And up and up

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jmalasiuk

jmalasiuk

Member Since 2014
So, increasing his dose has only resulted in Tonka's sugars getting higher than they were. No sign of any significant drop in the evenings, so probably not rebound (unless he's completely different during the day than at night). He's almost two weeks on the antibiotic and there's been no improvement, so now I'm wondering if there's something else at work in making his blood sugars so consistently high these past few weeks.

I'm thinking that I should increase him by another 0.25 units again tomorrow, but am worried that this is just going to bring him up even higher, the way things have been going. Can the "New Dose Wonkiness" last several days in some cats? Very weird. We're still waiting for his bloodwork results. Maybe those will point to what might be causing this.
 
Don't get discouraged Jordi

Some cats are just going to take longer and need more juice than others

The key is to just keep going up slowly and according to the protocol until you hit the right dose

How's Tonka feeling? Is he acting like he feels better? Returning to playing? Grooming well again? Drinking and peeing less?

Those things are just as important as the numbers
 
He does little other than sleep when I'm at home, but when I get home and get up in the morning and he knows he's going to be fed soon, he seems alert and perky and content. He headed outside last weekend and enjoyed himself - even tried to stalk Teeger for a bit. Just not enough energy to get into trouble right now. His water consumption is relatively consistent (about 1 cup a day for the two cats, who have both always been big water drinkers. Down from 3+ cups a while back, so I figure that's a good sign). But I know I'd be feeling crappy if my sugars were that high, so it amazes me that he can even open his eyes and look annoyed at me when I poke him these days.
 
The thing is though that they didn't get that high overnight, so they're bodies "got used to it", so you can't really compare how we'd feel if our sugars were high (unless we were diabetic too!)

Hang in there!! We're all here with you so cry if it helps and we'll hand you a tissue

We've all been there, frustrated, worried, and wondering what we're doing wrong! :bighug:
 
I've actually been diabetic since 1981 (back before the days of home glucose testing for anyone), so I have all the more reason why I'm that frustrated that I can't figure out how to get him stabilized. I would love to be able to have him on a faster acting insulin that I could use to chase him down as required like I do for myself, but for such a little individual (okay, big cat, but small animal in the grand scheme of things), I imagine that the rapid onset insulins would have to be used super cautiously, and since I can't be around regularly to watch him and he can't tear open a sugar packet when he needs it, I do know that he's best off on the long acting insulins like Lantus. I just can't figure out how to make it work in isolation.
 
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That said, the first thing the vet said when she found out that I was diabetic (and that the ketones she could smell were probably coming from me rather than Tonka, who had tested negative for them), was "Oh boy, you're going to be one of the best, and worst, people to be dealing with this, then" :)
 
True! What works with beans doesn't always work with cats!

And even if it did, the cats would figure out a way to change it so we didn't know what the heck they were doing again.....LOL

I think I'd go ahead and increase tomorrow to 2.5U and lets see if it brings him down into some yellows at least
 
Would it be pointless to give him 2.25 (0.25 unit increase) tomorrow morning and then increase him up to 2.5 for his evening dose, when I can be around to watch him over the weekend? Not that I expect he's going to crash considering how stable he's been at the high end the last few days, but he has been known to plummet before.
 
Since his nadirs are still mostly pink, we usually suggest going up .5 instead of .25, but if it's going to drive you crazy, give what will make you feel comfortable

If his AMPS is over 300, I think you'd be OK to go up .5, but again, not if it's going to make you worry too much
 
Jordi -

I'm concerned about the dental issues. It's possible that there's more going on than tarter. It's typically very difficult for a vet to get a good idea of what's going on in a cat's mouth if the cat isn't sedated. Even with sedation, you'd probably still need an x-ray to know if there's anything below the surface that's a problem. Further, if the antibiotic hasn't kicked in after over 10 days, it's either not the right antibiotic or you need a bigger gun. Is it feasible to bet a dental scheduled so at the very least, you can rule Tonka's teeth out as contributing to the high numbers?

 
Hi, yes, that's what his bloodwork was for. Trying to get him in for a dental. We just have to see if he's safe to sedate right now. I expect to hear back today or tomorrow.
 
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