Her BG has plunged

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Jill

Jill

Member Since 2010
I don't know what to do. Her BG is in the 20s, I've fed her cherry juice and hi-carb food.

Okay, it's up from 21 to 34. I'll keep testing every 20 minutes or so.
 
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Hello Jill,

Gosh! Good catch!
Yes, you really want to get those numbers up.

How long ago did you give insulin?
Which insulin and what dose?
Alphatrak or 'human' glucose meter?
.
 
Keep it coming up Jill - keep testing, you're doing right. What hi-carb food did you feed her? Cherry juice may upset her stomach because of the acid in it.
 
The meter is Glucocard for humans. It's accurate, I just tested myself and got 114. The insulin is Lantus, 2 units twice a day, 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. and p.m. The amount is so small, I hope I didn't overdose her this morning. The thing is, she has heart trouble that masks symptoms she might show from low blood sugar. Her breathing was fast and shallow last night and again this morning. I think the food is too low-carb, it's about 3% according to the manufacturer. I give her some kibble with it, maybe not enough.
 
The insulin was five hours ago. Just tested and got 49. She's growling and fighting me, can I wait 15 minutes or so now?

Friskies "Prime filets with chicken and gravy" is what I found at my friend's house. The chart lists carbs as 18% of calories. Normally I would consider it junk food, but not today.

I'm sorry to be so scattered. I didn't realize you're in England!
 
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try and calm her down. Singing or humming helps. Make sure to stay calm yourself. Sit and pet her for a second then test. I had the same problem with Doogle when he went low and had to be tested alot. Just remember they pick up on your stress. But get in another test.
 
Ok, 5 hours ago...Lantus usually has a nadir (lowest point) around 5-7 hours after a shot. You will also probably see a bounce from this as well, so dont freak out.
 
Jill said:
The insulin was five hours ago.
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Okey dokey, Jill.

Lantus can sometimes drop the kitty's blood glucose quite late into the cycle, so do be prepared to have to monitor Alice for quite a while.

Do you have syrup/karo that you can give her?
And can you get another test now?

You're doing great!
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Jill,

When numbers are very low, syrup/honey/karo is quickest for raising blood glucose.

Syrup/honey/karo will get into the bloodstream fast, and also wears off relatively quickly (so repeat as necessary).
Kibble/dry food can take little longer to kick in and can have a longer lasting effect. As a general rule kibble isn't the most helpful in cases of very low numbers (but there are exceptions to that rule...)
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She's Alice, the kitty in the picture. BG is up to 57. I'm amazed she has so much energy to fight me after having such low blood sugar.
 
I'm all right. I added a signature with info in it.

57 still seems low. My brain isn't quite working right yet... what's normal for elderly kitties again?
 
Jill said:
57 still seems low. My brain isn't quite working right yet... what's normal for elderly kitties again?
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That 57 is fine (a normal number). But do continue to monitor and to get tests. A cat's blood glucose can rise and then drop again, so it's important to keep an eye on things.
Ideally, you want to see 3 rising numbers and for the kitty to be past the peak of the insulin cycle.
Do you know when Alice usually has her lowest number of the cycle?
(And be aware too that the 'peak' of the cycle isn't always a fixed point. It can shift around...)
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No, no spreadsheet. I looked at it and at first felt overwhelmed, then saw some that were filled in and figured out how it works. I think I've downloaded it. Time to start using it. I have to tell you, I'm the opposite of a scientist. I have both kitties on a feeding schedule and a medication schedule (Katie is on Pepcid) and that's all I've been able to do so far. Time for next steps.
...
Can't find the link to the spreadsheet.
...
I'd like to test Katie, but she's had trouble with ear mites and runs away if I even so much as look closely at her ears. I don't know how to overcome that.
 
I just found the thread called Shooting and Handling Low Numbers. I've read a couple of paragraphs and have to say I've seldom felt more stupid in my life.

...

Okay, now I've read the emergency instructions at the bottom of the page. Don't feel so stupid any more. I was able to handle it, that's all that counts today. Off to test again to get the second of three normal readings.

...

I caught her in her sleep and she's up to 76. I think I'll go eat my own lunch. With high-carb comfort food for Mama.
 
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Jill, here's the link to the spreadsheet again - after you get used to using it, you'll find it's about the best tool in your toolbox after test strips:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Testing Katie - you may be pleasantly surprised, after she figures out that Alice is getting 'something special', she may change her tune. I have a civie (non-diabetic) that will actually climb up into test spot/position to be tested 'cos he doesn't want to be left out... :) Been testing him every few weeks for nearing 5 years now.

57 is headed in the right direction!
 
I've filled in the testing numbers for Alice but I don't know how to save the spreadsheet so I can get back to it easily. ... Okay, I found the instructions, renamed and downloaded.
 
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Yes, you should be able to access it there and make changes, but it'll also be saved automatically in Google Drive as long as you're signed into Google

You need to change the permissions on it though....right now you're the only one who can see it. Just go to the top right where it says "Share" and click...a new box will pop up....look at the bottom right side of that box for "Advanced" and click there.....new options will come up including a place to check "Anyone with the link"....Choose that and "save"

Then open your signature tab here again (all that info beneath your posts) and add the link so it shows up in your signature...that way it's always there when we need to look at it.
 
Be sure you go to the bottom of the directions for spreadsheet page here and link the spreadsheet in your signature..... look at my signature and you'll see that along with all the basic info about Radar there is a link for his spread sheet. it really helps everyone here see what's been happening with your furry one so you can get the best help. If you need more assistance, don't be shy about asking as there are plenty of people here to help you. :)
 
I had to add approximate times to the spreadsheet because my fingers were getting tired from counting how many hours since her last shot.
 
Jill said:
No, no spreadsheet. I looked at it and at first felt overwhelmed, then saw some that were filled in and figured out how it works. I think I've downloaded it. Time to start using it. I have to tell you, I'm the opposite of a scientist. I have both kitties on a feeding schedule and a medication schedule (Katie is on Pepcid) and that's all I've been able to do so far. Time for next steps.
...
Can't find the link to the spreadsheet.
...
I'd like to test Katie, but she's had trouble with ear mites and runs away if I even so much as look closely at her ears. I don't know how to overcome that.
Click to expand...


You could try testing the paw pads, there's very little feeling in them and they bleed quite easily!
 
Jill said:
I had to add approximate times to the spreadsheet because my fingers were getting tired from counting how many hours since her last shot.
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That time would work fine until you need to shoot late sometime - your times will then be off. You'll get used to what time each + is within a few days of use. Good job getting it set up!!!!
 
Jill said:
I had to add approximate times to the spreadsheet because my fingers were getting tired from counting how many hours since her last shot
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Oh, (((Jill)))...

You did really well today.
It can be extremely stressful when a kitty has low blood glucose; but you kept a cool head and just got on with it. You should be proud of yourself. ....And maybe a little reward in the form of chocolate or some other yummy thing wouldn't go amiss.....

Have any of the Lantus folks talked to you about where to take the dose from here (given that a dose reduction is in order)?
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I just got home from work and read this whole thing--WOW GREAT job @Jill …. you got the hang of this already!! The first time my kitty dropped I wanted to "quit" LOL--sadly you can't quit FD :( But you can gather yourself together as you have today and move on--you handled this like a pro!
 
Yes you definitely want to reduce the dose tonight! We'll need to see where she's at when it's PMPS time, but you may need to skip and let her depot drain a little tonight (and get some sleep and relax after your busy and stressful day!)

Quick question for you....you say you're feeding "Companion" food....I can't find a "brand name" of "Companion" food although there's a manufacturer of several different kinds of foods named "Companion"

Could you clear up exactly which food(s) you're normally feeding?
 
The food doesn't appear on any lists. It's the house brand wellness variety of our local Giant Food grocery stores. I emailed Giant and they put me in touch with the manufacturer, who sent me these emails. These numbers, especially the bottom two, seem very low. I didn't really believe them. I also feed Purina One Sensitive Systems dry food in small amounts. Here's a link to the manufacturer's website: http://simmonspetfood.simmonsglobal.com/

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jayla said:
I just got home from work and read this whole thing--WOW GREAT job @Jill …. you got the hang of this already!! The first time my kitty dropped I wanted to "quit" LOL--sadly you can't quit FD :( But you can gather yourself together as you have today and move on--you handled this like a pro!
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Thank you for the kind words. I've had a few embarrassing failures lately in other areas, so this means a lot to me.

All of you were wonderful to me and Alice. Words can't express my gratitude.
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
Oh, (((Jill)))...

You did really well today.
It can be extremely stressful when a kitty has low blood glucose; but you kept a cool head and just got on with it. You should be proud of yourself. ....And maybe a little reward in the form of chocolate or some other yummy thing wouldn't go amiss.....

Have any of the Lantus folks talked to you about where to take the dose from here (given that a dose reduction is in order)?
.
Click to expand...

You know that cherry pie I was scooping out in order to get some sugar into her? There's a lot of it left...

...

She's sleeping soundly. I'll leave her alone for now & test her in an hour or so, about 7:00 p.m., 12 hours after her last shot. Then we'll see if she needs insulin with her dinner. I'm guessing she won't.
 
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Jill said:
You know that cherry pie I was scooping out in order to get some sugar into her? There's a lot of it left..
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I'll take a piece!!...next time maybe try ice cream instead of cherry pie....LOL

Actually, now that you know about hypo's, it's important to keep some kind of high carb food in the house at all times, as well as some Karo/honey/syrup in case you need it. What a lot of us keep around is Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers foods because the "gravy" part is very high carb
 
Jill said:
The food doesn't appear on any lists. It's the house brand wellness variety of our local Giant Food grocery stores. I emailed Giant and they put me in touch with the manufacturer, who sent me these emails. These numbers, especially the bottom two, seem very low. I didn't really believe them. I also feed Purina One Sensitive Systems dry food in small amounts. Here's a link to the manufacturer's website: http://simmonspetfood.simmonsglobal.com/

I searched the site and found no information about the actual pet food, just marketing, people products, and livestock feed.
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There are foods with very low carbs like that, but without knowing more about it, we can't say if it's truly low carb or not...there's several different ways to determine the carb percentage...most customer service people are just repeating the "company line" so that makes it even harder to know for sure

Did they by any chance give you other numbers like the guaranteed analysis for Protein, Fat, Fiber, Water and Ash?

Some cats do better with a few carbs instead of zero (or really low) but it's something you just have to learn about your own cat.
 
Okay, it's Alice's dinnertime and her BG is 103. I'll skip her shot and give her the usual low-carb food and some kibble.
 
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