My Cat's Glucose Level Dropped 300 Points

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MurphsMom

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Hi Everyone! I'm new to the Forum. My cat, Murphy, who will be 11 years old this month was first diagnosed with Diabetes a year ago and after 6 to 7 weeks went into remission :-D. About 6 weeks ago the Diabetes came back. He started out on 1 unti twice a day, then 2 and is now on 3 units twice a day. I took him to the vet this aftenoon (about 5 hours after his Insulin) and his glucose level was 62. Murph's vet gave him some Karo Syrup to raise it, but then went on to tell me to keep up with the insulin, decreasing it to 2 units twice a day. Just a week ago his reading came back at 362 confused_cat . He hasn't been exhibiting any symptoms the last couple of days (drinking alot of water or urinating frequently) I think he is in remission again and I don't understand the vets reasoning with continuing with 2 units twice a day still. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!! Terry (MurphsMom)
 
Murphs sorry not a big help but if you put ADVICE or Dose in you subject line you will get more eyes to look in on you.I wound not give 2 units if he has low bg .Sending Angels Prayers and healing green light to help you and your boy . :mrgreen: Kath
 
What insulin is your Murphy on?
There really isn't much input I can give you without looking at some numbers and knowing what insulin.
When does he get his shots?
What food are you feeding Murphy?
are you home testing?
 
Murphy is on Lantus. I give him his morning insulin at 8:00 a.m. and his evening one at 8:00 p.m. Fortunately, I found good advice on this website regarding food and feed Murph only the Fancy Feasts that were listed that have no Wheat Glutin and are lowest in carbs. The only other thing I feed him is London Broil that I cook myself for him without any spices, just pure beef (This is his treat twice a day. I give it to him while I give him his Insulin shots). I understand that 4-6 hours after the morning insulin is when he would have his lowest reading???? And that at night before his second dose would be his highest reading????? When he had the reading of 62 today it was 5 hours after his morning dose. I don't monitor him at home - I take him to the vet for readings. Thanks so much for any advice you can offer. Terry(MurphsMom)
 
Without testing at home like human diabetics do, you are shooting blind. And the values your vet had may or may not be valid at home if vet stress increased blood glucose levels. So you need to learn to test at home...sounds scary but we can help!

Jen
 
I'm with Jen on this one...if Murphy have a BG reading of 62 at the vet's office, and I factor in at least some increase in the BG because of stress, then it seems possible Murphy may have dropped to hypo levels as soon as his stress was lessened. Of course, the only way to know if he is dropping that low (and if it was a one-time thing or something that is happening every day) is to home test him.

I wonder if someone lives near you that could help you get started with home testing? Also, if the problem is that Murphy just isn't going to let you (or anyone else!) mess with his ears - I have a cat like that! - then you can home test using a paw pad. It is important that you test, and less important whether you prick an ear or a paw pad.
 
MurphsMom said:
Murphy is on Lantus . . . I understand that 4-6 hours after the morning insulin is when he would have his lowest reading???? And that at night before his second dose would be his highest reading?????
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Although there are generalities about each insulin (and 5-6 hours post-shot is commonly quoted as the time when Lantus "peaks" -- i.e., gives you the lowest blood glucose levels), every cat is different and there's no way to know whether Murphy falls in the "typical" category.

For example, Charlie's lowest BG was frequently around 2 or 3 hours after his Lantus shot, whereas Chip's is often around +12 to +15.

To truly know how Murphy is responding to the Lantus, you need enough data that you can begin to see a pattern . . . and the most effective way to gather that data is to hometest. Why? Because you can easily take a reading any time of the day or night. Because those readings will show you Murphy's BG levels in his typical environment, with typical activity level, typical feeding and shot schedule, and so on. This is the data you want in order to make the best choices for your cat -- to make informed decisions about dosing.

Going to the vet clinic is an "event" for your cat, whether he shows it outwardly or not, and it can impact blood glucose values. Other than a few meows in the car, Chip is very non-plussed about going to the vet. However his BG can be 140 at home and over 300 a mere 15-30 minutes later at the clinic. I've learned not to make dosing decisions based on what we see at the clinic because the data is misleading. For Chip, it's artificially inflated.

I don't understand the vets reasoning with continuing with 2 units twice a day still.
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You might want to ask him. He's probably looking at the BG of 362 a week ago as showing a need for some insulin, but today's 62 as an indicator that the dose needs to be dropped. So he's tweeking the dose downward to see what happens. He's limited by the data he has, which appears to be not much, and so it's really a guessing game.

There are so many variables to consider, such as how long the cat has been on a certain dose (it typically takes several cycles to see the impact of a dose increase with Lantus), whether any shots have been missed, whether the shot times have been consistent, where the BG test falls within the cycle, how recently the cat ate, and so on.

You'll find plenty of information, help, and support around here. Please keep asking questions. It can seem confusing and overwhelming but we've all been where you are and it does get easier.

One question: Has your cat been on any type of steroids recently?
 
I don't feel like I'm qualified to give you advice, but I want you to know what I recently experienced. I took my diabetic cat to the vet because he was exhibiting signs of low blood sugar (lethargic, glassy eyed looking, etc). The vet did a fructose test on him (average of the past 3 weeks) and a regular test on him. I felt like I should lower the dose. The vet said no, to keep his dose the same because his readings were ok - 7 units 2 times a day. Even though I felt like I shouldn't give him that much insulin, I did that night because the vet said so. He had a seizure that night. When I took him to the vet the next morning, I told the vet again that I didn't think his insulin should be that high of a dose...the vet then told me to lower his dose to 3 units 2 times a day. So, why did it take my cat having a seizure for him to decide that??? So now I wonder, I may have been able to prevent my cat's seizure? He died just recently at almost 15 years old.

And just another vent of mine is my deceased cat was on Vetsulin. Not once was I told that they were going to discontinue using it. That was the insulin my cat was on when he died. I almost feel like if I hadn't put him on insulin, he would still be here with me.

I have so many regrets not expressing to my vet my concerns and how sometimes I didn't agree with his decisions (or maybe not understand them). So, if you feel like something is wrong, stand your ground...because if something happens to your baby, you will blame yourself and wonder "what if".
 
I would NOT take my cat to the vet for BG curve anymore. I was advised to put my cat down. After finding this page - I began home testing, learned as much as I could about insulin and changed his food to low carb Fancy Feast.- KHAN is SOOO much better, I AM BETTER> I know what to do in event of low BG before Hypo occurs.. High insulin given to a cat without home testing is hoping you can drive blind. sorry I'm so blunt but really noone would give a child or any other human insulin without knowing what the BG number is at..why do vets give permission to clients to do it to their pets?? I know why--many are not educated in home BG monitoring or want to fill their pockets with in clinic BG curves.. save your pet and save the money.. get a home BG monitor-- there are many to choose from..I bought mine from target (I was low on cash) I bought the strips $11 for 25 or $20 for 50 strips.. lancets to poke the ear or paw pad are cheap.. there is a video on here showing how to poke the cat's ear. Hopefully there is someone close to you that can help.. otherwise someone can help walk you through it over the phone. I was scared and very nervous but I did it to save my cat's life.. plus save money.. now my cat KHAN is out of the red.. please get a BG monitor asap and get back to us .. the insulin is high and the non-home testing could really result in a very bad outcome. purrs, meows and many cat hugs coming your way in support. :) :) :)
 
on a very positive note: I have been home testing for 6 wks now and switched my cat's food to Fancy Feast .. AND have switched the location on my cat's body where I give the injection (so more insulin is absorbed)..guess what?? this past week Khan's numbers are coming down! Without home testing I wouldn't of known.. I am praying he is going into remission. just think your cat DID go into remission.. lets get your cat BACK into remission asap.. get a home meter and let the experieced people here guide you (I am NOT experienced- I just know without the home monitoring and switching foods I would of had to deal with a very very bad outcome). :) :) :)
 
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