Boops- HI at PMPS. So disheartened.

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Erin Lewis and Boops

Erin Lewis and Boops

Member Since 2015
I have been on a roller coaster with this boy and don't feel like there's any rhyme or reason for any of his numbers! I am back to feeling completely lost. I am considering a dental because he is due for one. The vet, however, has pooh-poohed this notion that he has an infection. Any experienced peeps out there with insight? We've gone up and down in dosings, and it all just makes no sense.
 
Take a look at Skooter's spreadsheet. His first dental was April 1st and his second dental was May 5th. I would also show it to your vet and then tell him/her to try and pooh-pooh the notion that he has an infection. That was the real turning point with Skooter. Thus far, he has earned not one, but TWO reductions due to normal numbers and is holding pretty good on his lowest dose to date, 0.10. After several months of this dance I never thought Skooter would be off insulin, now it is back on the table as a possibility. I firmly and truly believe that the dentals (they couldn't complete all the work needed while he was under the first time) is what made the difference. I changed NOTHING else.

The vet tech also seem skeptical when I mentioned I was hoping this would be the turning point of him MAYBE having a chance to get off insulin. The tone in her voice basically said, it ain't gonna happen so don't get your hopes up......

It is AMAZING what a dental can do! I would recommend setting one up, especially if he is due for one anyway, there really is nothing to lose....

I know how frustrating it can be trying to get the right dose for them, sending you many, many :bighug: Hopefully you will be able to get the dental scheduled soon!
 
Just a newbie, so can't offer experience, but can offer hugs :bighug::bighug: It's so hard when our babies aren't responding to our care :(
 
The only way to know is to have the dental. Is there any health reason why a dental would be risky? Max is a senior and had a dental and three extractions in February. It didn't help his numbers but I think that is due to his chronic pancreatitis that he's had for six years. I do know had he not had the dental he would likely have developed a bad infectin as one of the teeth required stitches.
 
I feel like it can't hurt. We've had lots of issues with teeth before from abscesses to gingival hyperplasia. He has chronic gingivitis. The vet described it as almost being an immune response before.
 
My Vet Clinic are hesitant to do a dental on my Tiger as well, due to her health complications.But when I mentioned the names of some dental specialists, they were very supportive. So that's the route I'm taking, l would feel safer with an expert anyway.
 
He has also been very jumpy, licking furiously, running around wild. He has done this before before diabetes diagnosis. Does anyone else have a kitty that has done this?
 
I'm no expert, but it seems to me like Boops has been taking lessons from Mikey and is bouncing. Tonight's "hi" could be the hi before the bounce clears. Bounces can last six cycles. I know this hard and discouraging, but you are not alone. We've all been there, and we're all in this with you. As for the dental, you know Boops better than anyone does. If your gut says it's time for a dental, I'd listen. Is there any medical reason that would make a dental dangerous? My vet told me that there are three things you need to check for when a cat has odd numbers: UTI, pancreatitis, and dental issues. With his history, checking for dental issues seems pretty obvious.
 
He's never been diagnosed with any condition other than diabetes. Would something have shown up in his labs? How would I know he had pancreatitis? He has a UTI, but was clear at his last appointment. His mouth is awful- has been for years. He has always done fine with denials before diagnosis.
 
Erin Lewis and Boops said:
He has chronic gingivitis.
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Alex also had chronic gingivitis. We started her on a 5 day (2 x day) pulse therapy with clindamycin every month. We eventually increased it to 7 days every month. This continued for several years. I don't think I would have been able to keep her so well regulated without it.

Pulse therapy with clinda doesn't help every cat, but has helped many kitties deal with chronic gingivitis. It might be worth discussing with your vet.

About Boops BG numbers...
Am I reading his spreadsheet right? Did he drop to 24 last week (6/8) on a 0.5u dose or is that a typo? If it's not a typo, his dose should have been reduced to 0.25 unit at that time. If that's the case, I think there's a real good chance he's dropping very low and then bouncing sky high!

The best advice I could give you is to reduce the dose to 0.25 unit and try to catch the lows...


Edited to add:

025unit-1.jpg
 
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Yes, you're reading it right. It was so odd and out of nowhere! We keep going up and down in doses with this boy as time goes by. I just wish things would even out! :arghh::arghh:
 
I would take the dose down to 0.25u at the next shot.
Have you already given him his shot tonight? If so, start in the morning, ok? I really think he's dropping very low and then bouncing very high.


ETA: Try to catch his lows whenever possible.
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
I believe that 68 is when you reduce if you're following the TR Protocol and using an AlphaTrack meter. With SLGS you reduce if numbers drop below 90.
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Ah, the beauty of a peer-reviewed message board in action! Thank you for the correction, Sienne.

Since you're using a human meter, *usually* a 0.25u reduction should be taken when Boops drops below 50 (Tight Regulation Protocol) or 90 (Start Low, Go Slow Method). Generally speaking, a reduction is taken when kitty drops below those numbers.

Erin Lewis and Boops said:
His appetite has been great! No change in that at all. He had a little loose poop a few days ago- he was a little of a mess.
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Happy to hear his appy has been good! Hope the loose poop was an isolated incident and not a reoccurring experience. Has he been vomiting and have you continued to check for ketones?

Try to gather spot checks whenever possible. Think of staggered BG test results as pieces to a puzzle. The more data points (pieces to the puzzle) you have... the clearer the picture becomes. You want to find out how low Boops is dropping on this dose.


Erin, please continue posting for help. It's good to see there are other eyes on your thread as my schedule this week calls for limited availability...
 
Max was all over the place prior to his dental as well. When she first looked, the vet said he teeth looked ok, and they didn't seem to be a problem. Over a couple of months his breath got worse, and I took him in again when I noticed a tooth bleeding. He needed like 4-5 extractions in his very back teeth. They were hard to see because he won't let anyone open his mouth.

The other thing I always think about when I see brittle diabetics is addison's disease. Brittle diabetics are diabetics that don't tolerate insulin or some other anti-diabetic medications. The insulin/meds in a very small amount can cause their blood sugar and blood pressure to plummet. In my residents that I've seen have this reaction, all of has had addisons (adrenal insufficiency). As far as signs of this, you'd see a decrease in sodium levels on the lab results. You may see an elevation in potassium, but it could still be in normal range.

Has you cat been on steroids recently? Sometimes this can happen when they are discontinued.
 
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