Should I feed now or wait?

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Jenn & Baxter

Jenn & Baxter

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Good Evening FDMB.
Baxter was DX on the 12 of Nov. I have been home test since sunday (20th). So I am very new to this # game. I tested him @
9am-#288 after 1 hr of food admin ProZinc 1.0.
5:30pm-#108
He usually eats at 7:30 then insulin @ 8:30.
I usually test him before & after his meal. Tonight was the first night I have tested him this early in the evening.
Should I feed him now since his # is low then test him after? Or should I stay on his normal feeding & insulin times? Test then too? 8-9am & 7:30-8:30pm

Also, how do you do the spread sheet that everyone has?

Thank you,
Jenn & Baxter
 
I would test him again before you feed him or give insulin. He may shoot right up after the +8 number. You don't want to shoot if he is under 200. The usual advice is to wait 20 minutes and test again, without feeding, to be sure he is over 200 and headed up, not down. Food can raise bg levels and you want to be shooting a real number, not one influenced by food.

This is a nice problem to have. He got a nice long surf off one unit.

I would be glad to help you with the spreadsheet. Just send me a pm. (button on the bottom left hand of the page.)
 
Hi Jenn,
The only thing I see wrong with the sequence is that you should test him before feeding, always, when it is "shot time".

If you test him an hour after feeding, part of the number you get is "artificially" boosted due to the food. So it would lead you to think he needs more insulin than he really does.

So, at the AMPS and PMPS times, test him first, then feed right after, and if he's eating like normal, you can shoot right after, or during his meal. You want to make sure that he's eating well though, because you don't want to shoot insulin into a kitty with an empty tummy.

So.
Test
Feed
Shoot.

Carl

ETA - no food for two hours prior to the AMPS or PMPS tests.
 
I have tested him again..
5:30pm- #108
7:30- #164
I just feed him.
So now what do I do? He eats a little then goes back in about 20-30 minutes then eats a little more. Then he is finished within about 1 hour.
 
Do you have any flexibility tomorrow for shooting times? I would not shoot at 164, and if he is eating, the numbers will be unreliable for at least 1.5 hours. If you can shoot late tonight and then late tomorrow, you could pick up the food, wait 1.5 hours, test again. Then if he is over 200, I would give him .5 units rather than one unit. (The low numbers at preshot time mean the dose is probably a little high.) Then you would have to test and shoot tomorrow (without food in a 2 hour window) 12 hours after the shot tonight.

I just read that through and it sounds complicated. Your other choice is to just skip the shot tonight. Plan on him being high tomorrow as it will have been 24 hours since he last had insulin. Even if he is high in the am, I would reduce the dose and give him .5 units. Skipping will set you back a ways, but with a new diabetic, it is better to be safe than sorry.
 
Yes, I have flexiablity tomorrow. I am a night owl so I can check on him late tonight.
I have always been testing him before & 1 hour after his dinner, then the insulin. So I have been doing it wrong? My vet calls me everyday & I tell him what I am doing. He never has told me this.
 
Jenn
It's just that the food makes his BG go up an hour or two after he eats. If you are testing him during that time, you would get a number that is what we call a "false high"... It doesn't really matter in between shots during the day or night if you happen to test him. You just have to "know" that the number reflects some boost from the food. But if you are basing his insulin dose on his AMPS and PMPS numbers, those numbers need to not include any food. Does that make sense?


Carl
 
I think it makes sense. I just tested him its been 12 hrs since the AM shot & 2 hrs after his dinner. His # is 172.
1. I am not shooting.
2. Test him some during the night. If a little high no insulin til morning @ 8am.
3. Test him @ 8am, shot then feed. Expect the number to be high. Admin .5 unit ProZinc if in the high 200's.

Correct?
 
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