Flat “curve” vs. actual curvy curve

[Jbeemer2]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Thank you for the reassurance!

His fasting number this morning was 445. I'm going to keep on working toward the higher dosage every 5 to 7 days and running a curve each weekend.

Thanks!

[Jbeemer2]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Today's numbers. Last night he got 14 units Vetsulin

Fasting -445
6 hours later -426 ( only time I was home to test him)
Fasting before dinner - 626 (12 hours from morning fasting number)

I am so confused.....

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

hi thought i.d pop in to say food. insulin. and exercise are the key to regulation. seems 10 units x 2 a day doesnt meet up with all the protein he.s getting. try cutting back on the food look at the feed by weight . think thats the answer food protein. your doing good.

mo

where are u injecting insulin and when? do u wait or inject after food.
inject above the front leg mid back is closer to a blood supply ...fyi

[Jbeemer2]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

I inject as he's inhaling his food. 😂

This week I've been injecting into the only tent I can get - on his upper sides. An inch or two from his center back.

I found an encouraging article that was taking about increasing insulin and not worrying about insulin resistance until you get to 1 unit for each 2.2 kg of weight. We've possibly got a long way to go. I'm just terrible at being patient.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Hi! I'm new to the forum and my 10 year old lab mix, Toby, is newly diagnosed. I'm testing with Alphatrac2.
Toby eats 1 cup Taste of the Wild, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup chicken breast, and 3/4 cup of green beans twice a day.
He was on 13 units of Vetsulin (originally started on 9 and worked up slowly to 13 over the last 2 months going off the urine testing strips per the vet.

Last night after the curve I backed him down to 9.5 units because the curve looked wrong; I thought it was rebound or somogyi. Am I wrong? I just want to get Toby regulated soon.
P.s. I haven't tested him today because I just got home.

9-23-17
7:20 am - 328 fasting. Then fed and gave 13 units Vetsulin
9:20 am - 496
11:20am - 466
1:20 pm. - 488
3:20 pm.-493
5:20 pm - 483
7:20 pm - 490. (Fed and gave 9.5 units after seeing the "curve")
9:20 pm - 490

Thanks for your help!
Jennifer

the blood sugar is rising after food and insulin. he.s eating too much food. protein. rethink food not upping insulin dear. ur feeding dog food plus chicken.plus eggs. too much protein foods not levelling out meeting with the insulin.

i could not up dogs food more it only raised his blood sugar.

feed the recommended food according to the dog foods manufactures feed guide. you.ll see the food meeting up better with the insulin😀

[MikeMurphy]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

the blood sugar is rising after food and insulin. he.s eating too much food. protein. rethink food not upping insulin dear. ur feeding dog food plus chicken.plus eggs. too much protein foods not levelling out meeting with the insulin.

i could not up dogs food more it only raised his blood sugar.

feed the recommended food according to the dog foods manufactures feed guide. you.ll see the food meeting up better with the insulin😀

Mo makes a good point here. If you do decide to back off on the amount of food, remember it's best to only change one variable at a time, so let his body adjust to the food change before adjusting insulin.

[amydunn19]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Patience is something you will need. Trust me, getting in a hurry can get you in trouble.

Also, tenting is not necessary. I found it to be awkward at best. I even injected my hand once. Long story. I would pull the skin up and inject at the bottom and it was easy and we never had any problems.

[Raysaint]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

In my opinion, your dose just hasn't reached what you need for a 24 kg dog. At 14 units, he's only slightly more than 1/2 unit per kg., which is the conservative start dose. Many dogs need closer to a full unit per kg.
(Sorry to my U.S friends, we're using Canadian numbers.)

Your food amount doesn't seem unreasonable to me, maybe cut out one of the eggs and sub with more greens beans.

Just be patient, that's critical. Stay the course.

And as amy mentioned, just to clarify, you don't need a " tent", a pyramid shaped pull of skin. Just pull up skin between your thumb and finger and inject parallel. Don't go across the fold of skin as you might go thru to the other side.

[Judi]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

patience is the hardest thing to have when dealing with this in the beginning. You have to try to force yourself to give any change a week or you really won't know what affect it had.

We had the flat line curve for over 2 months till we got my dog's insulin high enough to start working for her

As long as they aren't throwing off ketones, most vets start low and progress pretty slowly since you don't want to get too much insulin.

dogs can handle higher blood sugar even if it makes them sleepy. Blood sugar that goes too low can be deadly.

hang in there. Judi

[Jbeemer2]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Thanks all!

I did carefully calculate Toby's food by caloric needs, carb/protein ratios based on scientific calculations to the best of my non-scientist abilities. �� I'm taking him today to weigh him to make sure he's holding steady in the weight department.

I apologize that I haven't responded sooner. I was getting emails when responses were posted, but that seems to have stopped. No worries! I'll just check back more often.

I did switch to Novulin N from Walmart 3 days ago and continued with his same 14 u dosage. I purchased the correct u-100 syringes to go with-
Toby and I both really like the new syringes because the dosage is a much smaller volume compared with the vetsulin. I've done fasting testing each day and a random middle of the day test when I can get home. Nothing crazy is going on that I can see. Curve will be Friday. Toby's fasting has been around 450 for a while now. This morning it was 409. It gave me a glimmer of hope. I have been randomly checking for ketones and he is concsistently showing trace amounts. Should I worry?
. Being patient is so hard! ��

Thanks for all your input- I always read and think about what people are saying.
I'll post the curve tomorrow evening.

[jesse girl]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

look forward to seeing the curve

[Jbeemer2]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Patience is something you will need. Trust me, getting in a hurry can get you in trouble.

Also, tenting is not necessary. I found it to be awkward at best. I even injected my hand once. Long story. I would pull the skin up and inject at the bottom and it was easy and we never had any problems.

I was trying to really tent up the skin with those much longer u-40 needles. The new ones are tiny! My concern is not getting the needle in! I allays check for wet fur, but so far so good.

Just to clarify, you pull up the skin a little bit and inject at the bottom of the pulled up skin? I feel like I need to move the fur out of the way since the needle is so short. I'm sure I will get over all the overkill and overthinking eventually. Haha!

[Raysaint]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

I think any diabetic could have trace ketones when they are not regulated, but not to worry. They are far from the danger zone.

The shorter needles do get into the subcutaneous skin, so not to worry. It's what the world is using. Pull up skin, inject parallel near the bottom.

[CraigM]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

I feel like I need to move the fur out of the way since the needle is so short. I'm sure I will get over all the overkill and overthinking eventually. Haha!

i used a grooming razor every week or two and shaved an swath along Annie’s side to inject into. I told Annie I was giving her a “punk look”, and she thought it made her look tough! 😉 I didn’t really “tent”, but more like a gentle “pinch” and injected more-or-less straight down.

Every dog is different, Annie had quite a bit of fat along her side and I never worried when using the short needle U-100 syringe going straight in. I know other dogs are more muscular and might need a different procedure.

Craig

[Jbeemer2]

Re: First curve/more of a flat line

Today’s curve

7am 466 fasting - then fed and gave 14U NovolinN
9am. 456
11am 407
1pm. 420
3pm. 428
5pm. 383
7pm. 399

I do see improvement. I upped his dosage to 15U tonight. The curve may look like a baby rollercoaster, but it’s more curvy!

Last week’s:
328 fasting
496
466
488
493
483
490

Thoughts? I’m right to increase by just one unit, correct?
Thanks!

Do you know about the Pet Diabetes Tracker? It’s a free app. It’s wonderful! You can log all the curves and generate graphs easily. I recommend it!

Jennifer