Very high number this morning anyone around? | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Very high number this morning anyone around?

R

Robo & B

Member since 2025
Bub had his first black this morning- tested twice and exactly the same so think that's the highest my meter goes so he could have been higher still. His insulins now kicking in at +2 but I not sure how fast of a drop I want? I was meant to be going out but not leaving him now.

I'm also generally feeling very disheartened he doesn't seem to be getting better, I've been trying to order more of a specific food which was giving him better numbers but it's been out of supply at the only place I can order. I'm having to try to get low carb and also around 50% or less cals from fat because more seems to give pancreatitis symptoms. Also don't think he can have beef, so that's also banned. I've so much food satcked up that I can't feed him and non of the one I want.
 
I wonder if he dropped into a lower number last night and this is a reaction to that. If he stays higher all day then that is probably what happened.
 
What do you give him medication-wise for his pancreatitis? Do you give him fluids or any pain medication or anti-nausea medication?

I am with you. One of my cats was recently diagnosed with pancreatitis and I have been feeding him beef because of his Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Now, I don’t think that is good for either his IBD or his pancreatitis. I have spent so many hours looking for foods and so much money.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Well that is discouraging. I am sorry about that black. Do you think he is having a pancreatitis flare up?
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I think maybe? he's not doing queasy kitty loaf but he didn't really want breakfast this morning which isn't like him. I also gave him a v high fat food yesterday not realising I'd checked the can before not the tetrapak. He ate about 90 gs of it so could have triggered pancreatitis- I'll have a better idea when he poo's but need to wait for that to pass through.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I wonder if he dropped into a lower number last night and this is a reaction to that. If he stays higher all day then that is probably what happened.
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Yes I wondered that as well, but I'd ended up awake for most of the night before getting a couple of bs at the new dose (which were all yellow) and his +3 last night was a little higher that the night before so thought I was safe to get some sleep
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
What do you give him medication-wise for his pancreatitis? Do you give him fluids or any pain medication or anti-nausea medication?

I am with you. One of my cats was recently diagnosed with pancreatitis and I have been feeding him beef because of his Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Now, I don’t think that is good for either his IBD or his pancreatitis. I have spent so many hours looking for foods and so much money.
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Nothing at the moment - I have metacam but I forgot to check with the vet if he can still have it. I'm also really not sure if this is pancreatitis. It could be but he's always looked queasy in past cases and he doesn't today.

So much of the cat food I'm looking at with good numbers for everything else has beef. So frustrating. I guess the cat shelters will be doing well out of both of us.
 
I always read high bs numbers make cat's ravenous but is there an upper limit? Could how off his food he was this morning be because of the crazy high bs?
 
RoroB said:
I always read high bs numbers make cat's ravenous but is there an upper limit? Could how off his food he was this morning be because of the crazy high bs?
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Yes. In general that tends to be true (about being ravenous in higher BG numbers) but I have seen many cats who really feel poorly in blacks.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Is that correct on his spreadsheet that he has a 351 at +2 and same again at +3? 😞
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yes he hadn't shifted at all. I've also just pulled him off dry food that partner had left down and not shut the door. Today is a disaster.

But I had just had a big play with him and I really don't think this is pancreatitis- he's too happy and up for playing. He wouldn't be like this if it was his pancreas.

Maybe the big black made him feel dreadful, while his numbers aren't good now in himself he seems much better.

Also thankyou so much for being here, I'm sorry you are also dealing with poorly kitties. I know I don't say it enough but I really appreciate all your help 🥰
 
RoroB said:
yes he hadn't shifted at all. I've also just pulled him off dry food that partner had left down and not shut the door. Today is a disaster.

But I had just had a big play with him and I really don't think this is pancreatitis- he's too happy and up for playing. He wouldn't be like this if it was his pancreas.

Maybe the big black made him feel dreadful, while his numbers aren't good now in himself he seems much better.

Also thankyou so much for being here, I'm sorry you are also dealing with poorly kitties. I know I don't say it enough but I really appreciate all your help 🥰
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I think he may have had a lower number than he is accustomed to last night that is causing this bounce today…. But yes the dry food isn’t helping.

Not a total disaster if you played with him and he has energy!
 
Yes I'm also now thinking it must have been a low last night.

I think when I test at night it wakes him up and he then goes and eats. But if I don't test he sleeps right through and doesn't eat. I don't really know how to get around that. The testing is changing the variables
 
Pancreatitis hurts. I hope your kitty is getting Cenenia or Zofran, both of which help a lot. And this is something your cat should get daily for a good long while, not just when they're obviously in pain.

Something that helps as well, additionally, is Slippery Elm. You buy the powder and make a syrup. Search on it and you'll see how to do it. Very easy and very helpful.

But eliminating anything/everything that causes the pancreatitis in the first place is key. So novel proteins are a good start.

Best wishes for helping your kitty feel better ASAP!
 
Robo & B said:
Yes I'm also now thinking it must have been a low last night.

I think when I test at night it wakes him up and he then goes and eats. But if I don't test he sleeps right through and doesn't eat. I don't really know how to get around that. The testing is changing the variables
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He can eat at night. As long as it’s not two hours before his morning test.
 
Lara & Luciole (Lu) said:
Pancreatitis hurts. I hope your kitty is getting Cenenia or Zofran, both of which help a lot. And this is something your cat should get daily for a good long while, not just when they're obviously in pain.

Something that helps as well, additionally, is Slippery Elm. You buy the powder and make a syrup. Search on it and you'll see how to do it. Very easy and very helpful.

But eliminating anything/everything that causes the pancreatitis in the first place is key. So novel proteins are a good start.

Best wishes for helping your kitty feel better ASAP!
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I don't think it was pancreatitis now today thankfully, the only painkiller I've been given for him is metacam which I'm not sure he can have now. The vets want to repeat his bloods soonish so when I'm in for that I need to ask about painkillers

The eliminating all triggers is the difficult bit. He was showing no pancreatitis symptoms on his old diet but now with his diabetes dx I've had to completely change his food. I didn't know before this month that beef didn't agree with him because there wasn't enough of it in any of his previous foods to cause a problem. Also so many of the low carb foods get the majority of their calories from fat. I'm not even sure if it is the fat amount that's the problem or a specific ingredient/ protein.

So I'm struggling to find foods that meet all the criteria that he will actually eat and is reliably in stock. Also have other cats and completely separating them would be very stressful for Bub as they're his family.

Thankyou yes his BG is coming down now. Finally made it to yellow. And he felt much better this morning as soon as his insulin kicked in.
 
I have to admit that my pancreatitis cat has good days and bad days. On the days he wakes up and is eager to eat and seems to feel well, I don’t give him anything (except his Budesonide and Denamarin, Visbiome, potassium, and a few other supplements having nothing to do with pancreatitis.) On the days he doesn’t want to eat and is sluggish, he gets Ondansetron (Zofran) and a little Gabapentin. That usually perks him up and then he eats. Every cat is different though. I do have slippery elm bark, but usually have used that for constipation, diarrhea or acid tummy.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh, I also give him subcutaneous fluids when he’s is having pancreatitis flare up.
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See I've read this a lot on here and it has never even been mentioned by the vet to me. I don't know if this is partly because he does still willingly eat in a flare- just less and while looking queasy. He also doesn't throw up so possibly dehydration isn't as much of a worry.

All I was given on his first ( and only ) major pancreatitis flare was antibiotics ( because he had a raging fever) and metacam for pain/ anti- inflammatory. He had no more symptoms until changing his food for low carb. Since his diabetes dx he's had 2 separate days when I think he's had minor pancreatitis. One of which was when he had his bloods drawn and one was a few weeks after which was when I made the beef connection.
 
Robo & B said:
See I've read this a lot on here and it has never even been mentioned by the vet to me. I don't know if this is partly because he does still willingly eat in a flare- just less and while looking queasy. He also doesn't throw up so possibly dehydration isn't as much of a worry.

All I was given on his first ( and only ) major pancreatitis flare was antibiotics ( because he had a raging fever) and metacam for pain/ anti- inflammatory. He had no more symptoms until changing his food for low carb. Since his diabetes dx he's had 2 separate days when I think he's had minor pancreatitis. One of which was when he had his bloods drawn and one was a few weeks after which was when I made the beef connection.
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Maybe his pancreatitis was more acute than chronic then? We can hope!
 
I don’t like Metacam because of it being hard on cat’s kidneys, although in a low enough dose for a short period of time, it may be acceptable in a cat who has fully functional kidneys. Opinions on Metacam seem to be all over the place. In the U.S. there is a “black box warning” on Metacam that says:

Black Box Warning on Metacam​

Warning Details​

The black box warning on Metacam (meloxicam) states:

  • Repeated use of meloxicam in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death.
  • Do not administer additional injectable or oral meloxicam to cats.

Context​

  • Metacam is approved for a one-time injection in cats to manage postoperative pain and inflammation.
  • The oral form of Metacam is not approved for use in cats; it is only approved for dogs.
  • The warning highlights serious risks associated with extra-label use of meloxicam in cats, emphasizing the potential for severe adverse effects.
It’s a U.S. thing that our Food and Drug Administration puts on the box, but I know that in some countries they even use low dose Metacam for cats with kidney disease. It does make me afraid to use it for my cats though. I just try to avoid that risk.
 
Yes I know metacam is hard on kidneys, I think it seems to still be a go to here in the UK or maybe that's just the vets I'm with?

Yes after that initial bad case I had hoped it was acute. But he has since shown symptoms those 2 times and his blood work showed I was right with my suspicion that day. So I really don't know.
 
Sorry I should say a lot of what I'm saying about pancreatitis treatment from the vets is from experience with my other cat who has had multiple severe bouts of pancreatitis requiring lots of vet trips over the last 6 or 7 years. That cat refuses to eat, needs anti nausea injections ( always done at the vets) and is completely miserable and needs near force feeding for days.

We've asked the vets for better pain management before and they've said it's difficult with cats. I didn't actually know that there were better options.
 
Robo & B said:
We've asked the vets for better pain management before and they've said it's difficult with cats. I didn't actually know that there were better options.
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Here in the U.S., Gabapentin is ised quite a bit for pain. I use it in moderation because it really has a tendency to make cats wobbly at certain doses (depends a lot on the individual cat and also they can get accustomed to it.) A better option is Buprenorphine, which I can use at home, but it is a narcotic and therefore more tightly controlled. In the UK, perhaps they are not able to dispense this to clients. It’s a shame because it’s a very effective and safe pain medication. Honestly, I don’t see how I could abuse it. If I got some from my vet, it is such a small amount that I doubt it would do much for me! And then what happens when I go back to my vet the next day asking for more? Oh, we gave you enough to last a week and it’s gone? Or maybe they think you will sell it (again a very small amount.)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Here in the U.S., Gabapentin is ised quite a bit for pain. I use it in moderation because it really has a tendency to make cats wobbly at certain doses (depends a lot on the individual cat and also they can get accustomed to it.) A better option is Buprenorphine, which I can use at home, but it is a narcotic and therefore more tightly controlled. In the UK, perhaps they are not able to dispense this to clients. It’s a shame because it’s a very effective and safe pain medication. Honestly, I don’t see how I could abuse it. If I got some from my vet, it is such a small amount that I doubt it would do much for me! And then what happens when I go back to my vet the next day asking for more? Oh, we gave you enough to last a week and it’s gone? Or maybe they think you will sell it (again a very small amount.)
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A cat dose wouldn't even touch the sides would it! I'm really not sure though, we've ended up taking him in every day for his anti-nausea shots so they could have given it then if they can't send us home with it.

I think cats are so stoic about things in the vet office that vets sometimes think they aren't in pain, but we see it at home when they feel safe.
 
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