2.1 level

rOY WAS GIVEN 1 UNIT OF INSULIN AT 8:30 (HIS LEVEL WAS 10.7) and afterwards he was given 1/3 of a can of fancy feast and my Vet said to check his # at 1pm which I just did and it was 2.1 and I called the vet after hours number and asked the tech what to do she said feed him some food and I gacve him some FF and he ate that and barfed it up. (He is known for eating fast and horking it up). I called the Tech back. She said to feed him in 15 minutes and then check his level at 2. She said fancy feast was the worst food I could give him and that he should be eating W/D something (as if I needed a lecture)...then she says a visit at this time of night would be $110 yadda yadda....I am real nervous


What to do???????????????????????/

 

Cheryl has called me. She put some honey on Roy's gums and has fed him a little dry food. It is now 5 hours after the shot. She is getting another test.

 

Second test after honey and some dry food was 54. It's been 15 minutes and she is testing again.

Apparently Roy went down from 234 to 192 on his own with food. The vet said to give one unit at 192. 5 hours later he was at 40. I am urging her to let us help her with doses instead of the vet, but I understand how hard it is to take advice from people on the internet instead of your vet.

 

It has been over 40 minutes and Cheryl hasn't called back. Don't know whether that means she is headed to ER or if he is better. Cheryl, if you come on and he is better, PLEASE get some advice before you give him another shot. Remember that even if he is high tomorrow morning, that can be the dry food and the honey and the number will not necessarily be a "real" number. If he has risen up into the 3+ range tonight, leave out some wet food for him to eat if he is drops low again.

If you want us to help, we can help you keep him safe. I sure hope he is okay tonight.

 

Just got back from the Animal Hospital. I honestly could not handle checking his blood every 15-20 mins....I was a nervous wreck...real bad...and with my house mate yelling at me, did little to assuage the situation.

The facts:

Sue, as you know I have been writing every single thing down, when I walked into the hospital I gave the paper to the Vet. He told me that what WE were doing was right, that YOU were right about not giving Roy insulin...and probably his #'s came down b/c of his diet, which doesn't preclude that he will never need insulin, and, moreover, he maybe , a real maybe, should have been given just 1/2 a unit if any, instead of the 1 unit he received. I also found out that I am doing the glucose test correctly.

Roy was given an examination, his temp (temp ok) was taken and he was weighed (5.75 kg)
Then he was shaved in his throat area (under his chin).
A Mother of a syringe was inserted there and a fair amount of blood was taken.
His blood was tested on an ordinary glucose meter PLUS the big hospital deluxe machine.
Roy was given a shot so he wouldn't barf (he had barfed his food up earlier...it could be he wasn't feeling well, or it could be that he ate to fast and horked).

So, as of 3:32am (Canadian time) Roy's glucose was:

7.49/mmol/L Normal rage is 3.94 - 8.83

The Vet said this was in part to giving him honey (thank you, Sue!!!) and spiking of the insulin.

All the info was faxed over to my Vet's office.

I was told that it was okay for Roy to have a bite if he felt peckish (not too much-just little meals).

I was told that NO INSULIN should be given to Roy until his Vet figures out the correct amount of insulin to give Roy with consideration that his #'s dropped because of his diet.

Special note to Sue: I did not want to call you back and wake you up again...I know now you are not on Canadian Time and I am just so bloody thankful that you answered the phone so late. I am obliged.


Cost:

Getting my house mate out of bed and having him scream at me all the way to the hospital.
$157.30 Canadian

Benefits:

Roy is okay
I have peace of mind.

And now it is 4am and me and the kitties are going to bed - we are exhausted

See you on the flip side.

 

I am soooo glad the er confirmed the help you received from Sue!!
After all, this is a wonderful place to be if you have to be here!!!
HURRAY FOR SUE AND FOR CHERYL FOR LISTENING AND FOR ROY FOR A GREAT MAMMABEAN!
Please let us know how he is doing when you have had a bit of rest!! :RAHCAT

 

St. Francis smiles on this forum, for all the good work done, and he is smiling especially at Sue and Cheryl for the good work taking care of Roy last night.

 

I am so glad to hear that Roy is okay. You had a very bad night.

The other part of this, Cheryl, is that your vet had you shoot a number that was going down - probably because of the food Roy ate. We say never to shoot a number that is going down. Always wait until the number is rising.

 

This is great news! I'm very glad Roy is ok.

The ER vet was 100% right--Roy's BG levels dropped because of the lower carb food, and the insulin needs to be lowered accordingly. Some cats also go into remission just from diet change alone and no longer need insulin, and it's very possible Roy is one of those cats. Does the ER vet also take in regular patients at a reasonable price? Perhaps you can switch to that vet, or maybe ask them to suggest a new vet to you. I think the dosing advice your current vet is giving you is dangerous. You also have the option of getting dosing advice here, if you'd like, but I know that it's a big leap of faith to get advice online rather than from a vet. But keep in mind that the people here deal with feline diabetes 24/7, and have helped many, many cats safely reach remission.

W/D is about the worst food you can give a diabetic cat (actually, it's about the worst food you can give any cat, but it's especially bad for diabetics). I believe it actually helped cause Bandit's diabetes. If I had my way this food would no longer even be manufactured because it is simply awful and only creates more health problems in cats. Fancy Feast is a great food to feed. Bandit went into remission eating Fancy Feast.

 

good point Julia & Bandit......so did my Bean girl - not even 1 month after switching and admin. insulin! And trust me, it was because of HERE that I still have her! sooooo glad of that!

 

Thank god Sue was online!
Great job Sue and Cheryl.
and thank god it was 1u instead of 2.
I am so happy to read what the ER tech had to say to reinforce what you have been hearing from us.
What is with the housemate and all the yelling???? How can that possibly help the situation?
Please tell him to shut the hell up? He hasn't been "right" yet.

Carl

 

My Vet called at 8:15. He suggested Roy going in for the day to get a curve of something. I blew up...I says you know Doc...in the past few days I have spent almost a grand...I cannot do it anymore. He said I could help you with that.

I said I have to go to the dentist at 9. I said I would call him apres la dentiste.

I come back, I talk to the Vet and tell him I am exhausted. I says I have to sleep. He says when I wake up test Roy and call him back.

I have only had abut 3 hours sleep and I am doing stoopid things, so I know I am in no condition to mess around with meters, lancets and the whole shebang.

Roy ate 1/3 can of Fancy Feast chicken. We went for a walk around the garden. He was spry and wanted to investigate the squirrels. He is active and alert. Matter of fact, he wants to go out in the garden again.

I have made tea, going to drink it and then sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. I need sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

My house mate - long story there.

I will talk with you all later.
Night=Night.

 

Roy can certainly go without insulin and testing for a day.

If he goes to the vet for testing, his levels can be much higher than they would be at home. Stress raises bg levels and kitties are usually stressed at the vet. Once you rest, you can do the curve at home. Less money, more accurate.

 

I didn't know Roy was 19 but I am so glad the ER vet confirmed info from here is correct. If my husband had ever done what your housemate did, he wouldn't still be breathing!

One thing to remember.....canned food can lower bg numbers and many cats can and do go into remission.......some with just a food change, some with a food change and some insulin in the beginning but....not every cat will go into remission. There are many that will need shots the rest of their life. The main goal is to treat the diabetes, hometest before every single shot, feed only canned and if remission happens.....fantastic......if not, cats do extremely well with good care. Mishka just celebrated her 8th year of diabetes and I have never in all those years given her insulin without testing her first. It's been 9 years for Hope, 4 1/2 getting shots and 4 1/2 in remission we think because of her Restrictive Cardiomyopathy of the heart but no vet can confirm that because the knowledge is not out there.

 

Thanks for the update. Now go take a nap!
bon soir,

Carl