Did you get a fructosamine test done in the beginning? if Isy is only peeing once or twice a day, I wonder if the BG was higher because of the pancreatitis and not because she is a diabetic. I would ask for a fructosamine test if one hasn’t been done to confirm the diagnosis before you give any insulin.
Hi Bron
I had finished at the vet today before I saw your latest comment - No Isy hasn’t had a fructosamine test. They did check her BG again today and it was 354. So my vet feels she IS diabetic, especially given the 8yrs on steroids.
The good news was at least she’s gained back a few tenths of a pound since last week.
So my vet gave me the pet meter to borrow
(it’s an
iPet Pro starter kit - coincidentally it’s the SAME one that I asked her about the other day, to see if I could get it instead of an AlphaTrak since it is cheaper and Amazon could ship it in 2 days! So now I’m wondering if my vet actually ordered it herself to give me to borrow, to save me money and then when I’m done and return it to her she’ll just use it at the clinic?)
She gave me a bag of 25gauge needles to use for lancets to do the ear pricks.
Also I got the Lantus pen and 0.3ml 31 gauge 8mm syringes with 1/2 unit markings (it’s what Walgreens had available), and ketone test strips.
Directions re Insulin from my vet: She decided she wants me to start Isy at just
1/2unit dose 2x/day. She wants me to stay at that dose for 7-10 days and then do the 12hr BG curve based on that dose.
She feels Isy is pretty sensitive so she’d rather I start at a very small dose (she also said she always has owners use syringes with the Lantus pen, to adjust small doses).
She thinks if I check Isy’s BG levels too frequently at first, it’s going to stress Isy cause she can be temperamental. So she’d rather I start at just 1/2unit and thinks there shouldn’t be much risk of her BG going too low, so recommends I don’t keep testing her BG multiple times during the first week.
But of course if Isy acts like she’s not feeling well or any changes, then I should check her BG. Also if she’s not eating well then I should not give the next insulin shot and contact my vet for guidance etc.
Food: Also now my vet wants me to work on getting Isy transitioned over to more wet food, and off the dry Hills I/d.
She said at this point I should feed any wet food like Fancy Feast which Isy seems to tolerate, and try to get her intake of wet food up, as I decrease the dry food. (Since right now what Isy has been willing to eat only gives about 1/4 of her calories from wet food and the rest is all from Hills dry I/d food, so need to adjust that - but she said I don’t need to increase her total calories because she doesn’t have to get back up to 10lbs, just some small increase from her current 9.4lbs is fine and then stay stable.)
So this is basically the same as all of you here also advised re foods.
(I forgot to ask my vet today about the anemia and if there is anything we should do about that- will follow up on that.)
Any thoughts on my vet’s plan re insulin dosing and BG curve in another 7-10days?