First scare

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shiranami

Member Since 2015
Hi everyone.. I'm new here. My cat has been treated with Lantus for about 1 week now. Everything has been going great and I've felt confident administering everything to her. Her BG has been declining steadily, up until yesterday, when it dropped by 5mmol/L. This evening she was sitting at 13, and I was extremely nervous about giving her the dinner shot. I just had a bad feeling about it. So, I called the vet and she wasn't working - I had to speak to another on call. He said I should go ahead with her schedule and she would be fine. She had eaten a full meal prior to injection, but something still felt off.

Well, she developed insulin shock and she fell over unresponsive (luckily next to me on the bed). I've never panicked so fast in my life, scurrying across the floor to get the karo syrup from the fridge.. I managed to avoid puncturing my fingers in her mouth and we spent about 30 minutes after playing laser to burn off the sugar spike. She's stable now and resting, no signs of wobbles and her BG is 14. It was near 24 a week ago so I consider it a step in the right direction, just maybe not the leap we all hope for. And tonight has shown me that massive changes can be terrifying.

I just spent the last hour dealing with the emotional fallout. Anger, depression.. resentment (why her?) And my question is.. does it get any easier? Do we just ignore the inner voice that wants to protect our furry kids and place our full trust in people who see them maybe once per month? I am trying my best not to let it effect me too much, because I know it won't be the last time it happens.. nor am I a qualified Vet (yet - I'm working on that!), so I know I would not take this all on by myself.

Thanks for reading..
 
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One of the reasons we're so big on home testing is exactly what you've seen happen.

Tests done at the vets can be as much as 200 points higher (oh sorry...I'm in the US and we use different scales....that would be 11.1 for you) higher than they are at home, just because of the stress of being at the vet

It can get much easier though! Learning how to home test will be the best gift you can give your extra sweet kitty! Knowledge is power against this disease, so knowing exactly how your cat is responding to both food and insulin is invaluable.

You can use a regular human glucometer...no need to buy an expensive "pet only" one and just start testing at home. We have a spreadsheet to keep a record of the test results too that will really help to see when she might need adjustments to her dose too.

It's not necessarily that your vet is a "bad" vet....it's just that most vets don't have the time to keep up to date on the latest treatments in every disease for every type of animal they see. That's where the people here come in. We do nothing but deal with diabetes and the diseases that tend to come with it, so there's lots of experience here for you to learn from

There are lots of people here that would love to help you learn everything you need to know!!
 
Ah, yes I forked over the $175 for an Alphatrak after she told me a human glucometer was insufficient. I assume it was just a cash grab (she wringed over $1000 out of me for testing and supplies alone) :mad: She would have taken me for another grand had I chose to test twice daily at the office..

Does anyone know if regular (e.g. Bayer) test strips will work in the Alphatrak glucometer?

I am scheduled to do kitty's first curve this weekend.. a bit nervous. Also, worried that I will want to give her handfuls of treats as reparations for all the needles :( She really is the best cat ever and has been so good about everything (I get the feeling that she actually enjoys getting insulin lol).
 
There's no reason you can't switch now....keep the Alpha for an emergency back up...One of the reasons we don't use it is the cost of the strips! I have seen others who have used the human "Freestyle" strips but they're not a lot cheaper.

I'm not sure if it's the Freestyle or the Freestyle "light" strips though, but they're made by the same manufacturer as the Alpha is...Abbott

If I find it for sure, I'll let you know

You can't use different manufactures strips
 
Yes I couldn't believe the price of 50 strips :banghead: These companies really exploit their consumers. I am using 2 per day.. so they don't last long. I will get my hands on a human one and keep the Alphatrak one for backup! Thanks for your help :)
 
Hmm, that's interesting. My cat is taking 2UI BID with a low carb wet diet (Purina DM) - maximum of 1/2cup per day. This maybe can explain the sudden drop in her BG this evening. The vet said if she drops below 9mmol/L to call emergency services. We came close this evening but she is ok now. I am going into the office tomorrow so I will mention it..

Thank you :)
 
That is a very high starting dose for a new cat on a low carb food. Unless ketones are present I would consider reducing the dose to the recommended 1 unit and monitor so the dose can be adjusted if needed. The tight regulation starting dose is based on weight. What would you cats starting dose be if using that protocol ?

Those protocols have been tested by hundreds of cats, including mine, with great success.
 
Chris & China said:
There's no reason you can't switch now....keep the Alpha for an emergency back up...One of the reasons we don't use it is the cost of the strips! I have seen others who have used the human "Freestyle" strips but they're not a lot cheaper.

I'm not sure if it's the Freestyle or the Freestyle "light" strips though, but they're made by the same manufacturer as the Alpha is...Abbott

If I find it for sure, I'll let you know

You can't use different manufactures strips
Click to expand...

A recent comparison using Freestyle Lite strips in an Alphatrak is here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-monitor-fslite-human-monitor-updated.135726/

I would switch to a cheaper human meter though as testing frequently really adds up.

@shiranami, I'm sorry your kitty gave you such a scare. It does get easier with time and practice, as well as learning how your kitty reacts to insulin. Hugs in the meantime.
 
See my signature link Glucometer Notes for some feline specific reference ranges using various glucometers.
See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some additional means of assessment.
 
I just bought the OneTouch Ultra 2 based upon a friend's advice and some on-line research. You can buy generic strips on Amazon (UniStrip Test Strips, 5o for $11) that fit the OneTouch devices (cheaper than the name brand ones). In just the day I've had it, I've had no trouble getting a readout. It will also track AM/PM testing in case you want to see a more detailed history.
Hope the info helps!
KS
 
shiranami said:
The vet said if she drops below 9mmol/L to call emergency services.
Click to expand...
Hi,
9 mmol should be a safe number. It is actually higher than the normal blood glucose range for a kitty.

You may be interested to read the follwing info from the FDMB FAQ's. It may help to give a context to the test results you're seeing:

"6. REGULATION

Q6.1. What is regulation?

A6.1. There are different definitions of regulation. As hometesting becomes more common, we've been getting a better understanding of what cats and their humans might be capable of. Janet & Fitzgerald propose the following "regulation continuum":
  • Not treated [blood glucose typically above 300 mg/dl (16.7 mmol/L), poor clinical signs]
  • Treated but not regulated [often above 300 (16.7) and rarely near 100 (5.6), poor clinical signs]
  • Regulated [generally below 300 (16.7) with glucose nadir near 100 (5.6), good clinical signs, no hypoglycemia]
  • Well regulated [generally below 200-250 (11.1-13.9) and often near 100 (5.6), no hypoglycemia]
  • Tightly regulated [generally below 150 (8.3) and usually in the 60-120 (3.3-6.7) range, no hypoglycemia, still receiving insulin]
  • Normalized [60-120 (3.3-6.7) except perhaps directly after meals -- usually not receiving insulin]"
"There may also be an extra category of "mostly above 300 (16.7) but with good clinical signs" which occurs with some cats who are getting insulin. We don't know why it happens, but such a cat probably should not be considered to be regulated. On the other end of the spectrum, it is possible for a cat who is not getting insulin to have blood glucose as low as 40 mg/dl (2.2 mmol/L) on a home glucometer. If you have a non-diabetic cat, try testing her with the same meter to get a safe comparison figure."

The above info is from this document:
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/faq.html

Eliz
 
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