Four is Better Than Two
Apr 5th, 2007 by mark
When she was first diagnosed with diabetes last September, Nekko started getting two units of insulin twice a day (every twelve hours). Attempts to get her blood glucose level checked failed twice so it wasn’t until late February that we finally got a measurement of her blood sugar (glucose) level.
At 335 it was high, but not extremely so for a cat. The doctor said he’d like to see it lower, but given her age, and the relative difficulty in controlling feline blood glucose levels through injections, he said 335 wasn’t bad. At that time he upped her dosage from two units to three.
It occurred to me as I was preparing the first syringe with three units that this was a 50% increase in insulin. Not, perhaps a lot in terms of volume, but a major increase in daily availability. Almost immediately we noticed an increased activity level in Nekko, and a decrease (perhaps) in urine output and water consumption.
Just a couple of weeks ago, while we were out of town again, Nekko had a second blood glucose test, this time in the 280 range. Still high, but headed in the right direction. Again I was asked to increase her dosage a unit, up to four given twice daily at twelve hour intervals. While it has only been a few days since the dosage was increased we are again seeing an improvement in her activity level, and it seems to me that her drinking is back to normal, and consequently her urine output is more normal as well.
I am pleased that the insulin injections are working, and more pleased that I have learned how to coax my timid cat into accepting them twice daily. It has been supremely frustrating at time, and has impacted our daily lives, but it has been ultimately rewarding. Nekko is happy and healthy again; playful and alive once more.
