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Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne

Member Since 2021
Has anyone noticed that their cat’s BG is high, but their cat feels much better on a lower insulin dose ?

Bruce was on 2 units and his numbers were around 400, which is high - but he was acting amazing. Like a kitten again. But when I bump him up to 3 or 4 units , his BG is still around 400, but he seems thirstier and more lethargic. Seems weird. Like I know his blood needs more insulin , but it seems like his body doesn’t like it.

I am trying to do better about getting more blood samples, but still struggling to get all that I need for a conclusive chart for you. I did get his blood panel and copied it over to my chart.

If anyone has any insight - I’d love to hear your thoughts.
 
Your spreadsheet isn't updated?
But it doesn't look like you did pre-shot test before giving insulin? Without more testing we can't see what's going on.
The higher dose might have made him bounce, so first low and the body fights it and releases glucose to survive, and the high BG is back... all in a few hours, but we can't know.
 
SashaV said:
The higher dose might have made him bounce, so first low and the body fights it and releases glucose to survive, and the high BG is back... all in a few hours, but we can't know.
Click to expand...
Exactly my suspicions.

Depending on when you're testing you might not be catching drops early in the cycle.

Bumping up dose in whole units increases the risk of Bruce dropping too low. Also, throwing more Vetsulin at a cat is more likely to produce steep (maybe steeper) drops and higher bounces. It won't do much to help poor duration.

Bruce's clinical signs are suggestive of him getting too much insulin on the higher doses (though it's impossible to say for certain).

I'm really sorry we can't suggest anything concrete to you (impossible without current data to interpret).

You need to hold a safe dose for several days to let it settle and see what Bruce's response is before making adjustments. See FDMB Vetsulin Guide for further info.


Mogs
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Thanks for your replies. I will try to get some more information on my chart. He just hates when I hold him down to get the blood. It’s so hard to tell. I will mention we did switch off of vetsulin and over to prozinc and he seems to be receiving that much better. he is only on 3 units now, and I will keep him there until I can tell better what his blood is doing.

hypothetically if he’s having spikes and drops , I feel like it would be almost impossible to regulate his dosage. I will check the link you sent me to see if that helps.
 
Regulation takes time, Lauren. If you can manage to get 3-4 tests per day (AMPS, PMPS, one during the daytime cycle and a before bed test) it would help you with that process. The short periods of discomfort during testing would more than pay off for Bruce if you can better tune the dose as a consequence and have him feeling better the rest of the day.

The stickies you need to read after your change of insulin are at the top of the Prozinc support group's board.


Mogs
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Hi Lauren,

I'm not sure what your testing routine looks like, but there would be no way I would just be able to hold my cat down to take a reading. I have been wrapping him in a towel and then popping him in between my legs so he can't squirm. I also started giving him a small high protein treat such as freeze dried chicken or cod after a test, whether successful or not. He still doesn't enjoy being tested, but he is much, much more tolerable than he was at the start. He now sits and waits, and only starts to get irate if I'm keeping him too long, or if I've had to test a lot over a short period of time.

Also, use a light to shine through the ears to see where the vein is that runs down the side of the ear. You want to avoid that, and instead aim between that and the outer edge of the ear.

Veins_in_Ear_photo.jpg
 

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Oscar and Carrie said:
Hi Lauren,

I'm not sure what your testing routine looks like, but there would be no way I would just be able to hold my cat down to take a reading. I have been wrapping him in a towel and then popping him in between my legs so he can't squirm. I also started giving him a small high protein treat such as freeze dried chicken or cod after a test, whether successful or not. He still doesn't enjoy being tested, but he is much, much more tolerable than he was at the start. He now sits and waits, and only starts to get irate if I'm keeping him too long, or if I've had to test a lot over a short period of time.

Also, use a light to shine through the ears to see where the vein is that runs down the side of the ear. You want to avoid that, and instead aim between that and the outer edge of the ear.

View attachment 60064
Click to expand...



Thank you for that tip! Do you ever find that when you prick the ear, it won't bleed? Like no matter how long you warm it up or where you prick? I know that it is going through bc sometimes I will prick my own finger on the other side of the ear, but I can't get enough blood for my test strip to register.
 
aw, my poor baby. he has like bruises on his ears now. I am going to give him a break until Wednesday and then try again in some new spots. Thanks for the tip!
 
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