new diabetic cat mom. he won't eat

[tibbs5]

hi everyone. i am so worried. jusr brought Tibbs home after 4 days in i.c.u. at vet for first time diabetes diagnosis
he has eaten very little in 3 days and still won't eat any of his very favorite foods. i have tried everything. gave him insulin at 8pm. his number was 242. is it normal for them to have no appetite? i will check his glucose before 8am insulin dose but what do i do if he still won't eat anything? he was on i.v. for 4 days at the vet. i am so worried. please any help or advice would be great.thanks so much.
nay, Tibbs mom

 

[BJM]

First, what insulin and what dose?.
And its wonderful you are home testing. What meter is it?

1) Giving insulin allows the body to use the glucose that is circulating.

2) Look at how much he drops when both eating and getting insulin.

3) Take that info and go for the BCS dose (big chicken sh*t) of perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 the regular dose if you can monitor around the nadir(*) for his insulin. This will help you gauge what you need to do in the future if he won't eat. He needs the insulin to use up the glucose that is circulating AND lowering the glucose often provokes some hunger.

*
The nadir, or lowest glucose level between shots, for Lantus is +5 to +7 hours post-shot
The nadir for Levemir can be +7 to +9 hours or later, depending on the cat
The nadir for ProZinc tends to be in the +5 to +6 hour range, or later depending on the cat.

 

[tibbs5]

hi. thanks so much for the quick reply. i am using lantus, 2 units. my vet wants to start slow. last night he was at the vet and went from 290 at night down to 50 in the morning because he didn't eat anything. they did not give him his 8am dose. by 1pm he was back up to 280, then by 6pm down to 242. i gave him 2 units at 8pm tonight. i will check his levels b4 i give his 8am dose. is this normal for them not to eat? thank you so much for being up at this hour. tibbsy is sleeping right beside me & i have the karo and honey right here too. i am a nervous wreck but trying to be calm for him

 

[tibbs5]

oh and the meter is the walmart relion micro

 

[BJM]

I suspect 2 units was too much to start.

The formula to estimate the starting Lantus dose is:
How much does he weigh?
How much should he weigh?
Take the lower of those 2 numbers.
Convert to kilos if in pounds (divide by 2.2).
Multiply by 0.25.
Round down to nearest quarter unit (we often eyeball these).

 

[tibbs5]

he weighs 15lbs which is about average. he is a big tuxedo manx kitty. so rounding down, he should be at only 1.5 units. do you think i should get up and test him at +7 (3am) or wait until before his next dose at 8am?

 

[BJM]

Sorry - was asleep when you posted. The reason I think he is too high? We suggest you not shoot below 200 mg/dL until you have data to show it is safe. Being at 50 for a preshot suggests he could go dangerously, even fatally low.

[Incorrect assumptions removed by moderator]

Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

Examples of using the chart:

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)