Hypo?

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Willow71

Willow71

Member Since 2017
Willow has been back on 1 unit morning and night since back from her vet stay of a few days. Yesterday she was 7 BS in the morning so we withheld insulin for a few hours after she ate then gave 1/2 unit 4 hrs later when she was back to 23.6.
Today she was 5 before breakfast so we waited 2 hrs and she was back to 14.9 so we gave her 1 unit of lantus insulin. 2 hours after insulin she dived down to 4.9 then 4.3 15 minutes later so we have fed her a small meal of her diabetic Royal Canin. Going to retest in a few minutes and if it doesn’t go up we will give a higher carb food or honey. Any thoughts?
 
On your human meter the normal range is 50-120mg/dL (2.8-6.7mmol/L) so at 4.4 and 4.7 Willow's currently at a safe level.
Willow71 said:
Willow has been back on 1 unit morning and night since back from her vet stay of a few days. Yesterday she was 7 BS in the morning so we withheld insulin for a few hours after she ate then gave 1/2 unit 4 hrs later when she was back to 23.6.
Today she was 5 before breakfast so we waited 2 hrs and she was back to 14.9 so we gave her 1 unit of lantus insulin. 2 hours after insulin she dived down to 4.9 then 4.3 15 minutes later so we have fed her a small meal of her diabetic Royal Canin. Going to retest in a few minutes and if it doesn’t go up we will give a higher carb food or honey. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

SITREP

Today: (human meter)
Breakfast time test - 5.0 [Mogs: did she eat after this test? If yes, please give details.] - NO INSULIN GIVEN AT THIS TIME. STALLED.

AMPS - 14.9 - Dose: 1.0IU Lantus.
AM+2.00 - 4.9
AM+2.25 - 4.3 - fed small meal of RC Diabetic.
AM+2.50 - 4.7

Is this SITREP correct?


Mogs
.
 
On a human meter, we don't want them going below 2.8 (50 for the benefit of our American friends).

Also we don't determine the dose by the preshot or number before shooting, but rather the low numbers mid cycle. Lantus does best with the same dose. Take a read if the Sticky Notes in this forum.

And welcome by the way.:)
 
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Critter Mom said:
On your human meter the normal range is 50-120mg/dL (2.8-6.7mmol/L) so at 4.4 and 4.7 Willow's currently at a safe level.


SITREP

Today: (human meter)
Breakfast time test - 5.0 [Mogs: did she eat after this test? If yes, please give details.] - NO INSULIN GIVEN AT THIS TIME. STALLED.

AMPS - 14.9 - Dose: 1.0IU Lantus.
AM+2.00 - 4.9
AM+2.25 - 4.3 - fed small meal of RC Diabetic.
AM+2.50 - 4.7

Is this SITREP correct?


Mogs
.
Click to expand...
Yes that’s correct except she was fed her normal size of 85g of diabetes Royal Canin this morning at breakfast when she texted 5.
 
SITREP UPDATE

On a human meter the normal range is 2.8 - 6.7mmol/L (50 - 120mg/dL) so at 4.4 and 4.7 Willow's currently at a safe level.


Today: (human meter)

Breakfast time test - 5.0 - Fed 85g RC Diabetic food - NO INSULIN GIVEN AT THIS TIME. STALLED.

AMPS - 14.9 - Dose: 1.0IU Lantus. [AMPS taken 2 hours after breakfast time test and food]
AM+2.00 - 4.9
AM+2.25 - 4.3 - fed small meal of RC Diabetic.
AM+2.50 - 4.7

.
 
Off and on, almost dinner time here. Go to sleep Mogs.

You don't need a pet glucometer. Most of us use human ones because the strips are much cheaper. The hypo point is different between the two, hence the question. We also use 1/2 unit marker syringes for dosing, not the pens.
 
Critter Mom said:
@Wendy&Neko - Will you be around to keep an eye out for Willow? (I've got sleep meds on board and I'm about to pass out.)


Mogs
.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the responses. She’s back up to 5.5 a little while ago so I think she’ll be okay now but I’ll keep monitoring. Yes please sleep! We will be fine now. I know what numbers to look for and if worried honey on her gums has bought it up very quickly a few times
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Off and on, almost dinner time here. Go to sleep Mogs.

You don't need a pet glucometer. Most of us use human ones because the strips are much cheaper. The hypo point is different between the two, hence the question. We also use 1/2 unit marker syringes for dosing, not the pens.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks. We are trying to find a source to buy the half unit syringes from. The vet couldn’t find them in Australia but I’m
Happy to order overseas.
 
Welcome! It looks like Willow has jumped in with all four paws :cat:, most of us get a slower introduction to lower numbers! Just another comment, Wendy mentioned needing to keep the dose the same for a.m. and p.m., but I'll also add that dosing should be done 12 hours apart. So, pick a good time that works for you when you can do this consistently.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Welcome! It looks like Willow has jumped in with all four paws :cat:, most of us get a slower introduction to lower numbers! Just another comment, Wendy mentioned needing to keep the dose the same for a.m. and p.m., but I'll also add that dosing should be done 12 hours apart. So, pick a good time that works for you when you can do this consistently.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Yes we are dosing every 12 hours. The vet told us to feed just twice a day before dosing. Is this what others do? Willow is so hungry by the time she eats though that seems to have been the case since we noticed symptoms that led to her diagnosis.
 
The other issue is she is due for her next usual dose in three hours but as she had a late dose this morning I guess I wait a few more hours but if her levels are still around 5ish I’m a bit worried about dosing her with insulin before bed in case of lows again.
 
Sorry, I was mid-response, and my Ipad crashed on me, so I'm on my ancient desktop computer lol.

Most of us break up a daily meal into smaller meals during the day, and I think that may be a good idea to try for Willow. The only time to not feed is 2 hours before your designated shot time, because you don't want that preshot test to be possibly influenced (artificially inflated) by food. Of course if your cat is within that "take action" number of 2.8 mmol/L (50 mg/dl) then you would intervene with carbs. Most cats at diagnosis are hungry all the time, because their body can't metabolize the nutrients properly due to the lack of insulin, and always need more. When they get more regulated with the help of insulin, their metabolism evens out.
 
Willow71 said:
The other issue is she is due for her next usual dose in three hours but as she had a late dose this morning I guess I wait a few more hours but if her levels are still around 5ish I’m a bit worried about dosing her with insulin before bed in case of lows again.
Click to expand...
Please don't give the insulin in three hours, that would act as a dose increase, and she is already having some good lower numbers. You don't have a lot of data yet, and given that you had a late dose this morning, it may make the most sense to skip tonight and start over again at the right time tomorrow. There are ways to get back on schedule when you have shot late, see attached link

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/getting-back-on-schedule.101059/

You could see what Willow's evening preshot number is (12 hours from when you gave the morning shot), and post here for help.

As I said, you don't have much data, so I think this from the sticky on Start Low Go Slow might be applicable to you:

"How to handle a lower than normal preshot number:

In the beginning we suggest following the guidelines in the FDMB's FAQ Q4.4:
Q4.4. My cat's pre-shot level was way below the usual value. Should I give the injection?
A4.4. There's no hard and fast rule, but if you don't have data on how your cat responds to insulin, here are some general guidelines.
  • Below 150 mg/dl (8.3 mmol/L), don't give insulin.
  • Between 150 and 200 (8.3-11.1 mmol/L), you have three options: a.) give nothing; b.) give a token dose (10-25% of the usual dose); c.) feed as usual, test in a couple of hours, and make a decision based on that value.
  • Above 200 (11.1 mmol/L) but below the cat's normal pre-shot value, a reduced dose might be wise.
  • In all cases, if you are reducing or eliminating insulin, it's wise to check for ketones in the urine.
  • Above the normal pre-shot value, give the usual dose, but if the pre-shot value is consistently elevated, it's a good idea to schedule a full glucose curve to see whether a change in dose or insulin is appropriate. In most cases, the target "peak" value should not be below 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L), and for some cats it might be higher.
Keep in mind these are general guidelines, and they should be personalized to your own cat's response to insulin. If your experience is that your cat does not became hypoglycemic with a dose which is close to her usual, then personal experience should be your guide. "
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Sorry, I was mid-response, and my Ipad crashed on me, so I'm on my ancient desktop computer lol.

Most of us break up a daily meal into smaller meals during the day, and I think that may be a good idea to try for Willow. The only time to not feed is 2 hours before your designated shot time, because you don't want that preshot test to be possibly influenced (artificially inflated) by food. Of course if your cat is within that "take action" number of 2.8 mmol/L (50 mg/dl) then you would intervene with carbs. Most cats at diagnosis are hungry all the time, because their body can't metabolize the nutrients properly due to the lack of insulin, and always need more. When they get more regulated with the help of insulin, their metabolism evens out.
Click to expand...
That makes sense thank you.
 
How late was your dose this morning? Looks like she is going up so she should be shootable. You don't want to miss a shot with ketones in the recent past.
 
THe dose this morning was 2 and a half hours late so I could give her a shot in about 1.5 hours maybe? Or should I wait 2.5 hours? That will put her morning dose out though and I have work tomorrow so can’t monitor her majority of the day. Maybe a half dose is a gd compromise.
 
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Just caught miss Willow getting into some freshly made cheese scones! Managed to rescue the big piece of scone out of her mouth before she ate it! She’s been vacuuming any crumbs from the floor with her mouth lately! Will be glad when her appetite settles down!
 
She's high enough you could probably shoot one hour early this one time only, so 11 hours after this morning's shot.
 
Thanks again for help yesterday. I gave Willow her shot at 11 hrs after this mornings and she was back in the 20’s this morning so did her usual 1 unit this morning as well.
 
I'm so glad Willow came up to a number you could shoot! I hope I didn't overwhelm you with all the info I sent all at once, I know there is a lot to process! I checked in once more before my bedtime, but hadn't seen anything, so I'm glad you had some help from Wendy. It's definitely a lot easier when someone is available to answer your questions than having to read through heaps of stuff!

So....more info coming your way :)...I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned the use of spreadsheets to track BG readings, but here is the link to get you started, when you're ready.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

And there is also some great general info in this link:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...the-basics-new-to-the-group-start-here.18139/

Ask as many questions as you'd like, sometimes the weekends are a bit slow, but everyone here really is very helpful.
 
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