When to lay off the insulin or decrease

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Ricosmycat

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Recently diagnosed Diabetes. 3 weeks on Humulin N Insulin 2 units. Rico was up to 24 at one reading. Next day 22. We managed to get a to a 9 after that point. So this morning, 12.2 two hours after eating, No shot given. Now, no insulin since 7pm last night, because bg was 3.8 , We didnt want bg to go too low, We panicked and gave him some honey. I watched him most of the night. He was acting normal. His test before eating at 6:45 tonight is 15.9. So question is: When it gets that low, do we give insulin, or drop to a lower dose of maybe 1.5 or 1?
Yep, we are new at this too. Hence the term, Newbie. We dont want to cause a hypo reaction. Kitty too precious. Thanks in advance to any help...
Ron and Denise
Moncton NB
Canada
 
Just took Ricos bg and got 16.2. He ate 2 hours ago. Did not give a shot at meal time. Thinking about giving 1 unit.
 
Hi Ron and Denise,

There is very little traffic on this forum. We have very few people who use Humulin. In most cats, it is a pretty harsh insulin, causing the wild swings you have been seeing from high to low.

I would suggest you post over on Health and put Humulin in your subject line. We do have some people who have used insulin in the past. viewforum.php?f=28

I didn't use Humulin but just in general terms, if you are seeing numbers vary that much, I would lower the dose - maybe start back at 1 unit twice daily and get some tests in. If you have another low number, try feeding the gravy off some higher carb food first before going to the honey. Then test to see that he is sure going up.

Another thing that will really help us. We use the US measurement on the board so it is consistent. You need to multiply your numbers by 18 to get US numbers. If you want to set up a spreadsheet, it will convert automatically for you and us. (And it is a great tool to keep track of his numbers.) Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/previewtemplate ... ode=public You do have to be signed into Google to access it.

Hope to see you over in Health!
 
Thank you so much for replying. I just gave Rico 1 unit. We will be switching insulin asap. See you in Health forums.
Ron and Denise
Rico
Moncton NB
Canada
 
Hi Ron and Denise,
Here are some links for info:
Food is quite important; look over the info in Binky's list and select low carb wet food with a carb number under 10%. Also have a read on the Feline Nutrition link.

Being Canadian like you, I am in Toronto and have 2 diabetic kitties, I made up a chart to consult because our meter numbers are mmol/L and the others on this site understand mg/dL so your BG of 3.8 is like their 68.
If you wanted, you can just multiply your number by 18 as another method.
BG Conversion Calculator

When you go to purchase insulin, just ask for Lantus, or Levemir if you prefer, at the pharmacy or Shoppers or any other. You will need U100 syringes for Lantus/Levemir.

When posting in Health, please let them know about what foods you are feeding, and if your Rico has any other health issues that need to be considered as it will help them give you fitting help. The spreadsheet in Google is used by most people for tracking the BG test results as others can see how you are doing and be better able to help you in dosing decisions.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have over in health as there are many more people over there.
 
Thank you for your advice Gayle and Shadoe. This is a learning curve for sure. We as cat parents must be vigilant to keep our pets in good health. Learning about Dry food and Wet food is an eye opener.
Ron and Denise
Moncton NB
ccRico:)
 
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