? Low BG

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MClarke087

MClarke087

Member Since 2016
Dennis is at +4 and his BG is 55. At what number do I worry? I'm thinking I should worry at this point. He's acting fine but still.....Also, he got 4u of Vetsulin tonight.


He usually reaches his lowest point around +6 through +8. I gave him some more of his regular food (wet D/M) with a touch of Karo syrup. The ONLY other food I have on hand is Urinary S/O, which my other cat is prescribed (it's 10:30 at night here and I live in the middle of nowhere so getting high cal food is almost impossible).
I'm assuming I should stay up and test frequently to make sure his numbers don't go any lower. Any additional thoughts would appreciated. I don't know if I should be panicking right now or not.....
 
agreed, stay up and test frequently until his BG's start to rise. I would test again now if you haven't akready done so. If he's lower give more syrup.
 
Had a scare like this Sunday night...was instructed to feed and test every 30 minutes til BG above 68 on AT meter...once reach 68(AT meter) stop feeding and test one hour later to see if Dennis is holding his own without the help of food..
 
Beth 73 said:
Had a scare like this Sunday night...was instructed to feed and test every 30 minutes til BG above 68 on AT meter...once reach 68(AT meter) stop feeding and test one hour later to see if Dennis is holding his own without the help of food..
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Thank you! Not using AT- using ReliOn human meter from Walmart. I'm worried because in the past I've compared my meter to the vets meter (which ever one is made exclusively for pets), and mine reads HIGHER. So if he's 55 on my meter, he's actually lower.
I just tested one hour after I got the reading of 55 (plus food and Karo), and he's at 95. I know he will drop again over he next few hours so I'll test at least every hour. Thank you for your input. I'm glad the folks here were able to help you too!!
 
I'll dig thru the other stuff Chris and China told me and share anything else that seems pertinent. Chris did say to give just one teaspoon each time I fed. Elmo was at 37 when I realized things were off and by following her instructions I got it up over 68 pretty quickly.
 
I have noticed he's extremely grumpy (hissing and swatting his "sister") and walking around the house aimlessly, but he isn't lethargic or walking funny. Hoping these arent red flags.
 
Bless ur heart... I totally understand ...just had to stay focused and calm...I know how it feels :bighug:
 
Shani Blair said:
Test every half hour to 45 minutes until he is at around 75. Once he gets there test again in an hour. If his BG's are rising then you can wait another hour.

IF his BG isn't rising give more syrup and go to emergency vet.
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Should I only take him to ER of his BG continues to drop past the time when it's usually the lowest? That's usually around +6 or 8 for him.
 
Shani Blair said:
What is his BG now?
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He's at 95 right now but I think that's slightly inaccuracy because of the Karo and the fact hat his meter reads higher Compared to the vets glucometer. I think he will drop again soon.



This had only happened one time in his past: He had dropped to the 50s and I gave him a TON of Karo as I was driving him to the vet. We got there one hour later and he was at 99. The vet said to stop giving Karo and he was okay.

But that was months ago and his body has been reaching weird to thebinsulin lately. Some days he's very high and some days he's very low. I can't get a grasp on what his dose should be. Ughhh!
 
MClarke087 said:
He's at 95 right now but I think that's slightly inaccuracy because of the Karo and the fact hat his meter reads higher Compared to the vets glucometer. I think he will drop again soon.



This had only happened one time in his past: He had dropped to the 50s and I gave him a TON of Karo as I was driving him to the vet. We got there one hour later and he was at 99. The vet said to stop giving Karo and he was okay.

But that was months ago and his body has been reaching weird to thebinsulin lately. Some days he's very high and some days he's very low. I can't get a grasp on what his dose should be. Ughhh!
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I hear you. It's a fine line between too much and too little Karo. You seem to have a good handle of the situation tho.
 
Chris did say that the karo is short lived and is best once BG starts to rise to leave off karo and do only 1 teaspoon food...I got his BG back up from 37 to 150 on food alone ....I live in a small town in Missouri , 45 minutes from emergency vet so I totally understand ur situation there as well
 
Beth 73 said:
Chris did say that the karo is short lived and is best once BG starts to rise to leave off karo and do only 1 teaspoon food...I got his BG back up from 37 to 150 on food alone ....I live in a small town in Missouri , 45 minutes from emergency vet so I totally understand ur situation there as well
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I heard it's short lived too. He just had another snack so I'll recheck his BG in 30-45 minutes. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me. I didn't know if I should rush him to the ER or play Dr. Cat Mom :) Glad to hear that others don't see this as a guaranteed trip to the ER.
 
I'm new at this too... when in doubt, we load in the car and head for the emergency vet...I don't know how our BGs compare from one meter to another but continuing to rise and hold is what the goal is and Dennis is doing that !
 
I also depended on the Health Link sticky "How to treat hypos"... found lots of good info there too...you r doing great !
 
You're doing great @MClarke087 !!.....and I'm proud of you too @Beth 73 ...you're helping the next guy out!! That's how this place works as well as it does!!

As they say in medicine....Watch one, Do one, Teach one!!

I'd be a little suspect on the meter differences....Next time you do end up at the vet, I'd try that again because it's really rare to have a human meter test higher than a pet meter!

It's also important to keep your spreadsheet up to date..I know it can be a pain at times, but it really is one of the most important tools in our "diabetes toolbox".

We usually save the high carb food (or Karo, syrup, honey) until they actually drop below 50 (on a human meter) and then once you've given the high carb food/Karo/honey/syrup you retest every 20-30 minutes for the next hour and if they're still doing OK at that point, test one more time an hour later (so you're testing for 2 hours after the "low event") .....once they come back up above 50, you want to just give them a little of their regular low carb food. You want to encourage them to "surf" without continuing to give high carb food so you (hopefully) don't send them too far the other way.

Of course if when you retest, they drop back down below 50 again, the whole thing starts over
 
Chris & China said:
You're doing great @MClarke087 !!.....and I'm proud of you too @Beth 73 ...you're helping the next guy out!! That's how this place works as well as it does!!

As they say in medicine....Watch one, Do one, Teach one!!

I'd be a little suspect on the meter differences....Next time you do end up at the vet, I'd try that again because it's really rare to have a human meter test higher than a pet meter!

It's also important to keep your spreadsheet up to date..I know it can be a pain at times, but it really is one of the most important tools in our "diabetes toolbox".

We usually save the high carb food (or Karo, syrup, honey) until they actually drop below 50 (on a human meter) and then once you've given the high carb food/Karo/honey/syrup you retest every 20-30 minutes for the next hour and if they're still doing OK at that point, test one more time an hour later (so you're testing for 2 hours after the "low event") .....once they come back up above 50, you want to just give them a little of their regular low carb food. You want to encourage them to "surf" without continuing to give high carb food so you (hopefully) don't send them too far the other way.

Of course if when you retest, they drop back down below 50 again, the whole thing starts over
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Thank you! I was keeping up with the SS until my computer broke. I should have updated it on my phone it's just a little tricky. I'll do it tomorrow. I just tested (he's at +6) and he's at 165. I think I put him too far in the opposite direction. I guess being too high is better than being too low :( thank you again for helping out.
 
MClarke087 said:
Thank you! I was keeping up with the SS until my computer broke. I should have updated it on my phone it's just a little tricky. I'll do it tomorrow. I just tested (he's at +6) and he's at 165. I think I put him too far in the opposite direction. I guess being too high is better than being too low :( thank you again for helping out.
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Are you still using Caninsulin / Vetsulin?

If so, you have to be very very careful when you see low numbers : with this insulin, the fall can happen very quickly, and be really harsh!
Seeing a BG of 55 at +4 can induce a BG dramatically lower only 15 minutes after.
 
Capoo said:
Are you still using Caninsulin / Vetsulin?

If so, you have to be very very careful when you see low numbers : with this insulin, the fall can happen very quickly, and be really harsh!
Seeing a BG of 55 at +4 can induce a BG dramatically lower only 15 minutes after.
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Yes, he's still on Vetsulin. The vet doesn't watch to switch him over. He has been improving lately but he's not regulated.
We are at +6 and his BG is 233 so I think we are safe for the night. I think I may have put him up a little to high. I'm pretty sure his BG will be very high at his next dose.
 
MClarke087 said:
Yes, he's still on Vetsulin. The vet doesn't watch to switch him over. He has been improving lately but he's not regulated.
We are at +6 and his BG is 233 so I think we are safe for the night. I think I may have put him up a little to high. I'm pretty sure his BG will be very high at his next dose.
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You really did the right thing by putting him up, taking into account that you're using Vetsulin!!!
Nobody knows if your cat would not have hit a BG of 20 only 15 minutes after your reading of 55.
Bravo!!.
 
Your cat had earned a reduction. Please give less than 4 for the next shot. I'm glad to see that over time he's needed smaller doses! He had really large doses for a while there! Great job keeping him safe!
 
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