Very Basic Diabetes Question
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Hillary & Maui (GA)
Very Active Member
Well it really depends on whether the reading you get is just one reading or several over the course of one day, one week, etc.
The insulin you are using (prozinc) is more flexible than other insulins in that you can adjust the dose more frequently. However, it's important to not adjust the dose based on one reading alone, as that could mean anything.
And when you say high, how high are we talking?
As you can see there are several factors that go into determining dose. So, it's not a simple answer.
The insulin you are using (prozinc) is more flexible than other insulins in that you can adjust the dose more frequently. However, it's important to not adjust the dose based on one reading alone, as that could mean anything.
And when you say high, how high are we talking?
As you can see there are several factors that go into determining dose. So, it's not a simple answer.
MommaOfMuse
Very Active Member
As far as what insulin actually is and how it works: Insulin is a hormone that the body normally produces to unlock the cells of the body to absorb the sugars the body produce when it digests food...now that is the biological explaination in a reader's digest version. But the easiest way to think of it at least for me, is it is the little nubs on a lego block that makes the blocks stick together. :lol:
Not enough and the sugars from food just kind of float around in the blood stream until they are filtered out by the kidneys. Too much and the liver panics and releases stored sugars in a survival mode. So there is no really easy answer they can look almost exactly alike, without looking at several tests, to see trends and patterns.
Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
Not enough and the sugars from food just kind of float around in the blood stream until they are filtered out by the kidneys. Too much and the liver panics and releases stored sugars in a survival mode. So there is no really easy answer they can look almost exactly alike, without looking at several tests, to see trends and patterns.
Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
while you've seen some high numbers, you've also had several in the 100's in the evening cycle. that tells you that the 2.0 dose can get the BG down into the 100's.
ps, great job getting the spreadsheet going.
i'm not familiar with prozinc although we used it for 2 months before we came here, i wasn't home testing. i am wondering, however, why you're using u-100 syringes with it.
i'm wondering if the difference between the day and night cycles is food-related. sorry for asking you what you may have told people in previous posts, but are you feeding most of the food during the hours when the prozinc is "strongest" and most able to deal with the carbs?
ps, great job getting the spreadsheet going.
i'm not familiar with prozinc although we used it for 2 months before we came here, i wasn't home testing. i am wondering, however, why you're using u-100 syringes with it.
i'm wondering if the difference between the day and night cycles is food-related. sorry for asking you what you may have told people in previous posts, but are you feeding most of the food during the hours when the prozinc is "strongest" and most able to deal with the carbs?
C
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)
Guest
Julie,
Kitty was originally on Humulin, and when switched to prozinc we linked her to the conversion charts so she could use the u100s and have better dose control going forward.
Carl
Kitty was originally on Humulin, and when switched to prozinc we linked her to the conversion charts so she could use the u100s and have better dose control going forward.
Carl
beclt
Member
Hi There,
In terms of her food, we give her a can of wet friskies in the morning and leave out two ice cubes of frozen food. we work during the day so that is the best we can do. She tends to eat them both by the time we are home and when it is her dinner time. I want to keep leaving some food out, but when her bowl still has a little food left in it, it won't matter much to her.
We slightly decreased the dose this AM but her readings are still high, so I think slightly increasing it is going to yield us better results. Trial and error I suppose.
and the different needle is for comfort more than anything. She notices the smaller needle a lot less.
In terms of her food, we give her a can of wet friskies in the morning and leave out two ice cubes of frozen food. we work during the day so that is the best we can do. She tends to eat them both by the time we are home and when it is her dinner time. I want to keep leaving some food out, but when her bowl still has a little food left in it, it won't matter much to her.
We slightly decreased the dose this AM but her readings are still high, so I think slightly increasing it is going to yield us better results. Trial and error I suppose.
and the different needle is for comfort more than anything. She notices the smaller needle a lot less.
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
what about food at night? i'm gathering you give her a dinner - is she getting less food at night than during the day?
what i'm fishing for is thinking that perhaps her lower numbers at night are from her eating less food at night. the volume of food, the carbs in the food and the insulin dose are all balanced with each other. so if she's eating more food during the day, it might be the reason her numbers are higher then. i think it's not uncommon for cats to be lower at night, though.
your daytime food plan sounds great. the cubes are a good way to keep it fresh during the day.
re the needles - you can get different gauge needles for both u-40 and u-100 syringes, so you should be able to get small needles in either syringe.
i can't speak to the dosing - i don't have enough experience in how prozinc works.
what i'm fishing for is thinking that perhaps her lower numbers at night are from her eating less food at night. the volume of food, the carbs in the food and the insulin dose are all balanced with each other. so if she's eating more food during the day, it might be the reason her numbers are higher then. i think it's not uncommon for cats to be lower at night, though.
your daytime food plan sounds great. the cubes are a good way to keep it fresh during the day.
re the needles - you can get different gauge needles for both u-40 and u-100 syringes, so you should be able to get small needles in either syringe.
i can't speak to the dosing - i don't have enough experience in how prozinc works.
beclt
Member
I'd say the food is equal--however, this past week she hasn't been eating as much as usual. Well, the food in her bowl that is. If i were to give her a pop--that would tend to be gone by the time it defrosted a bit. But there always seems to be food left in her dish lately. Any suggestions on getting her interested again?
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
it's very important for cats to not lose weight if they are at a good weight, and if they are overweight to lose the excess very slowly. so yes, it's important for her to eat enough.
if she likes the frozen, maybe freezing more. i wonder if she has a mouth owie and the frozen feels good. has she had her teeth checked recently? gingivitis can be a problem and if it hurts to eat, that might explain why she's not eating as much.
as far as enticing - people try a lot of tricks. using the water from a can of tuna (and you can make tuna juice ice cubes too - a can of tuna in a pint of water), sprinkling with a tiny bit of parmesan cheese, using the probiotic Fortiflora which you can buy from your vet or amazon.com to sprinkle over the top of food (which also helps stop up diarrhea), heating up the food a bit to get it smelling more.
for cats that are dry food addicts, you can pulverize the crunchies and sprinkle a little over the canned food too.
if she likes the frozen, maybe freezing more. i wonder if she has a mouth owie and the frozen feels good. has she had her teeth checked recently? gingivitis can be a problem and if it hurts to eat, that might explain why she's not eating as much.
as far as enticing - people try a lot of tricks. using the water from a can of tuna (and you can make tuna juice ice cubes too - a can of tuna in a pint of water), sprinkling with a tiny bit of parmesan cheese, using the probiotic Fortiflora which you can buy from your vet or amazon.com to sprinkle over the top of food (which also helps stop up diarrhea), heating up the food a bit to get it smelling more.
for cats that are dry food addicts, you can pulverize the crunchies and sprinkle a little over the canned food too.
Randa & Mookie
Very Active Member
Hi,
I'll chime in here (even though I'm a newbie). I found this Wiki article to be helpful in explaining feline diabetes and how diet, insulin, and blood glucose interact:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_in_cats
As far as encouraging Cali to eat, I've been dealing with that very issue with Mookie, trying to get him to eat more lo-carb canned food (he'd much rather have kibble or wet with gravy). Several things have worked for us:
1) Add a little water to the food and warm it in the microwave -- in mine that's about 8 seconds. Make sure it's not too hot.
2) Buy some FortiFlora Feline, which comes in a box of 30 packets. Amazon has the best price, which isn't cheap at ~$20.00, but it works like magic! One packet lasts us 3 days or more, because I only sprinkle a tiny amount on his food, and I only use it when he's not eating enough on his own.
3) Buy a package of Pro-Treat Raw Naturals freeze dried dog treats, chicken. Both PetSmart and Petco have them for $7.99, and one package will go a long way. I crush a little bit and sprinkle it on his food, and he loves it. That's also the treat I use for his BG test. When he hears me handle the bag he'll come running at a full gallop, even if he was napping.
4) Frequent, small amounts of food. I know it's hard when you're not home during the day, but the way I do it is to put half a 3oz can of food into a small Glad Ware plastic container (Glad Ware Mini Round 4oz containers with lids), which are those lightweight ones you can buy at a grocery store. They come 8 to a package and are inexpensive. I fill them, freeze them, and then put 2 or 3 out in his food dishes for little meals overnight or when I'm away during the day. I leave them in different rooms so that Mookie can hunt for them, to provide some "environmental enrichment."
Hope that helps you and Cali.
I'll chime in here (even though I'm a newbie). I found this Wiki article to be helpful in explaining feline diabetes and how diet, insulin, and blood glucose interact:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_in_cats
As far as encouraging Cali to eat, I've been dealing with that very issue with Mookie, trying to get him to eat more lo-carb canned food (he'd much rather have kibble or wet with gravy). Several things have worked for us:
1) Add a little water to the food and warm it in the microwave -- in mine that's about 8 seconds. Make sure it's not too hot.
2) Buy some FortiFlora Feline, which comes in a box of 30 packets. Amazon has the best price, which isn't cheap at ~$20.00, but it works like magic! One packet lasts us 3 days or more, because I only sprinkle a tiny amount on his food, and I only use it when he's not eating enough on his own.
3) Buy a package of Pro-Treat Raw Naturals freeze dried dog treats, chicken. Both PetSmart and Petco have them for $7.99, and one package will go a long way. I crush a little bit and sprinkle it on his food, and he loves it. That's also the treat I use for his BG test. When he hears me handle the bag he'll come running at a full gallop, even if he was napping.
4) Frequent, small amounts of food. I know it's hard when you're not home during the day, but the way I do it is to put half a 3oz can of food into a small Glad Ware plastic container (Glad Ware Mini Round 4oz containers with lids), which are those lightweight ones you can buy at a grocery store. They come 8 to a package and are inexpensive. I fill them, freeze them, and then put 2 or 3 out in his food dishes for little meals overnight or when I'm away during the day. I leave them in different rooms so that Mookie can hunt for them, to provide some "environmental enrichment."
Hope that helps you and Cali.
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