911 Hypo Emergency Need Help Asap

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Nakisha

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I had a Hypo scare with my cat last night. Managed to get his sugar up and had him eating. It was in the 400 range this AM and he ate well .my vet has me giving him 4u of insulin in the morning. I work all day but try to monitor him on a camera while I'm at work .well I noticed he was wobbling around a bit more than usual and not being able to stand very well .as soon as I got home I tested him and his sugar was down to like the 50. I've given him some honey but not much maybe a tsp? He's eaten a bit, what do I do?
 
Nakisha said:
I had a Hypo scare with my cat last night. Managed to get his sugar up and had him eating. It was in the 400 range this AM and he ate well .my vet has me giving him 4u of insulin in the morning. I work all day but try to monitor him on a camera while I'm at work .well I noticed he was wobbling around a bit more than usual and not being able to stand very well .as soon as I got home I tested him and his sugar was down to like the 50. I've given him some honey but not much maybe a tsp? He's eaten a bit, what do I do?
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Take some deep breaths. Please tell me:
  • are you using ProZinc?
  • are you dosing once a day or twice a day?
  • how long ago was the test that gave you a 50?
  • are you testing at home with a human meter or a pet meter like the AlphaTrak2?
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Take some deep breaths. Please tell me:
  • are you using ProZinc?
  • are you dosing once a day or twice a day?
  • how long ago was the test that gave you a 50?
  • are you testing at home with a human meter or a pet meter like the AlphaTrak2?
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Yes I'm using prozinc. He gets twice daily shots .4u in the am and 3 in the pm .Last shot wat at 8am today. So it's been about 11 hours since his first shot. I tested him about 30 mins ago and got the 50. I'm using a ReliOn gloucometer. So a human one.
 
Definitely don’t give him a shot tonight.

What foods do you have at home? What does he normally eat? Have you fed him since you got the 50?
 
Nakisha said:
Yes I'm using prozinc. He gets twice daily shots .4u in the am and 3 in the pm .Last shot wat at 8am today. So it's been about 11 hours since his first shot. I tested him about 30 mins ago and got the 50. I'm using a ReliOn gloucometer. So a human one.
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Thanks for this. His evening shot is due in about an hour and his BG is low right now. It'll still be too low in an hour to give him any insulin so no shot tonight. If he gave you a hypo scare last night and again tonight his insulin doses are too high.

What is your usual blood glucose testing routine? We recommend this basic routine:
  1. test every day AM and PM before feeding and injecting (no food at least 2 hours before) to see if the planned dose is safe
  2. test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes
  3. do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture.
It shouldn't be hard for you to try this because you already have testing experience.

We also recommend tracking BG in this online spreadsheet: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/ It's viewable by all members here and it's the first thing we look at if someone asks for help.

You haven't said how long ago your cat was diagnosed but he's on a fairly high dose. Was it increased a whole unit at a time? Is there a reason why he gets less insulin at night? We recommend very tiny dose changes of 0.25 u at a time because it's very easy to zoom past a good dose with larger increments.

What to do this evening and tomorrow:
  1. no insulin tonight
  2. test BG again soon to see what the honey and food have done
  3. test again in 2 hours or so to see where he is
  4. lower your dose tomorrow to no more than 2 u AM and PM and try the testing routine I described above
  5. set up the spreadsheet to help us help you.
Sound like a plan?
 
He was diagnosed a few months ago but we had been able to keep him lined out with just a diet change .He eats only friskies pate and maybe some canned tuna. About a week ago he had a seizure so I had to take him to the vet, she said his sugar was 400 and kept him there for 4 days . He probably should have stayed longer but I'm not really fond of this vet, and didn't want him down there longer than he had to be. We brought him home last Friday and that's when she gave us instructions on the 4u am and 3u pm. She didn't explain why she didn't even recommend me doing at home testing. I did that on my own. I do am and pm testing before I go to work and when I get home .So I won't be able to do the mid day not until my days off .
 
Nakisha said:
About a week ago he had a seizure so I had to take him to the vet, she said his sugar was 400 and kept him there for 4 days .
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Did the vet say the seizure was caused by high BG? Was there any mention of diabetic ketoacidosis? If so that changes how we approach dosing.

Nakisha said:
We brought him home last Friday and that's when she gave us instructions on the 4u am and 3u pm.
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So he's been on these doses only a few days? I wonder how the vet determined what to give ... At any rate the dose is too high.

Nakisha said:
I did that on my own. I do am and pm testing before I go to work and when I get home
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Congrats to you on doing this. The hypo scares have shown you how important it is.

Here's the usual dose finding routine:
  1. start at 1 unit twice a day and give that for several days
  2. gather BG test data on the spreadsheet
  3. if BG numbers are too high increase to 1.25 u twice a day for several days
  4. test and log data
  5. raise the dose to 1.5 u twice a day if BG numbers are high
  6. and so on ...
It's a very methodical process and allows you to hone in on the best dose range while keeping your kitty safe along the way.
 
She didn't mention anything other than his sugar being high and possibly being blind . This is why I don't trust this vet. But she was the only one who had in house blood testing. She played it off like it was the high blood sugar causing the seizures but never really gave a reason or a definite answer. But I will try all you have suggested. Thank you .
 
I just tested and his sugar is up to 143, so it's doing better and he's still eating. What can you suggest on his food. Amount wise?
 
I'm too much of a newbie to give advice. But I will tell you that Kris and Djamilla have been hand-holding me for quite a while through my Jester's insulin issues.

You're in excellent hands.

I'll keep you and your kitty in my thoughts.
 
Just wanted to give an update. My cats blood sugar was 445 this am, he ate very well and actually fought me when I tried to take his blood, which is a good sign for him. Lol. I'm going to try the 1u dosage for a while and see what happens . Once again so grateful for the immediate help and support.
 
Nakisha said:
Just wanted to give an update. My cats blood sugar was 445 this am, he ate very well and actually fought me when I tried to take his blood, which is a good sign for him. Lol. I'm going to try the 1u dosage for a while and see what happens . Once again so grateful for the immediate help and support.
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Thanks for the update. We worry when we don't get any follow up report. :)
 
I will definitely try and keep you updated and do the spreadsheet. I was wondering, I know in human diabetics a wound or injury can often cause the blood sugar to go out of whack and they don't always heal like they should, is it the same with cats? Cause mine has a sore on his left ear, the vet didn't seem concerned about it, and I'm not really sure how it happened but I've been keeping it cleaned. Just wondered if his body is trying to fight to many things at a time .
 
Nakisha said:
I will definitely try and keep you updated and do the spreadsheet. I was wondering, I know in human diabetics a wound or injury can often cause the blood sugar to go out of whack and they don't always heal like they should, is it the same with cats? Cause mine has a sore on his left ear, the vet didn't seem concerned about it, and I'm not really sure how it happened but I've been keeping it cleaned. Just wondered if his body is trying to fight to many things at a time .
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That seems possible. High BG can inhibit healing.
 
If you could change your thread title now that the crisis is past it would keep people from being alarmed when they see it. Just go up to the title and look lower right for "edit thread title".
 
Yeah sounds likely to me. We know that kitties with infections have high BG so I’d think wounds are the same.
 
Hey there!
I'm just going to piggy back on Kris. Creating a SS is beneficial and crucial to help give accurate advice. It also allows us to look at patterns and insulin reactions. Do you need help setting up a SS? All you need is a google account (free).

If you need help let us know.
 
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