GA Very Low BG Update: Pink numbers last night- swaying this morning- now loosing balance again

Hey everyone, I was hoping to give a better update on this but lets start with the good:

As I had said in this post Merlin had not eaten much in the morning and a little bit more by noon, but he had been standing and walking around par my roommates report. So I took the advice to add a little parmesan and he did eat a bit more now of his wet food. So I might add it in the morning tomorrow too.

However, he loss his balance again. I noticed it happened both times after i lowered him from my bed, both time to take his BG. When I set him down now in the after noon he basically fell over, almost face first. He looked disoriented and lost and didn't seem to be responding much. After a moment he was a bit more stable, smelled his food and started eating. Now he is there next to his food (he ate about half) and just kind of there. He is more responsive and doest look as disoriented. Could it have been the change in height? I'll check his BG numbers again later and let you guys know what his status is.

Thanks to everyone really, it helps so much to be able to talk to people with more experience in this.

 

I’m glad the Parmesan cheese trick worked. But I am very puzzled over how He is getting dizzy, I do not think it would have anything to do with height because cats prefer high places rather than lower position

 

If he has a ear infection, that could cause this to happen.
The face plant is what’s throwing me off the most.

 

I really don't know how else to describe the kind of movement he does he just suddenly was completely out of it. Really I am like looking for a common thread and was like I don't know maybe the height of the bed affected him or something (not that it's that high but grasping here).

That's really what got me now. Like this morning he like plopped to the side but now I set him down in front of his plate and he just fell forward. I grabbed him quickly and was trying to clean his face and he was rather limp in the sense that he seemed to not be reacting to me touching him or anything (unlike now where he reacts to sounds and if i touch his paw or body in general). Honestly that face forward fall was what unnerved me the most. Trying to remain calm tho.

 

Please check his BG immediately. Those symptoms could be hypoglycemia. It might not be but that is the first thing to check when Merlin is acting off in any way. Please post here with the reading. I'm anxious to know what is going on too.

 

Something isn’t right, he his BG dropping to fast?

 

I agree. Do you have any honey or karo syrup on hand? not saying you need it now. Just wondering. If you don’t, get some.

 

If he was dog, I would think seizure.

 

When I got home he was at 100, just took it now and he is at 118. I am trying not to get too scared but really those falls are what has me on high alert.

I do, on easy reach too. i was actually considering if to give him a bit. I still haven't given him his insulin both because it was so low and waiting to see if he eats more.

 

So his BG isn’t to low, that’s great!
I really think you need to call your vet tomorrow and tell them what is going on.
Hoping someone comes along that has experienced this too. I never have or know of anyone else having this happening .

 

I am considering the same. My only worry is well, that if I have to take him I will have to work out some kind of payment plan with the vet because things are tight. But we all know how it is. Right now I am mostly observing him, petting him and encouraging him to keep eating. Deciding if to only give him half his dose just in case.

 

I TOTALLY understand about money! I’m in a bad place after spending over a $1000 on my baby 2 weeks ago. He still isn’t out of the woods yet

 

Update: took his BG and its at 158, but again he did the face forward fall. I had the roommate there so i called her for her to see and she saw him doing it, he would fall and kind of move to lay on his side. She says maybe he just needs to rest. So we are keeping an eye on him through the night.

 

No, something isn’t right. Cats don’t lose their balance very easily

 

Try and see if you can record him doing this so you can show your vet. Do you have Care Credit? Most all vets take that. If you don’t have it, see if you can apply for it. It’s a credit card that vets take, dentist and some other doctors take it as well .

 

I hate to say it but I think a visit to the vet is in order. Those symptoms are concerning and better to know what is going on than worrying yourself about it.

 

Yeah, she said it in a very "I don't want to freak you out" way. She suggested I take him tomorrow if in the morning he is doing that. However I don't know if I can skip out of work so I don't know if I would have to take him in the afternoon.

I don't think we have that here. I wish I could lol. And yes, I will see if I can record him.

What I don't know is, do I skip work, or wait until I am out at 3 to take him?

 

I’m not sure when you should go tomorrow but definitely go, He is eating ( now) . What about drinking water? Urinating and bowel movements ?

 

Taking in the afternoon is better then not going at all. I would feel better w it being the sooner the better. But if you can’t miss work and it doesn’t seem life threatening then....
It’s totally up to you. Do what makes you feel comfortable

 

he has been drinking water, and he has been urinating tho he hasn't had a bowel movement today. But he has had other times when he might not have many bowel movements and it has been fine.

 

I'm sorry I missed all this. Has renal failure been suggested? My 16 yr old gal acted somewhat similar and after losing quite a bit of weight, I took her in. They gave her fluids and that helped, but only in the short term.

 

Maybe, he actually is on KD food for a while now and the antiobiotics where because we took him because he had some blood in his urine and the doctor diagnosed an infection.

I also wanted to add I check in on him and his eyes seem to be moving between very dilated and just more average dilation. So far depending on how he is in the morning I might need to stay from work to take him to the vet, i'll let you guys know how it keeps going, thanks so much for all your help

 

Oh wow! The eye thing doesn’t sound good , plus the falling. Most definitely take him in. I really wish you could at least talk to his doctor now. How long has the eye thing been going on?
Could he have gotten into anything?

 

That sounds almost like poisoning. Could he have eaten anything toxic?

 

Just noticed it now, i don't think it has been going on for longer than today. I am honestly mostly trying to not get too nervous.

 

I don't think so, unless it was something in the food being off, he doesn't go out much. and when he does it's in our yard.

 

Does he have bad smelling breath or anything unusual like that?

 

No, his breath is normal. And I was trying to think what else he could have gotten into or something but we cleaned the house on saturday and these symptoms did not start until yesterday when he looked a little down.

 

Guys i was going to check his suger before going to bed and now it says Lo and I don't even know what just happened

 

Please check again now. It’s possible it was a bad strip.

 

I checked with four, on both ears

 

With all the other issues he’s had today I wouldn’t wait. Give him some Karo or honey for the road and get him in the car to the ER.

 

So I'm confused. He was low at +4?

 

No, i used several strips to test him waiting for one to not get Lo. I am trying to find which vets are open to call an uber since i can't drive him there myself and i don't want to disturb my roommate more than i have already.

 

Also giving him some Karo syrup. his vet doesn't open until 8 saddly.

 

Do you have any high carb food? Karo works fast and wears off quickly so if you can, also get him to eat a small amount of high carb. And test again 15 minutes from the last one (or now)...

 

After the crisis has passed you’ll want to post over in the Vetsulin forum for dosing advice. I see you’re measuring in .2 unit increments. Are you using u100 syringes with conversion?

 

I am trying to feed him his favorite treats but he is not responding to them. i tested him again and it said 21. I don't understand what happened how did it go down that fast. I dont know if i didi something wrong, if i should have skipped his insulin, if i should have given him less, if i should have tried to want until he ate more. His vet is closed and the closest 24 hour clinic i can find is still far. considering if to just try to find an uber that can take me there and tell the roommate to not wait up for me. I would hate to wake her up but i would need to tell her i am going to not worry her more than she already would be since she loves this little guy as well. I am just kind of freaking out because I don't get how the hell did it suddenly plunge like that. honestly I don't know what I would be doing if I couldn't type this here. he is responsive to me but is jsut kind of laying down and I am just trying to find what I can do for him.

Sorry for that long rant there, really I don't know where I would be mentally without the support I have gotten here today.

 

Keep going with the Karo and coaxing him to eat what he will. 21 is still far too low so you need to be vigilant. Maybe assist feed him? Test again in 15. You did great catching this low. You are doing the right thing! It just may be a really long night

 

I hope so. Taking him to the clinic seems a long **** but i am afraid I am doing more damage by waiting to be ble to get a ride and take him to his vet. But at the same time I dont know if I will get someone who will take me now and I dont want to distress him more than he must be feeling.

 

Can you get another test now?

 

Please test again, my understanding of Vetsulin is it can start having affects quickly, and BG drops can speed up, you need to get him up over 50, and your last number is too low. As Spotsmom said syrup wears off quickly.

ETA if you feel you can't manage his BG levels, and he remains low you need to seek emergency vet assistance, low BG levels that cannot be controlled is a true emergency.

 

How is Merlin? Have you had a chance to check him again?

 

How many hours ago did he get his insulin?

 

Hey @SpotsMom and @Christie & Maverick and everyone. I haven't ben able to test again, i am low on strips so trying to get him to become more alert before checking again. he is responding to me putting the syrup on his gums but he still wont eat either kibble or treats

 

How many hours since the insulin shot?
Do you have any high carb food with gravy? If so give him some of the gravy. If he won't take it on his own, do you have a feeding syringe or a baster? If no gravy food is available, water down some food preferably high carb if you have it and try to get some into Merlin. If you only have low carb food, mix some honey or syrup into the food slurry. You need to get his BG up.

If you are running out of test strips, you are going to have to take Merlin to the ER. Getting his BG up is going to require a lot of monitoring so if you don't have the supplies there, please take him to the vet but try to get some food in him first.

 

I agree with @MrWorfMen's Mom. If you can’t test frequently, your only safe option is to take him to the vet. How many strips do you have? Can you check him now to see if they Karo is working?

 

Saw a good (scary) video on hypoglycemic cat: the eyes were just as you describe. Agree with above advice. Karo good but wears off fast. Food with gravy better. He needs to go to vet ASAP. Love & support; how are things now?

 

How are you now? Please get to emergency vet ASAP; hypoglycemia kills fast. I saw an excellent (scary) video with hypoglycemia & pupils just as you describe. Agree with above posts: karo good, but wears off soon. You can insert rectally, with bulb syringe. Please post when you can, everybody cares!

 

You said you cleaned on Saturday, what did you clean? What did you use? How long was he around the cleaning stuff?
Look, something is definitely not right and I am trying not to get you stressed out about it but to be honest I am. What state are you in I am in North Carolina .

 

Hey everyone, sorry for the sudden radio silence. Pretty soon after he seemed stable and i tried feding him again. He didn’t eat and i tried more Karo. I tried to measure his sugar and kept getting Lo. And then I ran put of strips. After that while I tried to see if I could get to the 24 hour vet he got convulsions.

I got him to vet as fast as I could, they checked his sugar it was at 23. They gave him dextrose and gave me more to be able to keep him a little more stable until his vet opens at 8 (they suggested taking him there sonce they have his most recent labs). Right now he is reacting more and is a bit more stable. I’ll keep you all posted.

Thank you so much, I would have been a mess without your advise. Thank you.

 

Oh man, what a hard and scary day you've had. So glad you got Merlin to the vet tonight. I hope they gave you (or you were able to get more test strips) to make sure he id safe until you get to your regular vet. SENDING HUGS ans yes, please keep us posted

 

We cleaned the house in general but we never use things too harsh because he is there and there is also two dogs in the house (lovely little daschounds). And thats the thing, I’m not in a state, I live in Puerto Rico. It’s always a guesing game to what we can get and what we cant.

That being said my roommate has always said Merlin made it through Hurricaine Maria so he is a strong kitty who can get through a lot.

@Barbara & Uncle (GA) thanks for the hugs!! As soon as I can get him to the vet I will let you all know. Seriously I am so thankful for you all. He has always been a sickly kitty and when he got diagnosed I honestly felt like I didn’t even know of I could care for him but this place really helped me see I could do this.

 

Right on, I love that!

 

Took off the 911 y’all now that he is more stable. But will keep updating!

Honestly, at that time he wasn’t on insulin but still, he made it through no power for months even if the heat was hellish and the storm itself. All at the ripe age of 15.

 

AMAZING
I know things are still really rough there. I don't want to get political but I think it's a disgrace

 

Please keep updating; I am so happy to hear he's still with us! Hypoglycemia is so scary as it kills so fast. I am definitely going to make that hypoglycemia box tomorrow: there's a post here somewhere on everything needed to put in one; includes Karo, 15cc syringes (no needles) to use with Karo, bulb syringes for rectal insertion of Karo, food, a lot of test strips, lancets, a glucometer in case we panic and cant find the usual one, phone number/location of 24-hour emergency vet, phone number for taxi/Uber/lyft, and probably a few more things but that's a start. Purrs to you both.

 

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/
Here's the link to the "hypo toolbox"...

 

Omg I'm glad you got him to the clinic!! How scary

 

Hi all, on my way to his regular vet. We cleared the night, he has a bit of a shiver but he hasn’t had convulsions. He had hourly dextrose and gave him some Karo before we went off since he hasn’t eaten. But he is responsive. More updates as they happen.

 

Hope all goes well at the vet!

 

I'm sorry I missed the progression last night, I truly pray Merlin is better today and you get some answers.

 

Sorry to hear Merlin has convulsions but so glad you were able to get him to the vet yesterday and that he is getting the care he needs.
Please keep us posted!

 

Wow! What a scary night! I will be checking back to see how his vet visit went
I didn’t realize how old he is!

 

Whew! What a scary ride! Hoping you can get him back on track today.

 

Any news?

 

Hey everyone. I want to thank you all for the support and help you gave me through the night. Unfortunately Merlin could not be stabilized and he passed. He was at his regular vet with the people who have been caring for him for the last couple of years so he was in a place he knew with people who really cared for him and tried their best. I know I wasn't part of the forums for too long but really, this place was the reason why the last couple of months I got to spend them with him and enjoy his last days as wel as make everything as comfortable as we could for him. thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart and I know he thanks you guys too. I plan to stick around. There is other kitties in my life ( a lot of people have cats in my family) and I plan to share what I learned with them as well as hopefully with time, there will be other kitties in the house and I would love to share how that goes with all of you as well as know how you kitties are doing and celebrate all the good as well as be there for the bad just as all of you were for me. Thanks a lot to all. I love you guys, and thank you for being there for Merlin too. Bless all you and your own fur babies too.

 

I’m so sorry for your loss

 

So sorry to hear this. RIP, Merlin.

 

Sending purrs and prayers at this difficult time.

 

Oh Cris! I am so very sorry Merlin earned his wings!

RIP sweet Merlin!

 

I'm so sorry, Chris. You did all you could for him.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that. You did all you could and he knew he was loved.

 

I'm so sorry you lost your kitty.

 

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!! I'm literally crying right now!! I’m so so so sorry!!!

 

Oh no!! I'm so sorry! That is just heartbreaking.

 

Cris, my heart goes out to you. I'm glad Merlin was with the people who knew and cared for him this morning.
He was loved, a gift from you.
If you ever want to let us know more about Merlin, post some pictures, tell some stories or just plain old grieve with us, we're here for you.
Any time, every time

 

I am so sorry for your sudden loss Cris. This is so sad, prayers and thoughts are with you during this very difficult time.

Fly free sweet Merlin

 

thanks so much guys, i'm sorry i haven't answered sooner. my roommate has been helping me feel better, she also is missing him like crazy (we've been friends since before I got merlin so she had seen him his whole life too)

I would love to share more about him, and to learn more about this and to know you guys more as well. really this is more than i would ever had thought to expect from people who barely know us. thank you so much for your support and your kind words. i really love you all and know your kitties totally have another guardian now.

A lot of love, and a lot of hugs back, from me, merlin, and everyone here who misses him

 

Oh Cris, I am so sorry it was Merlin's time to leave you. I don't think we've had a chance to meet yet, but I can't stop the tears after reading through this thread and I had to respond. My heart is aching for the pain you are experiencing right now. I'm sending you and your roommate many hugs and vines of love, comfort, and peace during this difficult time.

 

I am so sorry for your loss....Merlin fought hard to stay with you and will always be with you....