George

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Sylvia Sheaffer

Member Since 2019
I just got home from the Vet. George's BG was 38. I'm still crying. He was getting 3 U of Lantus, twice a day, since diagnosed on 9/6/19. I personally thought that was a very high dose. He didn't eat as ambitiously as he usually does, but he did eat enough that I thought I could give his insulin. Several hours later, he was looking up at the ceiling...constantly. disoriented and confused. I thought he went blind, but he may have briefly, but ok now. The Vet took him off insulin, and a recheck at Vet. Sat. am. I do have a monitor but never used it yet. Afraid!!! Suggestions, anyone?
 
My suggestion is that you definitely, definitely, definitely should start testing at home. Your situation is very similar to mine - I was not home testing and my cat had a very severe hypo with seizures. The vet then declared she was in remission! And took her off insulin, from 6 units 2x a day to nothing. But she was not in remission, she just needed a lower dose which I did not know because I was not home testing.

I was also sooo scared to start testing at home. My cat is a menace and I knew she would not make it easy on me, but one night I knew she was feeling bad so I had to tell myself to “suck it up” and test her, panic attack and all. And I’m glad I did because she was too low! I know it seems scary, but you can do it! And we can give you lots of help with it :cat:
 
Breathe. George is safe. Bullet dodged.

A single recheck wi going to tell the vet nothing about what the proper dose would be for George. 3 units is a very high starting dose for a cat. The protocol is to start with 1 unit and increase slowly in 0.25 unit increments until a good dose is reached. This method keeps the cat safe.

For testing – it is the best thing you can do for your cat.
Here is a link to an excellent hometesting video done by one of our members:
Video I made showing how to test your cat's blood sugar
Also:
Some links to read in case of a future event.
Feline Diabetes is a steep learning curve and there is so much knowledge and experience here. We can help you help George with learning to test, dosing, food – whatever help you need.
 
Sarah&Soph said:
My suggestion is that you definitely, definitely, definitely should start testing at home. Your situation is very similar to mine - I was not home testing and my cat had a very severe hypo with seizures. The vet then declared she was in remission! And took her off insulin, from 6 units 2x a day to nothing. But she was not in remission, she just needed a lower dose which I did not know because I was not home testing.

I was also sooo scared to start testing at home. My cat is a menace and I knew she would not make it easy on me, but one night I knew she was feeling bad so I had to tell myself to “suck it up” and test her, panic attack and all. And I’m glad I did because she was too low! I know it seems scary, but you can do it! And we can give you lots of help with it :cat:
Click to expand...
Is the real rabbit recipe soft or kibble? Maybe I'll try testing tonight.
 
Sylvia Sheaffer said:
Is the real rabbit recipe soft or kibble? Maybe I'll try testing tonight.
Click to expand...

It is wet food. Hopefully your kitty is one of the easy ones to test, but if not don’t be discouraged! Even my difficult child eventually came around with lots of patience and treats!
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
Breathe. George is safe. Bullet dodged.

A single recheck wi going to tell the vet nothing about what the proper dose would be for George. 3 units is a very high starting dose for a cat. The protocol is to start with 1 unit and increase slowly in 0.25 unit increments until a good dose is reached. This method keeps the cat safe.

For testing – it is the best thing you can do for your cat.
Here is a link to an excellent hometesting video done by one of our members:
Video I made showing how to test your cat's blood sugar
Also:
Some links to read in case of a future event.
Feline Diabetes is a steep learning curve and there is so much knowledge and experience here. We can help you help George with learning to test, dosing, food – whatever help you need.
Click to expand...
But that cat is extremely cooperative. George is not. Is there any kibble that is 10% or less in carbs?
 
Sylvia Sheaffer said:
I just got home from the Vet. George's BG was 38. I'm still crying. He was getting 3 U of Lantus, twice a day, since diagnosed on 9/6/19. I personally thought that was a very high dose. He didn't eat as ambitiously as he usually does, but he did eat enough that I thought I could give his insulin. Several hours later, he was looking up at the ceiling...constantly. disoriented and confused. I thought he went blind, but he may have briefly, but ok now. The Vet took him off insulin, and a recheck at Vet. Sat. am. I do have a monitor but never used it yet. Afraid!!! Suggestions, anyone?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you are in this position. That's terrifying.
You can and will test him. Just take it one day at a time.
Glad you knew something was wrong, didn't give him another dose and got him to the vet.
 
There are two kibble foods that are low carb. Young Again which is only available online and Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein which I believe is available in some retailers. Both will send you a sample to try before having to purchase a full size bag.
 
Hi George and Sylvia.

I back paw on the side of the back paw tested my Simba and not in the ears. For 6 years.

Using his ears for testing would have been difficult. So I hope those testing in the ears give you the dire help you need in explaining it step by step for you.

Ann in Sweden
 
The first thing I would suggest is to test yourself to get a feel for the meter and get comfortable with it.

Then view some of the videos provided in the link in post # 3 above to get a feel for how others test their cats. When you've watched the videos if there are questions, let us know.

Think about finding a "testing" spot with good light in your home. Start by taking George there several times a day and then giving him allow carb treat each time. Play with his ears every time you pass by to get him used to having his ears manipulated. It's not the poke the cat doesn't like....it's the manipulation of their ears or feet if you choose to test paw pads instead.

Once George is comfortable in his "testing" spot and having his ears or feet touched, then you can proceed to doing a test and we will walk you through it I need be. The videos are pretty good at showing how to test but if there are questions, let us know.

A couple of other tips for testing. A warm ear works much better than a cold one so a lot of folks get a baby sock and fill it with rice and hold it on the ear for a few moments to warm it up before testing. It also helps to put a very thin skim of Vaseline on the ear where you intend to poke as it helps the blood bead up rather than spread out in the fur.

Get yourself some 26 or 28 gauge lancets. The lancets that come with glucometers are usually 31 or 33 gauge and they are too tiny to get a proper blood bead at least in the early days. The lower gauge lancets are readily available at Walmart or local pharmacy. They may be referred to as alternate site lancets.
 
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