my cat might be dying

My 16 year old male cat was diagnosed 5 years ago...was on novilin switched to vetcilin and he was great on vetcilin...now i can't get it and since switching him back to novilin he was getting 9 units twice a day but the litter was still gluey so i gave him 10 units and i found him in a pool of urine and feces. next day i gave 9 units and again found him in his urine to weak to walk..last night 7 units..and found him in his urine again...i should sa that i immediately gave him syrup and wet food and he is weak but alive... i don't know what to do...oh...after the first episode i waited 24 hrs. before his shot and have only given these units mentioned above once per day...

 

it sounds like he could be getting too much insulin.

i assume you don't home test glucose levels? it is really easy to do and the safest best way to treat a diabetic cat.

if kitty is weak & lethargic right now, i'd seriously get him to the vet asap so they can do what is needed right now and once he's stable, start hometesting and looking into a different insulin. vetsulin nor humulin are very good insulins for a kitty and at such large doses, hypoglycemic episodes are to be expected in my opinion. if you go to your vet that has been using these two insulins at these high doses, make sure you are very very clear that he may be overdosed.

 

How is your cat right now? If he is not responding to the syrup and having seizures or convolutions, or acting like he can't see, you need to get him to the vet asap. If it is a mild hypo and seems to be coming out of it, you may be able to treat him at home: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887)

You must start hometesting your cat today! When you hometest, you will know, before giving the shot, how much insulin your cat needs. And then by testing during the cycle, you can tell how well the insulin is working and if you need to increase/decrease the dose.

Also, insulin needs to be given twice daily. It almost always only lasts 12 hours in cats. And your dosage is very large.

If he seems to be rallying, start reading on this site and learn about diet, how insulin works and how to hometest. We can give you the urls to that info. If he is not doing well, please get him to the vet.

 

I agree, it sounds like he is getting too much insulin.

Your dose is extremely high, unless he has other medical issues going on. Most cats only get 1 or 2 units twice a day.

Cindy is right, you need to begin hometesting ASAP. You can use any human glucose meter, even a store brand. Many of us use Walmart's Relion brand meter.

 

My very first thought when I read he was laying in feces and urine is that he'd hypo'd - and reading through the rest makes me almost positive of it. Good job on getting the syrup into him, but you really, really need to get some help going on about home testing.

Where are you located? We may have a member around you who could help out...if you're near me, I'd be happy to come by and give you a hand.

And honestly, I'd stop shooting any insulin until I knew what numbers he has. Hypo's can kill far faster than hypers...you can get a meter and some strips at the local pharmacy; at the moment, don't worry so much about cost, just get one. I use both the Nova Max and the Ultra One Touch, but the strips are more expensive with UOT, so I prefer using NM. But the most important thing is to get a meter and start getting readings. Now.

What is his diet now? Does he eat wet, lo-carb, kibble? Any other underlying issues that he has going on?

Best-
Michele