Rescue Glucose Shot?

[Philly loves his smokey]

Ok, so I have a syringe containing really concentrated sugar water in my fridge, just chillin! Lol, pun intended... So I was just wondering if anyone else does this? Wouldnt it be more effective than sugar water just squirted in the mouth to reverse severe hypoglycemia? Just give him a shot sub-q or IM if he ever goes hypo on me? That's my thinking at least... Anyone had to rescue a unconscious kittie? What were the circumstances and how did u do it? Etc.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

If the cat is unconscious, you can still rub Karo/syrup/honey on the gums (which absorb the sugars quickly to get into the bloodstream)

You can also use a syringe (without a needle of course) and put Karo/honey/syrup into the rectum (again, the lining of the rectum absorbs sugars quickly to get into the bloodstream as quickly as possible)

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

But, if you're home testing, there's no reason your cat should EVER get to that point unless there's a mistake made with dosing.

The reason we push so hard for home testing is to prevent situations like this. If you're home testing several times a day, you know what's going on inside your cats' body and can intervene early with some high carb food to prevent them ever getting that bad.

 

[Nan & Amber (GA)]

I would also be very hesitant to inject a syringe of a homemade solution-- it's unlikely to be sterile and could lead to a nasty infection down the road. The Karo/honey on the gums method is pretty fast, and safe-- I'd stick with that!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Injecting a sugar solution subQ or IM, even if sterile would mess up the local are because of the different concentration (osmolarity) than the surrounding tissue. Saline or LRS matches the tissue so those are OK to inject. One could inject a solution into a vein if sterile. Vets use dextrose in either saline or LRS going into a vein as the treatment for a hypo.

 

[Philly loves his smokey]

I do test him everyday, but he has acromegaly and the vet told me he could randomly get a insulin sensitivity and go catatonic and die. Also, my vet just switched to a different class of insulin so I'm concerned. I had it down to a science with novolin, now I'm having to re-learn how he reacts to his new insulin. And yes, home made isn't going to be sterile, but I figure if I ever need to use it, saving his life is most important, and a possible infection later can be dealt with. But I wasnt aware of the rectum method. I know of "plugging" things but didnt think about that ROA for my cat. Makes sense tho! Think I will make up a syringe without the needle for the gums or rectum. Attack from all angles and orifices! Lol. Its funny, but really not at the same time....

 

[Karen&Rocket]

But, if you're home testing, there's no reason your cat should EVER get to that point unless there's a mistake made with dosing.

The reason we push so hard for home testing is to prevent situations like this. If you're home testing several times a day, you know what's going on inside your cats' body and can intervene early with some high carb food to prevent them ever getting that bad.

Philly's kitty unfortunately is an Acro kitty like mine is (Philly, you should put that in your signature too, so your fellow forum members know and can adjust their advice). So still definitely home test, but know that as an acro cat, your blood sugar numbers might be more "all over the place" than those of a "normal" diabetic kitty.