Is this Hypo?

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Cotton's Kate

Cotton's Kate

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Okay, let me start by saying Cotton has a myriad of other health problems at the moment. Hyper-t, infected mouth and bronchitis.

DH just gave him his first dose of Lantus (2 IU) (we switched today - he's been on Caninsulin with no effect) and about 30 minutes later, Cotton was acting really low key, kind of limp and not responding well. Not the first time it's happenned, but the first time it's happened so close to an insulin dose. I gave him some honey and tried to feed him, but he's having nothing of the food - got up walked a few feet away and lay down flicking his tail at me.

Does this sound like a hypo to anyone or is it just Cotton?
 
Okay. Nevermind. I don't think he's hypo...
a) I don't think 2 units of Lantus could drop him from a regular BG of around 30 mmol/L to hypo range
b) I just spent the last 10 minutes keeping an eye on him and all I got was a few annoyed tail flicks and a sligh glare as he stretched out to doze off.
c) he has absolutely zero interest in food. In fact, he fought the heck out of the syringe and spat half to food back out, so he's definately not hungry.

Sorry for the panic. :oops:
 
weeble said:
Did you test him?
Click to expand...

No...unfortunately we havent' managed to start home testing yet. I've meant to since Friday, but with all his other meds, I've not managed to go out and find a meter.
 
I agree with Amanda, in asking if you have tested his blood glucose? Dozing off and not wanting food could indicate that he is going into a hypo.

I definitely would keep him awake, and check his blood glucose. 2 units sounds high if you are just starting out on Lantus.

Jean and Charcoal (GA)
 
Giving insulin without testing can be really scary. You have no way of knowing by the symptoms you described if he's hypo or just giving you an attitude. My Mom's cat went into a hypo on his first dose of Lantus. It's strong stuff.
My two cents:
Get a meter and strips as soon as possible
Start testing. If you have problems testing post. We've all been there.
Until you can test you have no idea what's going on.
If my mother followed her (dumb) vet's advice, (give Lantus, don't test) she would have killed her cat. This board saved him and now he's OTJ too.
Sorry to alarm you, but testing is crucial.
The good news is that the Lantus group on this board is TOP notch. No better help is available anywhere for a Lantus user.
 
He may be perfectly fine, he may not. I don't know where you are, but the first meter I bought was a $20 store brand from CVS that came with 10 sample strips and a lancet pen. We can walk you through it and there are many links with video and pictures on the site. It's pretty easy to do. My cat, who's pretty sassy, doesn't seem to notice much and I still suck at it.

Which is to say, it's better to go through the hassle of getting a meter and pricking your cat's ear and knowing what's going on, than it is sitting up all night staring at your cat and russling them awake every 15 minutes to see if they're still conscious (as you can see, I spent a lot of time in the beginning not testing).
 
it doesn't sound hypo like to me. that and it's too close to the shot. lantus will take at least a couple hours to work anddddd, you generally have to give it a few times for it to really start making that much of a difference. so given that it was the first dose of lantus and only 30 minutes after it was given, it sounds to me like he's just throwing you a 'tude. :-)

one thing in case you hadn't seen it yet, if i remember correctly some kitties will feel a little sting from cold lantus. if he does the same thing after a couple doses, or for that matter you might want to do it anyway, hold the syringe in your hand for a minute or so after you draw up the dose. i hold my fingers right over where the insulin is, and that will warm it just a little bit. sometimes that's enough to make a difference.

keep an eye on him maybe for a couple hours and if you see anything else out of the norm, react. or post here again and ask :)

p.s. you can probably go ahead and remove the 911 icon for now. add it back though if something comes up k
 
Okay...nothing like stress and lack of sleep to teach you quickly...and I only wrecked one test strip before i got it...at least Cotton was pretty good about it. Sigh.

We do not have Hypo...according to my meter, if he was human, we'd need to be getting some medical attention right now because it's higher than 28...It's just flshing "HI" at me and I haven't figured out how to change that setting yet. So, he's still high, but we knew that since he was given the Lantus because his numbers stayed above 30 on everything else so far. At least we can sleep knowing he's not hypo on us.

Ah well, I was planning on getting one anyway, at least now I can check him regularly. Thanks for the kick in the pants to go and get the meter. I do actually feel better. :smile:
 
kate i would be happy to send you out a free newbie kit but this sounds like a more urgent situation. would you get a meter asap. a cheapie, with cheap strips and some cheap lancets to poke with.
later if you want the whole kit i'll send you one.
this is nothing to play around with...it can be very serious and you will never ever be able to control your cats diabetes without one.
i am going to link you up with a video that shows how easy, even fun, it is.
brb.
 
lori and tom said:
kate i would be happy to send you out a free newbie kit but this sounds like a more urgent situation. would you get a meter asap. a cheapie, with cheap strips and some cheap lancets to poke with.
Click to expand...

Hi Lori
Thanks for the offer. I might still take you up on it. The whole batch (meter, 100 strips and lancets cost me $80...I don't know if that's good or bad, but all night pharmacies make you pay for the convenience) I'm in Ontario - just outside of Toronto.

Thanks to everyone for putting up with my panic...I really need to get him regulated and get some sleep. :oops:
 
Nothing like a little paranoia to get you over the first-test hump, though. And now you've got the meter in hand and can sleep through the night. Don't worry about "panicking"--and it wasn't a panic--you were concerned and that's what this board is for. Nobody cares. Better safe than sorry.

Speaking of which--most people start out at 1 unit and work their way up. Not a pro by any means, but if you are nervous, as I was, you may be more comfortable with that. I'd throw it out there and see what more knowledgable people have to say.
 
good news.

and when that darn thing says HI at you, just smile big and wave at it. :lol: That's what I used to do. and sometimes I'd say Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii sarcastically back at it. LOL!!

don't worry about the numbers just super yet. like i said, lantus needs to build up for a couple few days for it to really start doing it's job. and with his other problems right now, i.e. infected mouth, he's liable to have higher numbers than a lot of people get at first.

now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
 
Cindy + Mousie said:
it doesn't sound hypo like to me. that and it's too close to the shot. lantus will take at least a couple hours to work anddddd, you generally have to give it a few times for it to really start making that much of a difference. so given that it was the first dose of lantus and only 30 minutes after it was given, it sounds to me like he's just throwing you a 'tude. :-)

one thing in case you hadn't seen it yet, if i remember correctly some kitties will feel a little sting from cold lantus. if he does the same thing after a couple doses, or for that matter you might want to do it anyway, hold the syringe in your hand for a minute or so after you draw up the dose. i hold my fingers right over where the insulin is, and that will warm it just a little bit. sometimes that's enough to make a difference.

keep an eye on him maybe for a couple hours and if you see anything else out of the norm, react. or post here again and ask :)

p.s. you can probably go ahead and remove the 911 icon for now. add it back though if something comes up k
Click to expand...
Cindy is right, the first few shots of Lantus can sting. Not only is it cold, but its now starting to build its shed. I also agree that this doesn't sound like a hypo...just a PO'd kitty (which beats the daylights out of a hypo-kitty all the time!).
 
I'm coming on here late and see that you have things under control - good advice already given - and am so glad you got the meter and started the testing. The one thing I never do is give Dude any insulin without a test - and of course if he acts any different I always test him between shots.

Sounds like you're doing just great - he wouldn't have gone hypo so soon after his first shot - takes awhile for that to get into his system - but from now on when he's regularly getting them, if he's low at shot time it could happen a little quicker.

Welcome to the board - stay in touch and let us know how you're both doing.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)
 
Hi Kate,

So glad that Cotton is not hypo-ing. I was just concerned when you said this was the first time you gave him Lantus. See warning below about 'possible' side effects of first time use in cats:

Although Lantus is generally regarded as safe and well-tolerated by most cats, some side effects have been associated with the drug, such as:

•Skin irritation or thickening at injection site.
•Signs of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, like shaking, cool or pale skin and anxious behavior.
Signs of allergic reactions to Lantus, like hives, breathing difficulties, facial, tongue or lip swelling, may require prompt medical attention and should be reported immediately.

Read more: Regulating Feline Diabetes with Lantus: Glargine Insulin for Cats http://www.vetinfo.com/regulating-felin ... antus.html

It has been well over a year since I had my cat on Lantus, and he died last March of 2009. He had other health issues too like your Cotton. His mouth abscesses being the worst.

Hope you will be able to get Cotton under control to especially get his mouth taken care of.

It is amazing how badly those teeth and infection in mouths can cause high numbers. Recently I had two infected teeth and was checking my own blood glucose and my numbers were high (I am not diabetic, but was afraid I was due to the high numbers). Once I had my teeth removed on Sept. 1st, three weeks ago today, my numbers dropped back to normal.

Take care!
Jean and Charcoal (GA)
 
Thanks again, everyone. :smile:

we tested again this morning and his BG was still "HI" (I really have to sit down and finish reading the manual) so at least I didn't have to worry about giving his shot.

He seems a bit more with it this morning. He reacts a bit better and definately gave me some attitude during the last few bites of breakfast.

Thank you for the symptom list, Jean, but thankfully it doesn't seem to fit him. I've been doing most of the insulin lately and I think DH was just suprised by actually watching Cotton for that long. He wobbles when he walks, but he's done that for almost 2 weeks now - it's actually getting a bit better and I've asked the vet about something to help neuropathy.

Weird newbie question: Are the 100 needles for Lantus really that much easier to get into the cat than the 40s from the Caninsulin, or is that just my imagination?
 
in my experience, yes they are much easier. hold one of each up to the light and look at the needle part. the u40 will most likely look huge compared to the u100, especially if you have 31 gauge u100's :-)
 
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