Advice, please?!?!

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kkoehler

Member Since 2014
Hello. This is my 3rd post. My cat was diagnosed 3 weeks ago after he lost like 10 lbs. (thought it was due to his gum issues he's been having). Although he had a ravenous appetite he was steadily losing weight. He went lethargic one weekend (although still eating despite being in a comatose like state...). His eyes were like glass - completely glossed over. I took him to the vet.. he kept him for 8 days and diagnosed him as diabetic. He's been getting novolin twice a day - one unit.

After bringing him home from the vet... he was completely fine. He still eats a lot of wet food. He doesn't drink ridiculous amounts of water or pee very much. Anyway, he was FANTASTIC. Better than he was BEFORE I took him to the vet. He had a lot of energy and seemed really happy and healthy.

BUT SINCE LAST NIGHT, HE IS BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL STATE. Glossy eyes - COMPLETELY WEAK, CAN BARELY STAND.

The Dr. told me if this happens to give him sugar. He gave me an IV with sugar already in it. I've been giving him sugar mixed in his food or water. I'd say since last night he's probably had two tablespoons. How much am I supposed to give? Should he perk up quickly after the sugar? Should I STILL be giving him insulin even if I think his sugar is too low? I've been giving the insulin at the regularly scheduled time.

NOTHING THAT I DO SEEMS TO PERK HIM UP. I'm taking him to the vet in the morning, I just want to get threw the night.

I know I should have a blood glucose monitor. I'm planning on getting one. I wasn't too worried about it since he was fantastic a few days ago and the last 3 weeks after bringing him home from the vet after his original diagnosis. I haven't gotten the monitor yet because I paid $600 for his vet bills and I live paycheck to pay check. I haven't even been able to feed myself so no one judge me for being poor and not being able to afford the monitor. My tax refund should be here any day and that's what I planned on buying it with. I didn't know he would go back to his preoriginal diagnosis comatose state.

I'm just looking for advice until tomorrow. Would you guys give more sugar or should I stop with the sugar? Should I continue giving insulin? His next dose won't be until tomorrow at 7 A.M...about the time I'll take him to the vet.

Thanks.
 
It could be hypoglycemic attack which can kill him. Or it could be diabetic ketoacidosis which can kill him, too.

Continue with the sugar/karo/honey, etc. and get to a vet NOW.
 
Unfortunately, I can't get him to a vet. It's 9 PM.

The reason the Dr. kept him for 8 days in the first place was because he stayed in this comatose like state for 8 days... and then a few days after I got him home. I'm afraid it'll take that long again to get him better... but I don't know how to do get him better. That's why I need the vets help... but that won't be able to happen until the morning. For now, I guess I'll just keep giving him sugar.. I just wanted to make sure I can't over do it. I just gave his fluids that are mixed with sugar so we'll see. I'm just afraid it'll take almost 2 weeks for him to come out of this like the last time.
 
I can't even figure out if he's hyperglycemic or hypo. I have a hard time wrapping my head around diabetes. The Dr. told me to give him sugar when he crashes... so that means he has an issue with low blood sugar, right? Can he ever be hyper? I've done a lot of reading on the subject and still really confused. I think I'll get the hang of it eventually but right now... I don't know what to do.
 
The only way you're going to know if he's high or low is to get a glucometer. Do you have a Walmart nearby? You can get a ReliOn Confirm or Micro for about $15 and the strips are about $20 for 50 of them. You don't need an expensive pet meter.
 
I'm going to get the relion meter from walmart. I'll let you guys know his numbers after I test him. I'm going to keep giving sugar.

I don't think I should've gave his last two doses of insulin... I'm thinking he's hypo from what I read on the internet. Now I'm going to get the meter and find out how to test him from watching youtube videos.

Will keep everyone posted. Thanks.

*** I just hope I can't overdose the sugar in the mean time. I think I'm going to give him more. It seems like I'm giving him an awfully a lot. But idk.
 
Sorry for grammar mistakes... I have high anxiety right now. Can't think. lol

Meter should arrive within a few minutes. I'll let you guys know the results. I got two. One was $8 and the other $17 from Walgreens... they both come with strips. Pretty cheap. I thought they would be a lot more $.
 
We're saying to keep giving the sugar because if it is a hypo, it can kill quickly and the sugar will help prevent that. It wears off quickly, so about every 20-30 minutes, you need to give 1-2 teaspoons more.

If it is hyperglycemia - too much glucose in the blood - you've got some time to test and determine what intervention is needed.

How many hours since the last injection of insulin?

The slightly higher cost meter uses a smaller droplet of blood; use that one first.

Look at the outer, upper, edge of the ear.
There is a small red vein just inside the edge.
You will make a small prick in between this vein and the edge to get a blood droplet.
Wash and dry your hands.
Put a test strip partway in the meter.
Take the cap off the lancet.
Brace the ear with a piece of tissue or a cotton ball.
Carefully prick the ear; make 2 pricks close together if it doesn't seem to bleed well.
As the blood starts to well up, you can catch it on a fingernail.
Push the test strip all the way in the meter and wait for it to show a droplet image.
Carefully touch the end of the test strip to the blood droplet.
The strip will automatically sip up what it needs to work.
Blot the ear and wipe your fingernail if used.
Report the number back to us.
 
I made two threads. Got a little worked up.

I tested my cat twice and it read - HI. I'm more panicked now. He's in a comatose like state. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

More insulin or no? I gave insulin at 7 P.M. about 4 1/2 hrs ago.

Edit - I gave a pancake syrup on a qtip a few times in the last hour or two... and a little bit of sugar with his food (maybe two tablespoons in the last 2 days). He also has 5% dextrose IV that I gave him because he's dehdydrated... I gave 120 ML's.
 
Can you get to an emergency vet? I know they're expensive, but a lot will let you do payment plans.
 
Kkoehler needs help now. I am new but NO MORE INSULIN get to a vet if no vet wait for advice from one of the more experienced members
 
OK. So we know it isn't hypoglycemia, it is hyperglycemia. This is still a big problem.

Smell his breath - does it smell fruity or like nail polish remover? That is the smell of ketones. He is very likely in ketoacidosis.
This can kill him.

He does need insulin as the previous shot is or has worn off.
Start with 0.5 units and go to the vet asap.

You need an EMERGENCY VET, not a regular vet.
No more sugar.
Plain water, syringing into his mouth a dribble at a time.
 
His last dose of insulin was around 7 PM. It's now almost midnight. So five hours so far. I give 1 unit of novolin every 12 hrs.

Right now he's in a comatose like state. Glossed over eyes. Not getting up. He went to the bathroom on himself. I feel bad I gave him sugar/syrup. At least now I have the monitor... It was easier to do than expected, also.
 
Right now his breath smells like syrup only because I was giving him syrup. Prior to that, his breath has never smelled bad/weird/different.
 
I can't get to an emergency vet. There's one a few hours away but by that time, my regular vet will almost be open. He'll be open at 730. Should I give his regularly scheduled insulin dose at 7 AM?

Someone on here told me novolin starts to wear off after 8 hours... Maybe I should give another dose when 8 hrs has passed instead of the 12 hrs?
 
Ok. Novolin lasts about 6-8 hours.
That's the problem with N type insulins - hit hard, wear off fast.
He is reading high.
You don't have any test data showing how he responds to the insulin, so we are flying blind here.

You were giving 1 unit every 12 hours.
The shot has [almost?] worn off.
You could give him 0.5 to1 unit now, but you need to get him to an emergency vet.

All his body chemistries are out of whack and he could die.
No more sugar nor dextrose.
 
With all that sugar in his body which tends to wear out quickly giving him insulin could make him crash in the opposite direction and go hypo. Get to a vet ASAP. If it were me I would just give him water in moderation until your vet opens up and no more sugar and no insulin, maybe some food if possible until the vet sees him.
 
BJM said:
You were giving 1 unit every 12 hours.
The shot has [almost?] worn off.
You could give him 0.5 to1 unit now, but you need to get him to an emergency vet.

All his body chemistries are out of whack and he could die.
No more sugar nor dextrose.
Click to expand...

I agree with BJ on this. He needs insulin to bring down those high numbers NOW and you need to get him to a vet ASAP! Novolin hits fast and should help bring down those numbers from the sugar you were feeding earlier. Between the sugar clearing out of his system and the extra dose of insulin, it should hopefully give you enough time to get him to the vet, where he absolutely needs to be, especially because it sounds like he is in DKA (or heading that way). DKA is caused by not enough insulin, lack of food, and usually an infection of some sort. Giving him some insulin now will hopefully buy you some more time to get him to the vet!

And make sure they know how much and when you gave his last dose of insulin.
 
I really appreciate all feedback that I am receiving. I'm so thankful!

Anyway, I chose to give him 1 more unit of insulin. I figured it can't hurt too bad because the first time I ever gave him insulin... I accidentally gave 2 units instead of 1... and I didn't notice any bad effects.

I'm giving him little bits of water. 7 more hours until his vet opens. I'm staying up with him to make sure everything is okay. I probably gave him too much sugar on top of him being hyper anyhow. I put sugar in his regular water. I mixed sugar with his food. I gave him syrup. I might've overdid it but I was sure from the symptoms that he was hypo...and because the vet told me when he was crashing - to give sugar.
 
He might have been hypo and been brought up by the sugar.
OR
He might have been hyper and stayed hyper with the extra sugar.

Its why we want you to test before every shot and test whenever possible around the nadir, or lowest glucose between shots.
The nadir for Novolin is roughly +3 to +4 hours after the shot.
Since you gave him more insulin, plan on testing at that time. Then you will have an idea of how much 1 unit will drop him.
 
Ok. It's 1230 now. I'll test him at 330 and see what the monitor reads, right? Or should I do it like in 1 hour.. then 3 hours.. and then 5 hours? Thx.

Also, if he was hypo would it be that easy to overdose him on sugar and get his sugar numbers over 600 so the blood glucose monitor couldn't even test it? I probably gave 2 tablespoons of sugar and like 8 drops of pancake syrup... plus a little over 100 MLS of 5% dextrose subq fluids. Edit: He's only been eating wet food... He hasn't eaten much within the last 24 hours because of his worsening condition but was still eating up until maybe 8 hrs ago.
 
+2 is when you may start seeing it hit
+3 to +4 when it's likely to have most effect
+5 on likely to be wearing off


He might have bounced. A rapid drop or a drop to an unfamiliar lower number may provoke compensatory hormones which release a stored form of sugar (Glycogen). This raises the glucose right back up and then some.
 
I'm praying everything is going okay for you two and you can get him to the vet soon. I also have to head off to bed now, but you're in my thoughts. :YMHUG:
 
I just tested his blood and the meter read high again. It's been 4 hours since I gave his insulin last. Vet opens in less than 3 hours now. His eyes are so glossy...when I look in his eyes, it looks like he's dead. Really scary.

I've been giving him tiny bits of water through a syringe and he responds well to that, at least. He seems to like it. He can't walk though and he keeps going to the bathroom on himself.

I'm scared to go to the vet, kinda (I'm definitely going...but I'm still so scared about what they'll say). I'm afraid they'll say put him down like they did last time. My anxiety is so high right now. Trying to keep it under control for him but I'm just really sad. Hopefully I'll be able to figure this all out and become a pro soon enough. I just want to be able to help him.

On a happier note, the meter I got from Walgreens for $8, I like. It came with 10 free test strips and also has a mail in rebate in the box. So free meter and free 10 strips. :-|
 
I'll be praying that the vet will see him first thing when they open today and can help get him through this.
I'm glad you got the meter. Keep giving him dribbles of water.
 
He died. Just got a call from the vet. They said they gave him fluids and antibiotics... he died 10 minutes ago. He just slipped away. So shocked. I feel like throwing up. I honestly can't believe it. Omg.

Anyway, thanks for everyone's help. I'll always blame myself now. I should've got the stupid glucose meter sooner. Maybe I should've never treated him as if he was hypo. All of these what if's are running through my mind. Wow. Life is going to be really empty without him.
 
Oh, I am so sorry to hear that you lost him. Please, please don't blame yourself. Learning you have a diabetic cat and then trying to learn how to treat him is completely and utterly overwhelming. You were learning as fast as you could and you just didn't have enough time.

I hope you can remember that he was a incredibly lucky kitty. Fed good things, given treats and hugs and pats in a nice warm house with people who loved him. So many cats have so much less and never get to have the love he felt.
 
Lighting a ring of candles, in loving memory of your kitty. Goodbye sweet darling, you were so deeply loved.

Please, don't blame yourself for what happened. You tried your best. Sometimes, it's just not possible to save our kitties.

Sending prayers and healing thoughts to help you in this time of grief.

p.s. Would you share your kitties name with us? We'd like to give him a proper sendoff, as he journeys to the Rainbow Bridge.
 

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