Need some advice about Gomez and dosing

FluffBunny

FluffBunny

Member Since 2014
Gomez was/has been on 2.5 units for almost 2 weeks. For the last few days, his numbers have dropped significantly and I have lowered his dose and have been giving him HC food to slow his drop. To add to my misery, he doesn't have much of an appetite lately and I have been syringe feeding him after his shot to make sure he doesn't go hypoglycemic.

Here is my dilemma. I am going away for 48 hours. I have made arrangements to board Gomez at the Pet ER where he can be monitored and get his insulin injections. It's going to cost me a small fortune ($500 - $600.) I will be charged for a level 1 hospitalization which includes meds and insulin injections. However, this recent development (not eating and much lower numbers) is making me very nervous. If I ask the Pet ER to monitor his BG, that will move him up to a level 2 hospitalization and that will cost me a large fortune. ($3000 the last time he was hospitalized for 2 days.) I don't know what to do.

What would happen if I don't give him insulin for 2 days? Or if I give him only 1 unit? I know Lantus is long acting, so I'm not even sure it would make a difference if I stop his shots for 48 hours. I really don't know what to do.

I should add that it is not my objective to get Gomez off insulin - or even to get him into the normal range for long periods of time. He is in congestive heart failure and isn't going to be with me for much longer. I just want to control those very high numbers and make sure he is as comfortable as possible in the time he has left.

Can anyone give me some advice on my dilemma? I respect the experience of this board and hope you can guide me in the right direction.
 
I'm not expert enough to answer your questions but several here will know more.

Sending you and Gomez good vibes, best wishes and hugs. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Can you find a vet tech who will work on the side and come in and care for Gomez while you're away? Many vet techs do cat sitting on the side and are knowledgeable about these kinds of things.
 
I tried to find a vet tech. My vet is only three blocks from my house and I offered good money for a tech to come to my house twice a day. No luck.
 
No. I tried at my regular vet. It is too late now to make other arrangements. I was prepared to pay the $600. Gomez could have a medical emergency at any time and I really want him to be somewhere where he can get quick treatment. All would have been well if he hadn't decided to stop eating. He hasn't completely stopped. But he is not eating enough to offset his insulin shots.
 
Only you can decide how to proceed with Gomez's care. I would not leave him without insulin for 2 days if it was my kitty but I am less experienced.

Hopefully some others will pop in here and give advice.
 
We’ve had other members whose cats absolutely refused to let anyone else test them. Dropping the dose back to 1u is fine so he’s at least getting insulin. You could ask them to feed him before they give the shot .....even syringe feed him so there is less worry that he might drop quickly without food.

I know you didn’t ask but I’m just curious why you are shooting two different doses a.m. and p.m.? It’s not something we usually recommend with Lantus.
 
Actually, my vet suggested the different AM and PM doses since he tended to drop low during the day, but not over night. I didn't do it until this week - mostly because I needed to get some sleep and I was afraid to give him 2.5 at night.

So, if I drop him back to 1u for a couple of days, that would be okay?
 
FluffBunny said:
Actually, my vet suggested the different AM and PM doses since he tended to drop low during the day, but not over night. I didn't do it until this week - mostly because I needed to get some sleep and I was afraid to give him 2.5 at night.
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Your vet doesn’t understand how Lantus works but that’s not unusual. All you are doing is messing with the Lantus insulin depot. Quite often, vets do not understand that Lantus doesn’t work like the other insulins (ProZinc, Vetsulin, Humulin) do.

FluffBunny said:
So, if I drop him back to 1u for a couple of days, that would be okay?
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It should be based just on his numbers at 2.5u. You want to be sure he has some insulin on board. His numbers will be higher but you can deal with that when you get back. It’s still important that they get food into him.
 
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Marje and Gracie said:
It should be based on his numbers at 2.5u.
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I don't understand what you are saying here. This is a special situation or I would not consider cutting his insulin. I can monitor him and steer him up when he needs it, but I can't depend on his boarding facility to do that.
 
Have you checked on Nextdoor to see if there's anyone in your area who has experience taking care of FD kitties? I understand from FB posts that there is a listing of people who will exchange pet sitting services, etc. (needless to say I cannot recall where that list is or how to access it)...perhaps someone else here might recall???
 
I like Marje's suggestion to drop the dose back to 1 unit so that he would still be getting insulin and you wouldn't break the bank.

When you return, I would try and find a good pet sitter with diabetic cat experience so that so you could leave Gomez at home and have him tested pre shot without breaking the bank. My pet sitter T/F/S Bubba and also feeds and give thyroid meds to his brother and he charges 25 dollars each time or 50/day. I give him a reduced insulin dose since no one will be testing through the cycle. It saves me a lot of money and a lot of stress on my cats.
 
FluffBunny said:
I don't understand what you are saying here. This is a special situation or I would not consider cutting his insulin. I can monitor him and steer him up when he needs it, but I can't depend on his boarding facility to do that.
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I’m saying that he was not hitting lower numbers of concern at 2.5u so he should be just fine at 1u.
 
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