Just did my first BG test...reading was 478?!

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Mina&Tigress

Mina&Tigress

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Hi everyone!

Tigress was diagnosed with FD on 3/31. We started 1u of Lantus BID 4/1. Was finally able to do a BG test for the first time today. She got her insulin shot this morning at 6:14. Took the BG test at 2:43 and it gave me a reading of 478!!! Can that be right? She's due for her evening shot at 6pm. I know we're only on day 3, so are numbers like that even remotely normal. Everything I read says Hyperglycemia isn't immediately threathening. Should I be concerned? I'm still so new and trying to breathe...

Also on a side note I tried giving her the Pure Bites beef liver treats to try and butter her up before even attempting the BG test but right after she had 3 pieces she threw them right back up. Do I just need to try a different flavor? I bought them all.
 
My cats were throwing up the freeze dried liver treats, too.
You might try these Freeze Dried Chicken Breast Treats. I also feed freeze dried salmon treats.

Congratulations on a successful test!! :thumbup

Because it's your first one, you don't want to adjust the dose just yet, because you don't know if she was 38 or something like that 6 or 8 or 10 hours ago, and her liver is just reacting to a lower number than it's used to.
You'll want to start testing before every shot to make sure it's safe to give the insulin, and get as many mid-cycle tests in as you can. Good Job, both of you :-D
 
First off congrats on joining the Vampire Club!! :thumbup

Lantus take about 3-5 days to build up its shed so yes, in the beginning those high numbers are to be expected and they will come down as you find her magic dose and get her shed or depot built up. The shed is kind of a hard concept to get your head around but it is like putting gas in your car at first it has to go into the tank before the car can use it to run, if the tank is too low the car doesn't get any gas. Well the shed is kind of like that, it has to have a certain amount in the "tank" before the cat can use it to start bringing down their bloodsugar. So when you give Tigeress her shot at first most of it goes to her spare tank or shed and only a little bit goes to her, once her spare tank is topped off then she can use all the insulin being given with only a tiny bit that she has used up during the day going to her shed or spare tank.

It is kind of a balancing act of finding a dose that will keep her shed full but not over-flowing which is what causes hypo. Think of a funnel, if you don't pour fast enough the water all runs out the bottom hole, if you pour too fast it can't drain fast enough and overflows but when you find the right speed to pour you can keep the funnel full and yet still have a nice steady flow of water coming out the bottom end. That is what you striving for with either Lantus or Levemir, to find that point where you can keep the shed full yet have a nice steady flow going to Tigeress to help keep her bloodsugar in the normal range without it overflowing and causing her to go too low.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
many kitties, mine included, are diagnosed with numbers in the 400's so yes, while high, there's not much you can do about it other than continue the treatment plan and once her body gets used to getting the insulin and figures out how to use it, the numbers will start coming down.
 
Here's a list of low carb treats: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

You can rehydrate freeze dried meat treats in water to make them softer and easier to eat. Plus the water turns into a yummy "gravy" :smile:

I've found that some brands of freeze dried meat treats are hard as a rock straight out of the container :shock: Rehydrating them in water for a few minutes will help soften them up a bit. Real Food Toppers is what I use. They easy to break apart straight from the bag. The bag contains large piece of meat or fish and lots of powder at the bottom which is great for sprinkling on top of food. Real Food Toppers is kind of pricey but a bag will last a good 2 or 3 months.
 
HI - I don't have any advise on the treats. On the blood glucose reading ideally you want to test before shooting insulin. If you want to truly see how your cat is reacting to the insulin do a curve. A curve is testing before first shot, then at 3 or 4 hour intervals until its time for the next shot (thats what we mean when we say +3 meaning 3 hours after insulin). As a previous poster mentioned Lantus takes time to build up a reserve or shed so you want to keep her dose steady for 3-5 days before making any changes. My cats blood glucose readings were all over the place her first month but I felt her body just needed time to get used to the insulin. Getting blood from the ear really does get better the more times you do it. Jan
 
One correction, a curve is done by taking the preshot reading and then testing every 2 hours to the next shot time, so the tests would be preshot, +2, +4, +6, +8, +10 preshot. A mini Curve is done by taking the preshot number and then testing every 3 hours or tests at preshot, +3, +6, +9, preshot again. These tests are exactly what a vet would be doing if you take your cat in for all day testing and can easily be done at home without the expense or stress of a trip to the vet's plus the numbers will be much more accurate. Normally it is the numbers off a curve that are used to base dose changes you want the most accurate numbers you can get.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Thanks!

I'll keep dosing her, and will work up to doing the three tests a day. She's not making it easy though, yesterday and this morning she didn't want to eat right away, which made me worried because this morning she was drinking a lot of water. I also noted more urine in the litterbox for the first time since bringing her home Saturday night. I don't know how I'm suppose to do a BG test and give insulin. She's starting to recognize the pattern, I think, so maybe that's why she's avoiding the food when I first put it out for her? I need to get this down already, since I have to go back to work next week. I'm currently working from home so that I can keep a close eye on her, but returning to work makes me to nervous. What if she goes into hypo, and I'm not here?! =\
 
Most cats are very good about eating if they feel like they are going too low, so when you return to work, if you can leave her a little extra food out that she can nibble on if she feels like she is going too low. A lot of folks either freeze the wet food and put it down frozen so kitty can nibble as it defrosts, or will use a timed feeder. Plus just like with human diabetics smaller more frequent meals helps to keep the bloodsugar more even. All my cats are fed 4 times a day, now I have the benefit of being a stay at home FurMom so I can just put out fresh for mine. but I'm also married to a musician and often travel with him on the weekends to shows, on those occasions what I do is put out one meal of fresh food and one of frozen to cover them on the meal that I will be gone for. Then I test Musette right before I walk out the door and again immediately upon returning to the house.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
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