Hypoglycemic episode

Hi everyone. I can really use some support here I am hurting so badly. My nina girl is 9 recently diagnosed with diabetes around december or january. She was doing fine we seemed to get her regulated, we had upped her insulin dose to 5 which seemed to keep it at bay. She was gaining weight eating and looking great. My parents went away last week she suddenly stopped eating her dry food (we never switched her to wet as she liked dry so much the vet believed this was ok) i rushed her to the vet as i didnt want her getting insulin with only a few pebbles of food in her that day. He said she looked great, took her sugar and it was almost perfect. He couldnt believe it maybe she was improving and needed less. we switched her to some wet food they had in the office Hills and then to purina dm she went home and was acting fine. She savagely ate the wet food she seemed to love it! All was going Ok until Monday night i was getting ready for bed and noticed she seemed a bit off. Sluggish not alert and eyes very wide. She did not look steady. I decided to stay awake and watch her. Within the hour at about 10 pm she looked weaker, she then tried to go down the steps and slipped she couldnt stand right. I immediately called the emergency vet line because at this time it was about midnight. He said it seemed like a hypoglycemic episode and watch her closely. He said try to feed her and have honey handy/something sugary if she seems off and go to an open emergency vet immediately if she does not seem right. Well, she ate about a half a can. She was laying down relaxing for another hour when all of a sudden she woke up abruptly.. she was having a seizure. Spinning so hard she slipped down the steps. I ran to get honey rubbed it in her mouth (she bit my finger and her poor tongue) nervously i rushed her to emergency care as quickly as i could. Within hours (i spent the night there) levels were rising. By yesterday she was stabilizing . Still not very high but it was rising. She was IVs the entire time and given glucose. I visited with her, she ate from me and seemed alert and okay. Things were looking UP. This morning they called to tell me they were going back down again her sugar levels.. but not to a point where it was a very big concern. From what they said this can stay in her body for quite awhile, she may have even gone in to remission without knowing hence an insulin overdose. They let us take her to our vet and said we could even take her home and just watch her closely. The vet said she looked very alert he did an ultrasound everything looked great. Although he was worried about the drop in sugar he thought it would be good to get her home with some TLC feed her and she could relax. Her breathing had been elevated since being in that hospital. She doesnt like being around animals much. So longg story short (im sorry im so upset!) she cAme home. She looked okay.. ate half a can. She was sniffing around trying to get acquainted to being back home. Within the hour she seemed alittle off . She was acting not as alert .. me and my mother gave her some liquid sugar from the vet we were nervous it was dropping again. She seemed okay for about a minute then she did a twitch and was drooling out the liquid. That was it into the car and back to emergency care for me. Since being there the sugar has risen. She is back on IVs and they agree the twitching could have been levels dropping and onset of another seizure on the way. She was through alot the past few days. My poor cat. Since then, it has been stabilized . Me and my mom went in to try and feed her as its very hard for them to get her to eat but she seems to with us.. she was out for about 5 mins no food and a shake/twitching started that she did not have. She was very tense and twitching. I was so nervous i ran to get the vet he took her sugar and it was Ok. He said this could all be residual shes been through so much. She is back on IVs for now (this all happened Monday 2 am) i am hoping and praying she pulls through this. I am so stressed and so heartbroken. She is such a good cat who doesnt deserve this. Has anyone been through a similar episode. Holding on to all the hope i have left in me. Thank you to whoever reads this!!!!

 

Forgot to include she was switched to 3 when the seizure occured . Dose was lowered . But as they are saying it could of been going into remission longer before the switch. Especially with the switch to healthier wet food on top of it. Also the vets gave her a seizure medication.. which in hoping could be a factor in the shaking/trembling

 

I'm so sorry you've had such scary episodes to deal with. I'm going to ask you some key questions and I'd like you to go post the answers on the main health forum where more people can see them.

1. What insulin are you using?
2. What dose was she started at?
3. What other doses has she been on along the way and for how long each time?
4. What food does she eat regularly?
5. Have you been taught to test her blood glucose at home?
6. Does she have other health issues or meds?

 

Prozinc is the brand. She started at 1 cc went up to 2 cc within her next visit (a few weeks) went up to 3 within another 2 months or so she was on 2 and 3 for a bit. and as it wasnt getting regulated we upped it to 5. (This past month or so) she was eating Iams Proactive health for this whole time until just this past week i had her on Hills emergency care wet food from the vet and then to purina DM monday i got from the vet. I was not told or taught to test the glucose however the emergency clinic has now told me how to do it for future reference. She isnt on any other meds and has never had a health issue until the diabetes. All of her xrays and ultrasounds have been good. Though there is a small marking on one of lung areas that the vets were however not alarmed by. No fluid anywhere was seen as of this afternoon. Her breathing is elevated, as she is nervous. This wasnt the norm for her breathing though at all by any means. They have toyed with the idea of asthma now still we dont know being she is so nervous.
UPdate: emergency clinic just called the twitching seems to have stopped levels are staying the same. She is alert.

Praying she fights this!

 

Thankfully I've never been through an experience like yours but I hope the vet can figure things out and get your girl feeling better very soon. Will keep you and your kitty in our thoughts and prayers! Please do keep us posted!

 

I'm not a vet so I can only go by what you've told me and what I've learned about treating my own cat's diabetes. In my opinion the episodes you describe seem to be symptomatic hypoglycemic events. The dose of 5 units of ProZinc (twice a day?) is quite high. If she's recently switched to a low carb wet food diet (canned DM is in that category) that alone can reduce her need for insulin.

I'm glad the ER vet has mentioned testing BG at home. I strongly recommend you learn to do it. Please post on the main health forum if you have any questions or concerns we can help you with.

 

Yes twice a day 5 ! She was gaining weight and all around seemed a ton better. He had upped it due to the sugar not being to where he believed it should, and also she had dropped a pound or so. As of last Thursday he lowered it to 3 and we switched to the wet food. The vets in the er said the same, a simple diet change alone could of helped reduce the need for insulin especially if it was already being regulated (since she out of nowhere was not really eating). She is currently on no insulin since the episode.

 

Thank you so much i surely will! I need all the prayers i can get right now!