Help hypoglycemic

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mtrom80

Mtrom80

Member Since 2016
Hello my cat Tigger (7 years old) was diagnosed 4 weeks ago....working with a vet to get under control...this week he has not been himself...got tested today and is hypoglycemic....pretty serious...sugars dropped to 20 at the vet....currently giving kitten food mixed with karo syrup every hour as ordered via syringe. My question is how soon should I see an improvement...he has been home since 5 and still lethargic....not drinking and stomach seems big....help!!!!
 
Go to thread tools top left and add the 911 icon to your thread title immediately....will draw more attention quicker
 
tiffmaxee said:
Which insulin are you using? How much have you been giving? What is the BG now?
Click to expand...


Novolin....was told 5 units because of his sugar level....not sure on current bg don't have a test kit...when we left the vet he was at 60 with giving kitten food and 2 TBS corn syrup every hour
 
Do you live close to a Walmart? You can get a Relion human monitor to test his levels. Much cheaper than a pet meter and thevatrips are less than half. That BG is dangerously low. I've never used anything but lantus insulin. This sounds very serious. Can you go to the ER?
 
Are you saying your vet sent you home when the BSL was 60 and you are not testing??.
It is very hard to advice if we do not know the BSL, but to keep him safe I would keep giving him food and Karo.
Do you have any higher carb food? Food that has gravy....?
Will he eat on his own?
Can you send someone out to buy a testing kit? Do not go yourself and leave him alone
 
I agree....if there's any way you can go to the vet, that's where he needs to be.....I can't believe your vet sent him home after that low of a blood glucose

Without being able to test, it's impossible to know if he's lethargic due to being too low or if he's running high now and the ups and downs of the day are causing it
 
5 units is way too much insulin to start off with. I would not give any more insulin until you are able to test the blood sugar and see what it is. And when you do start insulin again I would start off at 1 unit and post here for help.
 
Home alone with 2 sleeping toddlers..yes vet sent me home at 60 with kitten food...and karo syrup...never advised to get testing kit...he will not eat on his own...not drinking
 
Bron and Sheba said:
5 units is way too much insulin to start off with. I would not give any more insulin until you are able to test the blood sugar and see what it is. And when you do start insulin again I would start off at 1 unit and post here for help.
Click to expand...
5 units is what the vet had us on...started at 3...went to 4 then 5....told us to come back in 2 weeks for recheck...after a week at 5 he began getting lethargic....didn't put the prices together until today...I feel like a horrible pet mom right now....I just followed what I was told and am scared for my boy
 
Bron and Sheba said:
5 units is way too much insulin to start off with. I would not give any more insulin until you are able to test the blood sugar and see what it is. And when you do start insulin again I would start off at 1 unit and post here for help.
Click to expand...
Was instructed no more insulin until Tuesday
 
Mtrom80 said:
5 units is what the vet had us on...started at 3...went to 4 then 5....told us to come back in 2 weeks for recheck...after a week at 5 he began getting lethargic....didn't put the prices together until today...I feel like a horrible pet mom right now....I just followed what I was told and am scared for my boy
Click to expand...
You are not a horrible mom--you are seeking help and the doctor should be held accountable ...
 
Many vets are ignorant to feline diabetes but I cannot imagine why this vet let you leave with glucose that low....
Right now lets focus on getting your baby safe and find a new vet later....
 
You need to find out what the BG is now. All the karo could be making him feel sick and make his BG soar but there is no way to know. The vet should not have sent him home with those instructions and no way to know how he is handling this.
 
He is awake now....mad at me cause he is locked in a large dog crate with a bed, food, water and, litter as the vet recommended
 
Mtrom80 said:
1030 this morning yes 5 units....he ate less than a quarter cup of food and we gave him his meds[/QUOTE

So, to clarify:
  • less than 1/4 cup of food eaten
  • 5 u given at 10:30 AM
  • spent 11 AM to 5 PM at vet
  • BG was 2o at vet
  • syringe fed kitten food + karo hourly at home (at vet too?)
  • still feeling unwell/lethargic
By now that 10:30 AM dose of Novolin has worn off. It's possible the karo fed multiple times today has raised his BG very high.
Click to expand...
 
Mtrom80 said:
She is thinking he is not insulin dependent now...we switched him to a new food...numbers went down she increased to 5 and then he crashed
Click to expand...
I'm sorry but this makes no sense to me. Do you mean, the vet thinks he's not insulin dependent because he crashed at 5 units? It's far more likely that the 5 unit dose is the problem - far too high.
 
Yes you have it correct....was told to do it hourly if he is lethargic...if I am not messing with him he is sleeping
 
Mtrom80 said:
Last feeding was at 11....should I skip the 12?
Click to expand...
I would stop the karo syrup for sure. Is he accepting these feedings willingly? If he's not hungry I suggest skipping the 12.

BTW - 2 TBSP of corn syrup every hour is a LOT of sugar! He might well be at very high BG levels. You're in a tricky situation here that can only begin to be unravelled if you can get some blood glucose testing done.
 
Mtrom80 said:
He is awake now....mad at me cause he is locked in a large dog crate with a bed, food, water and, litter as the vet recommended
Click to expand...
I am actually happy to hear he is "mad" hopefully the insulin is wearing off.... I am even happier to hear you are finding a new vet-
This vet should be reported.... it is only a matter of time before she gives this dangerous advice again.
Tigger is lucky to have you watching him closely .....
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
I am actually happy to hear he is "mad" hopefully the insulin is wearing off.... I am even happier to hear you are finding a new vet-
This vet should be reported.... it is only a matter of time before she gives this dangerous advice again.
Tigger is lucky to have you watching him closely .....
Click to expand...
Well he is sleeping again....not trying to get out of the cage
 
I know he isn't feeling well...he hasn't groomed since we have been home...food has gotten on him (that I washed off) and he just lays down
 
If you can't get your hands on a glucometer and you can't get him to a vet, you can do the following:
  1. stop the karo syrup
  2. feed him regular low carb wet food if you have it in small amounts if he wants to eat later
  3. keep an eye on him as much as you can
  4. if he still looks ill in the morning, call an ER vet for advice before giving any insulin
  5. go buy a human BG meter ASAP
  6. come back here for more help/info.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
I would stop the karo syrup for sure. Is he accepting these feedings willingly? If he's not hungry I suggest skipping the 12.

BTW - 2 TBSP of corn syrup every hour is a LOT of sugar! He might well be at very high BG levels. You're in a tricky situation here that can only begin to be unravelled if you can get some blood glucose testing done.
Click to expand...
He sits in front of me and doest fight...turns his head and takes the food as I slowly push it .
 
Kris & Teasel said:
If you can't get your hands on a glucometer and you can't get him to a vet, you can do the following:
  1. stop the karo syrup
  2. feed him regular low carb wet food if you have it in small amounts if he wants to eat later
  3. keep an eye on him as much as you can
  4. if he still looks ill in the morning, call an ER vet for advice before giving any insulin
  5. go buy a human BG meter ASAP
  6. come back here for more help/info.
Click to expand...
Already was instructed no insulin until Tuesday when she wants to see him again....I'm looking for a new vet monday...will offer him diabetic wet food later tonight...my concern is he hasn't drank and his belly is bigger
 
I'm betting your vet sent him home because it's Saturday night and they don't have 24 hour coverage and didn't want to stay late :mad:

In which case it's probably better that you did bring him home so at least he's got someone keeping an eye on him!!

If he's been getting that much Karo, he's probably high now.....also, when they go that low, their liver usually responds by releasing stored sugar and hormones to bring them back up quickly (we call it bouncing)

I agree ....stop the Karo and offer him some canned food and just keep an eye on him overnight.....it's about all you can do (and for tonight only, if he's a kibble addict, I'd leave him a little kibble....we can get him off the high carb foods when you're able to test!
 
Mtrom80 said:
I know he isn't feeling well...he hasn't groomed since we have been home...food has gotten on him (that I washed off) and he just lays down
Click to expand...
If his BG has shot up because of the syrup he could be making ketones that are a sign of what could be the onset of ketoacidosis. This is a serious issue. I'm sorry to say something frightening but this problem can arise quickly sometimes. If you can't take the cat to the vet, can you call an ER vet and ask for advice? Tell them what you told us.
 
Chris & China said:
I'm betting your vet sent him home because it's Saturday night and they don't have 24 hour coverage and didn't want to stay late :mad:

In which case it's probably better that you did bring him home so at least he's got someone keeping an eye on him!!

If he's been getting that much Karo, he's probably high now.....also, when they go that low, their liver usually responds by releasing stored sugar and hormones to bring them back up quickly (we call it bouncing)

I agree ....stop the Karo and offer him some canned food and just keep an eye on him overnight.....it's about all you can do (and for tonight only, if he's a kibble addict, I'd leave him a little kibble....we can get him off the high carb foods when you're able to test!
Click to expand...
In the cage he has diabetic dry food water litter and a bed...if he gets under my bed I can't get him out...hence the dog crate...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top