6.27.24 New Member Max

[MaxsMom74]

Hello everyone,

Last week my cat Max was diagnosed with diabetes. I am definitely overwhelmed to say the least. The vet just told me to give Lantus 2x day 30 minutes after a meal with no other explanation or testing. They then just explained how to give the injection in the neck and sent me home. I came across this forum and Dr. Pierson's site and have been reading a ton. I am stressed that Max hasn't been getting his insulin because I might not be getting the insulin in him. His numbers have been consistently in the 300's and then suddenly this morning they were at 94. I fed him and retested 45mins to hour later and it is now at 115. Am I good to give him his insulin now?

Any direction would be greatly appreciated

Jana

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry no one has got to you sooner.
Looks as if you are super organised with the spreadsheet and signature set up. Thank you!
Looking at the SS I can see you have given insulin with the BG of 94 and 139.
Where are you up to at the moment in the evening cycle? I am concerned Max might be dropping low.

Until you have more data, we don’t recommend you give insulin if the BG is under 200.
Also starting at 2 units twice a day is too much insulin. I would reduce the dose back down to 1 unit twice a day immediately.
Lantus is a depot insulin and the full effect of the dose is not felt until about day 5 so the 2 units is too much.

what food are you feeding him at the moment?
Are you giving him snacks during the cycles as well as the 2 main meals?
Is he a good eater?
Do you have some honey or Karo in case of low numbers? Please set up a hypo kit asap.
You can find info about that in this link HELP US HELP YOU
@MaxsMom74 can you please test the blood glucose immediately and get back to me?
If the BG is under 50 please rub some honey on his gums.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Welcome Jana. I hope you will see Bron’s message and respond. I see you too are on the west coast. What time did you give insulin? Was it at least 12 hours after the morning shot as you said you shot late?

 

[MaxsMom74]

Good morning,

Thank you for the replies. Ok Vet had me give 2 units twice a day but I will dial back to 1 tonight. This morning he was high again, 327. I retested last night 4 hours after the evening dose and he was at 190. I am feeding him Fancy Feast classic pates, with a spoonful of tuna as a snack during the day. I am also giving him a little pate 4-5 hours after his shots. He always ate Fancy Feast but all our cats had access to dry food as well and unfortunately, were receiving WAY TOO many treats (Temptations/Party Mix). The dry food is now given as a treat and the treats are all gone. He is a decent eater. Now that he doesn't have free access to food he is eating his meals better.

I do have Karo syrup and an emergency kit, thanks to all the info I have found on here.

Ok so for the future, if he is under 200 weight until he comes up to 200 before giving? I am giving his injections every 12 hours but I am slowly adjusting the timing to work better for our schedule.

This has been a super stressful 3 weeks. My baby Leo got a fever and I took him to the vet. He ended up having pancreatitis and had to stay there for several days. Two weeks later I ended up with Max and my other cat Harry going to the vet. Max diagnosed with diabetes and Harry with Interstitial Cystitis. I read Dr. Pierson's site about dry food and low carb so I am working on getting everyone moved over.

I appreciate this forum and your help very much!! Probably the only thing keeping me sane right now...

Jana

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

You have certainly had a stressful few weeks with your three fur babies. I hope the other two are improved now. those high BG numbers after the low numbers are from bouncing, which is very common in newly diagnosed cats.
Here is an explanation on bouncing

• Bouncing - Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles).

Ok so for the future, if he is under 200 weight until he comes up to 200 before giving? I am giving his injections every 12 hours but I am slowly adjusting the timing to work better for our schedule.

Until you get more data…if his preshot BG is under 200…stall, don’t feed, and test again in 20 minutes to see if the BG is rising. And you can post and ask for help. You can stall for another 20 minutes if you think the BG is rising quite well but only do it twice. Then you will have to either skip the dose or give a token dose which is usually 1/4 dose. But please post and ask advice about that.
If you can’t afford to stall…because you have to go to work or you can’t get off schedule, then you will just have to skip the dose.

am feeding him Fancy Feast classic pates, with a spoonful of tuna as a snack during the day. I am also giving him a little pate 4-5 hours after his shots

I would use normal low carb food such as pates for the snacks. A snack is a teaspoon or two of the food. And I would give one around +2 (2 hours after the dose) and another at +4 or 5 every cycle.

 

[MaxsMom74]

Ok, I will stall if he goes below 200 before his shot. I have also dialed back to 1 unit tonight. I do have another question/concern. I am not always sure I am getting the needle in. I watched a great video which did help me some since I really wasn't shown much at the vet. I pinch some skin, hold the needle almost parallel to his body and then stick the needle in and hold for a few seconds after pushing the button. Sometimes there is still a small drop of insulin on the needle, does that mean it wasn't in his skin? I think I am going to take him to the vet to have them shave a few spots for me to make it easier to see if it is going in. Do you have any tips? Maybe I am just paranoid because I feel like I don't know what I am doing, because I DON'T know what I am doing ><

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I don’t think you are being paranoid. You just want to get it right.
Are you using a syringe or a pen? It sounds as if it is a pen.
I would think about swapping to using a syringe. That way you can increase and decrease in 0.25 unit increments. A pen only goes up and down in 1 unit increments and is not really suitable for cats.
Here are the syringes you need.
U100, 3/10 ml, 30 or 31 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings.
These are the syringes but they are not the 1/2 unit ones so make sure you ask for the 1/2 unit ones. There are several different brands including ones you can get from Walmart.

and this is how you get the insulin out of the pen

And here is a ,ink to where you can inject in the body

 

[MaxsMom74]

Tonight PMPS number is high back into the 400's. Do I continue with the 1 unit for a week to see if it comes back down or what should I do? I need to give his shot now

 

[tiffmaxee]

Stick with 1 unit for 5/days I think.

 

[MaxsMom74]

Ok thank you for the quick response. I really appreciate your help!

 

[tiffmaxee]

My pleasure. He’s likely bouncing from the BG is the 80’s. Tonight could be the high before the bounce breaks. The dose is not based upon the preshots but rather how low a dose takes your cat.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Have you bought the syringes I posted above yet? You will need them for when you increase the dose… not yet though. It’s not a good idea to increase in 1 unit increments.

 

[MaxsMom74]

Yes, I got two boxes yesterday

 

[MaxsMom74]

Hello,

Is it time to start bumping up his insulin? He seems to be trending in the wrong direction? This mornings number is high but I am not 100% sure I got the needle in correctly last night. I just fed him so will need to give his shot in next 20-30 mins