My first curve

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Seashelly

Seashelly

Member Since 2015
Hello all. Our little guy was diagnosed Sept. 5th. He's about 9 years old and ate dry food most all his life. When he was diagnosed, I learned how horrible his eating habits were. I switched all my babies (4 of them) to friskies pate. I have noticed a huge difference in all of them. :)

Anyway, Jake started with 2 units of vetsulin, and in a week the vet did a curve and said at one point his numbers were over 600 and he increased it to 3. The last couple of weeks his numbers have been under 200, but vet is telling me to keep giving him insulin and do a curve, and send him his numbers.

So today I'm doing my first curve. His numbers are pretty low and he was supposed to get his shot, but I was too afraid to give it to him. I would love some advice.

Here's his numbers: test at 9:30am - 56mg no breakfast or insulin yet.
Ate at 11:15am - test at 11:45 - 51 mg, no insulin, test at 1:30pm - 103mg, no insulin, test at 3:30pm - 69mg, still no insulin.

I'm still going to be testing through the day, but is it possible he's going in remission? He's been playful and seems fine.

Thanks!
 
Your instincts are right. Those are good numbers and you don't want to give any insulin. We suggest not to shoot anything under 200. Jake's number could be lower due to the food and his numbers at the vet could be higher due to stress. What type of meter are you using to test with?
 
Thanks for the replies, I just tested him again 5:45 pm, and he was 80mg. I'm so proud of the little guy, he has always been so timid but he is dealing with all of this so well.

I'm using relion micro meter, uses a smaller amount of blood.

I hope you are both right, I will keep checking and keep you informed. I'm new to the forums, but have been reading a lot. I appreciate all the help!
 
Hi, welcome to FDMB, the best place you never wanted to be! It's great that you have been reading up and learning about feline diabetes and how best to treat it! It's also wonderful that you are already doing home testing! Jake sounds like a wonderful little guy.

Most cats experience a fair bit of stress when they're at the vet, and this can raise their blood glucose considerably, in some cases as much as 100-200 points. Feeding him a low carb, canned/wet diet will also lower his BG. These two factors, in combination, might account for the fact that his BG levels are so much lower now than when he was diagnosed. The numbers you reported are great, he definitely does not need insulin at those levels!

When you get a chance could you add your information (Jake's name, date of Dx, type of insulin, type of meter, what food he eats, etc) to your signature? This just makes it easier for us to see, at a glance, a lot of pertinent information. We also have a spreadsheet that we use to chart BG levels and insulin doses, and it would be helpful for you to set one up although, from what I'm reading, it looks like you may not need one! Keep up the good work! :)

Please keep us posted on Jake's progress, and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have. Everybody here is more than willing to help you! :):):)

Lucy
 
Seashelly said:
Thanks for the replies, I just tested him again 5:45 pm, and he was 80mg. I'm so proud of the little guy, he has always been so timid but he is dealing with all of this so well.

I'm using relion micro meter, uses a smaller amount of blood.

I hope you are both right, I will keep checking and keep you informed. I'm new to the forums, but have been reading a lot. I appreciate all the help!
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I love your kitty's face!
 
Thank you! I'm glad to have this resource available. I'm new to all of this and have learned a lot in the past month :)

I did his last test at 7:30 pm which was 97 mg. I'm going to give him a little bit of a break and wait until after he eats to test him again. I actually just learned to do the home testing about 2 weeks ago, I think it is so important to learn what their levels are. I was just giving him his shots as the vet instructed before, but I think that could be very dangerous without knowing.

And thank you! :) Your kitty is a cutie too.. looks like our little guy Timber (who is our eldest.. 13 yrs)
 
Seashelly said:
Thank you! I'm glad to have this resource available. I'm new to all of this and have learned a lot in the past month :)

I did his last test at 7:30 pm which was 97 mg. I'm going to give him a little bit of a break and wait until after he eats to test him again. I actually just learned to do the home testing about 2 weeks ago, I think it is so important to learn what their levels are. I was just giving him his shots as the vet instructed before, but I think that could be very dangerous without knowing.

And thank you! :) Your kitty is a cutie too.. looks like our little guy Timber (who is our eldest.. 13 yrs)
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It's really great that you are testing and doing curves at home. And you are absolutely right, it could be very dangerous to give insulin without knowing knowing BG levels!

I noticed you were planning to test Jake again after he eats; just keep in mind that food will push his BG levels up a bit. :)

BTW, Jake really is adorable, such a cute face!!!
 
I love Jake's markings! I don't have any additional wisdom to add. :) His numbers look great! Just keep testing every morning and evening and his numbers will let you know if he needs any juice. If he does need any juice, you will probably need to lower the dose. You can always post a new question asking for dosing advice. Good luck!
 
Hi @Seashelly how wonderful that you were home testing! I was using Vetsulin with Genghis and also changing her diet from all dry to canned and it had a drastic effect on her BG numbers (the food change caused a huge and immediate drop) and as Lucy said, testing at the vet can cause the stress which will (falsely) push his numbers up, especially if he is a shy little guy (and he's so cute!). Your instincts with him are good, sorry I'm repeating what some other folks have already said! but some cats can be diet controlled so if he's under 200 then for sure don't shoot and post for help -- it's better that you skip and he be high for a day than go hypo! Those are just fantastic numbers for him - better to face the vet's wrath than a trip to Emerg!

PS Welcome!
 
Thank you all so much, it sure helps to know we're on the right path.

After eating last night he went up to 115 mg. So no shot for him all day!! This morning he ate and I waited for about an hour to test him - 120 mg. Maybe we'll have another shot free day today. Thanks again for all of your help!
 
Update... Jake's numbers have been in the normal range for a few days with NO insulin. I talked to his vet this morning, he told me he believes Jake had transient diabetes and is in remission.

We could do once a week testing, stay off insulin. Only do a curve if his numbers go over 130. ;) so happy for the little guy!! Thank you all for your help!
 
Yay, that's great news! FYI, when we're testing to see if a kitty has gone OTJ (off the juice) we usually test twice a day, in the morning before food and in the evening before dinner. If Jake stays in normal numbers for 14 days, then he's considered in remission. Then we typically go to once a week testing for a month, then once a month after that forever.

So he's already 3 days into his "OTJ trial". Just 11 more days to go and he'll be officially OTJ!! Go Jake, go!
 
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