New to PZI

Jennybags123! said:
I ended up delaying his shot by 2 hrs. I waited for his BG to get to 340 and then gave him a reduced dose, 1.5 units. His eating was so off today. He finally ate 2TBSP DM at +3 after his pm shot. His numbers still dropped rapidly after the reduction in dose. I will see where he is at in the morning.
Click to expand...
Was it last night that you delayed his shot or this morning?

EDIT: I see it was last night.
 
Last edited:
I’m so sorry I wasn’t around last night. I now understand. I did not see your message. I am concerned about his lack of appetite. Have you been testing for ketones? Has he been vomiting? Is he lethargic?
 
Jennybags123! said:
I ended up delaying his shot by 2 hrs. I waited for his BG to get to 340 and then gave him a reduced dose, 1.5 units. His eating was so off today. He finally ate 2TBSP DM at +3 after his pm shot. His numbers still dropped rapidly after the reduction in dose. I will see where he is at in the morning.
Click to expand...
I don’t see 340 in his spreadsheet. If you test at AMPS or PMPS time and get one number and subsequently get another number because you are stalling, put both numbers in the correct cell (AMPS/PMPS) and write something in the remarks section of the SS about how long you stalled. You can also write it in the amps-pmps cell since you are going to have to color code it anyway (because you put two or more different numbers in that cell for the various BG tests.)

How is Calvin now? It seems like he normally does not have a great appetite, but lately it’s been worse? When was his last bloodwork done?
 
Hi, he's been acting fine but occasionally he really doesn't want to eat much. No vomiting, no lethargy. I haven't tested for ketones yet. I can't seem to catch him going into the litter box. Today he ate a " normal " amount ( for him) at breakfast and he's had a couple small snacks. He just ate 1 1/2 TBSP FF and a tsp of DM. He's due at 8 pm est for his shot. This am I gave him 1.2 units as he dipped below 90 yesterday. That was as close as I could figure to a .25 reduction. I hope I'm doing this right! As he is eating less DM I am trying to be cautious.
 
His appetite varies daily. He dies struggle with hairballs and sometimes I think it affects his appetite. His last bloodwork was at the end of November I think or early December, I will have to look it up. Everything was great except the BG.
 
Jennybags123! said:
Hi, he's been acting fine but occasionally he really doesn't want to eat much. No vomiting, no lethargy. I haven't tested for ketones yet. I can't seem to catch him going into the litter box. Today he ate a " normal " amount ( for him) at breakfast and he's had a couple small snacks. He just ate 1 1/2 TBSP FF and a tsp of DM. He's due at 8 pm est for his shot. This am I gave him 1.2 units as he dipped below 90 yesterday. That was as close as I could figure to a .25 reduction. I hope I'm doing this right! As he is eating less DM I am trying to be cautious.
Click to expand...
Yes. He’s earned a reduction, although I don’t completely trust the Libre. Also, I think some of those lower numbers are due to his lack of eating— but we must do it anyway— we can always go back up in due time, if appropriate. It’s too bad because his last few cycles have been really nice. Lots of good greens and blues…. but if it’s due to him not eating well then I can’t exactly be happy about it.

Don’t worry too much about trying to do a .25 reduction. You can’t do it with the U-100s. We take reductions Up and down the chart. From 2 down to 1.8, from 1.8 to 1.6, etc. That will be sufficient.
 
Jennybags123! said:
His appetite varies daily. He dies struggle with hairballs and sometimes I think it affects his appetite. His last bloodwork was at the end of November I think or early December, I will have to look it up. Everything was great except the BG.
Click to expand...
If you have a copy of the bloodwork, I would like to see it. Maybe he’s just not a big eater? Or he is tired of his food?
 
If you could scan his Libre at about +10 and put the entry on his spreadsheet, it would help us to not have a surprise at PMPS time. And if he’s a little low, you can coax him to eat at +10. That would be the cutoff time for him to eat and for us to see an accurate pmps.
 
I will try. We are going out right around then. He has always been very fussy with food. Gets bored easily. I had one jar of babyfood, chicken, which he loved! Is that sufficient for his meals? I was going to get more as well as more FF, and some other kind if I can find something low carb. I hope to post his bloodwork on the ss soon. Thanks for all of your help!
 
Jennybags123! said:
I will try. We are going out right around then. He has always been very fussy with food. Gets bored easily. I had one jar of babyfood, chicken, which he loved! Is that sufficient for his meals? I was going to get more as well as more FF, and some other kind if I can find something low carb. I hope to post his bloodwork on the ss soon. Thanks for all of your help!
Click to expand...
You could scan it a little earlier. It doesn’t have to be exactly +10
 
Baby food is okay as a supplement to regular (nutritionally appropriate) cat food. As long as he’s still eating regular cat food with the vitamins and minerals and amino acids like Taurine, it should not impact hos health negatively at all. Perhaps he could eat the baby food when you really need him to eat something (like the +2 snack or a +4 snack.)

I haven’t had a cat yet who didn’t love Gerber ham food. The turkey and chicken are also very popular. The only time I have had them refuse it is if they’re very ill.
 
He ate 2TBSP wet food pre shot this evening. His PMPS was HI. I gave him 1.2 units. I should have asked you this before but I wasn't sure if it was ok to go back up to 1.6 so quick after a reduction? He didn't have any dips below 90 today so I guess it would have been ok to go back to 1.6 this evening? Yes, I think he would absolutely eat the baby food for snacks, he LOVES it! The only other thing he never turns down are the chicken puree squeezie treats but I don't know how good they are for him. I was using the hairball treatment ones occasionally because the hairball remedy stuff is full of molasses which can't be good for him. If he doesn't dip below 90 tonight, should I go back to 1.6 units in the morning? (This is assuming he eats a reasonable amount of food.) I will make every effort to share the bloodwork to the ss over the weekend. My other goal is to catch him peeing so that I can check for ketones. I'm still feeling quite stressed over all of this, but your advice is SO helpful and reassuring! Thank you SO much for everything!!:)
 
I started entering Calvin's labs on the ss. The most recent blood work was on December 5th. I don't have numbers for all of the spots. I have numbers from July, 2024, for much more. Must be that my vet didn't do the full work up in December as he had in July. I didn't see where to put a date for the labs. Would it be helpful to see his labs from July?
 
To talk about the dose…. He was only reduced to 1.2 as a temporary reduction due to not eating… if I am correct. So last his regular dose was 1.6. So you can take him back up to his normal dose.
 
Jennybags123! said:
I started entering Calvin's labs on the ss. The most recent blood work was on December 5th. I don't have numbers for all of the spots. I have numbers from July, 2024, for much more. Must be that my vet didn't do the full work up in December as he had in July. I didn't see where to put a date for the labs. Would it be helpful to see his labs from July?
Click to expand...
The date for the labs goes at the very top of the column (so above the 7.6 first value that you entered for total protein.). Make sure the reference ranges for your vet’s labs are the same as those listed. There may be a slight difference. I don’t see anything particularly remarkable about the labs. His BUN was a little high, but a lot of things can affect that- including hydration status (which can be off especially in a sick or unregulated diabetic cat) so with his creatinine within normal limits, it looks like his kidneys are fine. Did they do a urinalysis in July? If you can put the July values in, it would be great. But you can do that whenever you get a chance.
 
Hi, I think they did a urinalysis in July. I will work on getting the July results put on the ss. I reuduced Calvin's units first on 1/2/25 due to his low PMPS. I gave 1.4 units. Then this morning reduced to 1.2 units due to the low BG overnight (50) at midnight. I'm having trouble recording the half hour BG tests on the ss, I apologize if it's not correct. For example, last night, I fed at 7:30, shot at 7:45. The first test was at 9:30 (+2), the next was at 11:00 (+3.5). I wasn't sure how to note it on the ss. The following BGs were at 12 am, 1 am, 2 am. I am recording them on the ss as best I can deciphering from the Libre chart, which is tricky as it doesn't give a number, only shows a line on the graph. Again, I apologize if I'm not doing it correctly. Calvin has been eating better. Mostly FF and wet food with baby food for snacks. He had a TSP DM snack last night and a TSP DM with breakfast yesterday. I hope you can tell something from all of this. He is acting well and quite normal, not crying like before, not drinking excessively. He's been playing a lot more, too. So, hopefully that means he is making progress. I tested for ketones yesterday, caught him peeing! It was hard to read the strip, the first two colors are so similar that I couldn't really tell the difference. I will try again today and see if I can tell where he is at. Thanks for your help!
 
I see he earned the reduction down to 1.2. I hope we can hold the 1.2 for a while and see how he does with a more consistent dose (if he allows us to be consistent.) Since he actually earned tho reduction by dropping below 90, then 1.2 is his new dose going forward- at least for a little while unless he earns another reduction or it’s clear he needs an increase.
 
Pretty good cycles yesterday, too. This is good.
Despite the pink numbers on the ends of the cycles , it’s good for his body to be spending time in the blues and greens (the healing greens).
 
I do think he is making progress. He's acting much more like his usual self. He's eating better, mostly the FF and baby food. Only a tsp of DM yesterday and the day before. Hopefully he keeps liking the wet food. I think the wet food is what is helping him get to where he needs to be. At what point would I need to up his insulin? Not that I want to, but, just in case, what should I look for? As long as he's in blues and greens should I stay at 1.2? Thanks for your input!
 
Hi, I unsuccessfully applied Calvin's new Libre 2 sensor. It fell off. I can't get another until tomorrow. How do I know if it's safe to give him his evening insulin without a reading? I'm not sure what to do. Please advise, thanks!
 
Hello, I need some advice.I have now failed twice to put a new Libre sensor on Calvin. I now have a Relion glucose meter but I haven't tried it yet. Calvin hasn't had insulin since Sunday morning. I have been feeding him wet food and baby food for snacks, trying to keep him eating every few hours. I'm super nervous not having any idea of where his BG is at right now. I'm going to try the Relion this evening when I get home before hopefully giving him insulin. I could use any tips you have about how to do this. I have watched a few videos but I'm really nervous! I also don't know how often I'm supposed to test him with the Relion? I became accustomed to checking him every couple hours with the Libre. How often should I check him? Just at shot time, twice a day or more often? I'm afraid he's going to give me trouble with this. Please advise! I need some support! Feeling like a failure right now.
 
I’m so sorry I somehow missed your posts! I did not get my usual email. You should’ve sent me a PM. How’s it going with the testing? You definitely are not a failure. Any chance of getting the vet to apply another sensor for you— or have you been able to get a few ear tests? I will be around on and off today and can check in with you.
 
Oh, and I cried a lot during my first week or trying to get ear tests. I told myself I could not do it. But I also refused to give up.
 
Hi, I was worried about you! I'm so glad you are here with me! So yes, NO insulin since 1/4, Saturday am. We git the new sensor on last night thank goodness! I was surprised by his numbers because he had no insulin for all that time! I just don't know how to proceed.
 
Jennybags123! said:
Hi, I was worried about you! I'm so glad you are here with me! So yes, NO insulin since 1/4, Saturday am. We git the new sensor on last night thank goodness! I was surprised by his numbers because he had no insulin for all that time! I just don't know how to proceed.
Click to expand...
Those better numbers are because you have made the switch to low carb food. It’s really reduced his BG a lot :) How many days since he’s had no higher carb food?
 
Jennybags123! said:
How do I send a PM to you if necessary in the future?
Click to expand...
Touch on your name Jennybags123! in the upper right corner of the screen. Then a menu will drop down and you click on Conversations. You can start a private conversation there. I should see it and be able to respond to you.
 
The last time he had dry food was on Thursday, 1/2/25. So 6 days. I am still using u100s. His last dose of 1.2 units was on 1/4/25, the morning dose. I don't know how to determine what the number should be in order to give insulin. His most recent scan was 184 @+4.
 
You can get the U-40 syringes half unit marking from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/UltiCare-Insulin-Syringes-12-7mm-Markings/dp/B08HX9BPH7

@Jennybags123!

Can you please set up your signature
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. You can tap on your name up top then tap on the word signature and add the information it says on the link helping us to help you

Do you see mine about Tyler in gray letters ?
 
Last edited:
Yikes. A yellow. His numbers are creeping up. Can you tell me again about your work schedule and days, generally. He needs some insulin to support his pancreas and hopefully help it to heal. We can start with a lower dose. Let’s talk about it. I’m on Eastern Time. So I will be available for a few more hours this evening. Tell me your time zone again and Calvin’s shot time.
 
Can you restart insulin tomorrow? How about we start him at a small dose .2 units (using your u-100 syringes.) You will draw your U-100 syringe to the .5 mark (you already know this.) We can raise the dose as needed.
 
I gave him 1 unit based on the 237 PMPS, which is 1 notch down from the 1.2 he was on before. I am scanning him every hour until I go to bed. His last BG was 76. Do you suggest that I change to .2 tomorrow morning? Or should we see where he is at AMPS?
 
I guess you didn’t see my recommendation for the small dose tonight until it was too late? It was after your 7 pm. Shot time. I do not recommend giving him more than .4 units at this time. Calvin is going to needlessly insulin than he was before because of the switch to all low carb wet food. So we can’t take him back up to his old dose. His numbers are much lower now. I would prefer to start at a lower dose and work our way up rather than risk him going too low and reducing.
 
I would recommend setting an alarm and testing him in an hour or two — also giving food now before you go to bed. He’s dropped far too quickly tonight. It may result in a bounce, but we will not increase the dose in the a.m. regardless of how high the BG is. He clearly needs less insulin now that he is on an all low carb wet food diet. I don’t like him being this low this early in the cycle. The numbers are not bad numbers but it’s quite early in the cycle. Look at the drop from PMPS to +1 — even that is more than I would like to see. It will probably result in a bounce. Talk to you tomorrow.
 
Yes I didn't hear from you so I tried to figure it out on my own. Ok. I will check him during the night. I did feed him tonight when he dropped and he started going back up. He dropped again and I gave him a puree treat. I hope we can talk before 7 am, but if not, I will not give him insulin. I'm too nervous.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top