My Kitty has diabetes :( scared, worried, stressed.

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I don't know anything about the insulin you are using so I have no dose advice.

But his BG is going to fluctuate. It won't change overnight. He had a nice drop today so he is absorbing the insulin you're giving. You're doing great!
 
Is it bad to want to go up in dose after the very first shot?

He started at
393 gave 1 unit
382 at +2
187 at +6
304 at +9

Im sure itll be around 400 again at +12 hours.

Id like to try 1.5 unit or 2 unit like the vet prescribed.

If there is such a big curve everyday how would you ever even it out? If you got the +6 down to like 70 the pre shot in the morning and night would still be to high. Id be afraid to ever see it below 70 tho.
 
From the Vetsulin user guide:

*The starting dose...
Many vets believe that this insulin works best when dose is in relation to the weight of your cat, this can result in starting doses of 2-4 units of insulin twice a day... Yikes...that has been seen repeatedly to be too much!

Practical experience here has seen that 1 unit twice a day is a great way to start and only slowly increasing as the information you are gathering shows you, about .5 of a unit at a time.

Stay with the 1 unit for now. You've only shot it once, and you don't have enough data yet to know how it's really going to do for Wease.
 
I would give it three cycles before I rasied the dose and then raise it by .25 or .5 at the most. It takes awhile for his body to adjust to the insulin and food. It is better to increase slowly so you don't suddenly get a low number and then have to guess how much to reduce. Patience, Justin. He didn't become diabetic in a day; you can't cure him in one. :-D This was not a bad cycle; he was in decent numbers for a good part of it.
 
No, don't do 2u. That's the problem with Novolin: more insulin does not keep the numbers lower for a longer period of time. A lot of people resort to TID (3xday) dosing with it because of this. Only Lantus, Levemir, and ProZinc/PZI have been proven to last long enough for BID (2xday) dosing in cats.

Depending on your schedule, you could try TID dosing with the Novolin, but ask for advice here first from people who have done this!
 
Wease was at 392 pre shot. He was 393 this morning.

I gave him 1 unit dose.

Does it sometimes feel like the shot didn't go in or the needle didn't go in the skin? I pushed the plunger down but the needle didn't feel like it was in the body. Fur don't feel wet tho :/
 
Does your insulin have an odor? Squirt a teeny bit on a paper towel and sniff. Mine (Lantus) does have an odor and that was a clue for me if I--errmmm-- injected prematurely or otherwise missed. I could not generally feel any wetness on Napa's thick fur as it is a small amount of fluid, but I could sure smell it.

I found it hard at the beginning to know if I was successful, too; the needle is so thin you don't have that feeling of certainty as it pushes thru the skin. I try to leave the needle in place for a second after injecting to see if it is hanging in the skin. You might try practicing on an apple with the syringe and water. Also, make a note on your spreadsheet if you are unsure if you got it in...I neglected to do that early on :/

But alas I am still a newbie....I'm sure others will have good suggestions, too.
 
I personally would suggest holding the 1u dose for a couple of days to see how Wease does and getting some more mid-cycle tests in like you did today. That +6/187 is very promising so maybe try grabbing a test around +4, 5, and 7 when you can over the next couple of days to help fill in the blanks to see if he drops lower before or after his +6 or if the +6 is the low point.

Another trick used with Novolin is to take up all food after the numbers start rising again in a cycle. This not only helps to keep numbers lower by shot time (no food coming into the system after the insulin wears off), but also helps make sure he eats before his shot since food is so imperative to have on board due to the fast-acting nature of the insulin.
 
ebuckley said:
Also, make a note on your spreadsheet if you are unsure if you got it in...I neglected to do that early on :/
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Good point, Ellie. We call these "fur shots" and they do happen from time-to-time. If you suspect a fur shot, NEVER give a second shot because you don't know how much (if any) of the insulin made it in. The numbers will usually reflect what happened (I.e. they stay flat or they only go down a little bit). There have been many times when I could have sworn I'd given a fur shot and Mikey reacts normally and there are other times where I didn't think I'd given a fur shot but his numbers prove otherwise. ohmygod_smile Luckily, fur shots clear out relatively fast and you're usually back in business by the next cycle or two.
 
Accounting for the +/-20% variance of meters, it's almost identical to the other +2 you got. I wouldn't worry too much since it looks like it's still early in the cycle for Wease to show whether or not you gave a fur shot. ;-)

NitroViper said:
I hope im not bugging everyone with all these posts.
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The only bad question is the one that goes unasked!
 
You're fine Jason! That's what we're here for, but since we're on page 4 now, it would be helpful for you to go ahead and start a new post.

Just copy the link to this one and put it into the new post. Click on the URL tab and paste the link in between the Your link here [URL] Don't worry ...that just doesn't happen. You're doing fine!
 
Chris & China said:
You're fine Jason! That's what we're here for, but since we're on page 4 now, it would be helpful for you to go ahead and start a new post.

Just copy the link to this one and put it into the new post. Click on the URL tab and paste the link in between the Your link here [URL] Don't worry ... says some times to much is not a good thing.
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Jason, yes, please start a new post, but get the link from this one to put into your new post so people can quickly go back and read what's already been said. Just copy the link, click on the URL tab and paste the link in between the your link [URL]. Your subject line...stions, cuz I still am...just trying to help.
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You can call it something like "Wease currently on Novolin Vetsulin" and don't worry; just because you start a new thread, you won't lose us. ;-) In fact, I think this might be one of the longest threads ever on here! :o :lol:

NitroViper said:
I actually feel overly obsessed about testing blood and taking care of him. Most everyone in person thinks im crazy and says some times to much is not a good thing.
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Ha! You'll never hear that around here! The more tests, the more data. And the more data, the happier we are. I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm an information junkie. :oops:

ETA: I don't know why I keep thinking you're using Novolin. ohmygod_smile They're similar but not the same.
 
Just post a new post...maybe the subject line could be something like Date, Wease, AMPS # and maybe "dose advice please"

It really doesn't matter what the subject says as long as you have the link to this one in the body of the message.....Just put whatever you want..If you have questions, you could say "Need help with ****"
 
Do I start a thread in this section of the forum or the Vetsulin section? No one ever posts there :(

I gave him 1 dose last night and his numbers were 392 pre shot +2 390 +4 284 +6 232 Was to tired to check anymore.

This Morning he was at 394 compared to yesterday it was 393.

His numbers stay pretty close, is that a good thing?

The curve through the day is what is worrying me, how to learn to even that out. I wish I could afford Lantus but its 4 times the price.
 
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