Numbers going up

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Can you get a midcycle test? It is hard to see what is really happening without midcycle numbers. She could be going down and then bouncing back up for preshots. Once you see whether she is higher overall or is bouncing, you'll know whether the dose needs to be increased.
 
Can you get a pmps? It would be best if you could get a number every night before the shot. That will help you figure this out. I think an increase to one unit is probably a good idea, if the pmps continues to be high.

Other possibles: Any chance of infection? What kind of food? Are you testing for ketones? At these high numbers, it would be very wise to test every couple of days.
 
I will get a pmps. Her food is Friskies Special Diet. When she was first diagnosed she had a bladder infection and a cyst and was treated for that with antibiotics. I dont think she has another infection but I just dont know what could be causing such a jump and it concerned me.
 
The Friskies Special Diet, are all nice in low in carbs so that should not be contributing to her higher BG numbers. Maybe she does need a bit more insulin, like Sue said.
 
yes, I thought I would call and ask the vet in the morning. Until i hear from him I will just keep the dose the same. I dont want any problems with her sugar going any lower.
 
I locked away the old dry food a week ago. I have found a friend that feeds the same food to her cats. But food is what I was thinking yesterday, i just dont know any other explanation.
 
Can you try for the next 2-3 days to get these tests? She could be dropping low at night and bouncing up. Or it could be too low a dose. we wont know without more tests sorry...

I usually recommend 4 tests a day

- always before the shot - this is mandatory as you don't want to shoot when too low. As a newbie this too low number is 200 but is reduced over time once you have the data to know if its safe.
- mid cycle - 5-7 hours after morning shot depending on your schedule. This is to see how low she is going. The low point "nadir" is what you base dose changes on since you don't want him dropping too low (under 50).
- before bed (2-3hours after Pm shot) to get an idea of what her overnight plans are. If this number is less than the pre shot test number you may want to set the alarm for a test a few hours later as this implies an active cycle.


If you can do that for the next few days we will get a much better picture of whats going on!
 
If her energy level is high, it may help to engage her in some active play for 15-20 minutes and tire her out, if there are no medical issues that would prevent that. And by active, I mean running and jumping just to the point of slight panting that resolves quickly.
 
Had a family emergency over the weekend and had not trained my brother yet. But today she had some good numbers and some not so good numbers.
 
I usually recommend 4 tests a day

- always before the shot - this is mandatory as you don't want to shoot when too low. As a newbie this too low number is 200 but is reduced over time once you have the data to know if its safe.
- mid cycle - 5-7 hours after morning shot depending on your schedule and type of insulin. This is to see how low she is going. The low point "nadir" is what you base dose changes on since you don't want him dropping too low (under 50).
- before bed (2-3hours after Pm shot) to get an idea of what her overnight plans are. If this number is less than the pre shot test number you may want to set the alarm for a test a few hours later as this implies an active cycle.
 
This weekend I will get as many tests as possible. But now since the change in her insulin the numbers are still bouncing around and seem worse.
 
Perhaps having a reference for what the numbers mean will be helpful.

Here are some glucose reference ranges used for decision making using glucometers. Human glucometer numbers are given first.

Numbers in parentheses are for non-US meters. Numbers in curly braces are estimates for an AlphaTrak.

< 40 mg/dL (2.2 mmol/L) {< 70 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- Treat as if HYPO if on insulin
- At nadir (lowest point between shots) in a long term diabetic (more than a year), may earn a reduction.

< 50 mg/dL (2.8 mmol/L) {< 80 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- If before nadir, steer with food, ie, give modest amounts of medium carb food to keep from going below 50 (2.8).
- At nadir, often indicates dose reduction is earned.

50 - 130 mg/dL (2.8 - 7.2 mmol/L) {80 - 160 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- On insulin - great control when following a tight regulation protocol.
- Off insulin - normal numbers. (May even go as low as the upper 30s (1.7 mmol/L){60s for an AlphaTrak}; if not on

insulin, this can be safe.

= 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol/L) {> 180 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- the lowest level pre-shot for ProZinc, PZI, or other non-depot insulins.

> 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol/L) {> 180 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- At nadir, indicates a dose increase may be needed when following a tight regulation protocol.

200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) {230 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- no shot level for beginners; may slowly reduce to 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol/L) {180 mg/dL} for long-acting insulins (Lantus,

Levemir, and ProZinc) as mid-cycle data collection shows it is safe

180 - 280 mg/dL (10 - 15.6 mmol/L) {may be 210 - 310 mg/dL for an AlphaTrak}
- Any time - The renal threshold (depending on data source and cat's renal function) where glucose spills into the urine.
- Test for ketones, glucose is too high.

>= 280 mg/dL (15.6 mmol/L) {may be >=310 mf/dL for an AlphaTrak}, if for most of the cycle between shots
- Uncontrolled diabetes and thus at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis and hepatic lipidosis
- Follow your insulin protocol for dose adjustments
- Test for ketones; if more than a trace level of ketones, go to vet ASAP.
 
samantha and mia said:
I've seen this but I just worry about her sugar being so high and low in the same day and the next day it is just higher.
Click to expand...

Part of that reason is the Vetsulin you are using. It hasn't been shown to work well in cats. Works ok for dogs though.
 
Did we mention that Vetsulin, aka Caninsulin, was developed on dogs and doesn't last as long in cats? Now you're seeing the proof - huge swings between pre-shot to nadir to pre-shot.

A better insulin would help - ProZinc, PZI, Lantus, and Levemir.

Barring that, can you shoot every 8 hours, ie 3 times a day? Take the total daily dose and divide by 3. Then maybe shoot that at 7, 3, and 11, or whatever 8 your arrangement works best. Also, we really need to see just how low its taking the glucose level. You may have had the black this morning because it went really low last night ... possibly near hypo! Maybe try 0.75 units - you'll have to eyeball it as syringes don't measure that precisely.

One plus with the Vetsulin is it is an in and out insulin. This means you could tweak the times a bit and make overnight a longer period, as many cats go lower then.
 
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