I'm getting worried

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chesteryoung

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Newly diagnosed with diabetes my cat Joey was sent home yesterday morning with Humulin n u-100 twice a day 3mg/units. It's Sunday morning ..I've given two doses yesterday and the cat can hardly move. Ate a little bit this AM and he is due for his shot at 8:30AM. The doctor said we will begin testing him for his sugar on Tuesday. I tried last night and I think the Accu Pen has broken. I followed instructions and tried one on myself. It worked fine...my blood tested fine. I can't get it to stick him. I'm not sure what I would do if I got a result although they say a reading between 100 and 180 is ok. Are their alternatives to those pens....can I just buy the lancets to get blood from him. I worried....he's just laying on the floor...his eyes looking forward...he peed where he's laying (never did that before) Thank you
 
Hopefully some of the more experienced guys will get in here soo, but for the time being, you can free hand the lancet and poke it where you need it to. I gave up on the pen weeks ago, as it was useless. Definitely get a test in there cause Joey isn't sounding like he's feeling so hot.

If you are able to stick him and get a test result, pop back in with the number. I'm still fairly new to this myself, but I'll do my best to help while we wait on the other guys to pop by. I'll be around for the next hour or so, so keep me posted!

Definitely try and get some blood from the kitty. All the best!

Margaret
 
chesteryoung said:
Newly diagnosed with diabetes my cat Joey was sent home yesterday morning with Humulin n u-100 twice a day 3mg/units. It's Sunday morning ..I've given two doses yesterday and the cat can hardly move. Ate a little bit this AM and he is due for his shot at 8:30AM. The doctor said we will begin testing him for his sugar on Tuesday. I tried last night and I think the Accu Pen has broken. I followed instructions and tried one on myself. It worked fine...my blood tested fine. I can't get it to stick him. I'm not sure what I would do if I got a result although they say a reading between 100 and 180 is ok. Are their alternatives to those pens....can I just buy the lancets to get blood from him. I worried....he's just laying on the floor...his eyes looking forward...he peed where he's laying (never did that before) Thank you
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Your cat may be hypoglycemic (very low blood glucose levels). The lethargy and staring at nothing in particular and inappropriate peeing can indicate hypoglycemia. Can you take the vet to a vet ER like right now? Even if it turns out that your cat is not hypoglycemic, its better to have him checked out by a vet than to just sit at home and wonder what's going on. Here's a list of common hypo symptoms: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1122

You can just use the lancet if it's easier. Just give a quick prick between the ear vein and thee dge of the ear. Warming the ear with a verywarm washcloth or "rice sock" will help get the blood flowing. You could also try a higher depth setting on the lancet device. Some brands of lancet devices just don't work well. You can buy another one (and matching lancets) from the Human pharmacy.

3 units of any insulin is a huge starting dose for most cats. Do you have the 3/10 cc insulin syringes? The markings look like this:

resource.aspx


3 units is two little lines above the bold line marked as 5 in the picture above.
 
I broke open the stupid pen thing...got a lancet...Joey reads 335 at 8AM...his dose is suppose to be 3mg of Humulin n at 8:30AM. Sound right?
 
Okay, good thing we now have a number. I know nothing about the insulin you're on, but ill second that 3 units could be a bit high. You can always add more insulin, but getting it back out again, isn't so easy!

Is this the first time you're giving insulin? I appreciate the vet has told you 3 units (mine had me on 4) but if you're going to be with him for a while, you could shoot one unit and keep testing him every couple of hours to see how he reacts. The danger with too much is it could send him into a hypo. If you're comfortable, you could shoot a lower dose and then monitor.
 
335 is a diabetic number and insulin is needed.

3 units is an awfully big dose, though. Esepcailly for Humulin N. Here is some info on how Humulin N works for cats: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=303 Humuin N isn't the best isulin to use for cats.

I would only be comfortable with giving just 1 unit until you can talk with the vet. Ask the vet about other insulins, like Lantus, Levemir, and ProZinc.

Keep an eye on your cat's behavior. If he continues not to act like himself, you may want to bring him back to the vet.

Does your cat's breath smell like nail polish remover? If you do smell it or detect a trace of ketones in the cat's urine byuisng KetoStix or KetoDiastix (buy at any pharmacy), take your cat to the vet ASAP. A condition called diabetic ketoacidosis can quickly develop.
 
You all have been so helpful. Joeys breath smells fine. I gave him his morning 3mg/Humulin N a few moments age but he does seem to be more alert. In a little bit I'm going to call his doctor on the emergency line and see what she says. I do trust her...very conscientious. this is a terrific resource. It really takes the pressure off...Thank you.
 
Good deal! Happy to hear he's perking up and you're feeling releived! It's a learning game, and once you think you've got a handle on it, kitty will throw ya a curve ball!

Since you are home testing, running a curve (ie following Joey around all day with a lancet and test strips) is a great tool, as it tells you how he reacts to the insulin and gives you a better idea of what to expect! Here's the link on how to set up your spreadsheet (there's a template, so all the hard works been done) it's good just to keep track as you should always test levels before shooting insulin. I've had a couple of ocassions where if I had not without checking, it would have been a sure fire trip to hypo land and the emergency vet (£100 just for walking through the door!) viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

You're doing great and the people on here will help keep ya right (and sane)! Knowledge is power with this dance!

All the very best to you and Joey!
 
Just to clarify for you. Insulin is given/measured in 'units', not mg.

U-100 means 100 units of insulin per ml (milliliter) of liquid volume.

The first little line at the tip of the syringe is "zero", then 1u, 2u, 3u ,4u ,5u (first numbered line).
 
I will test him again in 2 hours....get the result then call his doc. Hate to do that on Sunday but she did say call "anytime". Thank you so much....I would hate to lose this cat. He's been my buddy for 12 years! I will remember...it's units.
 
REMEMBER - Humulin N is a 'one shot' insulin. There is NO reserve built - it works it's one cycle and that's it. Many of the others work on some type of reserve that leaves insulin in the body to continue to work albeit differing amounts. Humulin N doesn't. That's why it's called "short acting" and "harsh". Last night's dose is gone, used up, nothing left to work. Today's dose starts this process all over again for the next few hours until it completes it cycle.

For some reason, lots of vets seem to want to start cats off on 3u's of Humulin N. Having come from Humulin N land, I paid close attention to everything I could find on it. It's easier to control a hypo event because it doesn't work with a reserve BUT, on the other hand, it's NOT easy to control the diabetes on a regular using it. It's not impossible, just not easy....

Hugs and extra scratches,
 
Re: Joey Tested him 2 hours after his 3 unit shot....241 down from 335. I have a call in to the doctor. I'm getting from all of you that Humulin was not the best choice. I am going to mention that to her and again thank you for your great advice.
 
Ask the vet if she has any experirience with the othere three insulin types listed earlier
They are all easier to work with and better for a cat than humulin.
also, if you feel good about using the lancet manually, you can pick up a box of 100 at any pharmacy or walmart for 3 or 4 dollars. Look for a gauge of 28 which are a good size when you are just starting to home test.
Carl
 
Yes, unfortunately Humulin works well in dogs, but not cats. Cats metabolize it too quickly. I would ask for a long lasting insulin like Lantus or Levemir. The large majority of cats on Lantus end up becoming diet controlled (meaning they don't need insulin as long as they eat a low carb canned diet), as opposed to just a small fraction of cats on Humulin. I'd be happy to pass along some articles for you to show your vet if you're interested.

I agree that 3u is too large a starting dose for any insulin. 1u is the typical starting dose for cats. What is Joey eating? Diet is a huge part of managing diabetes, so you want to make sure he's on the correct diet. There are many commercial foods that are better and cheaper for diabetic cats than prescription diets.
 
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