Need some extra expereinced eyes

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mfrancis69

mfrancis69

Member Since 2013
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I have posted the link above because of the events of the last 24 hours.

My cat Sassy is 13 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes a little over a year ago.
I was given no direction or assistance in how this all works from the vet, they just wanted me to keep bringing her in.

I have been a member of the forum now for a few months and have learned a great deal from the members and after yesterday, have learned to treasure the people on here to help me out.

Yesterday, I tested PS and her number was 48, being green I didn't know what to do and gave her the shot anyway.
Knowing that I should have asked the question before giving the shot, I quickly got on the forum to ask for help, luckily her numbers stayed good throughout the day, but then evening came and it was PS time again and her numbers were still good.
Her evening PS number was 68, and by the advice of the people that stuck with me all day I skipped the shot.

Then to this morning, her PS was 89, and an hour later 64, I skipped the shot again, I have tested her every two hours throughout the day today to see where she is and her number have been good all day.
Her spirits are up, and she has been active today and seems to be feeling good.

She has never had numbers this good especially without an evening shot and a shot this morning, not sure what to do from here.
Is it best to keep testing her every two hours or can I hold off until the normal PS for the evening?

Thanks for the support
Melissa & Sassy
 
if you want to give her and yourself a break from testing - do that - you skipped 2 shots, so there is no danger of a hypo at this stage.

as for what to do next - when it is her shot time - get a bg, post and let's see where that number is. I'm thinking if it is 150 or lower you may want to skip that shot too or possibly give a very small token dose of say 0.25

Now that you are here, you will get some very good advice from the folks that are working with this insulin daily
 
Hi Melissa and welcome to Lantus Land. I hope we can offer some additional help given all that's been going on with Sassy.

When I posted earlier on Health, I agreed that you didn't yet have enough data to shoot a low number this morning. (We do shoot low numbers on this board but you need to be data ready in order to do so.) What I had suggested in your thread on Health was to see where Sassy's numbers were at around +11 or so and consider reducing her dose. My initial thinking was to reduce to 0.5u but a lot will depend on what the numbers look like closer to shot time.

I also want to emphatically suggest that you start getting at the minimum, a test before you go to bed each and every night. Many cats experience lower numbers at night so getting at least one test in addition to your PMPS is very important. In addition, if you don't test at night, you're missing half of your data.

What do the time references mean in the Remarks section of your spreadsheet?
 
Sienne,

The time references are strictly for me, it helps me know when I tested last and keep track of things easier on my end.
I don't always test the same time every day but as close as I can, this helps me keep track of the 12 hours better.

I don't sleep well and sometimes I am up earlier and other times I sleep in and test later, this helps me remember and keep track easier.

I will be testing at about 9:30 pm tonight my time, right now it is 7:00 pm.

I will be posting her new number before I give a shot or do anything else with her tonight.

Melissa
 
We have a few people who are in your time zone and who are up late (e.g., Julie, Wendy, and Marje although Marje is otherwise occupied this evening). Carl may be around, as well. (I don't think he sleeps.) It's a coin toss whether I'll have dozed off by your shot time. I'll make sure to let the night crew know you'll be posting in about an hour.
 
Hi Melissa and welcome to Lantus Land. I'm one of the night crew. :cool: I have a late nadir cat so I'm typically up later so I'll keep any eye open for your post.
 
Mellisa

So glad it all worked out yesterday.

You'll get a lot of experienced feedback in Lantus TR. While I have used Lantus, it wasn't for very long for Spitzer. I also helped a gal near me with her Lantus kitty Dusty ... he was off insulin in about 4 weeks once he got on low carb food.

Right now, I've a kitty on ProZinc as my schedule doesn't lend itself to exact 12 hour dosing.
 
Ok, this is the latest.

Her number now is 92, so her is good, do I skip the shot again this evening?

Sounds like her numbers are good enough to skip.

I am going to take a suggestion from earlier and skip the shot but test in a few hours before I go to bed to see where she is.

Melissa
 
Carl may be around, as well. (I don't think he sleeps.)
Click to expand...

Nope, he rarely sleeps! :lol:

Hi Melissa,
I think skipping was the right choice tonight.

edit - any time you can get a test mid-cycle, it's good data to have, so the number in a few hours will tell you something. And will help to determine your next step.
 
Good plan on skipping tonight. I think if Sassy is under 100 tomorrow morning, you'll be doing the same. :-D
 
Well, all still seems to be good, I just tested her again and her number is 96.

It is 11:30 pm my time, and her PS test was at 9:30, two hours ago, all seems good without the shot.

I has been a long two days and I am hitting the hay.

Thanks for all the support.

I will touch base again in the morning on her amps.

Goodnight all
Melissa
 
Good morning!!

If your shot time is at 11:30, then your pre-shot test needs to be at that time. The 9:30 test is your +10. A lot can happen in 2 hours. If 11:30 works best for your schedule, that's great. Otherwise, have you considered moving your shot time? If Sassy is running in low numbers, an 11:30 shot time means you could be losing a good deal of sleep. Just a thought for your consideration..... (And since you've skipped, you can move your shot time with no problem.)
 
My shot time was at 9:30 pm, I just tested again at 11:30 pm before I went to bed to see how her numbers still looked.

I am going to test again this morning about 8:30 am, (it was 9:30 am) that is about a 1/2 hour away from now.
She is alert and playful this morning, more than normal and I have a feeling her number this morning will be good.

I will post her new number shortly before I feed her or give a shot.

Melissa
 
Looking good. If you recently changed to low carb food, that could be the reason the numbers have been in a normal range.
 
Looking good. If you recently changed to low carb food, that could be the reason the numbers have been in a normal range.
 
Re: Need some extra experienced eyes

Ok, another morning with a good number, her number this morning is 99.

I am blown away at the last 72 hours, her numbers and the fact that I haven't given her a shot in two days.

She is in good spirits this morning, active and alert and she is letting me know she is hungry.
I am going to give her her food, but moving forward through the day, how often should I test her?

Melissa
 
I would get a test at +3. It's certainly looking like Sassy's pancreas has kicked in. When this happens, food stimulates the pancreas to produce it's own insulin and it pulls numbers down.

If thinks look good at +3, you can get another test later in the cycle and then at PMPS.
 
Sounds good to me, glad to know I don't have to stick her as much today, but better safe than sorry when needed.

I changed her to canned food when she was diagnosed over a year ago, I changed to Friskies Pate about a month and a half ago.
And the only other change is I started giving her Zobaline vitamins in her morning food. That has been right around the same time as the food change.

Other than that there haven't been any real changes, I reduced her dose to 1.5 from 2.0 at the beginning of November I sure can't complain about the results right now that is for sure.

Thanks for the extra eyes, this forum has been the greatest tool to have right now to help me through the learning curve.

Melissa
 
You are doing great!

Yes, you don't need to go crazy testing today. At this point the insulin that you gave and was stored in her system, most likely is gone by now, so you don't have to worry about her going to low.

As Sienne suggested get a +3 test and how about a +8 after that (just for my curiosity). Then if all looks good (normal range) do a PMPS (evening pre-shot test) and post before giving any insulin.

It's possible she will remain in normal range and not need insulin again tonight.

Diet change has a HUGE effect on the bg levels as you are now seeing. And depending on what caused her to become diabetic in the first place, the low carb food you are now and will always feed her just may be enough to keep her in good numbers.
 
hi melissa! just wanted to add my welcome. it's great to meet you and uber-great to see Sassy is such fine numbers. makes us all celebrate with you!

keep posting and asking questions and we'll help you as much as we can.
 
Test at +3 and +8, sounds good to me.

That's an easy day compared to the last 24 hours or so.

Thanks
Melissa
 
I need to ask one thing that may help me, in the beginning I was told to change her food to high protein, now I am getting advice about low carb or high carb food.
About a month ago per advice from someone on the forum, I switched her food to Friskies Pate, it seems to agree with her and she likes it better than the Fancy Feast.

Can someone tell me what the difference is and what is best for Sassy? The Friskies is obviously working out for her, but I am curious so that I know the difference.
 
There is tons of nutrition info in a pdf file at Cat Info. You can download it from the link on the right of the page.

Friskies and Fancy Feast are both good options, as long as they are the pate versions. Those are just what I've memorized!
 
Ok, we seem to be holding strong, her +3 number is 87.

She seems to be feeling good, she is fighting with me when I touch her ears, but still letting me do my thing.
She is alert and active, I couldn't be more pleased right now.

Melissa
 
With diabetics the idea is low carb food - same as with people - cause carbs turn into sugar and sugar is the enemy for diabetics.

If she likes the Friskies and you are feeding the low carb varieties, then continue with that. I fed Friskies for years and then one day, my girls decided they didn't like it any longer, so I give Fancy Feast. I feed all low carb varieties and whichever brand and flavor will be eaten is what I will buy.
 
Ok, she is still holding strong, her +8 number is 115.

I will make sure to test at her PMPS, that will be 8:30 pm my time, that is another 4 hours away.

I will post her number before doing anything to see where she is then.
Melissa
 
Melissa --

Would you be willing to try an experiment? How about giving Sassy a teaspoon of food? I want to see if the numbers come down by PMPS.
 
Good news her PMPS number is 109, she is still holding strong.

Any suggestions? I do not plan on giving her a shot once again and will test her again in about two hours before I go to bed.

Melissa
 
Sienne, sorry I just saw your post and it wasn't in time before her PMPS.

What was your thinking on that? I am willing to try a few things but wanted to know what you thought might happen?

Melissa
 
Melissa

Sienne is wanting to try a food experiment to see if Sassys pancreas is working. If you test and then feed a little bit of food about three hours before when your shot time would be and then test at when your shot time would be, if the pancreas is working, the BG will be lower.

You probably won't be up three hours before her AMPS. So try again tomorrow afternoon and let's see if it will bring down the Preshot number. Test and feed her three hours before when her PMPS would be then test at when her PMPS is and see if the food brought the number down.

Sound good?
 
Sassy's +2 PMPS is 71, looks like were are in the clear for the night.

Have a good night everyone, and thank you for your extra eyes and input.

Melissa

Check back with you in the morning when I do the AMPS, I will post numbers before I shoot.
 
Thanks for the clarification Marje.

I will give that a try tomorrow afternoon before her PMPS.

Have a good night.
Melissa
 
Melissa, I didn't see that you got a direct answer to your food question.

Food is made up of three basic nutritional elements--protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Those three elements add up to 100%. The higher one element is, the lower the other two will be.

When folks here talk about "high protein," they are pretty much using that interchangeably with "low carbohydrate."

For a diabetic cat, we want to feed high-protein, low-carb canned or raw food. For "low carb," we try to keep the carb level under 10%. On Dr. Lisa Pierson's website at http://www.catinfo.org, there is a chart of the nutritional values of various canned and raw cat foods. There also are carb calculators on the internet that will calculate the carb load of cat food, and those will often give different results than what is on Dr. Lisa's chart. Calculating carbs is an art, not a science, unless you have a laboratory that can do a full analysis of a particular can of food. In other words, we are "eyeballing" for a low-carb food, and we also have to work with the kitty that may have taste preferences that runs contrary to our attempt to feed low-carb food.

(And, BTW, please avoid too much food with fish or seafood in it. Cats' kidneys don't process fish/seafood well, and a diet high in fish/seafood can bring on chronic kidney disease earlier than it might otherwise happen. Some people say no fish more often than twice a week. My four cats--aged 4-6--have never had fish and they are quite happy without it.)

Blood glucose (BG) levels usually react to dietary carbohydrates. The higher the dietary carbohydrates, the higher the BG. If a human diabetic is having a low-BG event, they eat or drink something with high sugar/carbs, like orange juice or a donut. The other day when Sassy received an insulin shot when her BG already was low, folks here recommended you feed her medium carb (mc) or high carb (hc) food or give her Karo syrup (a simple sugar) to raise her BG level. Medium carbohydrate (mc) food is usually in the 10-15% range and high carb (hc) food is usually in the 15-20% range. Folks sometimes keep a can or two of mc and hc food on hand in the pantry in case their diabetic cat has a low BG event.

Normally, we want human diabetics to eat small, frequent, low-carb meals. That keeps their BGs fairly level. We want the same for our diabetic cats. My Ennis received low-carb Fancy Feast classics on demand...usually every 2-3 hours of the day and night. I was at home most of the time so I could feed him when he came to ask for food. Other people here use timed feeders to give small, frequent, low-carb meals to their diabetic cats.

Whether you feed a Friskies or Fancy Feast (or some other) branded food is not important. What is important is that the food is canned and low-carb, and that Sassy likes it.
 
Melissa

Can you please start a new thread in this forum today? We usually start a new one each day or they get too long. If you could please just link this one in the new one, that would be great.

To link, just copy the browser address from this thread, open a new topic, put the cursor in the txt box, click on the "url" button above the text box and then paste your link between the two url boxes that you see in the text box. It will look like this:

paste link here

Thank you so much :-D
 
Venita,

I will take a look at the link you posted, it was sent to me the other day but I couldn't open it for some reason.
She seems to be doing well on Friskies, I will take a closer look at the nutritional charts of the food I have been giving her, the different flavors could be slightly different.

Marje, I posted a new thread for the day, I don't think I added the link to this thread correctly though.

Melissa
 
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