17 year old Teeth cleaning - no insulin prior?

[bettina33]

My 17 year old diabetic cat Chessie has a very badly infected tooth that will probably have to be extracted. He's scheduled for the cleaning next Friday. My vet uses Gas anesthesia. No food after 10pm, and I've been instructed NOT to give him his insulin the next morning. (He gets his shots of Lantus at 6pm and 6am). His blood sugar has been high lately.

Chessie is my baby and of course I'm terrified something will go wrong. Anyone with this kind of experience? I know his teeth have to be cleaned so I don't really have an option. Thanks!

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hello, and welcome to FDMB!

Quite a few of us here have had dentals done on senior cats, so we do understand how stressful that is ((((hugs))) to you...). But anaesthetics are really good these days, and cats cope well with recovery.

That's right, no insulin on the morning of the dental because Chessie won't be eating food (and insulin and food is a delicate balance). And the cat's blood glucose level can also drop during anaesthesia (that happened with my cat).
Has Chessie had blood tests to check her liver and kidney function?

Chessie's blood glucose levels may well come down a bit after the dental work has been done: Infection can raise blood glucose levels.

Do stick around on the forum. We'd love to hear more about you and your kitty. And we have lots of experienced Lantus users here who may be able to help you to get Chessie's blood glucose under better control.

Here's hoping Chessie is feeling better soon.

Welcome aboard!

Eliz

 

[bettina33]

Thank you for responding so quickly and reassuringly! Yes, he had his labs done yesterday and is on antibiotics now. He's had his teeth cleaned before but never at this age! He's been on the lantus for four years - I never thought he'd last this long but am so glad he has. Thanks again for your help!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

What you vet recommended is typical and seems to be what your vet is comfortable with. I just had a dental/ and mast-cell tumor removal last Friday on my 15-year-old Patches. Her BG was normal for her in the AM so I gave about 25 ml of food and 1/2 of her normal insulin dose.