GA Very Low BG Update: Pink numbers last night- swaying this morning- now loosing balance again

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Cris-Merlin(GA)& the pack

Cris-Merlin(GA)& the pack

Member Since 2019
Hey everyone, I was hoping to give a better update on this but lets start with the good:

As I had said in this post Merlin had not eaten much in the morning and a little bit more by noon, but he had been standing and walking around par my roommates report. So I took the advice to add a little parmesan and he did eat a bit more now of his wet food. So I might add it in the morning tomorrow too.

However, he loss his balance again. I noticed it happened both times after i lowered him from my bed, both time to take his BG. When I set him down now in the after noon he basically fell over, almost face first. He looked disoriented and lost and didn't seem to be responding much. After a moment he was a bit more stable, smelled his food and started eating. Now he is there next to his food (he ate about half) and just kind of there. He is more responsive and doest look as disoriented. Could it have been the change in height? I'll check his BG numbers again later and let you guys know what his status is.

Thanks to everyone really, it helps so much to be able to talk to people with more experience in this.
 
Cris and Merlin said:
Hey everyone, I was hoping to give a better update on this but lets start with the good:

As I had said in this post Merlin had not eaten much in the morning and a little bit more by noon, but he had been standing and walking around par my roommates report. So I took the advice to add a little parmesan and he did eat a bit more now of his wet food. So I might add it in the morning tomorrow too.

However, he loss his balance again. I noticed it happened both times after i lowered him from my bed, both time to take his BG. When I set him down now in the after noon he basically fell over, almost face first. He looked disoriented and lost and didn't seem to be responding much. After a moment he was a bit more stable, smelled his food and started eating. Now he is there next to his food (he ate about half) and just kind of there. He is more responsive and doest look as disoriented. Could it have been the change in height? I'll check his BG numbers again later and let you guys know what his status is.

Thanks to everyone really, it helps so much to be able to talk to people with more experience in this.
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I’m glad the Parmesan cheese trick worked. But I am very puzzled over how He is getting dizzy, I do not think it would have anything to do with height because cats prefer high places rather than lower position
 
If he has a ear infection, that could cause this to happen.
The face plant is what’s throwing me off the most.
 
sherrib said:
I’m glad the Parmesan cheese trick worked. But I am very puzzled over how He is getting dizzy, I do not think it would have anything to do with height because cats prefer high places rather than lower position
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I really don't know how else to describe the kind of movement he does he just suddenly was completely out of it. Really I am like looking for a common thread and was like I don't know maybe the height of the bed affected him or something (not that it's that high but grasping here).

sherrib said:
If he has a ear infection, that could cause this to happen.
The face plant is what’s throwing me off the most.
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That's really what got me now. Like this morning he like plopped to the side but now I set him down in front of his plate and he just fell forward. I grabbed him quickly and was trying to clean his face and he was rather limp in the sense that he seemed to not be reacting to me touching him or anything (unlike now where he reacts to sounds and if i touch his paw or body in general). Honestly that face forward fall was what unnerved me the most. Trying to remain calm tho.
 
Please check his BG immediately. Those symptoms could be hypoglycemia. It might not be but that is the first thing to check when Merlin is acting off in any way. Please post here with the reading. I'm anxious to know what is going on too.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Please check his BG immediately. Those symptoms could be hypoglycemia. It might not be but that is the first thing to check when Merlin is acting off in any way. Please post here with the reading. I'm anxious to know what is going on too.
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I agree. Do you have any honey or karo syrup on hand? not saying you need it now. Just wondering. If you don’t, get some.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Please check his BG immediately. Those symptoms could be hypoglycemia. It might not be but that is the first thing to check when Merlin is acting off in any way. Please post here with the reading. I'm anxious to know what is going on too.
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When I got home he was at 100, just took it now and he is at 118. I am trying not to get too scared but really those falls are what has me on high alert.

sherrib said:
I agree. Do you have any honey or karo syrup on hand? not saying you need it now. Just wondering. If you don’t, get some.
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I do, on easy reach too. i was actually considering if to give him a bit. I still haven't given him his insulin both because it was so low and waiting to see if he eats more.
 
So his BG isn’t to low, that’s great!
I really think you need to call your vet tomorrow and tell them what is going on.
Hoping someone comes along that has experienced this too. I never have or know of anyone else having this happening .
 
sherrib said:
So his BG isn’t to low, that’s great!
I really think you need to call your vet tomorrow and tell them what is going on.
Hoping someone comes along that has experienced this too. I never have or know of anyone else having this happening .
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I am considering the same. My only worry is well, that if I have to take him I will have to work out some kind of payment plan with the vet because things are tight. But we all know how it is. Right now I am mostly observing him, petting him and encouraging him to keep eating. Deciding if to only give him half his dose just in case.
 
Cris and Merlin said:
I am considering the same. My only worry is well, that if I have to take him I will have to work out some kind of payment plan with the vet because things are tight. But we all know how it is. Right now I am mostly observing him, petting him and encouraging him to keep eating. Deciding if to only give him half his dose just in case.
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I TOTALLY understand about money! I’m in a bad place after spending over a $1000 on my baby 2 weeks ago. He still isn’t out of the woods yet
 
Update: took his BG and its at 158, but again he did the face forward fall. I had the roommate there so i called her for her to see and she saw him doing it, he would fall and kind of move to lay on his side. She says maybe he just needs to rest. So we are keeping an eye on him through the night.
 
Cris and Merlin said:
Update: took his BG and its at 158, but again he did the face forward fall. I had the roommate there so i called her for her to see and she saw him doing it, he would fall and kind of move to lay on his side. She says maybe he just needs to rest. So we are keeping an eye on him through the night.
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No, something isn’t right. Cats don’t lose their balance very easily
 
Try and see if you can record him doing this so you can show your vet. Do you have Care Credit? Most all vets take that. If you don’t have it, see if you can apply for it. It’s a credit card that vets take, dentist and some other doctors take it as well .
 
sherrib said:
No, something isn’t right. Cats don’t lose their balance very easily
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Yeah, she said it in a very "I don't want to freak you out" way. She suggested I take him tomorrow if in the morning he is doing that. However I don't know if I can skip out of work so I don't know if I would have to take him in the afternoon.

sherrib said:
Try and see if you can record him doing this so you can show your vet. Do you have Care Credit? Most all vets take that. If you don’t have it, see if you can apply for it. It’s a credit card that vets take, dentist and some other doctors take it as well .
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I don't think we have that here. I wish I could lol. And yes, I will see if I can record him.

What I don't know is, do I skip work, or wait until I am out at 3 to take him?
 
Cris and Merlin said:
Yeah, she said it in a very "I don't want to freak you out" way. She suggested I take him tomorrow if in the morning he is doing that. However I don't know if I can skip out of work so I don't know if I would have to take him in the afternoon.


I don't think we have that here. I wish I could lol. And yes, I will see if I can record him.

What I don't know is, do I skip work, or wait until I am out at 3 to take him?
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I’m not sure when you should go tomorrow but definitely go, He is eating ( now) . What about drinking water? Urinating and bowel movements ?
 
Taking in the afternoon is better then not going at all. I would feel better w it being the sooner the better. But if you can’t miss work and it doesn’t seem life threatening then....
It’s totally up to you. Do what makes you feel comfortable
 
sherrib said:
I’m not sure when you should go tomorrow but definitely go, He is eating ( now) . What about drinking water? Urinating and bowel movements ?
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he has been drinking water, and he has been urinating tho he hasn't had a bowel movement today. But he has had other times when he might not have many bowel movements and it has been fine.
 
I'm sorry I missed all this. Has renal failure been suggested? My 16 yr old gal acted somewhat similar and after losing quite a bit of weight, I took her in. They gave her fluids and that helped, but only in the short term.
 
Angie & Millhouse said:
I'm sorry I missed all this. Has renal failure been suggested? My 16 yr old gal acted somewhat similar and after losing quite a bit of weight, I took her in. They gave her fluids and that helped, but only in the short term.
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Maybe, he actually is on KD food for a while now and the antiobiotics where because we took him because he had some blood in his urine and the doctor diagnosed an infection.

I also wanted to add I check in on him and his eyes seem to be moving between very dilated and just more average dilation. So far depending on how he is in the morning I might need to stay from work to take him to the vet, i'll let you guys know how it keeps going, thanks so much for all your help
 
Cris and Merlin said:
Maybe, he actually is on KD food for a while now and the antiobiotics where because we took him because he had some blood in his urine and the doctor diagnosed an infection.

I also wanted to add I check in on him and his eyes seem to be moving between very dilated and just more average dilation. So far depending on how he is in the morning I might need to stay from work to take him to the vet, i'll let you guys know how it keeps going, thanks so much for all your help
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Oh wow! The eye thing doesn’t sound good , plus the falling. Most definitely take him in. I really wish you could at least talk to his doctor now. How long has the eye thing been going on?
Could he have gotten into anything?
 
sherrib said:
Oh wow! The eye thing doesn’t sound good , plus the falling. Most definitely take him in. I really wish you could at least talk to his doctor now. How long has the eye thing been going on?
Could he have gotten into anything?
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Just noticed it now, i don't think it has been going on for longer than today. I am honestly mostly trying to not get too nervous.
 
With all the other issues he’s had today I wouldn’t wait. Give him some Karo or honey for the road and get him in the car to the ER.
 
Do you have any high carb food? Karo works fast and wears off quickly so if you can, also get him to eat a small amount of high carb. And test again 15 minutes from the last one (or now)...
 
After the crisis has passed you’ll want to post over in the Vetsulin forum for dosing advice. I see you’re measuring in .2 unit increments. Are you using u100 syringes with conversion?
 
SpotsMom said:
Do you have any high carb food? Karo works fast and wears off quickly so if you can, also get him to eat a small amount of high carb. And test again 15 minutes from the last one (or now)...
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I am trying to feed him his favorite treats but he is not responding to them. i tested him again and it said 21. I don't understand what happened how did it go down that fast. I dont know if i didi something wrong, if i should have skipped his insulin, if i should have given him less, if i should have tried to want until he ate more. His vet is closed and the closest 24 hour clinic i can find is still far. considering if to just try to find an uber that can take me there and tell the roommate to not wait up for me. I would hate to wake her up but i would need to tell her i am going to not worry her more than she already would be since she loves this little guy as well. I am just kind of freaking out because I don't get how the hell did it suddenly plunge like that. honestly I don't know what I would be doing if I couldn't type this here. he is responsive to me but is jsut kind of laying down and I am just trying to find what I can do for him.

Sorry for that long rant there, really I don't know where I would be mentally without the support I have gotten here today.
 
Keep going with the Karo and coaxing him to eat what he will. 21 is still far too low so you need to be vigilant. Maybe assist feed him? Test again in 15. You did great catching this low. You are doing the right thing! It just may be a really long night :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
SpotsMom said:
Keep going with the Karo and coaxing him to eat what he will. 21 is still far too low so you need to be vigilant. Maybe assist feed him? Test again in 15. You did great catching this low. You are doing the right thing! It just may be a really long night :bighug::bighug::bighug:
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I hope so. Taking him to the clinic seems a long **** but i am afraid I am doing more damage by waiting to be ble to get a ride and take him to his vet. But at the same time I dont know if I will get someone who will take me now and I dont want to distress him more than he must be feeling.
 
Please test again, my understanding of Vetsulin is it can start having affects quickly, and BG drops can speed up, you need to get him up over 50, and your last number is too low. As Spotsmom said syrup wears off quickly.

ETA if you feel you can't manage his BG levels, and he remains low you need to seek emergency vet assistance, low BG levels that cannot be controlled is a true emergency.
 
How many hours since the insulin shot?
Do you have any high carb food with gravy? If so give him some of the gravy. If he won't take it on his own, do you have a feeding syringe or a baster? If no gravy food is available, water down some food preferably high carb if you have it and try to get some into Merlin. If you only have low carb food, mix some honey or syrup into the food slurry. You need to get his BG up.

If you are running out of test strips, you are going to have to take Merlin to the ER. Getting his BG up is going to require a lot of monitoring so if you don't have the supplies there, please take him to the vet but try to get some food in him first.
 
I agree with @MrWorfMen's Mom. If you can’t test frequently, your only safe option is to take him to the vet. How many strips do you have? Can you check him now to see if they Karo is working?
 
Saw a good (scary) video on hypoglycemic cat: the eyes were just as you describe. Agree with above advice. Karo good but wears off fast. Food with gravy better. He needs to go to vet ASAP. Love & support; how are things now?
 
How are you now? Please get to emergency vet ASAP; hypoglycemia kills fast. I saw an excellent (scary) video with hypoglycemia & pupils just as you describe. Agree with above posts: karo good, but wears off soon. You can insert rectally, with bulb syringe. Please post when you can, everybody cares!
 
Cris and Merlin said:
No, his breath is normal. And I was trying to think what else he could have gotten into or something but we cleaned the house on saturday and these symptoms did not start until yesterday when he looked a little down.
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You said you cleaned on Saturday, what did you clean? What did you use? How long was he around the cleaning stuff?
Look, something is definitely not right and I am trying not to get you stressed out about it but to be honest I am. What state are you in I am in North Carolina .
 
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