I found my diabetic cat for the second time in two weeks trying to shove herself in an impossibly small space. A week and a half ago she spent the night and the day at the vet when her blood sugar dropped to 40. Today I found her and her sugar was at 24. The vet said to feed her and watch her. It's been two hours and she's up to 71. Is this too fast? She's slightly more coherent, but she's panting and drooling on herself. Is it time to seek help or is she coming out of it?!
LOW blood sugar!
- Thread starter LGoddess
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laur+danny+horde
Active Member
Give some sugary syrup like real maple syrup or honey. Then offer some food, but not so much that the cat is full.
What kind of insulin? When was it last given? How much was given?
What kind of insulin? When was it last given? How much was given?
LynnLee + Mousie
Very Active Member
agree with Laur. I'd probably go ahead and give a dab of syrup just because she's still showing symptoms of hypo. if she seems like she's coming out of the symptoms shortly after that, you'll probably be fine on your own. if she continues to show symptoms though for much longer, i'd seek help myself. she may have been too low for an extended period of time, in which her body could have a hard time re-figuring how to moderate itself.
can she walk at all?
can she walk at all?
She's ate a lot more than usual. She's not drinking water. She is walking about. She's calmed down slightly from wandering around like she has no idea where she is and is lying under the window. Saliva is running down her tongue as she pants.
Her insulin is Prozinc. The vet switched her after her former kind's remaining supply was exhausted. She gained 4 lbs from the switch and it's been about 3-4 months since then.
Her insulin is Prozinc. The vet switched her after her former kind's remaining supply was exhausted. She gained 4 lbs from the switch and it's been about 3-4 months since then.
tuckers mom
Very Active Member
Have you retested her BG to see where she's at now?
How much ProZinc is she getting? You may need to lower that dose going forward.
How much ProZinc is she getting? You may need to lower that dose going forward.
laur+danny+horde
Active Member
Thanks for that info. It is very good that she is hungry. I am concerned about the continued drooling and panting though. Is it very warm in your house?
How much prozinc did you give her? When?
How much prozinc did you give her? When?
I've been testing it once an hour. I'll test her again in about 10-15 minutes.
She got 3cc of insulin around 9:30 this morning which is her usual time. She just meowed as she slowly got up and moved which I'm taking as a positive sign that she's beginning to come back to her senses.
She got 3cc of insulin around 9:30 this morning which is her usual time. She just meowed as she slowly got up and moved which I'm taking as a positive sign that she's beginning to come back to her senses.
laur+danny+horde
Active Member
Do you mean she got 3 units? A cc is very different than a unit, and that would mean a serious overdose. I know a lot of these terms can be unfamiliar.
Okay she's up to 87. She hopped onto the bed via the way of her "step up" box and gave some complaining meow/growls when I tested her blood. Okay, she just climbed next to the keyboard and is still panting. She's now walking around as if she's going to throw up and can't get settled the way she's moving from place to place every few seconds trying to rest.
laur+danny+horde
Active Member
Whew. Catch your breath. You have done great!!! You tested her, got her food, and called for help. Great job.
Just to be perfectly clear, do NOT give any more insulin tonight.
You will still need to keep a very close eye on your cat. I'm concerned since she's still having that panting, and of course the nausea is a potential problem. When a cat has gotten too much insulin, the effect can last a lot longer than it would normally. It is still possible she might need to see the vet. Just for planning purposes, how far away is your ER vet?
laur
Just to be perfectly clear, do NOT give any more insulin tonight.
You will still need to keep a very close eye on your cat. I'm concerned since she's still having that panting, and of course the nausea is a potential problem. When a cat has gotten too much insulin, the effect can last a lot longer than it would normally. It is still possible she might need to see the vet. Just for planning purposes, how far away is your ER vet?
laur
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Very Active Member
I agree, no insulin tonight and I recommend reducing the dose back to 1 unit. Since this has happened twice, I suspect that 3 units is too much insulin. I suggest that you drop the dose back to 1 unit and gradually increase it. You need to keep at the same dose for at least one week before you increase it in order to give his body time to adjust to the dose. Then if you need to increase it, only increase it by 1/2 unit.
Michele and Esse
Very Active Member
Just wanted to poke my head in and say good job on handling this so far. And most of us understand "three lines"...so don't worry about keeping it all straight right now.
I also agree no more insulin tonight.
We're all here, and as you've seen, willing to help out. Hang in there, you're doing well!
Best-
Michele
I also agree no more insulin tonight.
We're all here, and as you've seen, willing to help out. Hang in there, you're doing well!
Best-
Michele
Okay, she seems to be back to normal or at least feeling okay so I took off the icon. She's been calm and sleepy but alert when spoken to for a couple hours now.
Thank you so much for your help! I spent $700+ last week (since it was the first time seeing this), so its good to know what to do now.
Thank you so much for your help! I spent $700+ last week (since it was the first time seeing this), so its good to know what to do now.
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