Stanley changing to Pro Zinc today :)

Haha well I did think about it!! It’s hard not to want to just get as much sugar in them when there that low. I hope I’ll get my head round the dosing and understand his low points but maybe not right now, my brain has stopped working. Will get one more test then update in the morning. Can’t thank you enough! Xxxx

Just a quick one in Stan’s Case what would you say is high enough to shoot?

Nite nite and let’s hope Stan stays sweet!!! ;-) sorry too tired! Bad joke!


Well he's come up quite a bit now. Did you give him candy? JUST KIDDING! That is probably a bounce starting now.
Tomorrow, as long as his AMPS is high enough to shoot which it's likely to be, his dose should be 1.75u. The pre-shot tells you it's safe to give insulin but the low today, told you his dose needs to be reduced to 1.75u. It's how low the dose takes Stan that is critical to making dosing decisions. He showed how quickly he can plunge today and you can see how dosing based on a pre-shot reading could get dangerous.

How about you get yourself ready for bed, test Stan one more time before you crawl under the covers, just to be sure he's staying up and then call it a night. Leave a little LC food out for him to eat if he needs it.

You did a marvelous job looking after Stan tonight. Good work! Glad to hear you posted on Health too. Safety first. Sweet dreams! :D
 
With that huge drop today, I'd probably stick to a pre-shot of 200 on the human meter. If you use the pet meter again, I'd up the limit to 250, I'd use those limits just until you see how Stan reacts to the new lower dose. Then you can lower it a bit to 150 human meter/200 pet meter once you see how much the dose drops BG. Hope you got a good rest last night.
 
Bit of a zombie today! I’m afraid I only got a couple of hours kip - main thing is Stan is ok I’ll cath up at some point!!

FYI he tested 19.3 @ +3
 
Tania did you give Stan 2.0u this AM? He earned a reduction to 1.75u last night no matter whether pre-shot/mid cycle numbers are up right now or not. Bounces to higher BG are a temporary situation and continuing to give the higher dose at this point, could result in another serious drop in BG when the bounce breaks. Please reduce to 1.75u tonight no matter how high pre-shot or mid cycle testing is. Bounces can last for up to 6 cycles but every cat is different, and Stan could break that bounce at any time.
 
Tania did you give Stan 2.0u this AM? He earned a reduction to 1.75u last night no matter whether pre-shot/mid cycle numbers are up right now or not. Bounces to higher BG are a temporary situation and continuing to give the higher dose at this point, could result in another serious drop in BG when the bounce breaks. Please reduce to 1.75u tonight no matter how high pre-shot or mid cycle testing is. Bounces can last for up to 6 cycles but every cat is different, and Stan could break that bounce at any time.
Hi Linda, don’t worry I have given 1.75 this morning and will carry on with this dose unless he keeps dropping of course. No way would risk going to 2 units again, Will keep you posted :)
 
He’s just tested 7.7 @ +5 will recheck in an hour? He’s not eating ravenously and doesn’t seem hypo. Just a little worried about dosing tonight :(
 
Ok I see what's going on.....,the US sheet is showing differently. Your World sheet is fine. Despite using mmol myself, I use either scale (learned US scale in nursing years ago) so I didn't look at the world sheet initially. We should fix the US sheet so if any US folks are helping they aren't confused like I was.

7.7 is a delightful number not to be feared. Stan is probably liking that BG and not feeling extra hungry because of it so not to worry. Test him again in an hour and if he gets hungry, give him a little snack of LC only.
 
He’s now 7.9 :)

Guess I’ll have to see how he gets on tonight re:dosing! Might need some advice if he’s still in good numbers, especially as he seems to go lower in the night. Not sure I can do another all nighter tonight!!

Will fix the sheet once I’m a bit more awake!

Not sure if significant or not, but he is always splashing the water fountain about and paws at the water and literally floods the floor, he has always done this but it becomes more obvious when his diabetes is not controlled, I thought he just did it when his bg was high but seems to do it when low / normal too.

The other thing he does is he likes sitting on the hard, cold floor as opposed to a bed. He does go in a bed occasionally but seems to prefer lying on the floor!! Not sure if this means anything or not I did think possibly heart problems because I know sometimes dogs prefer cooling themselves on the floor if they have heart failure. He has had a heart scan a year or so again and vet checked heart again and sounded all ok.

Could just be his way! But thought worth mentioning.
 
If Stan is pawing the water rather than drinking it, maybe he's just re-discovered how much fun it is to play with and to watch you clean up the puddles. Although his numbers are considerably better he is still not regulated so he likely is still drinking/peeing more than normal. How's the litter box these days? I'd also think in terms of kidney function if he is drinking a lot because kidney disease is so prevalent in geriatric cats. How have his kidney bloodwork values been?

I have no idea about the cold floor vs. warm bed. I never noticed that with my girl but then every cat if different. How is his behaviour otherwise? Are his 5Ps still intact.....peeing, pooping, playing, purring and preening?
 
If Stan is pawing the water rather than drinking it, maybe he's just re-discovered how much fun it is to play with and to watch you clean up the puddles. Although his numbers are considerably better he is still not regulated so he likely is still drinking/peeing more than normal. How's the litter box these days? I'd also think in terms of kidney function if he is drinking a lot because kidney disease is so prevalent in geriatric cats. How have his kidney bloodwork values been?

I have no idea about the cold floor vs. warm bed. I never noticed that with my girl but then every cat if different. How is his behaviour otherwise? Are his 5Ps still intact.....peeing, pooping, playing, purring and preening?

Haha you should see our wooden floorboards, husband is not impressed but as long as Stan is having fun ;-) yes he is deffinatley drinking & weeing more. Litter tray gets full very quickly with wees, I’m checking his urine regularly for ketones, infection, & specific gravity when I can. All seems ok apart from very dilute urine. But SG shows kidneys working ok, although vet did say in his last labs the kidney values were creeping up and everything else was ok. I got them to send me all his labs last week so I just need to upload them, can I do that? Or do I need to input all the values on the spread sheet?

Had a quick look and urea was high and the one for parasites, which I recently treated him for. Vet wanted me to hold off until he was stable and not ‘add’ anything that could effect his bg levels. However they didnt mention it to me when they did his bloods I just noticed now, so not sure if significant.

He’s due another blood test next month and will do an sdma to check kidneys and possible proteinurea test.

Vets didn’t seem concerned at the moment just want to get his diabetes regulated.

5 p’s are all ok except excess urunation, and soft stools which I’m trying to get on top of with the probiotics. But ofcourse the excess eating, drinking, and sugar levels won’t be helping, so again not sure if something or nothing!

He purrs like a lion, grooms himself, always wants to go outside, and loves to cuddle & play, he is really amazing despite what he is going through.
 
I've had the same problem here with hardwood flooring and sloppy water drinkers. I'm considering vinyl that looks like wood as a replacement. Cork is horrible too. We put cork in the front hallway and down in basement before getting two new kittens who thought racing up and down the basement stairs and sliding and wrestling in the hallway was a riot. Despite trimming nails religiously, there are an abundance of scratch marks on all the cork flooring and the floor on the landing where there is a turn in the stairway, is totally destroyed.

Definitely keep an eye on kidney function but if only BUN was elevated that can be due to a high protein diet in absence of other elevated blood tests like creatinine etc. Good idea to get the sdma done at next checkup. Best to transfer labs results to the worksheet in the SS. It's easy to see changes as time goes on. Also easier if anyone is reviewing labs. One of our moderators is great at interpreting bloodwork results.

You are doing a great job of checking everything that needs monitoring and Stan sound like he is in stellar shape for a 19 yr. old. :D
 
Ha I know it's a nightmare!! At least we don't have carpets, I re-homed one of our foster cats to a lovely home but she had cream carpets everywhere, I told her they wouldn't last!!! Thankfully she realised the cat was far more special than her carpets. I don't think you can be too precious about 'things' when you have animals!!!

Thank you again, I try my best but sometimes it is hard to keep on top of it all with so many furry creatures to look after, just got to make sure I don't miss anything that is why it is so so wonderful to have all of your support & knowledge. I feel so lucky to have found this group!! (bit more tired ;-) ) Ill get those labs updated, hopefully tomorrow, that will be great to have help interpreting the results.

Can I ask you last few questions before I leave you all alone to I pray a quiet night please Stan!!! :cat:

Right so Stan tested 23.8 @ +10.

He will be due his shot soon, so will do another test, if still high, keep to dosing at 1.75?

Im hoping to get some sleep tonight!! What time do you think will be most important to test...? I was thinking of doing one at + 1 or +2 (before bed, if I'm still conscious!) then setting alarm to do one at +4 or +5?
 
Carpets are a pain, animals or not. I can't imagine cream coloured carpet! Yikes! I agree, one has to accept that there will be something sometime that is going to be damaged with furry creatures about but they are precious and can't be replaced while the other material stuff can be replaced if need be.

This is a great community with a common goal of keeping all our extra sweet kitties safe and healthy...the one place where everyone understands the commitment we make and the sleep deprivation we endure to keep our furry kids in tip top shape.

I think Marje is on a mini vacation right now but when you get the labs posted on the SS, let us know and we can tag her to have a peek and offer her insight.

Continue with the 1.75u tonight and tomorrow. Don't worry about the numbers right now unless Stan decides to go diving again. ProZinc doesn't onset until about +2 post shot so grabbing a test around +3 post shot would be ideal (maybe that can be bedtime tonight?) and then if Stan's BG is pretty much the same or a tiny bit lower, I'd set an alarm for +5 or 6 to check on him. If he's considerably lower, then I'd check again at +4 to make sure he's not dropping too much. Any drops of 4 or more mmol, in those first few hours usually suggests it will be an active cycle and needs more monitoring than usual. Hopefully Stan will behave himself tonight. Given how high he is right now, I doubt he's going to make you hold another PJ party but then they are known for surprising us. Any questions, holler.
 
Carpets are a pain, animals or not. I can't imagine cream coloured carpet! Yikes! I agree, one has to accept that there will be something sometime that is going to be damaged with furry creatures about but they are precious and can't be replaced while the other material stuff can be replaced if need be.

This is a great community with a common goal of keeping all our extra sweet kitties safe and healthy...the one place where everyone understands the commitment we make and the sleep deprivation we endure to keep our furry kids in tip top shape.

I think Marje is on a mini vacation right now but when you get the labs posted on the SS, let us know and we can tag her to have a peek and offer her insight.

Continue with the 1.75u tonight and tomorrow. Don't worry about the numbers right now unless Stan decides to go diving again. ProZinc doesn't onset until about +2 post shot so grabbing a test around +3 post shot would be ideal (maybe that can be bedtime tonight?) and then if Stan's BG is pretty much the same or a tiny bit lower, I'd set an alarm for +5 or 6 to check on him. If he's considerably lower, then I'd check again at +4 to make sure he's not dropping too much. Any drops of 4 or more mmol, in those first few hours usually suggests it will be an active cycle and needs more monitoring than usual. Hopefully Stan will behave himself tonight. Given how high he is right now, I doubt he's going to make you hold another PJ party but then they are known for surprising us. Any questions, holler.

Ah he’s 10.3 at +3 so I’m guessing that means an active cycle :-( Stan does love a pyjama party (yawn!!) I guess I’ll set my alarm for an hour see how he is doing.’little monkey x
 
That's a big drop. I'll look in when I can. I'll be on and off the computer, mostly off.
Holler for help in the Health Forum if need be.

Ah thank you!! He’s gone down to 6.4 now :(

I’ve given him a little wet food with gravy just to make sure he doesn’t keep dropping. Will check in an hour again. Zzzzzzzz!!
 
9.7!

Yes he certainly is! :nailbiting:

Do you think need to check in an hour or could leave it for 2hrs now?!

Thank you guys x

Deff need to get my own hypo kit in: chocolate / coffee / and more coffee ;-)
 
Oh did we forget to tell you about the caregiver kit? You got most of the ingredients but you forgot the wine! :woot: Wine is only for after all the excitement is over.

When and what have you fed Stan lately if anything? It looks like he's on his way up now but if he just ate some higher carb food lately, that might be partly food bump so will change my answer about testing.
 
Oh did we forget to tell you about the caregiver kit? You got most of the ingredients but you forgot the wine! :woot: Wine is only for after all the excitement is over.

When and what have you fed Stan lately if anything? It looks like he's on his way up now but if he just ate some higher carb food lately, that might be partly food bump so will change my answer about testing.
Yes I gave him some renal wet food which I think is high carb in gravy, when he tested 6 an hour ago.

Hahaha I deff need to get the wine in the kit!! But might save that for when he is stable :)
 
The high carb food is no doubt a bit of that rise but by the time it wears off he will likely be rising on his own anyway. How about testing again in 30 minutes and if he's up a bit higher then we know he's rising on his own and you can call it a night. If he's steady or lower again, then retest again in an hour. You just want to know he's not dropping anymore before putting your guard down.
 
The high carb food is no doubt a bit of that rise but by the time it wears off he will likely be rising on his own anyway. How about testing again in 30 minutes and if he's up a bit higher then we know he's rising on his own and you can call it a night. If he's steady or lower again, then retest again in an hour. You just want to know he's not dropping anymore before putting your guard down.
Yes good plan! I’ll test at 3.30 and see where he’s going. Thank goodness it’s the weekend and I can be a zombie tmrw ;-)
 
The good news is the more often he gets down to those lovely numbers the lower his pre-shots will get and his cycles should be a little more predictable. As bad as this is for your sleep, it's actually good 'cause you are making great progress with Stan.
 
The good news is the more often he gets down to those lovely numbers the lower his pre-shots will get and his cycles should be a little more predictable. As bad as this is for your sleep, it's actually good 'cause you are making great progress with Stan.
Haha really it doesn’t feel like it at the moment! I just realised I gave him a handful of treats after last jab as thought I’d test him in a few hours and didn’t want him to start going low again, but that’s probably not the right thing to do as we need to see he can come up on his own and hold it without food.
 
Ok he’s 12.9!

They were naughty treats I’m afraid, coachies not sure if you have them there? I just get worried when he’s going low and wanted some sleep!!
 
I'd say he's carbed up for awhile now then. Leave some low carb food out for him should he want/need it and head to bed.

You'll get to know how much to give to keep him surfing rather than sending BG up too much in time. We've all been a little generous in the beginning. ;)
 
Hey all, thought an update was in order after Stan’s activity last night!! Thanks again @Red & Rover (GA) & @MrWorfMen's Mom for staying with us until the early hours!
So I grabbed a few hours sleep and then did a +10 which was 24.5
Then: AMPS @ 24.7
+3 @ 10.3
+5 @ 5.2

Dosed at 1.75

Just given him some low carb food and will retest in 30mins / hour?

Wondering if his dose needs to be reduced or maybe this is a good dose for him? Will keep you posted xx

(Oh and if you have any tips for pricking his ears as there looking quite sore now :-( ) will be appreciated, thankyou again! X)
 
Morning. I'm on my way out the door and won't be back until late Monday.

Stan is safe. The low carb food will help him surf these low blue, high green numbers. That is where you want him to stay as long as possible to get him used to these colours.

Neosporin ointment (not cream) with pain relief will help. I'm not sure what it is called in the UK. Some ointments are toxic, so tagging
@Elizabeth and Bertie
@Diana&Tom
@Kate & Toby
 
Perfect on the BG numbers and giving him some LC food! You got this Tania. He's looking great. Retest again in an hour. Give his ears a little break.

Not sure what you can get in the UK but here many folks use Neosporin (US) or Polysporin (Canada) to help keep ears in tip top condition. Make sure to rotate ears and poke spots for testing and always hold pressure on the pokey spot for a few seconds after each prick to prevent bruising.

HAHAHA! I see my neighbour is on the case too!
 
Go Stan, these are great numbers! Well done Tania for keeping your cool and going with some LC food. He is looking really good.
 
Thankyou so much everyone you really have been so wonderful and could not do this without all of you!!
Ok so he just tested 14.8 coming up to +5

Thanks for the advice on his ears there looking really sore I need to do something, I rotate and do different spots and hold pressure on them after I prick, but running out of room! Also sometimes he bleeds quite a lot (very big drop) I’ve changed the pressure on the lancer which has helped a little bit if his ears are warm they bleed quite a bit, poor lad!

Will try find something in the UK but any ideas welcome from uk peeps :)

Thank you thank you!! Wonder what is in store for tonight? Hope Stan lets me sleep! Xx
 
Thankyou so much everyone you really have been so wonderful and could not do this without all of you!!
Ok so he just tested 14.8 coming up to +5

Thanks for the advice on his ears there looking really sore I need to do something, I rotate and do different spots and hold pressure on them after I prick, but running out of room! Also sometimes he bleeds quite a lot (very big drop) I’ve changed the pressure on the lancer which has helped a little bit if his ears are warm they bleed quite a bit, poor lad!

Will try find something in the UK but any ideas welcome from uk peeps :)

Thank you thank you!! Wonder what is in store for tonight? Hope Stan lets me sleep! Xx

Good work, that's another nice number.

As for his ears, Toby's ears went through this, it does improve and they learn to bleed. You can try a paw pad if you feel the ears are too sore. If you poke too close to the edge of the ear you can hit a vein and they do bleed a lot more. I've not used any creams or the like as couldn't find any in the uk, I've just noticed a steady improvement over time.

Xx
 
Good work, that's another nice number.

As for his ears, Toby's ears went through this, it does improve and they learn to bleed. You can try a paw pad if you feel the ears are too sore. If you poke too close to the edge of the ear you can hit a vein and they do bleed a lot more. I've not used any creams or the like as couldn't find any in the uk, I've just noticed a steady improvement over time.

Xx
Thankyou Kate! I’ve tried the paw pad but not very successfuly. I think that’s it I keep getting veins too :-( just rubbbed some Vaseline on them and might just put a little antiseptic on them later. Bless him he takes it so well, can’t imagine if it was one of my other cats I’d be clawed to death, so thankful he is such a gent about it all :cat:
 
Thankyou Kate! I’ve tried the paw pad but not very successfuly. I think that’s it I keep getting veins too :-( just rubbbed some Vaseline on them and might just put a little antiseptic on them later. Bless him he takes it so well, can’t imagine if it was one of my other cats I’d be clawed to death, so thankful he is such a gent about it all :cat:

Bless him, what a good boy he is. My vet kept telling me not to test so much as it would ruin our pet/owner relationship but I honestly believe Toby knows I am just trying to help him feel better. He literally lets me do anything to him. My 10 year old has learnt how to test him too now. I think our bond is stronger than ever xx
 
Bless him, what a good boy he is. My vet kept telling me not to test so much as it would ruin our pet/owner relationship but I honestly believe Toby knows I am just trying to help him feel better. He literally lets me do anything to him. My 10 year old has learnt how to test him too now. I think our bond is stronger than ever xx
I think it just depends on the cat! One of our vets also said that he could be testing high because of me testing him :( and that’s when I was only doing it a few times a day! I’d like to think I know my own animals and when there stressed or not. I don’t think he loves it but he certainly is pretty chilled out when I do it :-) amazing your 10yr old can do it, my cats are a bit weary of my little ones although there getting better!
 
Just a little update looks like Stan is a bit more stable although still got high amps and pmps.

So last night he was 28.8 pmps
& at +3 he tested 13.4

This morning amps was 29.6
+3 he was 14.4
+6 was 23.3

So seems to be going a little high again? I think just going to have to keep dose at 1.75 for a good few weeks and see how he gets on. Paws crossed he keeps having good numbers and things settled down.

Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep!!

Thank you again everyone, and will keep you posted and pestering you all for advice ;-) xxxxx
 
Stan has just tested at 4.7 +5 on the alphatrack pet meter :( have given him some high carb food now and will retest in 15-30 mins. Just thinking maybe I should lower the dose tonight to 1.5? @MrWorfMen's Mom xx
 
Hi Tan, that's a good number! Way to go Stan :-)

I know the low numbers are a bit scary when you see them at first, I don't know if that is low enough for a reduction, Linda will confirm. xx
 
Thanks Kate! Phew he’s gone back up to 9.2! I just worry because of his hypo episode over the weekend. Have been used to him being so high, so it’s a bit of a rollercoaster ;-) also if I was using the human meter I think he would have tested about 2, so I’d really worry then.

Do you know what’s the best high carb food to get in the uk for him for emergencies? I’ve been giving him wet renal & sensitive (Royal Canin) but can’t quite get my head round how many carbs are in them (for when he goes low). Unfortunately he does also have purina diabetic dry which I know is high carb too but I’m very slowly weaning him off and majority he has is wet low carb food.

Hi Tan, that's a good number! Way to go Stan :)

I know the low numbers are a bit scary when you see them at first, I don't know if that is low enough for a reduction, Linda will confirm. xx
 
Yep absolutely better to be cautious, and keep the gorgeous Stan safe, 9.2 is still a good number! :-)

Toby was (and would be) a complete kibble junkie if he could, so whenever I need to bring him up I give a few pieces of kibble as its guaranteed he will eat it. With regards to wet food, I think anything with gravy will be higher carb, there is a UK spreadsheet, I will tag you.

I read the dosing guide and I think that anything below 5 on a pet meter does warrant a 0.25iu dose reduction when using Prozinc, but I am by no means an expert so lets wait for Linda or one of the other more experienced members to confirm :-)
 
Tania, it's Ok for Stan to drop to 4.7. It's a great number. I wouldn't give him high carb at that point next time. Try low carb and retest as you did and see if you can keep him surfing along at that level or just a smidge higher to get him re-acquainted with those lower BGs. He needs to get used to those beautiful numbers again so try to maintain them not boost them up. I wouldn't pull out the high carb unless he continues to drop or you get a reading in the 3.8-4 range.

He's looking good and you're doing a great job. And yes he did earn a reduction in dose to 1.5u. Yeah Stanley!
 
Yep absolutely better to be cautious, and keep the gorgeous Stan safe, 9.2 is still a good number! :)

Toby was (and would be) a complete kibble junkie if he could, so whenever I need to bring him up I give a few pieces of kibble as its guaranteed he will eat it. With regards to wet food, I think anything with gravy will be higher carb, there is a UK spreadsheet, I will tag you.

I read the dosing guide and I think that anything below 5 on a pet meter does warrant a 0.25iu dose reduction when using Prozinc, but I am by no means an expert so lets wait for Linda or one of the other more experienced members to confirm :)
Thank you Kate, Stan loves kibble too just been guarding one of the others while they ate some food as he was trying to steal it from them! So I can give him that if he goes too low again, thankyou again! Toby is gorgeous btw, hope he is doing well, it’s not easy is it?! Xxx
 
Tania, it's Ok for Stan to drop to 4.7. It's a great number. I wouldn't give him high carb at that point next time. Try low carb and retest as you did and see if you can keep him surfing along at that level or just a smidge higher to get him re-acquainted with those lower BGs. He needs to get used to those beautiful numbers again so try to maintain them not boost them up. I wouldn't pull out the high carb unless he continues to drop or you get a reading in the 3.8-4 range.

He's looking good and you're doing a great job. And yes he did earn a reduction in dose to 1.5u. Yeah Stanley!

Oh that’s a relief, thanks Linda :) & yay for Stan the man!! it’s hard not to get a little panicky, I’ve sadly lost a few cats recently due to various illness’s so I get super worried, and just throw the carbs at him. I’ll try keep my cool and let him surf on with his ‘beautiful’ numbers!! And keep on with the lc food.

Just to confirm Those numbers were on a pet metre is that still ok?

Just waiting for the new test strips to arrive for the human Meter and when I feel confident about it’s accuracy this time! I’ll switch over and make sure my ss is sorted and let you know!! But what numbers on a human metre would you give the high carb food to, because I think if I had tested him with it today it would have been about 2.5.

Hope that question makes sense!!

So I’m going to change his dose to 1.5 from tonight? I think I’ll feel safer doing that, saying that don’t want him to start getting really high again!! Hard to know what’s the perfect dose...but if you think he’s ready ;-)

Thank yoooooou so much, I’m holding out for that glass of wine :bighug:
 
Thank you Kate, Stan loves kibble too just been guarding one of the others while they ate some food as he was trying to steal it from them! So I can give him that if he goes too low again, thankyou again! Toby is gorgeous btw, hope he is doing well, it’s not easy is it?! Xxx
Yeah it's a good option if you need to bring him up, just a few pieces though, dont want him to sky rocket.
Ahh thank you, yes it's hard, I want so badly for him to feel well. I'm trying hard not be too obsessive about the numbers.
You really are doing a fab job with Stan. Hes a lucky kitty xxx
 
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