Ketones? panic averted

[Myrtlesmum]

Hi all. I haven’t been around much lately as I’ve had a lot on and Myrtle’s been semi OTJ. I haven’t been filling out the spreadsheet either so I’ll have to explain. Myrtle’s bg has been sitting between 5.4-8.2 (97.2 - 147) without insulin. Every 4 to 9 days it gets somewhere between 9-11.5 (162 - 207) and I give her a dose or two of Lantus and then she’s good for a few more days or even a week or more. I don’t give her insulin if her reading is under 9 (162) because I find it will often drop on its own. Over 9 (162 - 207) giving her 0.1 - 0.25 of Lantus will drop her down to the low 4s (72-81) so she is very insulin sensitive. I’ve been testing her ketones with a ketone meter about every 10 days and always been 0.0-0.1. Tonight her bg was 7.8 (140) and her ketones were 2.1 (which apparently is moderately high for a human - don’t know if it’s the same in cats). She is behaving normally, doesn’t seem dehydrated, is eating ok (maybe slightly less than usual). It’s Sunday night so I’ll wait until morning to get to the vet (unless of course she seems unwell but I’d like to avoid the emergency vet). It was a really hot day yesterday but surely that wouldn’t affect ketones and with the relatively low bg I’m at a loss for what is going on ?

 

[Myrtlesmum]

Sorry guys, I just re-tested 2 hours later and ketones 0.0. I’m assuming a bad read on behalf of the meter. I’ve run out of strips so I can’t do a 2 out of 3 but I’ll run out first thing in the morning to get some more strips. I actually phoned the emergency vet who said get her in there (it was going to cost about $300) so that’s when I thought I would just double check. Might need a hospital for me though - feel like I was about to have a heart attack! Myrtle seems ok so hopefully all good.

 

[Johann_marcel]

I

Hi all. I haven’t been around much lately as I’ve had a lot on and Myrtle’s been semi OTJ. I haven’t been filling out the spreadsheet either so I’ll have to explain. Myrtle’s bg has been sitting between 5.4-8.2 (97.2 - 147) without insulin. Every 4 to 9 days it gets somewhere between 9-11.5 (162 - 207) and I give her a dose or two of Lantus and then she’s good for a few more days or even a week or more. I don’t give her insulin if her reading is under 9 (162) because I find it will often drop on its own. Over 9 (162 - 207) giving her 0.1 - 0.25 of Lantus will drop her down to the low 4s (72-81) so she is very insulin sensitive. I’ve been testing her ketones with a ketone meter about every 10 days and always been 0.0-0.1. Tonight her bg was 7.8 (140) and her ketones were 2.1 (which apparently is moderately high for a human - don’t know if it’s the same in cats). She is behaving normally, doesn’t seem dehydrated, is eating ok (maybe slightly less than usual). It’s Sunday night so I’ll wait until morning to get to the vet (unless of course she seems unwell but I’d like to avoid the emergency vet). It was a really hot day yesterday but surely that wouldn’t affect ketones and with the relatively low bg I’m at a loss for what is going on ?

I read your post yesterday and I'm new with caring for my diabetic, so I don't have any suggestions. However, I'm hoping that replying will bump up your post. My cat, Chuck Norris, has been having very similar bg readings (on an alphatrak2 meter, but between 90 and 140 most days and not being dosed, then after a few days dising to 150/160 and getting a half unit of lantus). I'm curious what the more experienced people in here would suggest for your situation, as it may lead to some insight on my very similar one I hope your kitty is doing well!

 

[Myrtlesmum]

I

I read your post yesterday and I'm new with caring for my diabetic, so I don't have any suggestions. However, I'm hoping that replying will bump up your post. My cat, Chuck Norris, has been having very similar bg readings (on an alphatrak2 meter, but between 90 and 140 most days and not being dosed, then after a few days dising to 150/160 and getting a half unit of lantus). I'm curious what the more experienced people in here would suggest for your situation, as it may lead to some insight on my very similar one I hope your kitty is doing well!

Thanks for your response. I wasn’t really expecting a response - I tested the ketones again the next day an d they were 0.0 so I’m assuming there was something wrong with the strip I used or the machine gave me a bad read. Regarding dosing, well, I don’t really want/need advice on that one this time - (No offence to all you wonderful people who have given me so much great advice). Myrtle is simply very sensitive to insulin and it looks like her pancreas is still working some days as well. It’s simply not possible to dose less than 0.1 so it would be unsafe to give her insulin when her bg is under 9 (162) and risk a hypo. Maybe if you start a thread in the Lantus forum someone could respond to your particular situation? For my 2 cents worth, you may want to try lowering the dose to a quarter unit if you are giving a half now - also you don’t have a spreadsheet so it’s hard to advise.

 

[Johann_marcel]

Thanks for your response. I wasn’t really expecting a response - I tested the ketones again the next day an d they were 0.0 so I’m assuming there was something wrong with the strip I used or the machine gave me a bad read. Regarding dosing, well, I don’t really want/need advice on that one this time - (No offence to all you wonderful people who have given me so much great advice). Myrtle is simply very sensitive to insulin and it looks like her pancreas is still working some days as well. It’s simply not possible to dose less than 0.1 so it would be unsafe to give her insulin when her bg is under 9 (162) and risk a hypo. Maybe if you start a thread in the Lantus forum someone could respond to your particular situation? For my 2 cents worth, you may want to try lowering the dose to a quarter unit if you are giving a half now - also you don’t have a spreadsheet so it’s hard to advise.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I DO have a spreadsheet It's been baby steps with adding my signature and adding the spreadsheet (now), as I usually am just lurking and reading the board while at work during the day - where I can't really get to edit my profile. I'll post on the Lantus board soon. Thanks, again!