High BG - then drop???

[theresa]

Hello!

I have mainly been a lurker on this site for the past year. My cat was diagnosed with diabetes last spring and thanks to this site and the forum I have learned so much.

At times I still experience great frustration with this disease mainly because of two factors; BG numbers and food.

My cat is on Lantus, 2 units, 2x a day. He has never been regulated because he has had some other health issues. For example, he just had a dental and besides his incisors and canines, he has one lone tooth left. The vet believes the oral issues exacerbated the diabetes and I have to say I agree. Since the dental and recovery, his numbers have seemed to stabalize - well....

Ok, the other night I tested him before insulin - 431....what??? He hasn't been over 325 for months. I couldn't believe it. So I upped his dose by just a smidge to 2.25 units. The next day I gave him another 2.25 units. Then at peak I checked him and it was 146....and then I tested him again before insulin 266.

How is that possible? I mean the huge spike and quick decline? I am careful with his food - mainly Fancy Feast/Friskies so when I get such an aberration, I just don't understand. Tonight I will go back to the 2 units and re-check him again at peak and hopefully his numbers are still good.

Secondly, concerning food. My cat likes FF but a few flavors he just will not eat at all so I try to get some variety by purchasing other "safe" brands. But my question is the Whiskas Savory Pates in the trays. I called Mars and the rep said the product was only 2.5% carbs for the whole tray....Really? But others have noted this food sucks for low-carb diets.
I must admit I get so confused over the whole food thing. I am working on understanding the food thing by learning how to really read the labels.

Thank you all for the information provided on this site/forums. When I was depressed over his initial diagnosis, all the resources here saved my sanity. While I still have a lot to learn, I am grateful to have found a site with so much info and with so many experienced people.

Thank you
Theresa

 

[BJM]

Spikes can happen for many reasons - fur shots, binging, different activity level, new infections, and more.

Are you getting any tests between AM and PM?

Important
Lantus doses are adjusted based on the nadir, the lowest point between the shots, not on the pre-shot data.

Lantus takes a minimum of 3 days at the same dose before you can get a good estimate of the nadir and whether or not to adjust the dose.

It will help us give you feedback if you set up a spreadsheet of the data you are collecting. There are instructions here How to Get a SS and Link in your Signature *updated 2/13/12.

 

[LynnLee + Mousie]

just also want to add that things totally "un-cat" can effect BG levels too. for instance, we had an earthquake last week here. nothing too big really by earthquake standards but it was a pretty good one jolt all of a sudden, rather surprising it was. my Mousie's BG that night, 45 minutes after the main 4.0 earthquake but during the much smaller aftershocks, was mid 300's. this from a kitty that most of the time is well under 200. i knew it was from the earthquake as Mother Nature tends to effect Mousie's BG quite a bit, so i shot her normal dose and the next morning she was back to where she normally runs and has been ever since

the key is to not react to one number, but watch the trends. also, with lantus you don't really see an effect from changing the dose in one shot. if you do, the number you reacted to, and raised the dose for, was most likely a one time thing, either something raised it temporarily for whatever reason, or even the test was a bad test.