update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/shot

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Martica and Fred

Member Since 2010
Hi
I've also posted this on the main board to get general feedback;

It's been a long time since I posted about Shane, the DKA kitty i rescued from the NYC animal shelter. Just to recap in case you forgot- He went straight from the kill shelter to the vet and was there for 10 days. The vet brought him out of DKA but then proceeded to nearly kill him with overdosing on insulin, first PZI, then Lantus. I asked him to start with .5 unit Lantus and within 3 days he had jacked it up to 2.5 units. They were NOT doing curves at the vet (to my shock and surprise later) and they were only doing one daytime nadir. So basically they were missing what I think were the repeated hypos they were sending him in that would then cause a rebound at the next shot and lead them to jack up the dose even more. During one of my visits I realized that not only were they increasing his dose tremendously, they were not doing curves, he was alone all night and they were purposely ONLY feeding him at shot time, so when he was in hypo--especially all alone at night he was in a tragic place--and reboudning to HI at the next PS. I took him out--and was made to sign a waiver saying I was doing so against medical advice (!!!!!!!) and ONE HOUR after I brought him home he was hypo--39--from the 2.5 units of Lantus they had given him that morning. arrrrghhh..

Anyway, that was 4 weeks ago. As you can see from my chart. I tried a couple of days at 0.75 and 0.5 U and then have settled into 0.25units for the past 3ish weeks. He seems to be having a flat curve and has been staying in the 100s and 200s. The past 10 days or so I have not have anytime to do curves so I was just leaving it at PS numbers. He has been eating a lot, healthy, all low carb canned and is gaining some muscle, my guess is he's gainined one pound, maybe even 2.He was 6ish when I brought him home.

He's peeing, playing, purring and pooping (although He STILL has diarrhea). Fortiflora helps but he's been on it one month now and it's not gone away. I see no white tapework thingies but I guess I'm going to have to test for something else. Overall he seems healthy and doing GREAT. He's playing and bullying my cats and snuggly with me.

However, one hiccup. The past few days he has started to not only growl when I give him the shot (once he even bit and attacked me a bit), but he is now refusing the ear tests. The past 2 days I finally had to wrap him up in a towel to do the ear tests. Prior to that, he'd jump on the bed and have no problem whatsoever with them. Now he definitely avoids them.

So I sort of decided that this kitty knows his body better than I do and for some reason he is telling me that he doesn't want them and don't do them. AT the beginning he really growled when I pulled his skin up for the shot--not the shot itself--just getting ready to do it. I sort of figured that this was a bad memory from the vet--that shot was making him hypo and Somogyi every single time and he knew it was bad news. But then he was fine for a couple of weeks with the shots--but now he's started growling again. I have a teeny BD 31 gauge needle and I angle it so the hole part faces up so it's not the pain...

so anyway, I decided yesterday that I would just not give him the shot. I did manage to do some ear tests as you'll see on my chart and he has basically stayed in the low 200s for the past 36 hours, all the while eating plenty and like normal.

I'm not sure what this means. Is this the leftover shed doing its thing, or is his own insulin kicking in here? I fully realize that he is still a bit too high, but I also feel like I should heed his warnings. His dose has been SOOOOOO low...last one was LESS than 0.25 if that is even possible, a few drops. I'm wondering should I just give him a shot every couple of days? Not sure how to handle this, but he def. is not wanting the ear test or the shot and I'm thinking I should listen to what he's telling me--especially as he was ok with it before....

anyway ideas? (Also, I call him Sebastian now (or shane sebastian))

thank you!
Martica
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

Hi Martica,

There is only one way to know for sure what is going on, and that is to get some mid-cycle tests when you are shooting. He is still hanging out in diabetic numbers, so it appears that he needs insulin. It's impossible to tell whether 0.25u was too much, too little, or just right (well, probably not just right since a well regulated cat would not have been living in the upper 200s). If he were my cat, I would not let him hang out over 200 for very long. I would resume insulin and test to see what's up.
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

My thoughts were similar to Libby's. If Shane/Sebastian is not being agreeable with shots, I'm wondering where his mid-cycle numbers are. It's certainly possible that he's dropping lower than you think at nadir. Like Libby, I'd really encourage you to go back to getting some spot checks so you know what you're dealing with and can proceed accordingly.
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

Hi, Martica!

stopping by to plead with Shane/Sebastion to be more cooperative with you!

celi & binks
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

Ha ha, thanks Celi!

It's now +42 and he's just 237...rising teeny bits but nothing drastic, and he's eating like normal. Just don't know what to make of it. If he hits 300 I'll shoot or thereabouts...and then maybe I'll just delay his shots to once a day or less. And yes, I will start doing more curves, Very very weird. He just now let me test his ear, which is a good sign, he didn't try to move away or anything. I know he's not regulated but this is just odd. OK, well thanks for the feedback and I"ll keep reporting back.
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

usually Lantus cats show little or no action until they hit a good dose. It looks like the insulin is doing nothing, increase after increase, until one day all of a sudden there are much lower numbers. The thing is, you don't know if Sebastian is going 250 at PS - 250 at nadir - 250 at PS, or if he is going 250 at PS - 40 at nadir - 250 at PS. Big difference! If it is the former then he needs more insulin, if it's the latter then he needs less insulin.

The more time you let him spend in higher numbers, the longer it will take to bring the numbers back down when you start shooting again.
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

Just a suggestion from one whose cat had to be urine tested for months because of her wild behavior when I tried to test, and shoot! First, Dont show him the syringe, strips, the meter,lancing device, or anything that remotely reminds him of tests or shots, other than being in that area where you do it--
Always offer a treat, freeze dried chicken, small bits of real chicken, or whatever high protein treat you have on hand--You can usually test and shoot while they are preoccupied eating!
I use the small sharp syringes too, & you need to be faster, and try to approach him with the needle & test stuff from behind him...He's not afraid of what he cannot see..
Also, It isnt safe to keep him off insulin, it will only increase his numbers..My Moonie is back in the yellows as she cannot hold a little lowered dose I gave her recently, so I will resume reg 0.5 tomorrow--
Of course you know that more tests give you more information about where he is headed..

Listen to someone whose cat tried to rule me with this illness, instead of me taking control of it,
Dont let him make you feel guilty for trying to help him & make him better--
I know how frustrating they can be!! You are a devoted bean. Hope these tips will maybe make it easier!
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

I wonder if there is a low carb sensitive stomach food. Henry has diarrhea (shelter cat) trying to change him onto anything but Science Diet shelter food. We switched him to the D/D duck and pea and he only gets diarrhea with contraband - even a tiny lick. I just got him d/d to syringe feed him and can find out the carb content tomorrow.

Is he in pain? or does he have a history of pancreatitis?

I adopted a diabetic cat doing reaaly bad at a shelter on 2 units of humalin N twice daily and not eating. Every test from the day I brought him home has been 50 or right about 50. He hasnt had a drop since. He's lucky to be alive as is your liitle guy. Thank you for caring.
 
Re: update on Shane/Sebastian--also need help-refuses tests/

Well Shane reached 274 at +46.5 so I gave him a reduced 0.25 (0.2?) and now at +8 he is 261. I'm ok with 200s for now and will just keep checking nadirs, etc. and then possibly increase depending...he is eating a lot and seems to always want food. I think that may be a psychological reaction to being starved before both as a vet and in his former life either as an untreated diabetic or stray, whatever he was.

Thanks Karrie, well someone was telling me that some bad dried food could help the constipation, but not sure I want to risk that. I do have dried low carb but not sure I want to get him hooked on that and not sure it will really work anyway. Maybe he has some sort of parasite, he is gaining a bit of weight now, though...I have no idea what his history is, what are the signs of pancreatitis in blood work? The fortiflora box said to give it for 4 weeks which I have now and it helps somewhat but the problem is not solved. So I'm going to have to investigate the parasite situation.

LIbby, well, I was not increasing his doses at all. I had decreased and held steady at 0.25 for over 2 weeks. When I had increased him to 0.5 and 0.75 I was getting numbers that were too low. But then this amount seemed to be giving a very flat curve when I was doing the curves, so seemed safer. Anyway, now I'm back to testing more and I'm thinking that I may not keep him on a 12/12 schedule because something is going on with him...and he hasn't had high numbers except when the vet was overdosing him, so I know he's doing well overall here, although not off the juice yet. Anyway, I guess I"ll be able to tell more with the numbers.

Roni, thanks for those tips. Yes, he definitely sees the syringe in my hand and knows what it is. Problem is, I do get him from the back, usually when he's eating, and I'll pet hm and he's fine but then he looks over and sees the syringe, or just feels me pull his fur up and he growls. I have not been giving him treats, just kisses. The problem is, when I pull out the treats, my other cats come racing over and it's a big ruckus. But I will try to hide a few or something. He's been ok with the ear the past few times and I did manage to give him a shot last night.
 
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