1/4, Sophie, tip for giving Karo during hypo

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JoshandSophie

Member Since 2010
Hi all,

Sophie's AMPS was 339. Vet looked at spreadsheet, and advised bringing her down to .5 units twice daily of Lantus for a week.

When she had her hypo episode the other day, I had the damnedest time getting her to eat Karo - she fought me when I tried to put it in her mouth. So, I mixed it with tuna-flavor Laxatone (the vaseline-like substance you give for hairballs), and she licked some off my fingers, but not much. What really worked was smearing the mixture on her cheeks just above her mouth where she felt compelled to lick herself clean. Apparently it drives them crazy to have sticky stuff on their whiskers and chops, so it worked like a dream.
 
When I give Gracie karo, I just put it in one of the MC or HC gravies like Fancy Feast grilled chicken in gravy or I REALLY like the Wellness Healthy Indulgence pouches. They have great gravy in them altho I think they top out at 14% carbs. Anyway, I just put a dollop in the gravy; actually, Gracie will even eat it in her food. Have you tried just giving it to her in food or gravy?
 
Josh:

We make a differentiation between low numbers and symptomatic hypoglycemia. What Sophie experienced were numbers that were actually normal, non-diabetic numbers. The issue is that because you're shooting insulin, you don't know how much lower those numbers would have gone. We manage the curve with food -- which is exactly what you did. You saw how Karo, Laxatone (which does contain sugar and you really should find something else for hairballs), or high carb gravy-based food, will bring numbers up and insure that your cat's BG is in a safe range. Remember, that for a newly diagnosed cat, you earn a dose reduction by number dropping below 50. Many of the civvie cats here routinely have BG levels in the 30s or 40s and they are not hypoglycemic.

I would encourage you to get some HC, gravy-based food (e.g., Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers, Grilled, or Marinated varieties).in the house. Gravy is your friend!

Also, take a look at this post on how to manage low numbers. It's something to print out and keep handy so you know what to do if there's no one around if Sophie is running in low numbers.
 
Thanks Sienne. I admit I may have overreacted a little bit, being so new to this. Sophie did seem lethargic and a little "out of it," though, and the numbers were dropping so fast.

I went right out and got some HC fancy feast for use the next time there's a trouble spot - thanks for that tip! BTW, Sophie never gets the Laxatone, as she doesn't get hairballs. My other cat, Mink, gets it occasionally. Odd that, since Sophie's the longhair, and Mink is a shorthair tabby.
 
Here's a link showing 'normal' BG for non-diabetic cats and dogs.

Helps us differentiate between low numbers and hypo. Of course, some cats (non-diabetic) operate in the 30s. My two ran in the high 50s and low 60s (on the accucheck aviva).

hope that helps!
 
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