Diabetic Boy, hypoglycemia 911 Mama is so stressed and worried

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Jessica A MacPhee

Member Since 2019
My cat has been diagnosed for about 7 months. 2units twice a day. Being the terrible mom I am, and the picky eater he is (usually only dry food) I haven't kept up with his schedule. You would think his sugar would be too high, but the other day we found him near death, rushed him to ER vet, glucose wouldn't even register on spectrum. Bollus of sugar, electrolytes, slight UTI and 1500 bucks later and I still feel like I have no answers. Been attempting to set a glucose curve the past day and a half, he was up around 240, he ate alittle (I force feed some of it) and then I proceeded to give him 1 unit of insulin (the vet said 1 unit twice a day now) . I check his sugar 3 hours later and he's down to 60! I'm now in a constant state of terror and worried to leave or go to sleep.

I don't know how to get him the calories he needs, he hasn't put back on weight, not very interested in anything. At this point I feel like I should stop giving it to him I'm so scared
 
I'm no expert nor a mod here, but: If he's coming off a hypo event and is currently at 60 at 3 hours after his 1 unit shot, get some carbs in him any way you can right now (and if he will not eat anything at all, you can try rubbing karo syrup or honey on his gums to get him to absorb some). Keep monitoring/testing/feeding until he's at a safer number.
 
For now, check his sugar again in about 20 minutes, to make sure it isn't falling further. Are you testing on a human meter or pet meter? If it's a pet meter, you should try to get him to eat something right now, a higher carb food would be best. If it's a human meter, eating is still awesome, but he isn't in trouble unless he drops under 50. I'll post more in a minute. I want you to see this asap.

It's so scary to have a hypo event like that, but there's lots you can do too help. It sounds like his pancreas started to heal and make it's own insulin, but his insulin dose remained the same, so he crashed. To best help him and to ease your peace of mind, you should test his sugar at home regularly. To start out, if his pre-shot test number is less than 200, give no insulin. A day of high numbers is better than a scary hypo.

He's not eating well right now, so he may need less insulin. How comfortable are you trying a half dose? What insulin are you using? What dry food are you feeding? (all are high carb, but some are higher than others and it makes a difference.) There are tips on the site to get a kibble addict transitioned to wet food, and there are also two dry foods that are lower carb, Wysong epigen 90 and Dr. Elseys (assuming you are in the US.) Is there any low carb wet food he enjoys eating? Even tuna, sardines, or plain cooked chicken breast can be used to get him to eat. Have you talked to the vet about a nausea med? After that illness, he could be nauseous,

I know it can be difficult to keep up with a diabetic cat's treatment, but with proper treatment, it's safer, cheaper, and your cat has the best chance of going into remission. There are very experienced members here that can guide you. There's no reason your cat get better and have a healthy life. It just takes some time and some know how.
 
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I'll stick around to help right now, and we'll get you more advice when your kitty's number starts coming up. Let me know if you can get him to eat anything, and let me know what his next BGL test is.
 
Hi I see a member had posted this to you when did your first post
I copied it for you. We really need you to tell us what insulin he is on and what kind of meter you are using

It would be very helpful if you would create a signature so that Snarf's information is available whenever you post.
Setting up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what (s)he eats/any other meds or health issues (s)he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished. You can edit and update going forward with diet and meter information, and again when you get the spreadsheet set up and link to the signature.
Spreadsheet instructions
Understanding the spreadsheet
 
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Try to keep calm, you're right there to help your sweetie, and you're doing awesome.

While we're waiting to see what your kitty's next BGL is, I'm going to post some helpful links that you can look at when you have time. I see Diane has posted the link for the spreadsheet. Super important to do. It helps us help you and your cat. Having information in your signature like mine also helps. For example, if I already could see what insulin and what pet meter you are using, I could give you much better advice.

Great tips for transitioning a kibble addict to canned food.

An awesome food chart.

How to treat hypos instructions

What to have in your hypo kit.
 
Hey, Jessica, any news on Snarf? It's been over an hour since your first post, and I would love to know how he's doing. I've got to stick dinner in the oven, but I will be back in a few minutes. Fingers crossed everything is going okay.
 
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