Insulin Overdose

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StefO

StefO

Member Since 2017
Tonight we were supposed to have a friend come over and administer Garth's insulin shot. I checked his BG about 2 hours before his normal shot time (because we would be out and nobody else can check the BG) and he was at 49. I told our friend he didn't need to come by but the text didnt go through and he came by anyway. He couldn't get ahold of us and gave Garth 10U because he thought that's what it normally was. Garth typically gets 3U, so of course, we were all panicked. My husband and I were at his company's Christmas dinner, so our friend stayed with Garth until I could get home about 2.5 hours after the shot was administered. They called the emergency vet and the vet had nothing better to say other than to keep an eye on him. Our friend gave him 3 cans of Fancy Feast with Gravy, which is our high carb back up.

It's been 3 hours since the shot and I just checked his BG, he is at 49 still. He just jumped on the couch, cleaned himself, and is sleeping, which is so weird because I feel like I haven't seen him sleep in months. He is constantly meowing and begging for food. (But he is usually banned to the kitchen.)

I'm gonna keep an eye on him. I'm not sure really what to look for in terms of a hypoglycemic episode but I'm basically just making sure he is breathing and plan to feed him again soon! I'm feeling especially calm and my guy is so strong. But this whole diabetes thing has been trial and error thus far!!
 
Wow, that is scary! I hope you have the syrup on standby and enough strips to test regularly. Wishing you the best! :bighug:
 
I'd suggest adding a 911 to your thread title. I can't stay up. You will get more eyes on the situation.

You need to test frequently. Put the coffee on. It could be a long night. The Lantus has not likely reached its onset yet and the carbs from the 3 cans of FF aren't doing the trick or have worn off.

Most cats show no signs of hypo until it is too late.

Do you have lots of strips? More HC food? Honey or karo? How far away is the emergency vet? Be prepared to fly out the door.

Test every 20 minutes.

You need to keep the cat hungry. Feed only the gravy from the can. If you press the lid down on the contents, the gravy will rise up and you can scrap it off onto a plate. If warranted, add a drop or two of honey/karo to the gravy.

If the cat is not hungry, rub a bit of honey/karo on its gums.

Carbs wear off rather quickly. You need to see 3 consecutive rising tests (without food intervention); and then test again 1 hour later to make sure the cat is out of danger.

Here is the link for hypos: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/
 
This is an emergency, and you need to stay awake and treat it like an emergency.

Monitor closely thru hour 8.
Be prepared to take him to the emergency vet.
Cats do not always exhibit symptoms.
- Keep taking BG measurements.
- If there is any change in behavior, take another measurement.
- If he goes lower than 50, I would take him to the emergency clinic.

Be ready to go to the emergency vet. That is an extremely high dose. It's possible that supplemental food and glucose may be insufficient.

Read about hypos here, if you have not yet done it.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

After the incident, I would take a used syringe and mark the "3" so that your helper friend will not pull a "10" dose next time.
 
I'll be up for another 30 min. Please keep updating his chart.

If an emergency trip is needed, try to get sugar into him before the trip. At the emergency clinic tell them it is critical. They can start a glucose drip.
 
Thank you all.

I have tons of strips, about 8 cans of FF with gravy, half a bag of Purina DM dry kibble, an unopened bottle of Karo, and the emergency vet is within walking distance.

Just gave him a can of food with karo on top. Will be testing and staying awake.
 
Sounds good. Emergencies happen, and we learn from them.

I like Garth's picture, he looks sweet. And kudos on getting him fairly regulated, and also getting his neuropathy resolved. I've done that too for Leo.
 
He is at 79 right now!

Garth is a crazy rascal and the sweetest guy! He is currently giving his dog sister a bath.

And thank you!! I truly believe the Tiki Cat food has helped in his semi-regulation. His neuropathy reversal has been incredible and the vet couldn't believe it was just from b12 supplements.
 
A good number!

You're welcome. The neuropathy reversal is a result of both BG regulation, and the B12 - both of which you did. Without the BG regulation, the neural sheaths will continue to be in a degraded state from the high glucose toxicity.

The reversal can be quite amazing. In October/November 2016, it was so bad with Leo, we were considering the "hard decision". It is so rewarding to get sweet kittehs back to good health. We also use Tiki cat food on occasion. More expensive than Fancy Feast but they sure like it.
 
I'm going to bed. Sounds like you are set up to handle this. Please post an "I'm all healthy" later this morning.
 
Just checking in to see if you got another test in.
I'm with everybody else who is concerned about the 10u dose tonight. PLEASE stay vigilant with your testing tonight as the high carb food wears off and the Lantus reaches onset. Glad to know you are prepared.
 
He last had a full can of FF gravy + Karo around 1am (2hrs ago), then bonito flakes with Tiki Cat Tuna Mousse, then half a can of FF gravy around 2am.
 
Glad Garth is staying out of trouble!!!

Here is some info regarding overdosing:
In the case of an accidental overdose, even if you have caught this in the early stages, you may need to monitor for literally 16 or more hours. Lantus and Levemir are long acting types of insulin. This means if your cat is over dose, you will need to stay alert for hours in order to closely monitor and to keep your cat safe.
DO NOT become complacent. If numbers have risen after one or two tests, it’s important to continue testing. Numbers may bobble up and down as the HC food and/or Karo wear off.

Hang in there, so far, so good. I have to sign off but will check in in the morning :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Wow what a night and looks like he's out of the woods .

As far as the next shot, I'd be inclined to skip. Let's see what others think.

ETA: If it were me, I'd get a bit of sleep and continue to test because the higher carb food and karo will wear off and the numbers could rise again.
 
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Thanks so much everyone !

His +7 shot was 82, so I fed him again around 3am. I did end up falling sleep on the couch and he was hanging out with me. Fed him half a can of FF around 6am. Just tested him at +12 and he was 215. Definitely skipped the shot though!

Cant thank you all enough for helping us get through the night!!
 
I missed this last night and now it's like a Hallmark Movie of the week, The little cat that could.
We had a miracle cat once, it does happen. Someone's going to have a good Christmas! :rolleyes: :) :bighug:
 
Glad we could help. And I'm glad your sweet kitteh is safe and sound. LD and Leo wanted me to convey the same wishes.
 

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He is indeed a cutie, what a great pic. May his life be long, and surrounded by fur-friends like his dog sister.
 
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