Newbie: Has anyone tried sub-cutaneous fluids for high #s

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Tigger's Friend

Tigger's Friend

Member Since 2013
I'm in-between glipizide & insulin for tigger - we're supposed to start insulin Saturday AM.

I'm monitoring his blood glucose & its so far at 273 (2 hours 2.5 hours past when he would've had glipizide)

His urine is showing 3+ glucose, with no ketones (I don't have a great way of testing tho - I test the clay cakes from the night before)

Would sub-q fluids help at all? Has anyone tried this????

Am worried - his readings have been consistently in this range, & he's acting normal, so if it doesn't go higher maybe we'll be ok. nailbite_smile Am trying not to freak out in advance.
 
Re: Newbie: Has anyone tried sub-cutaneous fluids for high

fluids can indeed lower bg levels but in my 7 years here i don't think i've seen someone intentionally use them for that purpose specifically.

also, does he get them for other medical conditions, like kidney disease? i ask because they can also cause other problems if given to a cat with problems like heart issues, etc......so if he's got other conditions or hasn't been prescribed the fluids before, it could be bad to just give him some

fwiw, exercise can also lower bg levels so maybe get out a toy and get him to playing?
 
Re: Newbie: Has anyone tried sub-cutaneous fluids for high

Hi,

I've not given sub-Q fluids but have intentionally increased the water content of my cat's diet to try to reduce his blood glucose levels on occasion.

When his blood glucose numbers were really high a few years ago I made 'chicken soup' (stock from chicken legs/thighs simmered in water for an hour) and froze that in ice cube trays. I gave him this, warmed, to drink when his blood glucose was very high, and also thawed out some cubes to add to his food. I can honestly say that this did seem to reduce the glucose in his system. (But that probably makes sense when you think about it, because it's like adding more water to sugar syrup to dilute it.... :roll: )

Now, I have a water fountain for my cats to drink from, and this has made a huge difference to the amount they drink. If you don't have a water fountain I'd suggest you get one. I've been amazed at the difference in my cats' drinking levels...

Eliz
 
Re: Newbie: Has anyone tried sub-cutaneous fluids for high

As Cindy said, subqs often reduce sugars but I too would not intentionally give them as she noted.

I am not an expert, but read up on subqs when my Tucker had low potassium. One thing I saw was that too much subqs can cause problems for his potassium levels. It's not something I would fool around with. Home testing, proper diet and insulin will do wonders for your kitty.

If you check out this site for cats with kidney disease you'll see the section when to use subq fluids.
http://www.felinecrf.org/subcutaneous_fluids.htm

In part it reads: Processing sub-Qs in itself places an additional workload on the kidneys, plus it can flush out certain nutrients, reduce potassium levels and raise sodium levels. In Staged management of chronic kidney disease in dogs and cats (2009), a Presentation to the 34th World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress, Dr David Polzin states "Because recent evidence suggests excessive sodium intake may harm the kidneys, recommendations for long-term sodium administration in any form should be carefully considered."
 
Re: Newbie: Has anyone tried sub-cutaneous fluids for high

Thanks! I understand about sub-q, the diabetes is so new, I don't know exactly when I'm in an emergency, especially with no insulin.

Just got a water fountain set up for them - we'll see what they think.......

Chicken ice cubes sounds great - will also look at tuna, & we got toys, too - all good ideas I hadn't thought of. I'll also dilute Tigger's food as much as possible, which I normally do. Without any kibble in it, tho' he's not as excited about the 'gruel'.

New number at 2pm was 205 - whew! So far so good, next test is at 5PM - that will be 9 hours off the glip. Tigger is still acting normal.

Thanks again for your input - it really helps to ground someone who's spinning!
 
Re: Newbie: Has anyone tried sub-cutaneous fluids for high

Hi Tigger's Friend,

Ask away. There should be someone here that can help with an answer.

There is so much to learn about diabetes, it can be overwhelming. Take some time for yourself, take deep breaths, relax and go do something for yourself.

Would you please provide us with some more information and put this in your user control panel? It helps us to help you better.

Go to the upper left corner of your screen and click on the words, User Control Panel
On the next screen, a row of tabs is presented. Select the Profile tab
On the next screen, there are a number of choices along the left hand side. Select Edit Profile.
Go down to the location field and enter your country, state/province, and city if you are willing to share that info.
Click on submit to save this change.

Still in the User Control Panel, Profile tab, this time select Edit Signature from the left hand list of options.
A free form text box appears.
We like to see information like your name, your cats name age and sex, the diagnosis date for the diabetes (DX 4/30/13), what meter you are using for testing, what insulin you are using (you don't know yet), what you are feeding (wet or dry, what brands/style of food), any complicating health issues your cat may have, any additional medications your cat is receiving.

Click on submit to save this information. Now, this will appear at the end of every post you make. You can update the info when you need to.

Think of this as having some very useful information at our finger tips for those that are replying to your posts.

Would you please do those updates when you get a chance? Thanks.
 
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