Need dosage help, PLEASE

Status
Not open for further replies.
Charliemeow

Charliemeow

Very Active Member
Here are charlie's bg numbers:
9/23- pmps: 555 1u
9/24- amps: 465 1u
pmps: 456 1u
9/25- amps: 436 1u
pmps: 436 1u
9/26- amps: 386 1u
pmps: 497 1.5 u
9/27- amps: 549 1.5 u

I liked his general ps downward trend...till last night. What is going on? Nothing has changed (except I'm slowly transitioning him to low-carb kibble (core) and substituting some fancy feast). Why are his #s going up?? Will I ever get him regulated?? Please help!!
 
Breeeeath, unfortunately this is a marathon not a sprint.

Charlie is making alot of adjustments right now. He's getting used to the insulin, diet change, and not feeling tip top.

The Core kibble is better but not ideal, if you could switch him to wet low carb only you could see a 100 point drop overnight.

He is trending downward, in the beginning adjustment period with insulin they can pinball around for no apparent reason, which PZI are you using?
 
He's on prozinc u-40. I tried to switch to wet cold-turkey, but he got diarrhea and vomiting. So I'm doing it much more gradually now. Also want to get him on a new feeding schedule (6 years ago he went on a diet to lose weight-he was 20#, and we got him on a schedule of eating 5x 1/8 cup meals per day.) He is verrrrry attached to that schedule. I hate to change too much on him at once. So I'm focusing on switching to wet for the in-between-shot meals, and doing lo-carb kibbles only at shot times, until I can cut that out and go all wet. I'm also nervous to go all wet cuz he is very prone to gum inflammation and tartar sensitivity. We brush daily, but the kibble really helps, too. He also has bad reactions to anesthesia so I hate to get his teeth cleaned! Should I just go back to 1u of pzi? Are his numbers bouncy just because his system is getting used to all the changes? I tried to do a +2 reading, but didn't get enough blood and he acted like it hurt, so I didn't try again. His poor ears! I'll try a bg again at +4.5.
 
We had to switch over very gradually too, it all takes time, you'll get there, it sounds like you are doing everything right.

Your feeding schedule sounds perfect, I'd stick with it.

With Prozinc any dose increase with send their bg's bouncing around for a day or so.

Prozinc 101 - Starting out, nadir (lowest point of the day) can move around anywhere from +3 to +8 but will eventually settle in to one specific time.

Dose increases are usually made in .2 unit increments unless it clearly needs a bigger dose. The days of .5 unit to 1 unit increases are gone, at least for Prozinc. We hold a dose increase for a set time, I'm a fan of 3 to 5 days, others favor 3 to 5 cycles (every 12 hour period is a cycle). Every cat is differend (ECID) but Harley needed at least 3 days for a dose to settle in.

There seems to be a 45 day over all adjustment period with Prozinc. I was getting very frustrated and someone reminded me that we were almost to the 45 day mark and sure enough everything started to work better and calm down.

Can you go the the Tech Forum and set up a spreadsheet? When you attach it to your signature we can all click on it and see Charlies history. It is extremely important so we can see the over all picture and especially in an emergency.

Yes, I would go back to 1 unit until you get a little more data.

Have a great day.
 
I have my profile in my sig now. I will try for a spreadsheet when/if my baby naps...if I'm not napping too! I'll go back to 1u for now.
 
+5: 374.
this was 40 minutes after a small (1/3 can) meal of fancy feast. So it has gone down quite a bit from amps, but I wish it was lower. I'll try for another reading at +9 after my dr appt. With #s this high I'm scared to share this info with my vet for fear that she will want to raise his dose too high too fast. I told them I'd call today or tomorrow. Maybe I will wait till wednesday instead. Any thoughts????
 
You're vet is advising you but you are Charlie's mom, you make the decisions about his care, you are the one holding the syringe.

You want your vet to be your partner in treating Charlie.

My vet forbade me from home testing :lol: Glad I didn't listen to that piece of advise.

The +5 374 is a nice drop, not quite 50% so it could be better, but now you know he is responding nicely to the insulin.

This is why we test, every spot check will help to fill in the pieces that make up the whole picture of how he is doing and if he needs more or less insulin, when his nadir is, when the insulin starts to wear off. All of this information will help guide you in the future.

I agree, sticking to 1 unit, especially while making the food change is a good idea, you don't want to be caught off guard when the low carb food kicks in and lowers his bg.

When are you testing in relation to him eating. I pick the food dishes up 2 hours befor his PMPS so I know I'm getting a true bg reading and not a food spike. Test, feed, shoot.

And breeeath.
 
all really good advice imo! :-D

and

Home testing Is wonderful, and helps figure out what you do with dose; BUT remember, your meter is not a hospital grade precision instrument (for $15 lol) so frequently you will see meter variance. It's suppose to be within 20% of correct, and 20% of 400-500 is a wide range. Also you cannot pin 100% confidence in 1 reading so don't let your self get too upset or excited if a reading is wacky, or down 20 pts, or up 20 pts. It may not mean anything. BUT do keep testing because what we are looking for is TRENDS, over days. and if a number seems way out of line - retest it on a different spot, because it could be wrong- ohmygod_smile
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top