Sonja - need insulin advice

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skotnjil

Member Since 2012
Hi guys,

My wife has posted here before - need some advice. Our cat Sonja (17 yrs) had a hypoglycemic shock/seizure back on Sunday 11/25. She came through, although her back legs are so weak & she hasn't been able to walk. After the fact it appeared our vet had overprescribed her insluin injections; but that's neither here nor there, nothing we can do about it now.

My question is, she's been resting, eating, drinking, peeing & pooping (with us supporting her, of course.) I stayed home today to be with her. She hasn't had ANY insulin since the incident; and I tested her BG this morning. It was 422. (On 11/26, it was 360. On 11/28 - the last test we did - it was 251.) She hasn't really wanted to eat the last day or two, although she has nibbled & we cooked her a filet (!) last night & she ate it up. The ER vet said it would be OK to start her insulin back up "in a few days"; but were are really paranoid about giving her some. I had already decided to run a curve on her today as I'll be home all day; if her number is 400+ here in an hour, should I give her a half-unit or 1 unit? Thanks.
 
With numbers that high, I think that she does need some insulin. Which insulin do you have? And when she was given insulin before, what kind and what dose?
Carl
 
We have Lantus. Her last dose was the night before the seizure (11/24) - she got 1.5 units @ 7:55pm, her BG was 141
 
I'd say she needs insulin, but I don't know how much. (My Maggie has been gone for over almost 5 years and she used Levemir.)

I do have a few questions that may help others give advice. Was she getting 1.5 units twice a day? Do you give the shots 12 hours apart? Do you test before shooting?
 
So she's had no insulin for about 2 weeks. I would think she would be fine with a half unit dose. See if she'll eat, and then a half-unit. For peace of mind, test again two hours later, but I think you're ok with this.
Let's see what others think.
Carl
 
I think, especially with the appetite issues, that she should only get 1/2 unit, but again let's see what others have to say. She does need some insulin to bring those numbers down. Have you been assist feeding her? Cats can no go very long without food, so I would try to get the calories in her.

Are you testing her for ketones? With her not wanting to eat, I would rule any ketone issues out. Please post back and let us know if she has ketones, as that may change the insulin dose advice given.
 
Thanks for all the advice so far. I gave her a 1/2 unit at 10:30, I am going to check her BG again at 12:30 (this is MST). Her last blood test shows NO ketones. One thing I noticed right off the bat was her coat has been getting pretty disheveled the last day or two, in the 90 mins since her injection, I could be wrong, but it looks smoother & softer. I will post back in half an hour after I check her levels again.

Thank you again for all the input!

Scott & Sonz
 
12:30 update:
BG: 332. So it's coming down, I am running a curve today so she'll probably get some more insulin this evening. She drank a bowl of milk; she gets lunch @ 1:30 so I'll see if her appetite is any better.
 
There is lactose in milk, a type of sugar. You might see if she likes Lactaid, where the sugar has been broken down some.
 
So @ 2:30 we had 282, 4:30 - 249. I can tell she's feeling better. I don't think we'll give her any more insulin unless she goes back over 300, and we'll start testing 2x day @ 6a & 6p like before.

REALLY appreciate everyone's input, it's a rough time in the Sonja household.
 
You'll get there. Once you can get on a longer acting insulin, you'll be able to get better control.

Until then, try to pick up the food about 8 hours after a shot or as close to it as you can if his glucose is OK as that's when the glucose should start goin and more food will just boost it up.
 
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