Hi, I have an 18 year old cat who has Kidney Disease and diabetes. You would never know either of this, she runs around, eats well, up and down stairs etc. We started her on Glargine this past July after she quickly started to deteriorate and was diagnosed with diabetes. At the time she got 1 unit every 12 hours. For diet she is on Kidney Care diet, wet, twice a day. About 2 months ago the vet felt she was in remission so we stopped all insulin, 3 weeks later she was lethargic and losing weight so she was re-checked and her insulin was over 600. She started us back on with 2 units this time. Since then we have been unable to stabilize her, and she has had a constant monitor (libre) on.
The issue we have is that about 5 hours or so after injection her blood sugar drops to around 50, then after dinner she starts to crawl back up, sometimes hitting above 300. We reduced her down to 1 unit every 12 hours on our own, and past few days she is steady between 300-80, with one or two dips to 50. After one of the dips she had really bad diarrhea but bounced back up with a snack.
My vet says to not give insulin if she is 120 or under. Often when we feed her she is around 150, so we do the dose only to have her drop again 5 hours later. When she gets below 70 we have been giving a few treats. We are struggling with the close monitoring, having to do midday feedings, only giving a shot if she is above a certain range - it is difficult on us to manage and she has had a continual GCM on which she hates. We know she needs insulin to some degree, but stuggling to find the right dose, etc. to keep her stable but not too low. The vet seems to not know what to do, wondering if others here have had trouble with an insulin sensitive cat and any suggestions on things I can do differently? For the most part she is happy and healthy, eats well and still plays and gets up and down stairs no problem, but we are now in constant fear watching her.
The issue we have is that about 5 hours or so after injection her blood sugar drops to around 50, then after dinner she starts to crawl back up, sometimes hitting above 300. We reduced her down to 1 unit every 12 hours on our own, and past few days she is steady between 300-80, with one or two dips to 50. After one of the dips she had really bad diarrhea but bounced back up with a snack.
My vet says to not give insulin if she is 120 or under. Often when we feed her she is around 150, so we do the dose only to have her drop again 5 hours later. When she gets below 70 we have been giving a few treats. We are struggling with the close monitoring, having to do midday feedings, only giving a shot if she is above a certain range - it is difficult on us to manage and she has had a continual GCM on which she hates. We know she needs insulin to some degree, but stuggling to find the right dose, etc. to keep her stable but not too low. The vet seems to not know what to do, wondering if others here have had trouble with an insulin sensitive cat and any suggestions on things I can do differently? For the most part she is happy and healthy, eats well and still plays and gets up and down stairs no problem, but we are now in constant fear watching her.
