Mild hypo scare... when are we out of the woods?

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Mary D

Mary D

Member Since 2018
Preshot tonight 170 - gave injection (had mixed feelings about it) and tested 3 hours later for no other reason than a hunch (his behavior was fine). BG was 60, so I fed dry and wet food mixed and re-tested 1/2 hour later... BG climbed to 76. I'm about to test again now (full hour later) and I'm hoping for better results. My question is, how do I know when I'm out of the woods for tonight? I'm afraid to go to sleep lest something happens.

Background: My cat Rusty was diagnosed in late April. My vet gave instructions for insulin use and started us at 1 unit of Humulin N every 12 hours. A week later I brought him back in for a test and we were upped to 2 units. Since then I've been experimenting with different kinds of low-carb foods, but my guy really hates pate and it's a struggle to get him to eat an entire can. On the recommendation of a group I follow on Facebook, I started home testing. I caught a low tonight and am working to fix it. Not opposed to taking him to the 24 hour vet if needed, but it's crazy expensive and I would like to avoid having to do that if he does not appear to be in danger. I'm going to follow up with my vet as soon as I can to discuss all of this; I just need to make sure he's safe tonight. Advice welcome.
 
Mary Donnelly said:
My question is, how do I know when I'm out of the woods for tonight? I'm afraid to go to sleep lest something happens.
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Welcome to the FDMB!!...The best place you never wanted to be!! Glad you came over from the Facebook group!

If he's still going up for 2 hours from the last time you had to feed anything high carb, it's probably safe for you to relax.

Any time we have to intervene with high carb food, you test for the next hour (every 20-30 minutes) and then test one more time an hour later (so you test for 2 hours)

IF they drop below 68 again (on a pet meter), that 2 hour clock starts over
 
Ok this is super helpful. He's now at 108 an hour past the 60 that I caught. I'll test an hour from now and hope for the best. The poor cat's ears look like a pin cushion!
 
As we said on the FB group, Humulin isn't really a great insulin for cats. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are all longer lasting and more gentle.

Because of the way Humulin works, we don't suggest giving it if they're under 250 unless you have a lot of data on your cat and really understand how they respond to both the insulin and food

From the "Beginners Guide to Novolin"

Generally speaking, for newcomers to N/NPH it’s recommended that no insulin is given if the BG is below 250 [13.8] on a human glucose meter. And you may wish to use a slightly higher ‘no shoot’ number such as 300 mg/dL [16.6 mmol/L] in certain circumstances. (See ‘Blood Glucose Reference Information’ further down the page).

If you’re using a pet meter, such as Alphatrak 2, be aware that these usually give slightly higher readings than human meters, so you may wish to have a slightly higher ‘no shoot’ number.
There is no general formula for converting human meter numbers into pet meter numbers (or vice versa). You are therefore encouraged to perform your own side-by-side comparisons with a human glucose meter, and/or to consult your vet for information about the specifics of your particular meter.
 
Thank you - I just posted to the local moms group on Facebook to see if someone else in the area has a diabetic pet and a vet to recommend. I love mine and I've been with them for years, but after all of the reading I've been doing on these boards and on the FB group, I feel like I've been getting some bad advice.
 
Well the sad truth is that vets only get 5 hours of education on diabetes while they're in school...and that covers all types of animals!!

Unless your vet has a particular interest in feline diabetes, they just don't have the time to stay up to date on the latest research for treatment. If a vet tried to stay up to date on every disease in every type of animal they see, they'd never have time to see any real patients!!

Also, most vets see a lot more diabetic dogs than cats and can tend to treat their feline clients like small dogs. I have a feeling this is your vet since Humulin is a good insulin for dogs.

The important thing is to find a vet willing to give you a script for one of the better insulins. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins available at any pharmacy (but most of us buy it from Canada due to the price). ProZinc is a veterinary only insulin for cats so has to be purchased from your vet or a vet supply place.

The people here have more experience dealing with this disease than any vet because we live it 24/7/365. My own cat hasn't been back to the vet for her diabetes in the 5+ years she's been diagnosed. I learned what I know from the people here who came before me (but I'm also a firm believer in learning from "real life" over books). The people here also have time to stay up to date on the latest treatments.

IF your vet is willing to learn along with you, that's the best of both worlds
 
Thank you! Great feedback. I just tested Rusty's BG one last time tonight... he's up to 170, so I'm going to try to relax and get some sleep. I'll skip his injection tomorrow and call the vet when I can to discuss how to move forward with the injections.
 
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