Queasy cat - stop insulin?

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Our shoot/ no shoot number here on the Feline Health forum is 200 (11.11).

Over in the ISG Lantus TR forum, the shoot/no shoot number is 150.

"Better too high for a day than too low for a minute"

Once you have enough data on your SS, you can shoot lower and lower.

You really should be testing before every pre-shot. Looks like you go weeks without testing.
 
There is such limited test data on your SS, it's hard to suggest what you do.

I'd love for you to be getting more tests. We could help more if there were more data to base our decisions on.
 
Thanks - Maui is happy about it too.

My understanding is that slippery elm is used for poo issues - such as diarrhea - at least that is what I used it for.

Do you have pill pockets? Does he like them? You can wrap the pepcid in a piece of pill pocket and see if he will eat on his own, if not, you will need to pill him. Or you could cover in butter or anything else he may like.
 
Hi there:) I love the picture of Sam in the sink, what a pretty kitty! I use the slippery elm bark for nausea, and it seems to help with poo too :lol: I did ask about slippery elm bark once in a post here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=95302 It veers off into info on CKD as well but it does have some info for you if you're interested:) She takes the SEB powder mixed in a little bit of food (separate a few hours from supplements or other drugs as it can effect adsorption of other things).

It worked really well, but I'm now using Pepcid AC as well since my cat also has renal disease/CKD and has excess stomach acid. I hope the appetite comes back real soon :-D
 
You would get a much better idea of whats going on, and be better able to control his diabetes etc if you did a little more testing. I dont see much but yellows and pinks and I worry about the impact on his body over time. Those high numbers arent good for him but at the same time he could be going real low overnight.

First I would strongly advise you always always always get a preshot test. You dont want to shoot him when he is too low. Shooting without testing first is playing russian roulette with a hypo gun.

Then a mid cycle test 5-7 hours after morning shoot would be great if you can do it (as often as your schedule permits)

Then a before bed test to see what Sams nighttime plans are - if the number is more than 30 points lower than preshot you might want to set the alarm for a +6 test as that usually implies an active cycle.

With those tests you are keeping sam safe from hypos, plus will be better able to see if the dose is good enough.

Wendy
 
With that low BG of 31 you got, it would have been an automatic reduction of 0.25U following the Lantus TR protocol we use here. This is the only scientifically based protocol for Lantus use.

I want to ask you a question. What if that BG of 31 had been before a shot and you had not tested and given the insulin? What do you think would have happened to Sam? 31 was in mmol/L. Not a low number after all.
Since Sam is not eating well, you should be getting at least one ketone test a day. Ketones can develop very quickly and progress to DKA in less than a day.

Urine catching tips

ketone info link

Ketone link from FDMB home page, education topics
 
What specific medication is Sam on for the asthma?

Pill? inhaled? injection?

We have a few other diabetic cats with asthma here. I know they say the inhaled asthma meds have less of an affect on the BG levels.

UTI's are very common in unregulated diabetic cats. All that excess glucose spilling out of the urinary tract system provides a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and crud.

Nice link to urinary tract health article
 
We are used to people giving us the BG readings in mg/dL, not mmol/L. Those are the board standards.

To clarify, was that 31 you stated in mg/dL or mmol/L? It makes a huge difference. I do believe I misinterpreted your BG number.
 
I had trouble with the converting mmol/L at first too! Thanks for the good wishes:) We are in Northern Alberta so 8hrs drive north from the flooding. I guess Sam and his brother are happy to not be in Calgary to get their paws wet! The head office of where I work is there and some of the employees got hit pretty bad in their houses with the water. I am on two CRF/CKD groups on yahoo ;-)

I've been having bouts of Chyna not eating lately too, and I know how stressful it is! The Slippery Elm helped for awhile, then we were back to not eating. Adding Pepcid AC seemed to help all that, so far (again, that was from the CKD though). In the past month when she was having trouble eating, I've been finger and spoon feeding her wet food with water mashed into applesauce consistency (or pureed in a blender) here and there :? Messy, but it worked. I've also used bonito flakes, tuna (low sodium) or tuna water, parm cheese, a bit of forti flora or purebite freeze dried treats sprinkled on her food to entice. I am hoping to hear good news of fuds eating for your Sam soon.
 
I was wondering where the 31 was on your sheet - I am in Canada too and regularly go back and forth between both units of measurement quite happily now.

I guess its up to you what your goals are, if you want to better regulate Sam, or even get into remission ( and time is running out fast for that!) then I think you need to make some changes. He doesnt look well regulated and he is running out of time to go into remission.

We can prove scientifically that 84% of cats go into remission in the first six months with a low carb diet, a good insulin like lantus, and frequent home testing for dose change purposes. But after that time remission becomes unlikely.

So I am thinking you should test more. It doesnt do any harm at all , so you arent doing any wrong by going against what the vets said, and in fact you may do good as you might discover some stuff that will allow you to regulate him better!!!. And I do think we can get him regulated better with more testing as I suggested. Or we may find an underlying issue here which is also important to identify.

3-4 tests a day. Thats all it would take. 2 preshot, 1 before bed. and a spot check every day or two mid cycle. But its up to you.

Wendy
 
It's always a good idea to check with the vet to make sure there aren't any other issues going on, I hope you can get in :-D Chyna was in high numbers for a few months and it was stressful. Then I panicked when she started getting greens/good numbers, lol. Is he constipated? Chyna won't eat much if she has to poop I've noticed, then it's time to bring out the pumpkin etc :shock: . I'm so sorry you are having such a terrible time. I hope it's a simple fix. This board is great for moral support as well, I know I've needed that too, still do.

I do have Astro's powder, scrub, and oil that just came in the mail a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if I need the powder yet as she is still on higher protein food but I ordered all three. I'm starting one at a time to make sure there are no reactions and so if there are I'll know what it is, so she has been on the oil for two weeks now, today we are starting the scrub:) Paws crossed on all three products! ;-)
 
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