What would a typical daily cycle look like?

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Tom Shooter

Member Since 2017
My cat has been on Insulin (1 dose) for 5 days now. I am going to start testing him multiple times a day and I was wondering what a daily cycle would typically look like. For example if I test him at 8:00 in the morning before his needle (he gets his needles at 8:00 AM and PM) would his number typically be low because he has not been eating during the night or high because he is 12 hours from his last needle?

Once his has his needle (I feed him while giving him the needle) how long before the insulin would typically kick in for me to do a retest of his levels? I don't want to do test in 30 minutes if it takes 2 hours to kick in. He allows me to do it but I am sure it is not pleasant.
 
What type of insulin are you using? Different insulins have different onset times.

It is prudent to always do a test before giving the shot and making sure he has not had anything to eat for at least 2 hours before the test, so that food is not influencing the preshot numbers. When to test next depends on the insulin. Faster acting ones such as Vetsulin/Caninsulin or NPH/Novolin N tend to start working within the first 1-2 hours. Longer acting ones such as Lantus or Prozinc usually have an onset at 2-3 hours and another long-acting insulin..Levemir..usually will have an onset at 3-5 hours after shot.
 
Based on a previous post of yours, I believe you are using ProZinc. The pre-shot number should be the highest since at that point the previous dose has pretty much worn off. If you are doing a 12 or 42 hours curve, you would want to test every two hours; otherwise, I would not bother to test any earlier than +3. Every cat is different, and one cycle can be different than another, but for the most part, in my experience, +3 is the point where you start to see some real action. I usually wait until +4. I like to get tests at +4, 6 and 8 or 9. Nadir (lowest point in the cycle) usually occurs somewhere near mid-cycle, so the +4 to +8 zone is usually the best time frame for grabbing tests. The numbers should start to rise after nadir and will be higher again by the next pre-shot.

It would be very helpful if you could set up a signature with some basic info like the kind of insulin you are using so that you do not have to repeat that info each time you post (or we do not have to search through your old posts to find it). You will find the spreadsheet we use to be very helpful to you. If you record your test results and doses given, as you gain data, it will help you make better decisions and better understand what is going on. It is also necessary for that info to be available to people here should you ever seek advice on dosing.
 
I will certainly setup a signature as I appreciate all the help I have been given. I just tested him which is four hours after his needle and his number has decreased from 22 this morning to 14.5. now which I understand would be 396 to 261 in the American measurements (after 6 days of insulin at the lowest does), I am really happy to see such a drop.
 
If you are able to test again at +6, you may see an even better number. :) Be sure to include in your signature what kind of meter you are using.
 
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