From:
kazpat1@juno.com
Date: 2003-11-08 06:39:10 UTC
Subject: questions for those with diabetic ferret
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <20031107.223946.10660.678838@webmail04.lax.untd.com>
It is a month now since my relatively young ferret was diagnosed with diabetes. I am having a hard time regulating him on Humulin NPH insulin. IT was compounded to allow me to give a small dose on the syringe. I read that PZI is better, but the vet had good experience with NPH and since I had to pay $70 for it, I want to at least give it a try.
I am checking the ferret's blood sugar three times a day initially,and now twice a day, right before the morning dose and before the pm dose.
I will get a range, but it seems that the NPH wears off on average about 10 hours after giving it and when it does seem to do well about the first 2 days after increasing the dose, then it seems to return to the higher levels ( 350-450 and I have to increase the dose again bringing it between 180-250 at best)
So after starting at 0.1units twice a day, I am now up to 0.6units twice a day. I want a better control, I am not sure if checking the blood sugar right before giving the dose is helping me that much, I just use it to see the pattern and if the mornings are all above 250 I then increase the pm doses of the NPH and vice versa with the high pm blood sugars. I am also afraid that if I go too high on the dose, maybe he will be having a too low sugar at the peak of the NPH a few hours after I give it when I am not home to monitor him- or when I am asleep in bed for the night.
Any suggestions, I work so checking the blood sugar in the middle of the day is not possible.
On the good side, since starting the insulin his diarrhea has stopped and his activity is back to normal. His blood sugars before the insulin were over 500, urine ketones negative.
Thank you,
Patty
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