? 11/21 442 Help, numbers highest they have ever been

[Pax's Mom]

Last post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/bouncing-shot-advice-61-to-401.221804/
Increased dose by .25 yesterday morning. Tonight I woke up to Pax throwing up white liquid and his numbers a lot higher than they have ever been. It doesn't look like it is from a bounce. He gets fed 4 times a day (6AM, 11AM, 4PM, 9PM). Food is left out until the next feeding (if it is not gone, uses a rotating feeder).
No diet change, no change in poop or urination that I have noticed in the last few weeks.
Was sleeping in bed with me when it happened.
The last week he had a lot of energy and has been playing a lot, but at this time he was just sleeping next to me and had been for at least the last 3 hours.
He did have hiccups last night and have noticed those being more frequent.

 

[Pax's Mom]

Just updated his spreadsheet, it has gone down a little but still in 400s. Did not eat all his 9PM food and not interested in his 6AM food.

 

[Krystina & Nelli]

Hi Jennifer,
Could he have eaten something?
Has he had a meal since the throwing up?
I’ll tag @Sienne and Gabby (GA), she might be around and may have ideas/suggestions

 

[Krystina & Nelli]

Did not eat all his 9PM food and not interested in his 6AM food.

We crossed paths... got answer to food question-

 

[Pax's Mom]

He is not interested in food. He is moving around the house fine. He last got sick about an hour ago. Prior, there was a lot of coughing and him swallowing. He did only actually cough up liquid once.

I do not have plants in my house and I don't keep dishes in my sink (he rarely is on the counter anyway) for him to steal food from.

 

[Pax's Mom]

He used the catbox and then ate a few bites of food. Numbers on the rise again.

 

[Gill & George]

Hi, sorry your guy is not feeling well.
Are you able to check for ketones, with his numbers being up and being off his food, it's worth just making sure that there are no ketones present.

 

[Pax's Mom]

Hi, sorry your guy is not feeling well.
Are you able to check for ketones, with his numbers being up and being off his food, it's worth just making sure that there are no ketones present.

I do not have a way to test ketones. Looks like that will be one of my stops today, to pick something up.

 

[Gill & George]

I do not have a way to test ketones. Looks like that will be one of my stops today, to pick something up.

I used the pee sticks they are cheap, then stalked George at the litter box and scooched a ladle under his bottom to gather some urine, some folk just put the stick in the pee stream, but George rides low when he goes for a pee, he's a big guy too so no way I could get in there otherwise.

There are meters that test blood ketones but the strips are pricey.
Either method will do depending on what you feel would work best.

 

[Pax's Mom]

I used the pee sticks they are cheap, then stalked George at the litter box and scooched a ladle under his bottom to gather some urine, some folk just put the stick in the pee stream, but George rides low when he goes for a pee, he's a big guy too so no way I could get in there otherwise.

There are meters that test blood ketones but the strips are pricey.
Either method will do depending on what you feel would work best.

Thank you for the info!

he should be getting his AM shot in about 30 minutes. Not sure what to do. Decrease? Increase? Stay on 2U?

 

[Gill & George]

Do you think you would be able to assist feed if you needed to?

When George went off his food due to teeth problems, I found hand feeding him with a teaspoon I managed to get him to eat.
It's possible that he's feeling icky with the higher numbers, given it's not something that is usual for him. Equally there may be something off with him infection/pain/inflammation that is making his numbers rise.
If you see no improvement in his symptoms and his appetite doesn't pick up I would take him to the vet.

 

[Gill & George]

His high numbers may be attributed

• not enough insulin
• New Dose Wonkiness
• Infection/inflammation
• pain

Has he had his teeth checked? George had a dreadful tooth infection that knocked him out of remission for a while.
Then a couple of bouts of suspected pancreatitis also sent his numbers up.
George is a good eater, and each time he went off his food with the above, so I knew something was not right and got him to the vet ASAP. Once the problems resolved I was able to regain BG regulation.

 

[Pax's Mom]

His high numbers may be attributed

• not enough insulin
• New Dose Wonkiness
• Infection/inflammation
• pain

Has he had his teeth checked? George had a dreadful tooth infection that knocked him out of remission for a while.
Then a couple of bouts of suspected pancreatitis also sent his numbers up.
George is a good eater, and each time he went off his food with the above, so I knew something was not right and got him to the vet ASAP. Once the problems resolved I was able to regain BG regulation.

He went in for a dental cleaning on 8/22 and had to get a tooth removed. Other than that I think his teeth are fine. The vet said that can get me in at 2. Not sure what I should do about his shot this morning though.

 

[Gill & George]

I would shoot, but be ready to assist feed if necessary.

You have been very consistent, with your BG checks so we can see that you have gone up in dose gradually so you could shoot the 2u confidently. With lantus remember you have a couple of hours before it onsets, so you have time to give him some food.


I don't like to withhold insulin if numbers are high, kitty is not eating, and kitty is not feeling well.

Remember the recipe for DKA

• not enough insulin
• not enough food
• systemic stress/infection

 

[Gill & George]

He went in for a dental cleaning on 8/22 and had to get a tooth removed. Other than that I think his teeth are fine.

get them to look at that again?
I have seen occasions here on the board where they did not manage to get all the tooth out and then they've developed infection.

 

[Pax's Mom]

I would shoot, but be ready to assist feed if necessary.

You have been very consistent, with your BG checks so we can see that you have gone up in dose gradually so you could shoot the 2u confidently. With lantus remember you have a couple of hours before it onsets, so you have time to give him some food.


I don't like to withhold insulin if numbers are high, kitty is not eating, and kitty is not feeling well.

Remember the recipe for DKA

• not enough insulin
• not enough food
• systemic stress/infection

I really really appreciate all your help this morning. As long as I was next to him he decided he wanted to eat. I have him with me in my office with his food now (haha, I dont even eat upstairs, he is definitely the king of the house). I gave him his shot. His numbers are in the 300s again. I called the vet back to book the 2:00 appointment (I tried other places first), but they are now going to get me in at 2:30. I will know more after.

 

[Sue and Luci]

Once you catch your breath after this morning's excitement - could you please edit your title to add the date? This is the format we find most helpful. 11/21 Pax AMPS ### - then your comment...

Thank you! I sure hope Pax gets settled down soon...

 

[Gill & George]

I really really appreciate all your help this morning. As long as I was next to him he decided he wanted to eat. I have him with me in my office with his food now (haha, I dont even eat upstairs, he is definitely the king of the house). I gave him his shot. His numbers are in the 300s again. I called the vet back to book the 2:00 appointment (I tried other places first), but they are now going to get me in at 2:30. I will know more after.

You are very welcome, keep us posted.
Sending vetty vines.

 

[Pax's Mom]

Update: Went to the vet. Updated the spreadsheet with his labs as well as his Glucose numbers. He also had an x-ray and things "look fine". They did give him a shot of Convenia just in case he had a UTI (although nothing came back on labs). They said sometimes with diabetic cats their urine is so diluted that sometimes it is hard to spot.

There are two vets that work in this office, unfortunately I got the vet who is very much a "dogs are better than cats" person. The other was on vacation.

In good news, he is down almost 2 lbs (I know, it has been 6 months, but it is still something)

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

A 2 lb weight loss in 6 mos. is very safe. Dr. Lisa has information on her website about feline obesity an how to safe have your kitty become svelte.

You might also want to read about the use of Convenia on Dr. Lisa's website. First, it's not a particularly good drug for a UTI. It's only indication is for skin problems. It is also problematic in that if your cat is allergic/sensitive to the drug, it lasts for over 2 weeks in a cat's system. That's a very long time to have a drug you're allergic to in your system. My vet won't use it. Also, the only way to truly know if a cat has a UTI is to get a sterile urine sample via cystocentesis (needle into the bladder) and run a culture and sensitivity which takes several days to get results.

 

[Pax's Mom]

A 2 lb weight loss in 6 mos. is very safe. Dr. Lisa has information on her website about feline obesity an how to safe have your kitty become svelte.

You might also want to read about the use of Convenia on Dr. Lisa's website. First, it's not a particularly good drug for a UTI. It's only indication is for skin problems. It is also problematic in that if your cat is allergic/sensitive to the drug, it lasts for over 2 weeks in a cat's system. That's a very long time to have a drug you're allergic to in your system. My vet won't use it. Also, the only way to truly know if a cat has a UTI is to get a sterile urine sample via cystocentesis (needle into the bladder) and run a culture and sensitivity which takes several days to get results.

Thanks for the info!
I really do not care for this particular vet, but I had very little options as I was in a panic this morning. I really was hoping the other veterinarian was going to be in the office. She is the one who referred me to this group .
I looked up the drug when I got home and it said it was for skin issues so i called them and they said it was common for UTI in dogs and sometimes cats (yeah, yeah, I did an eye roll too). He seems to be doing ok so far and his numbers were in the 200s the last I checked (so much better than mid 400s). I will be checking again in the next 30 minutes when I give his PM shot. They did get a sterile urine sample via cystocentesis (or at least I paid for it). They said they would have the results in a week, but because of his high numbers she really didnt want to wait. all in all this visit set me back just over $600. So this boy has now cost me just over $1000 the last two months (not going to think about the last year). But he is my boy and I would do what every I can for him.