Cat acting weird, low pmps - advice needed asap please

Hello,
Josie's been on ProZinc for two weeks now from Caninsulin, her readings gone unusually low for her in this current cycle and seem to be still going lower, she is showing hypo symptoms although her latest +11 readings were only 10.3.
She's been acting weird in past hour, walking very very slowly with head down, not responding to call, no eye contact and not interested in her favourite treat.
Last time I saw her like this she was having a hypo.. she's just standing and staring into space
I know it's not the case now with these readings but I'm supposed to shoot her now with her evening dose of insulin.
Any suggestions please as I am totally confused as what to do now...

Thanks so much!

 

Monica - whilst you're waiting for the 7.30pm pre-shot number, remember no insulin on a falling number. She has to be definitely rising before you give insulin. So it's a matter of "stalling" for now with no food until she starts going up.
Do post your next test result here and we can see what's going on. Hopefully @Elizabeth and Bertie who have a lot of experience with all this will have some more solid advice for you.

 

Hi Monica,

Just looked at Josie's SS. Her blood glucose is still falling at this point, and it's not usually a good idea to give insulin on a 'falling number'. Her BG may continue to fall, and be even lower when the insulin kicks in...
An option could be to 'stall'; that is, to wait a while without feeding and then retest and see if her blood glucose is rising on its own, and is high enough for insulin.

However... I'm a little concerned about Josie's demeanour... This behaviour doesn't sound right at all... ....Do you have 'control solution' to test your meter with to check that it's working correctly?
.

 

It's 2:00PM here so you must be 7. Have to assume you're 10.3 is metric, that is not HYPO for Noah. If you're uneasy about shooting it may be for a reason you can't explain right now. Keep testing, watch for HYPO. Better too high than too low. Any pain, problems in the litterbox, dizziness etc? A minor stroke is a wild guess but will affect neurology in different ways. Keep an eye on breathing and maybe don't let her fall into a deep sleep. This is way out of my depth, trying to get you both through the night.

 

Monica, if your meter is working correctly and this isn't hypo, then there must be other reasons for these symptoms. If these symptoms don't resolve very soon then it may be safest to call a vet for advice....

.

 

Thank you so much everyone for your input, much appreciated!
Will test her again very soon, she's just sitting in a meatloaf now like most of the time with eyes half closed..
She was outside not too long ago, did a wee and a poo.
Will keep you posted

 

Maybe she is so used to being in high numbers that today's "better" numbers are producing hypo-like symptoms even though the numbers aren't theoretically hypo ones? I don't know, but it seems a coincidence that these symptoms are showing at a time of lower than usual BGs. If she has been out to the loo and returned, that sounds good.
All paws crossed here that she feels better soon and that there's nothing else going on. Keep us posted.

 

If this helps. I'm 1/2 way across the planet. Best of luck
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A stroke is not a tragedy, I've had more than one. Cause and symptoms can sometimes be a total mystery, as is neurology but staring off into space can be one indicator. If she's sleeping just give her a little nudge to see if she responds. Watch for bowel and bladder control while she's sleeping. This is a trauma for a cat in the sense they just don't know what happened. All of this can be manageable, she may bounce right back like it never happened.

 

Thank you, you are so kind to look these up for me!

 

Yes I thought that was an odd coincidence as well...

 

Just took her BG readings, it's 15.3 now. Still just staring ahead in the same position, wasn't happy when moved her to test.
Shall we still hold off insulin? Or give smaller dose? Attempt to feed her?
Doesn't look like she's going to eat anything though..

 

She could be having another Pancreatitis flare up, she hasn't had one for months now. Although it never made her look drowsy and slow like now..

 

She’s risen quite a lot in the past hour, and the lack of appetite is making me worry about ketones.

Will she eat anything at all? Treats? Higher carb food?

 

Well 15.3 is certainly shootable but I don't personally feel qualified to suggest a dose. Think if it was me I'd give 1u and monitor carefully but the others here and on the Prozinc forum may say differently. She probably won't want much to eat until she feels more like herself. These symptoms do sound hypo-ish or could be a little stroke as mentioned above... it MAY be that as her BG starts to rise she will feel more "normal" again, But if you are more than a little worried, give the vet a call and see what they advise.

 

Now she's laying down in the normal round sleeping kitty position on her side and seem to be dosing off. Will go and try to attempt her with some food now

 

Test your own blood glucose using the meter. Just prick the tip of your finger to get a blood sample.

 

Sounds better but stay watchful, of course. It does sound - from afar - that Josie is just so used to running in high numbers that single digits feel like hypo to her. Yes, see if she will eat - if she shows interest in food she should be ok.

 

If she will eat, I would give her the regular dose, and set a couple of alarms during the night to check on her. If she won't eat, a vet visit might be the best thing to do.

 

If her numbers are going up we can rule out certain organ failures and we know her metabolism is somewhat on track. That's a vague statement but it is hopeful. Would shooting a reduced dose keep her from spiking at a high number and causing more issues tomorrow? I'm a Caninsulin user, this is all I can offer for now.

 

Just woke her up and she rolled over to expose her belly ( I'm hoping this is a good sign..)

She did not show any interest in her regular food though when offered to her, I'm just steaming a frozen white fish fillet to see if she would eat that. She usually does even when not well so fingers crossed....

 

Good idea thank you I did, it worked ok for me, showed 6.2. Was weird to see such low number on the screen, I would probably cry with joy if it ever came up with that for Josie!

 

Maybe sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top... that's often irresistible.

 

Alright Ladies and Gents the patient seem to be on the mend here..!
As soon as she could smell the fish she stood up, stretched out, walked into the kitchen, ate a small bowl of steamed fish then looked directly at me fully alert asking for seconds like nothing happened before! She's like a totally different cat now.
Our Wondercat seem to have pulled through once again... As for what this brief 'scare' episode was about.. I have honestly no idea!

Thank you so much everyone for your support throughout, you are all such special stars!

 

Great news, Monica. We're all very relieved! Worth mentioning this to the vet though - she may have some idea about what it was all about and what to do if it happens again.
Well done for keeping calm and in control! You did great!

 

Thank you, all of your support meant a great deal to me!
About to give her more food, so normal dose insulin then I suppose..?

 

I'd say normal dose, yes.

 

Yeah! Glad to hear she's feeling better, and getting some food! I would go with regular dose, but I would also recommend keeping an eye on her since she's been a little off today.

 

Oh definitely will do! Gave 1.25u. Thanks again