Need help dosing

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amandaaw2

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Our 11 year old cat Pokie was diagnosed 2 years ago. He's been on 2 units of PZI twice daily and eats FF pate. Last week I returned from vacation and noticed he had lost weight and was lethargic. (My husband was giving him his insulin and food). Took him to the vet. Urine full of sugar so vet said to increase insulin to 2.5 units twice daily. I bought the Alpha Track monitor. It's been 4 days and I did a 12 hr curve on him. These are the results:
AM before insulin given: 464
+3 hrs - 347
+6 hrs - 231
+9 hrs - 458
+12 hrs - 487

I'm sure the vet will say increase insulin more, but why would it need to be increased so much??
 
Welcome :bighug:

Since you are home testing you can get a better picture of how the insulin is working. You should test before each shot and try to get a test in between shots. A good time would be at +4 hours after the shot since the Prozinc would be working on the glucose levels well by that time.

Sometimes if a kitty's numbers drop lower than they are used to or drop too fast it can cause a counter-regulatory process in the body, which causes stored glucose (glucogen) to be released and this will cause glucose levels to rise higher ( called a bounce) for anywhere from 1-3 days depending on the kitty. If test are run during a time they are "bouncing" it could appear that they need more insulin while that may not be what is needed. By doing regular home test and recording the results on a spreadsheet...there is a wonderful one here....you can start to see trends in the glucose levels. Sometimes a kitty needs more insulin and sometimes they need less. Data collected by home testing will help to show which way the dosing should go.

Your curve does not show much movement, but if this was done during a "bounce" you would not see much movement or even see numbers going up through the cycle. The more daily data you gather the clearer the picture becomes.

Here is a link to setting up a spreadsheet:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Since you are using a pet meter ( same one I use) you would want to use this spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tJGUgovPVu6ddmQZRcJAenda_9XG7xPuX6Xtp7ed-M0/edit?usp=sharing

The spreadsheet is a very useful and valuable tool for tracking progress with the treatment plan. If you have any trouble setting it up just ask and someone can help you get it done quickly.

:bighug: :bighug:
 
The insulin is working - he dropped 50% for nadir, but yes, he looks too high. Any chance there is an infection? How are his teeth? Is he eating anything different? Could he have gotten into any contraband while you were gone?

I think since you've had him on 2.5 units for 4 days, you could increase by 0.25 on the first cycle you can monitor.

Mary Ann is right - a spreadsheet is invaluable for you, your vet and us.
 
The vet said gusbhrine had a little bit of white blood cells in it so she wanted to treat him for a possible bladder infection. The antibiotic she gave him was an injection that lasts 2 weeks and I remember it starts with a C .
 
The infection may be part of his higher numbers, so you'll want to watch his numbers carefully. Once the infection clears, he may drop back down.

Convenia is the antibiotic. It isn't real popular here. Some cats have a reaction; some have no issues. A vet writes about it here:
http://catinfo.org/?link=convenia
 
Above reply should say "vet said his urine had a little bit..."
Also, should I stay up tonight and test his +4 and +7 BG or just increase insulin another .5 units in the AM since numbers are still so high?
And we were at the vet 4 days ago. So his Covenia shot was then and his increased insulin has been for 4 days
 
If it has been 4 days, it may be that he won't have any problem.

If he were mine, I'd wait till the morning. It isn't likely he will drop right away with the increase, but daytime is always easier to monitor than overnight - assuming you can monitor during the day?
 
After testing last week, vet told me to increase PZI another .5 making it 3 units now twice a day. I did another curve test today. Results as follows:
8am: 292 gen fed and gave PZI
+2: 332
+4: 180
+5: 92
+6: 207
+8: 239
+10: 308
+12: 474
The first time I heckled is blood at the +12 it read 105. I knew that couldn't be right because his numbers were on the rise so I tested him again and got the 474
So, my question is how can the monitor read something that is so off?! Also, what do you think of these numbers? I shouldn't increase anymore right since he had a 92 at +5
 
The curve looks pretty good. The insulin is definitely working to bring the numbers down. I would stick with this dose and watch the nadirs carefully in case he drops even lower. You definitely got a bounce for pmps! Hopefully he will get used to the lower numbers and not bounce so high


Lots of things can mess up a test - too much blood, too little blood, too long a wait.

A spreadsheet would really help us, and you, to see patterns in his numbers. If you need help, we have members who can help.
 
Go to the spreadsheet. Choose "Share with anyone with the link". Then "Publish to the web". Copy that URL. Then go back to the forum, go to your signature and paste the URL in, using the link in the tool bar.
 
I think I did it. Can you check my spreadsheet and make sure I put the all the data in the right columns please?
Since I'm going to keep the units at 3 twice a day, when would you recommend doing another curve test or single checks??
 
The spreadsheet looks great! I'd make sure to get a test before each shot and a nadir when ever you can - somewhere in +5-7 range. If you see any numbers 50 and under (on a human meter) or under 68 (on a pet meter), reduce the dose. I would watch him carefully since the infection may be clearing and his numbers may start to lower.
 
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