Max and Elise- I Decided to Up His Dose On My Own

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tiffmaxee

tiffmaxee

Member Since 2013
Hi. I hate this disease. My vet told me to give Max .5 both morning and night now instead of .75 total. His AMPS today was +6 today was 328. He's to get his shot in a few minutes and his PMPS was 278. Should I increase to .75? I can't wait any longer so I made the decision and upped it to .75 as Mel suggested I do last week. The poor guy's ears have red marks from the pricks. He jerks away when I stick him and has a few scratches, I feel so bad for him.
I feel so frustrated and worried about him.
 
After you get the test, apply direct pressure to the prick and give a low carb treat.

You'll get it. It just takes time.
 
I do give him a 100% chicken or salmon treat every time. He doesn't run away. He's such a good boy but he jerks every time. I know it hurts him. He doesn't bleed a lot. Was I right to increase his dose of insulin?

Thanks, Gracie.
 
My Android phone won't let me see your spreadsheet. Its the phone, not you.

If the nadirs are over 150 mg/dL after 3 or more days (6 shot cycles), it is OK to increase by 0.25 units.

If the nadirs are over 300 mg/dL after 3 or more days (6 shot cycles), you may increase by 0.5 units.

Its about how low the glucose is, not about how the preshot is.
 
From 1/2/14 to the present his Nadirs have been 270,189,240,338,175,227,253,234,134,318. I have not tested every day.
Thanks.
Elise
 
I'm not experienced enough to really give advice, but I think you're on the right track doing as Mel suggested by increasing the does .75u both shots and seeing what the tests tell you the next few days. Early on I noticed my Max's ears being red too. As BJM suggested, if I apply some pressure with a tissue after the poke, not hard but firm, that helped quite a big with the redness.
 
Hello Elsie,it looks from Max's bg numbers that we are in a similar situation,It might be of interest to you that I have hade Bailey on Aloe Vera juice for a month now,and it had helped with the pancreatitis which I am sure has effect on bg numbers.you have to make sure the juice is very pure,made ONLY from inner leaf gel,not the outside rind which can be toxic for felines.it must be free from synthetic preservatives and it must NOT contain potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate or ascorbic acid,just pure inner leaf gel,the one I give Bailes is Pukka Organic Aloe Vera Juice.hope this of some help,and that with the help of these amazing people on the forum Max will be in better figures soon. Diane
 
What happened on the 15th? Did he not eat as much, or vomit?

You're probably getting close to a good dose with that increase, so really observe during the +5 to +7 period and have a hypo kit ready just in case you need to steer the numbers (ie feed small amounts of higher carb to keep him from getting too low).

And get the pre-shot tests to make sure it is safe to give the shot. If he is lower than 150 mg/dL at pre-shot, I would stall 30 minutes without feeding, test again, and only shoot if he is over the 150 mg/dL. Its a safety thing.

If you'll be home and can test/monitor assiduously during +5 to +7, you might shoot if he is between 140-150 mg/dL so long as you will be there to monitor.
 
confused_cat I have no idea why his number was so good on the 15th except I know he didn't eat for sure for several hours before testing. He's getting the same food as always. I thought perhaps the little extra dose kicked in. He free feeds small amounts often and that is what he's done since all this started. In November when all this started his eating habits and food were the same and his Nadirs were low enough to go off insulin although probably too soon. With pancreatis he does best eating snall amounts often which makes testimg difficult as he eats so often. I'll be able to get a +5 1/2 today and the a PMPS.

I will be gone after that nadir test until about 1/2 hour before his PM shot. Family obligations.

Thanks for the help.
 
You do what you can.

Although the research doesn't support it for cats as a group, some cats with pancreatitis may benefit from less fat in the diet. This can be achieved by adding 20-25% plain cooked poultry or meat to the canned food, mixing well, then portioning out in normal servings. This ups the protein content and reduces the fat content without changing the carbs. It'd be an experiment, so its up to you if you want to see if it helps.
 
Max's seems to be stress induced. Great with diabetes, high blood pressure, and so many vet trips which often trigger an attack. I usually know because he stops eating as much but that isn't the case right now.

If I test at 5 1/2 hours, and get a number over 150, when would I ideally test again? I will test before his next shot but was hoping not to need to test before that. I will test at 1:15 and will be able to come home for a quick check three hours later if necessary. Otherwise I will just test before his shot. Sorry for all the questions but I'm by no means able to get into a schedule with him at this point.

Thanks.
 
Tests to get:

- Always get morning and evening pre-shot tests to make sure it is safe to shoot.

- Whenever possible, mid-cycle between +5 to +7 when the nadir is likely - you can't adjust the dose without those. Some folks set an alarm and check that at night.

- Some folks get a before bed test when on a tight regulation protocol, just to be sure that the cat isn't diving towards a hypo.
 
So Max was 257 at +5 and is 239 at +11. Am I right to think that his nadir was likely later? Tomorrow I'll test at +6 or + 7. I increased last night so it will take more time to see what that has done I know. I just edited the numbers. I can't do it on the iphone. I see I make too many mistakes.
 
Remember, it takes 3 to 5 full days at the same dose before you can determine if the dose needs to be increased.
 
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