Shoot? Don't Shoot? (and update on Austin)

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aspiredact

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I want to say thank you again to everyone who provided me with so much information and reading material when I came on here on Friday half out of my mind with worry for my Austin.

I am pleased to report that he seems to be on track to returning to his normal self. Last week he seemed pretty much dead. Lethargic, glossy-eyed, breathing heavy, not eating more than 1/2 a can (if that) of Fancy Feast a day. Since we started insulin on Friday evening, he not only acknowledges my presence when I enter a room, but looks at me with bright alert eyes. He tracks my movements, follows my hands, has even been trying to steal food of my plate (unsuccessfully, of course). He is not eating as much as he did before this whole spell started, but I'd say he's eating about 60-75% of his prior normal amount and his appetite seems to be coming back even more with each day that passes. This morning when I got up, he even ran to the closet door where we keep his food and meowed for it! He was once a very vocal kitty, but had not meowed at all during the past month. He is starting to "talk" to me again, which I adore. And tonight I noticed that virtually overnight, his coat has gone from rough and wiry to smooth and soft again! His dandruff also seems to have magically disappeared. I know we still have a way to go--he's still not 100% and he needs to put on about 4 pounds, but I definitely feel like I've gotten hope back that we're on the right track.

I do have a question, though. We have not yet had a chance to do a full 12-hour curve because at this moment testing his BG is still a two-person job (shots, thankfully, are a piece of cake!!), so I don't know how far down his BG goes before it starts to climb again (we will be doing the full 12-hour curve this Saturday when DH and I are both home all day). When we took him to the vet Friday, his BG was 400. Since starting insulin, it has been about 250 at 2-3 hours after his shot, and in the 300-350 range right before we give him his shot. Tonight we tested him pre-shot and it was 215! I don't know if I should shoot or not shoot??? Since I don't know how low it gets, I'm kind of afraid to give him his shot, mostly because it will be bedtime in a couple of hours and I won't be awake to notice any signs of hypo. Is this a good decision? He is supposed to get 1 unit of Prozinc twice a day. Any advice would be greatly appreciated to this novice.

Thank you again so much!!
 
I'm still relatively new (abt 6 weeks), but I haven't shot under 250. And if it was just barely over 250, I was advised to shoot HALF of what I had been giving him. Others may have other wisdom to share, but so far this has worked well for me. The biggest thing is to make sure when you shoot, he is on the INCREASE after his low point of nadir.

Finding that nadir may not need to take all day (unless your OCD like me and want to fill in ALL the squares in your spreadsheet!). I was advised to test at +5 and +7 the first day. See which was lowest... let's say it was 5. The next cycle/day/ etc I tested at 4 and 6. This helped to pinpoint when the nadir occured. So you don't have to spend an entire day checking... maybe just twice, with 2 tests around lunch.

Good luck!

Lu-Ann
 
aspiredact said:
I want to say thank you again to everyone who provided me with so much information and reading material when I came on here on Friday half out of my mind with worry for my Austin.

I am pleased to report that he seems to be on track to returning to his normal self. Last week he seemed pretty much dead. Lethargic, glossy-eyed, breathing heavy, not eating more than 1/2 a can (if that) of Fancy Feast a day. Since we started insulin on Friday evening, he not only acknowledges my presence when I enter a room, but looks at me with bright alert eyes. He tracks my movements, follows my hands, has even been trying to steal food of my plate (unsuccessfully, of course). He is not eating as much as he did before this whole spell started, but I'd say he's eating about 60-75% of his prior normal amount and his appetite seems to be coming back even more with each day that passes. This morning when I got up, he even ran to the closet door where we keep his food and meowed for it! He was once a very vocal kitty, but had not meowed at all during the past month. He is starting to "talk" to me again, which I adore. And tonight I noticed that virtually overnight, his coat has gone from rough and wiry to smooth and soft again! His dandruff also seems to have magically disappeared. I know we still have a way to go--he's still not 100% and he needs to put on about 4 pounds, but I definitely feel like I've gotten hope back that we're on the right track.

I do have a question, though. We have not yet had a chance to do a full 12-hour curve because at this moment testing his BG is still a two-person job (shots, thankfully, are a piece of cake!!), so I don't know how far down his BG goes before it starts to climb again (we will be doing the full 12-hour curve this Saturday when DH and I are both home all day). When we took him to the vet Friday, his BG was 400. Since starting insulin, it has been about 250 at 2-3 hours after his shot, and in the 300-350 range right before we give him his shot. Tonight we tested him pre-shot and it was 215! I don't know if I should shoot or not shoot??? Since I don't know how low it gets, I'm kind of afraid to give him his shot, mostly because it will be bedtime in a couple of hours and I won't be awake to notice any signs of hypo. Is this a good decision? He is supposed to get 1 unit of Prozinc twice a day. Any advice would be greatly appreciated to this novice.

Thank you again so much!!

First, it's great to hear that Austin is acting more like the Austin you know! It means you are on the right track.

So, look at that nice 215! What a great number! I have no experience with this insulin but there is one thing I do know:
You can always give more insulin, but you can't take back too much.
It's better for you to err on the side of caution, and if that means half dose, or even skipping a dose, than that's what you should do.

Go with safe and you will be ok.

Once you are home on the weekend and can do a full curve, testing every 2 hours, you will know how Austin is using the insulin, and how low he goes on his 1u dose.

If you are worried, then skip the shot, and don't feel bad about it because you are doing your best to keep your Austin safe.
 
Glad to hear Austin is feeling better!! I hope he continues to improve! I'd do half a unit on a 200-250 reading. Check my spreadsheet if you want a better idea of what I did. Every cat is different but you're not likely to have a hypo on half a unit.

Lori
 
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