. I was wondering if there is a chart to follow. Meaning....since I have no PC in wtby, It would be great to have something to look at to figure out how much insulin to give, based on his BG level....

Otherwise, he is great! He loves to sit in the bathroom window, and look outside. I am sure being a TNR cat, he misses the outdoors! :0( At BAH he was in a small isolation room, with no windows.... so he is happy now....

We feed him mainly wetfood, a quarter can 4 times aday. He loves Purina Pro Plan. He is still given some of his KD dryfood Can anyone tell me the best way to weanhim off the dry so I can do a curve? I know that when he has his teeth renoved he will only beable to eat soft food. I am nervous that when he has surgery he will not eat much.

Thanks Again for your help.... And if I have posted this in the wrong spot pls advise....

Jennifer..... I am sending you support, while you go through your surgery today! Take care and get well, we need you here....

Tracy

 

[lynda and scruffy (GA)]

Hi, Tracy.

Glad Gramps seems to be doing well. I'm still not sure what insulin you're using, but I would like to suggest again that you're still giving a pretty large amount of insulin, and the newer insulins work best when they are consistently given 12 hours apart, in a set amount, starting with a small dosage so that the "right" dose doesn't get missed. Even with PZI, it's a good idea to give the insulin time to "settle" - if you change the dose every shot, you'll never really see what the activity of one specific amount is. Your vet started you on a very large 5 unit dose - and it's still not possible to tell if that's the correct dose or not. If you start small, you have the freedom to increase the dose by small amounts; if you give a large dose and it's too much, Gramps could end up with a hypo. It could even be that the small amount of dry food he's getting is protecting him from hypo, actually.

You can still do a curve (which would provide better information if you are giving a consistent dose) even if he's getting a little dry food - what you want to see is what the effect of the insulin is over 12 hours (or more.) You want to see what his AM PS is, for example, when his glucose level starts to drop, when it hits its lowest point, how many hours it lasts (or when the level starts to go back up), etc. It's usually helpful to start with 1 unit, and to follow the response for two or three days by doing tests at a variety of times after the shot. If it looks like he's going too low, or the insulin isn't lasting long enough, or if there isn't a sufficient response, then you can increase (or decrease) by .25 or .50, say, and again, give it a couple of days for his system to adjust. Finding the right dose for a cat is unfortunately not something you can find on a chart, because they're so different in their responses. You just have to experiment in as organized a way as you can, and keep good records. And along the way, you'll learn other interesting things, like whether he's a cat whose glucose level goes up quickly or a lot after eating, and if he's consistent in his response to a dose...

Dr. Lisa has information on her website about removing dry food - http://www.catinfo.org

 

[Blue]

The dose you are giving is pretty high, but since you are feeding Gramps some dry food, it's likely keeping his numbers high. If you are going to remove the dry food, which is a good idea since he likes his wet food, you will need to lower his dose to 1u or 2u first because his numbers will drop when he is eating only wet food.

You mentioned his teeth; is he going for a dental soon? I would not worry about his not eating well after any dental; I am sure he will come home and want to gobble down his Pro Plan. The wet food is better for him anyways.

What insulin are you giving to Gramps? you can post where you like BUT if you are using a particular insulin, you may get more specific help from others using the same insulin if you post in that group.
If you are giving Gramps Lantus, then posting in the Lantus group will get you support from the other Lantus users.

You can do a curve anytime you like! You have a day when you are around and can test him every 2hrs, then do a curve! it's the only way you will know if the insulin is working or not, and you will know if his dose is too much, not enough, or just right! The curve is needed to let you know how the insulin is working, and also to keep Gramps safe from going too low.