Munchie +6 was 32

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ewest

ewest

Member Since 2011
So increased Munchie to 1.75 last night and took her bs at +6 and she was 32 (I leave food out and she already eaten most). She didn't want to eat this morning but also did not have a bounce like she usually does this morning (which I think is good, but did seem to be feeling off). Gave 1/2 dose insulin. She had an episode like this (minus the low reading) on the 21st and she still got in 100's with 1/2 dose. Will see how day goes.
 
I'm new myself and can't advise on dosing, but do know this is pretty low and should be monitored. Can you get her to eat a bit of high carb?
 
She did eat when her BS was low. I leave food out for her and she definitely ate more last night than she usually would so she did get food in her. I will be home with her today and will have food out as well. I expect she will want some at some point today.
 
With a low number, you want to give some HC to make sure the numbers come up. I'd encourage you to get a test at +2 so you have some idea where Munchie's cycle is going. You may have had an early warning signal with a test before +6.

Also with a 32, you need to decrease the dose. Munchie's dose should have been back to 1.5u this morning. Please monitor carefully this cycle.

You may want to review the Tight Regulation sticky so you know when to increase and decrease.
 
Yes I did decrease her dose and she only got 1/2 of that due to not eating. I do have the protocol but what I don't see on there is increasing if you're already getting some readings in the 100's. We had spoken last night about increasing her dose and I had wondered if 1.75 would be too much since she was getting some readings in 100's. I think if I need to increase her again I will have to try for maybe a 1.6 which I had tried one time previously.
 
Reducing the dose the way you did is what we refer to as a BCS (big chicken sh*t) dose. It's meant to be a one time thing and is usually done if you have a low pre-shot and you're not comfortable giving the full dose. My hunch is that you're going to see a bounce this cycle.

Basically, you hold the dose for 5 days (vs. 3) if the nadir is usually below 200.
Tight Regulation sticky said:
Increasing the dose:
Hold the dose for 3 - 5 days (6 - 10 consecutive cycles) if nadirs are less than 200 before increasing the dose.

After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 200, but less than 300 increase the dose by 0.25 unit.

After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 300 increase the dose by 0.5 unit.
Click to expand...

You can always "fatten" a dose.
 
I gave her 1/2 dose because she did not eat this morning. Tonight I would go back to 1.5. This is what I've been told to do by vets, though I don't know if you're saying that's something the group here does not abide to (to half the dose if they don't eat)? So far she's staying in the 200's at +2 and +4 which is good that she's not bouncing into higher numbers as she has often done in past.

In terms of the tight regulation, do you take the lowest nadir out of the past 5 days or more of an average? Her lowest number was 137 in the past 5 days (that I recorded) and that was the only time I recorded her in the 100's. Is that why you were saying you would've increased her last night (because most of her numbers were 200, 300, and some 400?). Just so I'm clear, would you have increased by .25 for Munchie last night as well (I know you recommended increase but want to make sure I'm following how the group here calculates and that I'm reading/understanding correctly)?

Thanks.
 
When a cat's not eating, it's a judgement call. If you look at Gabby's SS for the 48 hrs after her dental, I adjusted her dose to offset her not eating (and that she was having a dental that morning and anesthesia was in play -- it lowers BG levels in some cats). There isn't a "rule." It's a matter of knowing your cat. It may be that Munchie wasn't going to eat at shot time but would be chowing down 2 hrs later. You may know that because that's what you observe. Some cats eat all at once; some graze. It's knowing your cat.

As far as nadir, it's more about where the bulk of the numbers are. If 8 our of 10 cycles you have a nadir in the 100s, then use those guidelines. If 2 out of 8 times the nadir is in the 100s, then you would not consider the nadir to be in the 100 - 199 range.
 
Hi guys .. I don't think we've stopped into munchies condo before? So welcome from us! Glad to see you got Sienne here answering your questions .. 32 is pretty low, hopefully munchie is back up now .. have a great afternoon!
 
I understand why you gave the BCS shot this morning, but there are a lot more things to consider than just if she wasn't eating just then.
I leave food out for her and she definitely ate more last night than she usually would so she did get food in her. I will be home with her today and will have food out as well.
Click to expand...
  • Do you have any idea when she last ate in relation to the shot? You said you left food out, do you take it up 2 hours before shot time to get a clear bg reading? If not and she ate shortly before the shot that could be the reason for not wanting to eat at shot time. Taking the food up also makes them hungrier and more inclined to eat at shot time.

    Is there a food you can always get her to eat if she is low?

    If she goes low again , when is that in relation to her usual nadir? In other words, how soon is she likely to start coming up on her own? That can make a difference as to how you treat a low number.

    How does she react to karo? How much of a bump up and how long?

    How closely can you monitor?

So there is no hard and fast rule to BCS if a cat isn't eating at preshot. It's one of a number of factors. It's always a trade off when making these decisions, peace of mind versus maintaining momentum. ECID and as you get to know your cat's reactions it gets easier.

P.S. Could you change your header to show today's AMBG and + numbers?
 
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