9.8 (176) tonight - should I be giving insulin?

Hi all,

Splunk's numbers have really started to stabilize in the last couple of days. This morning was 13.6, then he dropped to 5.3 at +7 (woo hoo, lowest number yet!). This evening he is 9.8 (176), and I don't know if I should give him any insulin or not. I know I'm supposed to be consistent, but I don't want to put him in danger for the sake of consistency. I could go to 0.25, but given his current sensitivity, I wonder if even that is too much.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

Let me take a look at your SS Jennifer...be right back!

 

Hmmm, I think you could give 0.25 IF you can get some tests in tonight to make sure he isn't going to drop too much. I say that because you gave that dose yesterday morning on a 203 which, with the meter variance, is probably about the same as today. You think you could maybe grab a test or 2 tonight so you know if you need to stay up and monitor?

 

Hi Rachel,
Thanks so much -- this is so helpful. I really appreciate being able to bounce questions off you and everyone else here! I had the feeling that, given his recent pattern, he might drop too much, and I should be able to monitor him very carefully if I give him anything tonight. I think, in that case, that I will NOT give him any insulin tonight, as I've been up with him every night for the past few nights, and both he and I are beginning to feel the effects -- we both really need a relatively stress-free overnight, and I need to be able to function tomorrow. If this were a daytime dose, I would probably go ahead with the 0.25, but I'd never forgive myself if I fell asleep and he suffered for it.
Thanks again -- you're awesome!

 

Since you're exhausted, I think that is the right decision! You have to make sure you take care of yourself during this sugar dance, and sometimes that means a no shot. With that lovely preshot, I think you're best skipping and getting some sleep! I hope you and Splunk get some much needed rest tonight!

 

Thanks Rachel, I appreciate it! Splunk sends purrs and head-butts to you and your fur-family.

 

Another choice, if this happens again, is to try stalling. So first PS test 9.8. Wait 20 minutes without feeding and retest to see if he is rising on his own. You can do this up to an hour. If he got over 200, could give the 0.25U. Stalling doesn't work for everyone but I've had some luck with it. If he's around the 13.3 reading or higher for AMPS, give 0.5U again, then if you get a lower PMPS again, his working dose (2 shootable numbers) might be one of those fun one's in between 0.25U and 0.5U. I'm dealing with that right now too lol.

 

Hmm, that's really interesting, thanks. I'll fiddle around with that.

He had a terrific night -- almost his usual self -- but then vomited small amounts of foam suddenly just before his morning shot. Vomiting has preceded his health crises in the past, so I was immediately on high alert, but I also wondered if he was just hungry, as he's getting used to this new wet food only routine. I noticed him "scooting" this morning, and wonder about anal gland impaction as well, as he's been having trouble with constipation. His sugar was 12.3 (221), so I gave him 0.5u, for the sake of consistency. I also gave him his morning antibiotic (Baytril), and food. He didn't eat as much as usual, and 10-15 minutes later, he threw up everything. He's very subdued now, and I'm extremely worried, because he has 0.5u on board, and he's not eating. I'm going to let his stomach settle for another 30 minutes or so, and then am going to try some more food on him. Ugh, this is awful.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that Splunk isn't feeling well! I wonder if the antibiotic is making him nauseous? Prozinc has a couple of hours before it kicks in, so you have some time. If you can get him to eat even like a tablespoon of food he should be okay. He doesn't need to eat a whole bunch. Then maybe in another hour give him a little more. Hopefully he can keep down just a little at a time.

 

Are you adding like 1-2 Tablespoons of water to wet food meals? Can add 1/2 teaspoon of pure pumpkin to each meal, so 1 Tablespoon a day (not pie filling, and without sugar, additives) to help constipation. Sorry if this is a repeat question, what is his feeding schedule like? It could be nausea or acid reflux since it precedes the diabetes. Did I tell you when it happened with Maury, I fed his meal in portions? 1/2 of meal then wait 15-20 mins and give the rest. Memory is failing me today

 

You guys are seriously just the best. I really appreciate all your help. And I was just reading another post where I'm pretty sure the people on this site (Djamila, you were one of them) saved a cat's life. Wow. I really appreciate all your help.

It's definitely possible the abx are making his nauseated, but this is day 3 on the Baytril, and he's been fine until now, so I suspect that, while they may be contributing to the problem, they're not the whole story.

I am adding water to all his food -- I was doing that even before this all started, and he loves it. I have not tried pumpkin yet -- I was trying probiotics (which he HATES) because of the antibiotics, and I wanted to do one thing at a time, so I could tell what was working (or not). I'll try pumpkin today, if I can get him eating. Thanks.

I have been wondering about acid reflux. My old girl is on Famotidine for that, and I wondered if Splunk should be on it too. He always seems to have some kind of emergency or just a terrible day after he vomits, so I'd like to stop it from happening, if possible.

His feeding schedule isn't a schedule so much as it is an attempt to get him to eat as much food as possible. I feed all the cats in the morning and the evening after his shot. It's *very* difficult to feed them separately, so I don't want to do that unless absolutely necessary. If Splunk seems hungry throughout the day or early evening and all the food is gone, I feed him extra. He's lost a ton of weight, so the vet said I can't overfeed him at this point. (I did the weight gain calculation, and it says he should be eating 556 calories a day... there's no way he'll eat that much.) Feeding meals in portions is a good idea, but I don't think it will help with Splunk, as he's a grazer; he rarely eats more than a couple of tablespoons at a time, but he returns to his bowl repeatedly.

I'm going to try to get him to eat some food now. Thanks again to you both.

 

Yep just a little bit of food on board would make a difference. As for anal glands, well...been there. Tigress was doing the scooting thing so I brought her to the vet and he...ahem...cleaned them out...and then she went on abx for a week or so. I've been adding a bit of pumpkin to her food since then since it should help bulk up the poops (sorry for all the poop talk, but hey...it's what we do here!) which should help clean out anal glands. The poop that comes out it supposed to help clean anything in the glands by pushing on them a bit.

As for the abx, I've had 2 cats get sick on them after a few days of taking them...for some reason it hits a few days later, so it COULD be that. My suggestion? Keep an eye on him, see if he will eat something in a bit. If he does and seems okay for the rest of the day, see if the abx still makes him feel icky again tonight and maybe call the vet tomorrow and see if they can give you a different one or have any suggestions for how to help him not feel sick?

 

Well, he ate about 2-3 tbsp of food about 20 minutes ago, and has kept it down so far -- whew. He's resting now, but obviously still not feeling terrific. I'll check his BGL shortly and make sure we're doing ok.

The Baytril is once daily, so he doesn't have to have it again tonight. I will talk to the vet about it -- hopefully tomorrow. This is the second antibiotic he's been on, as the first one gave him diarrhea. Poor guy.

I should probably take him to to the vet tomorrow anyway to check his anal glands. I feel like we live there, these days! I'm happy to hear you've had some success with the pumpkin. Long may it continue!

Thanks so much!!

 

8.6 tonight. No shot, for sure. Hmm. Looks like it might indeed be a tricky dose to get it q12. I wonder if coming off the abx will change things.

 

Very possible