Help pls HIGH reading

Elvis & Scar

Elvis & Scar

Member Since 2021
I haven’t written on here much since my cat’s diagnosis in 2021. My cat was hospitalized Tuesday at 2-3pn when I decreased his units over the weekend thinking I may have been overshooting his dose when his number jumped last week to over 500. I am suspecting he has acromegaly. His specialist did not want to test last I saw him in May when i brought this up. I’m afraid I caused his hospitalization but along with his heart issues I’m realizing he had symptoms of heart failure just recently I just didn’t know. He would almost be panting at times. I took him first to an ER and they saw DKA. This location did not have specialists on site so he was an overnight emergency transfer as the prior12 hrs went by and he was not responding to the humilin short acting insulin. He had an echo cardiogram done along with ultrasound wed. Morning and there was little fluid found by the intestines but was told he now has congestive heart failure. I am lost in hopes to keep him with me longer than 12 yrs. The vet suggested to euthanize him tonight and I just could not believe her. I took him home around 3pm yesterday. Monitoring him he is trying to move around to drink A LOT of water. I am hand feeding him but it’s little. He went home with spirolactone and an pill for his heart failure. After viewing other message boards on here I asked his primary vet to write me a script for levemir since it seems to pair with acro. I want to start him on it asap. Only to find out a short acting insulin is probably better at this time since his glucose reading is still HI. I rang my vet back and he suggested not to and start levemir last night at 2.5u. Is that too low? I think I should have started at 9u. Please HELP.
 
In a ferry line up so short answer for now.

What heart med is he on? Did he see a cardiologist vet?

Are you home resting? I see no data on spreadsheet. Heart stress can cause higher numbers.

Neko got heart failure but recovered for a while. Giving fluids was her downfall, she had kidney disease too.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
In a ferry line up so short answer for now.

What heart med is he on? Did he see a cardiologist vet?

Are you home resting? I see no data on spreadsheet. Heart stress can cause higher numbers.

Neko got heart failure but recovered for a while. Giving fluids was her downfall, she had kidney disease too.
Click to expand...
He’s on pimobendan 3.75 mg tablets and plavix. Yes, we’re home now. It’s updated now. Tested 380 at +8. The cardiologist that saw him said the echocardiogram shows significant cardiac disease present at this time and consistent with severe left ventricular hypertrophy/HCM. May be due to primary cardiomyopathy or secondary to systemic hypertension/hyperthyroidism. Left atrium is severely dilated and there is hepatic congestion concerning for right sided congestive heart failure.
This was done at the second er transfer. His original cardiologist is leaving the practice and I had to cancel the appointment the same day as the hospitalization…what are the chances this all happened on what would have been his 6 month check up.
 
Good to hear you were able to see a cardio vet so quickly. Did the cardio vet say anything about Lasix? Neko couldn’t have it except brief bonus, due to her kidneys. But it’s often part of the plan. She was on Vetmedin (pimobendan) and clopidogrel (Plavix) too.

Did they check his blood pressure or do an ECG?
 
Thanks for updating the spreadsheet. I see you just switched to Levemir from Lantus. First, update the signature. Second, any Lantus dosing you did the week before would be helpful. Typically when we switch from Lantus to Levemir we reduce the dose to start, because some cats have a strong reaction to the change in insulins.

How is he doing at home now? Is he eating? Heart issues can cause nausea, Neko needed nausea meds a few days after her heart diagnosis crisis. It's be good to do at least daily resting respiratory rate checks for the next while.
 
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