Need help with low numbers, getting lower
- Thread starter trina
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Sue and Oliver (GA)
Member Since 2009
She is responding well! For reference, we consider a kitty in remission if they range from 40-120, off insulin. Skimpy is getting close. If you want, since a switch to wet food is in the mix, you could stop the insulin for a few cycles, getting numbers before and after feeding and see where her numbers are. If she is above the 120 mark consistently, you could start with a tiny dose and see what she does. We use U100 syringes and a conversion chart to give small doses below .5 units.
C
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)
Holy cow, that 32 last night must have grabbed your attention?
You absolutely did the right thing this morning cutting back to .5u.
Your notes for today might explain why she's at 89 right now if she skipped lunch, but, it looks to me like you might be on your way to having a "diet controlled" diabetic cat.
You mentioned that she is almost off the dry? What I would do is try to get her the rest of the way there, and hold off on any insulin tonight, unless you see a number higher than 150, maybe even 200.
And post any numbers you get if you need advice on shooting or skipping a shot.
Tonight, assuming you skip the shot, try testing her just before eating, and then maybe an hour later. You might see an increase in BG from the food. An hour after that, test again. If it falls back down without insulin, then that means her pancreas is able (at least right now) to keep up with the increase in BG that would be caused by eating. If you see that, then you should be very encouraged!
If you are using a human glucometer to test her, "normal BG range" would be 40-120 for a cat. Oh, what kind of meter are you using?
Carl
You absolutely did the right thing this morning cutting back to .5u.
Your notes for today might explain why she's at 89 right now if she skipped lunch, but, it looks to me like you might be on your way to having a "diet controlled" diabetic cat.
You mentioned that she is almost off the dry? What I would do is try to get her the rest of the way there, and hold off on any insulin tonight, unless you see a number higher than 150, maybe even 200.
And post any numbers you get if you need advice on shooting or skipping a shot.
Tonight, assuming you skip the shot, try testing her just before eating, and then maybe an hour later. You might see an increase in BG from the food. An hour after that, test again. If it falls back down without insulin, then that means her pancreas is able (at least right now) to keep up with the increase in BG that would be caused by eating. If you see that, then you should be very encouraged!
If you are using a human glucometer to test her, "normal BG range" would be 40-120 for a cat. Oh, what kind of meter are you using?
Carl
trina
Member Since 2012
Hi
Thanks for the help, yes last night was pretty scary.The weird thing about it was she was kind of a normal cat,nothing real obvious.Makes me wonder how long this has been going on before I got a tester. I am using the Reli on Micro. I have been testing myself to make sure it was working right. Had me wondering.
Thanks for the help, yes last night was pretty scary.The weird thing about it was she was kind of a normal cat,nothing real obvious.Makes me wonder how long this has been going on before I got a tester. I am using the Reli on Micro. I have been testing myself to make sure it was working right. Had me wondering.
Sue and Oliver (GA)
Member Since 2009
He is still going down, not up. So yes, I would either skip or test at +12 and wait 20 minutes, without feeding to see if he goes up. You did give .5 at 152 and he did well - coasting on through pmps but you want to make sure he is headed up.
Here's the info on mini dosing:
When your cat is consistently in numbers too low to shoot at shot time and in numbers in the 100 range and below during the cycle, you can consider micro dosing. This process should be guided on the forum by experienced members and will require more frequent testing.
You may be shooting at times other than the 12/12 schedule, when the blood glucose levels rise enough to require a small dose of insulin. You will need to pick a number somewhere near the 150 range at which you will plan to shoot, being sure that the number is indeed rising. The dose at these low numbers will vary with each cat and its patterns, so advice should be solicited. But you may be considering doses below .25 and even considering a “drop” of insulin. At this point, U100 needles and the conversion chart will be necessary.
It is important during this period to offer small frequent meals. You may want to experiment with the lowest carb foods to help bring down the numbers, staying away from seafood more than once or twice a week.
Here's the info on mini dosing:
When your cat is consistently in numbers too low to shoot at shot time and in numbers in the 100 range and below during the cycle, you can consider micro dosing. This process should be guided on the forum by experienced members and will require more frequent testing.
You may be shooting at times other than the 12/12 schedule, when the blood glucose levels rise enough to require a small dose of insulin. You will need to pick a number somewhere near the 150 range at which you will plan to shoot, being sure that the number is indeed rising. The dose at these low numbers will vary with each cat and its patterns, so advice should be solicited. But you may be considering doses below .25 and even considering a “drop” of insulin. At this point, U100 needles and the conversion chart will be necessary.
It is important during this period to offer small frequent meals. You may want to experiment with the lowest carb foods to help bring down the numbers, staying away from seafood more than once or twice a week.
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