When to test Blood sugars

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ladysown

ladysown

Member Since 2019
The vet wasn't particularly helpful, saying just to test a couple times a day or if I wanted up to six times a day.
if the cat gets fed at 9 and 5 when should we test blood sugars? Before or after eating or both.

just looking for something more definitive that I can work around, knowing that none of it will be perfect. but will aim for it anyways.

the cat is on caninsulin if that makes a difference.
 
Always test before EVERY dose of insulin to ensure it is safe to give the insulin..
So test, feed then give the insulin (if the blood sugar Level is high enough) in that order
Then test during the cycle to see how low the insulin is taking the cat.
You can test at say +3 and +6. If the BSL is dropping fast then test more often.
Insulin should be 12 hours apart so you would test, feed and give the insulin at say 9 am and 9 pm ( choosethe hours that suit but keep them 12 hours apart.) You can also feed during the cycle
How much insulin are you giving?
I am going to tag @Kris & Teasel as she can tell you more about caninsulin. I don't use that insulin.
 
right now he is getting 3. vet advised to start him at 3.5 but advise I received was to work toward that instead of potentially shocking his system. the vet wanted us to put him in hospital for a couple of days to get him going but that was out of our budget. He stopped losing weight and he is drinking less and acts better. Continued hair loss has us concerned but we figure we will cover that at his next appointment.
 
3 units is a very large dose to start on. 1 unit should have been the starting dose in my opinion.
Kris will be able to help you more with the caninsulin. Unless kitty is sick as well there is no need to hospitalise in the beginning.
 
Yeah so I’ve recently begun on this journey with my girl and we are using caninsulin as well. 3 units seems like a lot to start on??? My girl was started on 1 unit in hospital (she WAS very sick and needed hospitalised!) and was on 1.5 units when she came home.

You need to be testing the blood glucose levels before you do a shot. Before every single one. If the level is too low then you do the shot you will likely send your cat into a hypo which is very dangerous and can kill them in hours!!! Your cat is better having a high level for a day than a low level for an hour.

It’s also a good idea to check sometimes through the middle of the cycle and get an idea of how the insulin affects them too, but that doesn’t have to happen every day all the time like the pre-shot test has to happen.
 
sorry, I wasn't clear. We started him at one three weeks ago and have gradually moved him up from there. we'll be sticking at the three until we get better at testing his blood glucose regularly. He was playing with our other cat today and he hasn't done that for a while. :)
 
Would you be able to set up Milo’s spreadsheet and write in all the blood sugar levels you have done please? Also the insulin doses. Here is the link. It will make it much easier to help you.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Please be careful giving 3 units each dose to a newly diagnosed cat. The increases were too large. 1 unit to 2 units is doubling the dose and up to 3 units is trebling the original dose. All in 3 weeks. Too much insulin can look like not enough insulin.

Make sure Milo gets a good feed before giving the insulin and some food during the cycle. Also make sureyou have some high carb canned food and honey available in case he drops too low. Dry food will take
Too long to be absorbed to be affective quickly.
Keep asking questions. It is really good you are looking for ways to help Milo. I’m glad he seems better. :)
 
oh, I will have to get that information from my lad. are amps the amount given? and our numbers are using the Canadian system. If I have to do math all the time to enter the American rates that's going to get old fast. I'll work on it.
 
ladysown said:
oh, I will have to get that information from my lad. are amps the amount given? and our numbers are using the Canadian system. If I have to do math all the time to enter the American rates that's going to get old fast. I'll work on it.
Click to expand...
With the SS you need to install the ‘world’ SS and that will automatically convert to the US numbers on another chart.
If you have any trouble installing it post and we will help you.
AMPS stands for am Preshot ...... ie the BSL test you take before giving the morning dose.
PMPS stands for pm Preshot. ... the BSL you take before the evening or pm dose.
 
Here's the basic testing routine we recommend:
  1. test every day AM and PM before feeding and injecting (no food at least 2 hours before) to see if the planned dose is safe
  2. test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes
  3. do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture
  4. if indicated by consistently high numbers on your spreadsheet, increase the dose by no more than 0.25 u at a time so you don't accidentally go right past a good dose
  5. post here for advice whenever you're confused or unsure of what to do.
This is useful: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Please consider setting up that spreadsheet. Also - you'll get much better at BG testing over time even though it's daunting at the start. Find a low carb treat your kitty likes and use that liberally around the testing process.
 
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