Urgent!!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Lizzey and Errol said:
My cat is at 55 tonight and it's the first it's been this low. What do I need to do?
Click to expand...
Do you have any high carb wet food with gravy? If so, feed a tsp or two, wait 20 minutes, test again and post here.
How many hours ago was her insulin dose? Which insulin are you using and what dose?
 
I just fed some fancy feast classic. He is on lantus. His last insulin was at 9:30 this morning and was 6 units (I know it is high but that is what my vet has instructed and he has been doing great on the doses his vet prescribed) He seems to be acting fine. He walked a little earlier like he was dizzy but he has terrible muscles in his legs so it could have just been his legs. But he's been playing and happy up until it was time to check and then he was grumpy and I had a hard time getting blood. I didn't get a big sample of blood. Could that have caused a low reading?
 
Will my cat be okay? I need to know what others do when their cats get low. I'm a very worried cat mother and I could use some advise
 
The more information you can provide, the better the advise can be.

Most importantly - Can you get another test now?

How many hours since Errol's last insulin shot?

What meter are you using?

Do you have honey or karo or anything sweet on hand?

Do you have plenty of strips?
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
Will my cat be okay? I need to know what others do when their cats get low. I'm a very worried cat mother and I could use some advise
Click to expand...
Your kitty will be OK, Lizzey. Do you have enough test strips to be able to do extra testing right now? Have you been able to get another BG since that 55 result?
 
This is for you to read while you're waiting around:
  1. The AlphaTrak is a great pet meter but its test strips are $$$$$. You need to test to keep Errol safe and most of us can't afford to use the AT meter all the time. Go to a Walmart and buy one of the ReliOn types of meter (the Micro or the Confirm) for about $15 and a pack of test strips (about $36 per 100). Use the AT meter only if you''re doing a curve at home for your vet.
  2. Set up a regular BG testing routine and put the data in your spreadsheet. We need to see it to be able to help you. A regular routine means every AM/PM before feeding and giving insulin (no food at least 2 hours before), at least once during the day between shots, once before bed and extras on days off.
 
He is at 99 now! I will be calling my vet in the morning and talking to her to see what was going on. Maybe she can tell me to lower his dose. I will be watching him like a hawk tonight and will update on his levels in the morning. Thank you for the help everyone
 
Is there a forum that will help explain the spreadsheet? I have one set up for him but I'm unsure how it works. ive been using the chart that came with his meter to keep track of his levels
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
He is at 99 now! I will be calling my vet in the morning and talking to her to see what was going on. Maybe she can tell me to lower his dose. I will be watching him like a hawk tonight and will update on his levels in the morning. Thank you for the help everyone
Click to expand...
That's good! Did you feed only FF classic, no honey, etc.? I'd do one more check in an hour because that 6 u depot is still there.
 
I agree with no shot tonight and at least one more check in an hour.

Can you, by any chance, take a photo of the chart on your phone and post it here?

If you have any problems setting up the spreadsheet, please ask for help. There are a number of spreadsheet wizards here.
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
FF classic and a little bit of vanilla ice cream. He would not take any honey.
Click to expand...
OK. That 99 could be from the ice cream. Check his BG again in an hour. As for the honey, when I use it for my guy, I use only about 1/8 tsp or less mixed well into his low carb wet food. He doesn't seem to even notice it's in there.
 
Here is his levels. I know his units are high but this is what my vet told me to do. He was very high and was hospitalized. They started him with low units but his body was not taking them and they had to raise the units so his body would finally lower. After doing my research I do not agree with the levels but they have been working for him. I'm still new at all of this and I have high anxiety when it comes to dealing with medical stuff and I am doing my best I can with him and I have been getting great results until tonight. I know everyone on here is going to strongly disagree with my vet but I ask that you understand that I need to be able to trust my vet because they know what they are doing and are very good at what they are doing. I have been in contact with my vet every day making sure I am doing everything right. After tonight's incident and my panic over him I will be having a talk with my vet to get a better understanding of how he is doing. I appreciate all the help you all have been giving me on this website but I also have to listen to my vet because she has worked with my cat and knows what he needs. My cat has been healthier than he has been and I've seen amazing improvements with his behaviors and actions. Before you quick judge on how my vet has instructed me to treat him, please keep into consideration that I am easy to get worked up and freaked out if you immediately tell me that I am wrong or he is going to be worse. Like I said I will be talking to my vet early tomorrow morning to see what she suggests. I trust everyone on here but I also need to listen to my vet because she knows how to help him.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    60.4 KB · Views: 63
If my last post came off like an insult to anyone I REALLY do NOT mean it that way. I am just new to everything right now and as I get used to everything going on I feel I need to listen to my vet. I really appreciate all the help everyone has given me tonight and I will be talking to my vet in the morning about the information everyone has provided me.
 
It would help both you and your vet tremendously if you can get some mid-cycle readings. What the vet needs to know is how low the cat goes on a certain dose. Midcycle readings will tell the vet that. The more information you can give your vet, the better.

Do keep in mind that tomorrow morning's readings might be temporarily and artificially high because of going so slow and also from having no shot tonight. It is called a bounce and is a natural response by the cat's body. That does not necessarily mean that Errol should get a big shot of insulin to compensate.

In the meantime, please read: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

No one knows how low Errol got today. He did show signs of being hypoglycaemic. 68 on an alphatrak is the time to take immediate action number. At this high a dose, you could easily end up at emergency with a seriously ill cat, looking at a huge vet bill.

Would you consider seeing another vet for a second opinion about the diabetes?
 
I apologize if it feels like we're bossing you around, Lizzey. I understand that you want and need to work with your vet and you want the best for Errol.

I've looked at your BG chart. I see that sometimes the insulin dose has been different AM and PM. Was that because you called your vet and they advised on dose level? It looks like the dose has been increased or decreased based on the BG test in the AM or PM. Is that correct? I'm only asking in order to understand what your chart tells me. If you're working this closely with your vet to decide on insulin dose, that's great! You just ran into a problem this evening when Errol surprised you with that low number. I'd get one more BG test before bed to see where he is.

Are you going to skip his shot for tonight? That would be the safest I think. Your vet seems to have a different method of getting Errol's BG down to better levels so you'll have to talk with him/her about what to do when you get these low numbers.

BTW, I didn't regard your post as an insult at all. :)
 
I know you all want the best for my cat and I greatly appreciate all the advice because I know it is coming from the right place! The units I give him are based off a chart my vet gave me to decide on how much to give him. I have been given a lot of judgement for my vets instructions so that is why I have been reluctant to post on here. This is what my vet has suggest for units for Errol: above 25o give him 9 units. 125-250 give him 6 units. 80-125 give him 3 units and under 80 do not give him any. I am not giving him any insulin tonight and will be watching him like a hawk tonight. Currently he is sleeping and snoring like the goofy cat that he is. I will be discussing with my vet in the morning about the best action to take from now on because I am not sure that he is needing that much insulin anymore.

I also have considered getting another opinion from another vet but I can not afford to take him to another vet. Also the place I am taking him now is only for cats which means the veterinarians there work only with cats and know what is wrong immediately so I have a hard time wanting to find another vet since this is the best vet I have ever had for my cats.
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
I have been given a lot of judgement for my vets instructions so that is why I have been reluctant to post on here. This is what my vet has suggest for units for Errol: above 25o give him 9 units. 125-250 give him 6 units. 80-125 give him 3 units and under 80 do not give him any. I am not giving him any insulin tonight and will be watching him like a hawk tonight.
Click to expand...
Actually, this dosing scale the vet gave has worked quite well so far. Under 80 - no insulin was your guideline for tonight. It's just that this was your first time seeing such a low number. You now know what to do if it happens again.

You like this vet and he/she has helped you and Errol when Errol was very ill so there's no need to go elsewhere. It's possible the vet will want to "redesign" the dosing scale because of the 55 you had tonight. That's something you can discuss tomorrow. We're still here to help with anything else. :)
 
Thank you so much for being considerate for what my vet has been saying. I know when people see high units like that they start to freak out. I did too when I saw them but he has been doing very good on those numbers. Hopefully his dosage goes down so it can save me some money but I having that positive response from you is making me feel a world better. I will figure out how to use the spreadsheet so in the future when I have a problem everyone will have a better understanding to what is going on with him. On Wednesday it will be my first full week of treating him at home so I am so new to this still and positive thoughts is what will keep me in a sane while caring for him.
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
Thank you so much for being considerate for what my vet has been saying. I know when people see high units like that they start to freak out. I did too when I saw them but he has been doing very good on those numbers. Hopefully his dosage goes down so it can save me some money but I having that positive response from you is making me feel a world better. I will figure out how to use the spreadsheet so in the future when I have a problem everyone will have a better understanding to what is going on with him. On Wednesday it will be my first full week of treating him at home so I am so new to this still and positive thoughts is what will keep me in a sane while caring for him.
Click to expand...
Please do keep posting, Lizzey. There are many things we can help you with. I know your kitty was very sick and the vet had a hard time getting things under control. He/she had to find a different way to help Errol with Lantus and that's fine. :bighug:;)
 
Errol was at 319 this morning which is higher than I anticipated. My vet instructed me to give him 3 units this morning and he is still doing very well!
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
Errol was at 319 this morning which is higher than I anticipated. My vet instructed me to give him 3 units this morning and he is still doing very well!
Click to expand...
That's a bounce from that low number last night. Did your vet have anything to say about that 55? Just follow the dosing scale you were given?

Here's something I wrote for someone else to explain bouncing:

Here's how it works:

  1. BG goes low OR lower than usual OR drops too quickly.
  2. Kitty's body panics and thinks there's danger (OMG! My BG is too low!).
  3. Complex physiologic processes take glycogen stored in the liver (I think of it as "bounce fuel"), convert it to glucose and dump it into the bloodstream to counteract the perceived dangerously low BG.
  4. These processes go into overdrive in kitties who are bounce prone and keep the BG propped up varying lengths of time (AKA bouncing).
  5. Bounce prone kitty repeats this until his body learns that healthy low numbers are safe. Some kitties are slow learners.
  6. Too high a dose of insulin can keep them bouncing over and over until the " bounce fuel" runs out and they crash - ie., have a hypo episode. That's why we worry so much about kitties that have had too high a starting dose prescribed by the vet and the owner isn't home testing.
 
Lizzey and Errol said:
Errol was at 319 this morning which is higher than I anticipated. My vet instructed me to give him 3 units this morning and he is still doing very well!
Click to expand...
3 is a much more reasonable dose then 6. That 6 unit dose scared me. 3 is even a lot but not like the 6. Do you still need help with the chart? Do you have Google Sheets downloaded so you can edit it?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top