Insulin monitoring

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AnitaJ

AnitaJ

Member Since 2016
Hi Everyone,

My cat Daffodil was diagnosed with Diabetes recently. Her blood sugar level was very high so her vet started her at 2 units, twice daily. I took her back today because she threw up bile, which she has never done. The Vet said to increase her dosage to 4 units twice daily because her insulin was still very high - 19.3 today. She had her first increased dose 1.5 hours ago. If she were to have had too much insulin would she be showing an overdose by now? I would really appreciate any advice. I am in a constant state of worry right now. I haven't left her side and so far so good. Thank you.
 
First of all, Welcome to the FDMB!! This is the best place you never wanted to be if you have an "extra sweet" kitty!!

Learning to home test will answer all your questions!! Most of us here us human blood glucose meters to monitor our cats and see how they're responding to treatment as well as keeping them safe.

Vets hardly ever mention home testing....possibly because they think people will consider it too much trouble and will choose to euthanize, but those of us here know it's the only way to really know what's going on in your sugarcat's body!! You don't need your vets permission to do it either!!

A few questions.....What insulin are you using? What food are you feeding? Where do you live? (I can tell you're outside the US because we use a different system on our blood glucose numbers)
 
Thank you so much for your Reply! We live in Canada, Daffy eats GI moderate calorie by Royal Canin. Today I bought a prescription diabetic formula and am mixing it in her regular canned food to start. Plus she gets a little bit of fancy feast mixed in. The insulin is called caninsulin. Thank you for the blood glucose test idea. I bought one today so I am reading how to do it right now. I need to calm down here I completely forgot about it. Thank you so Much!!
 
Hi, I am hoping you can help me with another question. Is her ear the only place I can get a Sample? I am having difficulties getting enough for a test. I've warmed her ear and alcohol swabbed it as well. Thank you in advance for any Advice!
 
My kitty is also on vestulin/caninsulin. It is known to cause quick fast drops in blood sugar in kitties. I don't mean to worry you in any way, but it is a good thing you are monitoring her at home so you can see how she is responding to the insulin. Increasing from 2U to 4U is a huge jump. I would be concerned with that large of an increase so suddenly. Please test her as soon as you can and then again in 2 hours and 4 hours after the insulin was administered and post back here for advice. There are lot of knowledgeable folks here who can help you with this.
 
AnitaJ said:
Hi, I am hoping you can help me with another question. Is her ear the only place I can get a Sample? I am having difficulties getting enough for a test. I've warmed her ear and alcohol swabbed it as well. Thank you in advance for any Advice!
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You can test on the paw pad as well. My kitty probably would not let me do that, though since he is picky about his feet being touched. Since you just gave your kitty 4Us, I would test right now wherever you can get a sample. Please post back the number as soon as you get the reading from the monitor.

If you keep trying on the ear, here is a little more advice: poke the ear between the vein along the edge of the ear and the actual edge of the ear. I find I get the best blood sample closer to the tip. Hope this helps. Good luck. :bighug:
 
AnitaJ said:
If she were to have had too much insulin would she be showing an overdose by now?
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For my cat personally, I see that the vestulin/cannisulin peaks (causing the lowest blood sugar number) between 2 and 4 hours. Please test now and respond with the reading. Good luck.
 
Also, can you please post what type of meter you are using? For most, you insert the strip (make sure you put the correct end into the meter), poke the kitty's ear, and then hold the meter (with the strip inserted) up against the blood drop at a slight angle and allow the strip to 'sip' up the blood into the tiny chamber at the end of the strip. The reader should display the number in a few seconds.
 
Hi Anita and welcome to FDMB from another Canadian in Ontario. What part of the country are y0u in? Love your avatar BTW! Is she really a naughty little girl?

So glad you are planning to start testing Daffodil. The initial dose of 2u was a bit higher than we usually recommend as a starting dose. 4u is a very high dose. Caninsulin is an "in and out" insulin which tends to take the BG down quickly fairly early in the cycle with the lowest BG occurring sometime between +3-6 hours post shot. The problem with going by BG levels at the vet is that most cats are stressed and this leads to elevated BG levels and this frequently leads to vet's prescribing too high a dose of insulin.

I would definitely keep a very close eye on Daffodil tonight and try your best to test her. What kind of meter did you purchase? On a human meter you do not want Daffoldi's BG to go below 2.8mmol and with Caninsulin especially in the early days, I would raise that limit to about 5mmol. If you are using a pet meter the low warning number is 3.8mmol but again I would raise it to about 6mmol. I would get a test as soon as possible and see what her reading is now as I believe you are just over 2 hours post shot.

There is no need to use alcohol on Daffodil's ear and you could try using a very thin skim of vaseline on the spot you are going to poke to make the blood pool up instead of spreading through her fur. You can also use the centre pad of the paw but unless you have alternate site lancets chances are good that is not going to work. Most of us use gauge 26-28 lancets and the lancets that come with human meters are generally 31-33 which are much thinner. As time goes on and you test more Daffodil's ears will learn to bleed better. If you do get a bead of blood but can't get it onto the strip fast enough, try scooping the bead of blood onto a clean finger nail and testing from there.

NB.Please try testing her again and post your reading. I assume you did not check her BG before her shot tonight. I am concerned that she may go too low on that higher dose.
 
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AnitaJ said:
I've warmed her ear and alcohol swabbed it as well
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Don't use alcohol....it's very drying and not necessary

AnitaJ said:
Today I bought a prescription diabetic formula and am mixing it in her regular canned food to start. Plus she gets a little bit of fancy feast mixed in
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You can actually get rid of the "prescription" food....it's actually too high in carbs for a diabetic cat!! Most of us here feed plain Fancy Feast Classics (called pates in Canada), Friskies pates or 9-Lives ground foods....they're all below 10% carbs and fine for a diabetic BUT don't drop the amount of carbs he's eating until you're comfortable testing!!!

4 units is a HUGE dose....we do increases in .25 unit increments, never whole units

Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too! (substitute "her" for "him"...LOL)

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well.

When you're first starting, it's also important to use a lower gauge lancet, like 25-28 gauge. Most of the "lancet devices" come with 33 gauge lancets and they are just too tiny to start with. The bigger lancets (that are lower numbers) make a bigger "hole". As you poke more and more, the ears will grow new capillaries and will be easier and easier to get blood from...we call it "learning to bleed"

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
 
Thank you again so much everyone. I have read all of helpful information . Ive pricked her ears several times without success. I am now going to try the paw pad as was suggested here. I will post when I am successful. Thanks for everyones help through this
 
If you are using the lancing device, take the cap off. The ear is far to flimsy when compared to a finger pad for which the caps work well. Is Daffodil behaving normally? Is she looking for food? Looking spacey or circling? These are things you need to watch for as they may be signs of her BG dropping sharply.
 
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Here are two documents you should have handy in case of low BG.

This document explains what to do if low BG occurs.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

And this one provides helpful hints for putting together a Hypo Kit so what you need is always readily available.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/

It's a good idea to print out the instructions for handling low BG and include that in your kit too.
 
12.9 finally. Sorry it took so long just got the reading. Thanks again. I enlisted help. I couldn't get it on my own but will keep trying and researching.
 
I've had the chance now to thoroughly read all of the advice and tips. Thank you so much everyone. She is doing well. I've got the documents posted now Mr. Wolfmensmom.
I tried without the cap cat man it did seem to help.
Thank you China and Chris. We did the small treat and no more alcohol swabbing.
Thank you Ozzy pawsbourne. She is such a cute cat and a really good girl too
We are from Alberta Canada. Her monitor is by Bayer and it's called contour next. She had her insulin needle approx 3.5 hours ago.
 
I would strongly suggest that you check Daffodil's BG again in about an hour just to see where her BG is and if there is any question of her dropping, then again 30 minutes later. If you cannot monitor that long, then I would definitely leave food out for her so she can eat should the need arise. It's hard to say how far she dropped because you didn't test pre-shot. The problem with insulin is that a dose that is too high can appear to be too low which is why we frequently see vet's prescribing too high a dose and 4u is definitely a high dose for most cats and certainly for one recently diagnosed.

If I were you I would take Daffodil back to no more than 2u or even to 1u , monitor her BG pre-shot as well as mid cycle tests and then if the dose needs to be raised, raise it in 0.25 to 0.5u at the most. It is a marathon not a sprint getting kitty regulated and attempts to speed up the process generally end up slowing it down.

Going forward the safest thing to do is always get a pre-shot test to make sure it is safe to give insulin. We recommend no shot unless BG is over 11mmol at pre-shot. The routine should be test, feed, wait 30-40 minutes and then give insulin. If the pre-shot test is too low, you can stall and re-test about 20-30 minutes later to see if the BG has risen. It's OK to skip a shot if need be because it's better for kitty to be too high for a cycle than too low for a moment.

If Daffodil's BG should be dropping toward an unsafe number which I would set at about 5mmol right now based on the meter you are using, you can start a new thread asking for assistance and use the Prefix in the title with a "911" to get attention ASAP.:)
 
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Yikes! Inow see I was using the wrong cat name last night or should I say yesterday early morning. My humble apologies to you and Daffodil. :oops: I have edited my posts to avoid any confusion! How did last night go?
 
Hi, thank you for checking in on Daffy. Don't worry about the name confusion, she has so many nicknames maybe one day one of them will be Taffy lol.
I followed your advice and did a bg test before feeding her. She was a 7.2 so I didn't give the shot. Today we are doing a blood glucose curve.
Is it common for a cat to have a reading so low when it was 19 yesterday at the vets?
Also, because she has been getting so many needle pricks is she at high risk for an infection at the sites where pricked?
Thanks for the compliment. My two cats tolerate Christmas and Halloween photos from me every year
Everyone here has such cute kitties,love your cats name Too!
 
You did the right thing skipping the shot this morning at that low reading. The big difference between the 19 and 7.2 is likely at least in part if not largely due to a phenomenon called bouncing. When a cat's (or human's)BG drops lower than the body deems necessary or normal, it triggers hormones to release glucagon into the bloodstream to raise BG. We see this when the dose is too high and often to a lesser degree as a cat get regulated because a diabetic cat's perception of what is normal has become a little warped. They have become unaccustomed to "normal" BG levels and their defense system clicks in quicker than normal. It will be interesting to see what the curve looks like today but don't be surprised if she scoots right back up the BG ladder again because of that 7.2 this morning. The fact that she is still low this morning makes me wonder how low she went last night because Vetsulin doesn't last that long in most cats so I would not under any circumstances give the 4u again. Low numbers can make cats even more sensitive to insulin.

Does Daffy have any history of ketones or DKA (diabetic ketone acidosis)? Testing for ketones is also something you should do and the strips are available over the counter at any pharmacy. Some folks can hold a ladle under kitty's butt and others use gravel or beans for litter to grab a sample. The most popular method is to put plastic wrap in the box particularly where Daffy usually pees (many seem to have a favourite spot in the box) and then just dip into any small puddlets left in the plastic wrap.

We have a wonderful spreadsheet on which we keep track of all our BG readings. It's stored on Google docs (you'll need a Google account) and posted here in our signatures so that when and if we need any assistance from fellow members, they can view our sheets and offer opinions/suggestions based on the data you have collected. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. The instructions for setting up the spreadsheet are at http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/ . You will need to use the International sheet as the majority of our members are from the US and the international sheet does an automatic conversion of our MMOL readings to their MG readings on a separate tab.

This document explains the spreadsheet because we don't use clock times due to the different time zones
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

The spreadsheet does auto colouring which makes it easier to see patterns in BG readings. If you need any assistance to set up the spreadsheet just let us know and someone will help you.

Please post your curve numbers later today and let us know about ketones as mentioned above, then we can help you determine how to proceed from here but please DO NOT give Daffy 4u of insulin again. Another dose that high would be very dangerous.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
You did the right thing skipping the shot this morning at that low reading. The big difference between the 19 and 7.2 is likely at least in part if not largely due to a phenomenon called bouncing. When a cat's (or human's)BG drops lower than the body deems necessary or normal, it triggers hormones to release glucagon into the bloodstream to raise BG. We see this when the dose is too high and often to a lesser degree as a cat get regulated because a diabetic cat's perception of what is normal has become a little warped. They have become unaccustomed to "normal" BG levels and their defense system clicks in quicker than normal. It will be interesting to see what the curve looks like today but don't be surprised if she scoots right back up the BG ladder again because of that 7.2 this morning. The fact that she is still low this morning makes me wonder how low she went last night because Vetsulin doesn't last that long in most cats so I would not under any circumstances give the 4u again. Low numbers can make cats even more sensitive to insulin.

Does Daffy have any history of ketones or DKA (diabetic ketone acidosis)? Testing for ketones is also something you should do and the strips are available over the counter at any pharmacy. Some folks can hold a ladle under kitty's butt and others use gravel or beans for litter to grab a sample. The most popular method is to put plastic wrap in the box particularly where Daffy usually pees (many seem to have a favourite spot in the box) and then just dip into any small puddlets left in the plastic wrap.

We have a wonderful spreadsheet on which we keep track of all our BG readings. It's stored on Google docs (you'll need a Google account) and posted here in our signatures so that when and if we need any assistance from fellow members, they can view our sheets and offer opinions/suggestions based on the data you have collected. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. The instructions for setting up the spreadsheet are at http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/ . You will need to use the International sheet as the majority of our members are from the US and the international sheet does an automatic conversion of our MMOL readings to their MG readings on a separate tab.

This document explains the spreadsheet because we don't use clock times due to the different time zones
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

The spreadsheet does auto colouring which makes it easier to see patterns in BG readings. If you need any assistance to set up the spreadsheet just let us know and someone will help you.

Please post your curve numbers later today and let us know about ketones as mentioned above, then we can help you determine how to proceed from here but please DO NOT give Daffy 4u of insulin again. Another dose that high would be very dangerous.
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Thank you for your advice. The vet said her liver enzymes were a littlebit high. I didn't know I could test ketones thank you. I won't be giving her a 4 unit dose again. The idea didn't sit well with me but I thought the vet would know best so I did it.
 
AnitaJ said:
The idea didn't sit well with me but I thought the vet would know best so I did it.
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The sad truth is that vets only get about 5 hours of "formal" education on diabetes when they're in school and that covers every species of animal, not just cats. Yes, vets have to take continuing education courses but for the most part, they get to choose the topics they want to learn about and feline diabetes isn't high on the list. The majority of the "education" they do get comes from the pet food salesmen who are peddling their poisons.

The people here do nothing but live and breath feline diabetes so have the time (as well as the passion) to stay as up to date as possible. We have members here that are doctors, biologists, engineers, etc. that have access to some of the latest studies too

When China was first diagnosed, I spent the first night reading in here and was so impressed by the people, their knowledge and their willingness to share....when I went back to pick China up the next day, I knew how I wanted to treat her (at least had a good idea of which insulin, which foods, etc) and once I got the script for the Lantus, we never went back to the vet again for anything "diabetes related"

We're coming up on our 4th year of the sugardance and she's doing great!! I can't thank the people here enough for all that they've taught me!

It will really help for you to get our spreadsheet going so we can see what's going on in terms we are used to dealing with. If you have any trouble getting it, please holler! I can set it up for you in about 30 seconds. Just click on my name and choose "start a conversation" to send me a private message.

Another thing that will help us out is for you to fill out your signature....Go to the top right and find your sign on name....Choose "signature" from the drop down menu. A new box will pop up for you to enter information into. We like to have stuff like:

Your name/cats name, age, sex, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, type of food, any other health issues?, general location?......the link to your spreadsheet (when it's set up) will go here too.

That way we don't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again...we can just glance at your signature and get a pretty good picture of what Daffy is up to!
 
Thank you Chris. I will definitely do that. I'm so glad I found you guys. I will try setting up the spreadsheet as well.
That is so great that your China is doing so Great! Can't think you guys enough for caring about Daffy!
 
CatMan_pdx said:
Still learning myself but two things that helped me greatly in getting enough blood before my guy squirmed away: 28 gauge lance, and don't use the pen thing that shoots out the lance. Hold it freehand. Much easier to poke quickly without the noise and reset time.
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Totally agree with both. I tried to go smaller and it just didn't work. Also remember the gauge is an inverse relationship. So 29 gauge is actually smaller than 28 gauge.

One other thing I do that works well for us, is I don't push the strip all the way in to turn on the meter until I get blood because the meter will time out. Also I scoop the blood onto the base of the lancet (some use a fingernail) so that I can let her go dont' have to try to touch the strip to a bobbing cat ear. :-)
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
@AnitaJ How is Daffy doing?
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Hi,

Thank you for checking in on Daffy! As far as BG is concerned she is high. She is at 19.2 . Otherwise she is good. She's eating doing her daily activities.... playing, snuggling and sleeping.
Is there anything that I can do to bring it down without medication do you know? Or is this typical for a cat who has had insulin for only 7 days? She did have her p.m. shot as she was high prior to her meal. She had her meal 2.5 hours ago. Thank you in advance for any advice.
 
jacereske said:
Totally agree with both. I tried to go smaller and it just didn't work. Also remember the gauge is an inverse relationship. So 29 gauge is actually smaller than 28 gauge.

One other thing I do that works well for us, is I don't push the strip all the way in to turn on the meter until I get blood because the meter will time out. Also I scoop the blood onto the base of the lancet (some use a fingernail) so that I can let her go dont' have to try to touch the strip to a bobbing cat ear. :)
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Hi thank you for the advice! I went to a Pharmacy this evening and the monitor I had purchased only has one gauge size. I will look at previous notes as to what others are using here. What type of monitor do you use?
A bobbing ear would be difficult. Hi to Jacereske. :)
 
There's a difference between the blood glucose meter and the lancets you use to "poke" with

If you have a lancet device, you can buy different sized lancets to put into it.....Lower gauge lancets poke a bigger "hole" so they're easier to get blood (but it's not necessary to use the device at all...you can just hold the lancet and poke it yourself.....a lot of us find it easier to control)

These are examples of lancet devices
lancet device.PNG
lancet device1.PNG



These are lancets (that come in different gauge sizes....we recommend 25-28 gauge for new ears)
lancets.PNG
They have many different brands/manufacturers too
 
AnitaJ said:
Thank you for checking in on Daffy! As far as BG is concerned she is high. She is at 19.2 . Otherwise she is good. She's eating doing her daily activities.... playing, snuggling and sleeping.
Is there anything that I can do to bring it down without medication do you know? Or is this typical for a cat who has had insulin for only 7 days? She did have her p.m. shot as she was high prior to her meal. She had her meal 2.5 hours ago. Thank you in advance for any advice.
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Hi Anita,

I have to be honest and admit that I am not one of the experienced members on this board with my kitty only being diagnosed with Diabetes a few weeks ago. Hopefully some of the others will be along shortly to offer you more sound advice.

I can say that the only way to lower BG in a diabetic kitty is with insulin. It does take some time for the numbers to start coming down though and this is the exact same thing I have personally struggled with. I just want to see progress now and it's been very difficult for me and I've been forced to be patient.

I'm glad to hear Daffy sounds like she is feeling more normal. I liked your description of her daily activities -ah the life of a cat. Must be nice!:woot:
 
Chris & China said:
There's a difference between the blood glucose meter and the lancets you use to "poke" with

If you have a lancet device, you can buy different sized lancets to put into it.....Lower gauge lancets poke a bigger "hole" so they're easier to get blood (but it's not necessary to use the device at all...you can just hold the lancet and poke it yourself.....a lot of us find it easier to control)

These are examples of lancet devices
View attachment 25328 View attachment 25329


These are lancets (that come in different gauge sizes....we recommend 25-28 gauge for new ears)
View attachment 25330 They have many different brands/manufacturers too
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Hi, sorry I had the lancet device in my head but it looks like I wrote monitor. My lancet device is the one on the far left. The Pharmacist said the lancet size I have is the only one available for the device. I tried just holding the lancet yesterday to do a prick and she meowed. She doesn't meow when I use the lancet device, so I think I will stick with it. So you are saying that I can get a lower gauge for my lancet device? If this is the case, then I will try a different pharmacy tomorrow. Thank you!
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
Hi Anita,

I have to be honest and admit that I am not one of the experienced members on this board with my kitty only being diagnosed with Diabetes a few weeks ago. Hopefully some of the others will be along shortly to offer you more sound advice.

I can say that the only way to lower BG in a diabetic kitty is with insulin. It does take some time for the numbers to start coming down though and this is the exact same thing I have personally struggled with. I just want to see progress now and it's been very difficult for me and I've been forced to be patient.

I'm glad to hear Daffy sounds like she is feeling more normal. I liked your description of her daily activities -ah the life of a cat. Must be nice!:woot:
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Agreed lol. How long has your cat been on insulin? I hope her numbers get better very soon for you guys. Thank you for your input. She is so cute!
 
AnitaJ said:
Is there anything that I can do to bring it down without medication do you know? Or is this typical for a cat who has had insulin for only 7 days? She did have her p.m. shot as she was high prior to her meal. She had her meal 2.5 hours ago.
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Diet change to FF may have some effect on Daffy's BG so I would make the transition slowly while you monitor her BG. A slow transition can also prevent any GI upset but since she's gonna love you for it, it's likely not a problem for Daffy.

Regulating a cat is a marathon not a sprint. Some cats get regulated very quickly while others take a bit of time. Patience is the key here. You cannot rush the process and trying to do so may end up slowing it down.

Can I ask what dose you gave Daffy tonight? I know she missed her shot this morning but that 19.2, while high is not THAT high and could still be a bit of the "bounce" effect from those lower numbers last night and this morning.

We have a board specifically for Vetsulin/Caninsulin users and it would be wonderful to have you join us over there so you can benefit from the experience and support of fellow users and share your experiences with the community too. The Health board is great for general information and of course if you need to use that "911" at any time, posting on Health will get more eyes on it especially at night but for day to day assistance using the insulin specific community will be most helpful for you.
 
AnitaJ said:
Agreed lol. How long has your cat been on insulin? I hope her numbers get better very soon for you guys. Thank you for your input. She is so cute!
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Ozzy (he's a boy) has been on insulin for 4 weeks now. It's been stressful to be honest and just when I thought I got the hang of something, I am surprised to realize I don't. It's a pretty steep learning curve, but my kitty is having patience with me, even if I don't have much myself!:woot:

The folks on this board have been so wonderful and so helpful. I don't know where I'd be without them to be honest.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Diet change to FF may have some effect on Daffy's BG so I would make the transition slowly while you monitor her BG. A slow transition can also prevent any GI upset but since she's gonna love you for it, it's likely not a problem for Daffy.

Regulating a cat is a marathon not a sprint. Some cats get regulated very quickly while others take a bit of time. Patience is the key here. You cannot rush the process and trying to do so may end up slowing it down.

Can I ask what dose you gave Daffy tonight? I know she missed her shot this morning but that 19.2, while high is not THAT high and could still be a bit of the "bounce" effect from those lower numbers last night and this morning.

We have a board specifically for Vetsulin/Caninsulin users and it would be wonderful to have you join us over there so you can benefit from the experience and support of fellow users and share your experiences with the community too. The Health board is great for general information and of course if you need to use that "911" at any time, posting on Health will get more eyes on it especially at night but for day to day assistance using the insulin specific community will be most helpful for you.
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Hi,

Thanks for looking in on Daff. She had 2 units. She is doing good, taking all of this very well. I will definitely join the other board. Thank you for all of your support. She is lucky to have you guys behind her too.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
Ozzy (he's a boy) has been on insulin for 4 weeks now. It's been stressful to be honest and just when I thought I got the hang of something, I am surprised to realize I don't. It's a pretty steep learning curve, but my kitty is having patience with me, even if I don't have much myself!:woot:

The folks on this board have been so wonderful and so helpful. I don't know where I'd be without them to be honest.
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Oh sorry Ozzy. I know what you mean about stressful, but it sounds like your doing great! My kitty too, I am amazed at how well she is taking all the pricking and needles, such a good girl.

I also know what you mean about the support and all of the great information. I am so glad I found this site! I was in such a panic over the 4 units the other night, you guys were a life saver.
 
Did you manage to get some baseline BG's yesterday without insulin on board? Any test done after the 2u last night? This kind of information will help you keep Daffy safe, help us help you and Daffy and get her on the path to regulation.:D
 
AnitaJ said:
Hi thank you for the advice! I went to a Pharmacy this evening and the monitor I had purchased only has one gauge size. I will look at previous notes as to what others are using here. What type of monitor do you use?
A bobbing ear would be difficult. Hi to Jacereske. :)
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I use the Relion Confirm - great meter that requires a very small amount of blood.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Did you manage to get some baseline BG's yesterday without insulin on board? Any test done after the 2u last night? This kind of information will help you keep Daffy safe, help us help you and Daffy and get her on the path to regulation.:D
Click to expand...

Hi Linda,

I did create a spreadsheet today. I have some numbers for yesterday posted. Most in the high range, but as you and others have said it takes time. My other cat, Gee Gee, has a condition called Triaditis. She's had to have her food changed several times now, so me and Daff will be fine with that process, thanks!
 
Great job setting up the spreadsheet however you have planted our Canadian readings on the US tab. At the bottom there is a tab that is titled World and that is sheet you want to use. If you grab it holding your left mouse button, you can slide the World tab over to the left so it comes up for you when you are entering numbers. The SS is set up to translate our CDN numbers for our US friends who use a different scale. They are by far the largest contingency of members who can help when needed so this makes it easier for them. Any problems let us know! Happy New Year Anita, Daffy & GeeGee! :D
 
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