4/9 DCIN Foster Albert had near hypo

Status
Not open for further replies.
Heather & Seasaidh (GA)

Heather & Seasaidh (GA)

Active Member
Hello, I just took in DCIN foster Albert this past Friday. He was dx'd last Mon when the owner brought him to the vet to be PTS. Albert has neuropathy, and during his stay at the vet during the week they said his walking had gotten a little better. They started him on 2u ProZinc bid and had him eating both canned and dry food. When I brought him home he wasn't interested in any canned food at all. I've been mixing in a little bit of dry into the canned food and he might eat a little bit of that, but not much.

Yesterday I gave him a little bit of cheese which he ate, but then vomited. I offered him some dry kibble which he gagged at, as if the sight/smell of food made him ill. I gave him 1/4 tab of Pepcid AC and he LOVED the pill pocket it was in. His numbers on Sunday had been in the 175-190 range (basically fasting), and since he loved the pill pocket later on I gave him some more mixed in with canned food. He ate very merrily for the first time since being at my house. Of course that made his bg go way up. After eating his PMPS was 306 (I hadn't given him a shot since Fri night because he would hardly eat and his BG was just under 200) so I gave him 1u of ProZinc. and this is what happened:

PMPS 306 1u ProZinc
+4 327
+7.5 29!!!! I gave more pill pockets
couple of mins later 316
couple of more mins 22!!!! gave him some different dry food that he was interested in and ate
10-15 more mins bg 343
+10 mins 394
+10 mins 431
+20 mins 419
+30 mins 416

Five hours after what would have been his AMPS had I given it (but I didn't) he is now at 367.

I'm sorry I don't have a SS up yet, but I really need some advice here. I am thinking of giving him half a unit. What do the dosing advisers think of this situation?

Thank you and sorry this is so long.

Heather & foster Albert
 
OK, given all the numbers, I am almost sure that those two really low readings are bad reading. Yes, he could possibly have gone really low on 1u from a 306 AMPs, but the +4 number looks like just a flat cycle. And yes, he may have still gone down to that 29, but no way could he go back up a few minutes later to 316 and then back down to 20's again in just a few minutes.

If he was in the mid to upper 100's during the weekend, even though he wasn't eating much, without insulin he's going to go up, right? And if I'm reading right, he didn't get a shot between PMPS Friday, and PMPS Sunday, so 48 hours with no juice. An uncontrolled kitty, even one who isn't eating much, would be in the high reds or blacks without insulin for 48 hours. And 306 is not high, wouldn't be consider "way up" if he ate. Many people here would take a cycle that started at 300, dropped to 175 and landed back at 300 as an awesome cycle!

Here's what I think happened.
You got a 306, shot 1u, and it didn't do much at all for the first 4 hours. The food didn't even boost him all that much at +4. +At 7.5, that first test was an error with the meter or strip. A few minutes later, you got a 316. Unless you shot sugar water into his veins, his BG is not going up that fast, and it wouldn't have any reason to crash right back down to the low 20s just a few minutes later. A few pill pockets wouldn't boost him that much that fast. Nor would they wear off that fast. The dry food would have boosted him, but not quickly, and it would stick around a while. The rest of his cycle, and the climb into the 400s would be from the dry food gradually raising his BG, and it raised it as far as it did because it was dry, probably higher carb food.

If you throw out the two hypo numbers, the cycle looks like a kitty who doesn't need much insulin, who isn't showing you numbers all over the place. To me, that's actually very encouraging. If you can convince him that all the cool kitties eat canned low carb food, he may not need insulin, or he may need just a little bit for a short time period.

Does that make any sense?

Carl
 
He is now about 6 hours past what would have been his AMPS? I don't think the .5 would be any problem at all, providing he's eating okay. To be at 367 after 18 hours from 1u of Prozinc (after 48 hours with no insulin) is not at all a "high" number.

Carl
 
Hi Heather,

What a kind and wonderful thing you are doing fostering Albert.

I'm going to agree that those 2 low numbers were probably a fluke, although it probably got your heart pounding pretty good. :o

I think that the .5u sounds like a good safe dose for now. You have a great chance to get him diet controlled I think.

I know that you've been around the FD block so Albert is in great hands.

Welcome to our PZI group.

Robin
 
Thank you so much for the responses! I was pretty much a zombie when I took those readings this morning and I wondered if those two 20 numbers were errors. They were brand new strips but it just seemed too weird. The going up and down was just way too fast to be for real.

Ok, I will see where he's at now and try to get him to eat and then shoot .5u.
 
Hi Heather -

I agree with Carl and Robin - the numbers look pretty "out there". I've been getting some really crazy numbers and have done what everyone thought was crazy... multiple meters, multiple tests, etc... And for the most part, I'm sticking with my meter, but it's been handy to re-test when I've gotten some REAL inconsistencies.

I posted a thread on HEALTH entitled "METER ACCURACY CONCERNS; what I've learned so far..." There were several little things that I KNOW I was doing... also testing when I'm tired makes me a little careless in my technique. I expect any number of things could've been the cause. My advice is - when you get something that's kinda hard to believe - retest! The last time I didn't, he was about 94 (he's rarely under 300). I went to dinner w/ friends and could not stand thinking he was dropping so low... when I cut the evening short and came home, he was where I would've expected him to be - safely in the 300s. One extra test could've saved a lot of self-induced stress!

Was Albert acting strangely? Stumbling around like he was drunk? Or was he just looking at you as if to say "What? Why are you poking me every few minutes???!!!"

Glad he was okay! But that's why we have the mantra "Start Low; Go Slow"

Thanks again for fostering him! Great that there are people willing to take on an "especially sweet" kitty!

Lu-Ann
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top