Need advice ASAP!!!!

My 12 yr old male cat had a diabetic reaction about 2 hours ago. His BS was 26!!! He was walking in circles, and acting like he couldn't see. I had to force feed him soft food with about a tablespoon of honey in it. I think the reason he had a bad drop in BS is because my husband bought long needles instead of short. Wouldn't that make the insulin go into the blood stream faster?? I just went to the pharmacy and got short needles like I normally use. My question is, do I give him his nightly dose??? He gets his injections at 8 am and 8 pm. He takes Humilin N...4 units in a.m. 4 units in p.m . He has been on this same dose for 8 years.

 

Sounds like you are hometesting and saved your kitty's life.

What is his bg level now? Get some more readings before the pm shot so people can give you advice.

I don't think the needles should make much difference. But it may be that the dosage is now too high and you will need to adjust.

 

Doses can change as our kitties change. Do you test the blood sugar before each shot?

How's your kitty now? Is the BG going up? It does sound like a hypo and I would probably skip tonight's shot, but hopefully others can help with your questions.


ETA: this link has great info on hypos: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887

 

Think of reducing his insulin - not skipping a shot and more ear tests. Could be that he doesnt need 4 bid anymore. :smile:

 

Have you checked his bg since feeding?

Have you changed his diet lately?

Please check him again, if you haven't yet. Honey will raise his bg, but only temporarily. You will probably need to get him to eat again to keep him rising.

 

His bg is 34 now. He seems to be acting ok. He did get up a few times and eat some hard food. I did change brands of food recently ( a week or so ago) to Authority. He was on Iams. He seems to like the soft food, which he hated in Iams, and maybe he is eating less hard. I still think it could have been the depth the needle went into him. Isn't it only suppose to be subcue? sp? I will definetly test him before insulin at 8 pm tonight.

 

How long was this needle? Was it an insulin syringe? If the syringe was not an insulin syringe, could the dose have been in mls instead of in units?

 

Needle size doesn't affect the BG levels. However, the diet change may have been enough that you will be able to reduce insulin.

Keep testing every 15 minutes to 1/2 hour until you get at least three or four readings above 70. Try to get him to eat some more food. 34 is still a low number and you want to try to get it up higher.

Even if he is high enough this evening to give insulin, reduce or even skip the dose. Usually after a hypo episode, cats are very insulin sensitive. Skipping one dose should not cause any problems other than a higher than normal reading in the morning.

Keep us informed on his numbers. We are here to help you.

 

You need to test him before tonight's shot. 34 is still a scary number especially if the honey is wearing off. Please test him every 15 minutes or so until you see a definite pattern of heading up.

 

How is he doing today? My Blackie had a hypo episode last Tuesday, and if it wasn't for the monitor we have, I wouldn't know what was going on with her, and perhaps may have lost her. She was eating the Hill's Prescription W/D wet food, which is very high in carbs. She was also on 8 units BID of ProZinc. Before the wet, she was on the same brand of dry. BG wasn't getting any better, and it seemed to be staying in the upper 300's to 400's, sometimes going as high as 500's. To get her out of the hypo episode, I fed her 1 mL of honey, 5 W/D dry kibbles, and 1/4 tsp. of the W/D wet. I also tested her a few times within the first hour, and then again the hour afterwards.

After her hypo episode, I instantly dropped her insulin to 1 unit BID, and switched her food from the Hill's Prescription W/D wet to Fancy Feast Classic Chicken. Right now, she's getting a fat 1 BID, and seems to be doing ok on it. Still working with her on this, but am giving her ears a break from testing. Poor baby.

I hope that you can get things settled very soon, and you don't have to go through that hypo episode again.

 

The change in diet may have sufficiently reduced the available glucose to result in a hypoglycemic episode. When making those kinds of changes, it's advisablet to check the bg more often - pre-shot and, with N, at +4 and maybe +6. The suggestions that you check the bg more frequently today are well advised. With N, also a good idea to have food onboard at least 30 minutes before the injection since N peaks fairly early in many cats. And yes, the length of the needle CAN make a difference IF you inject the muscle by mistake. Insulin uptake is much more rapid in muscle tissue than subcutaneously. So glad you were able to manage the hypo. At 34, more wet food is needed.

 

Keep checking his BG before you give any insulin for awhile...... My Alley went into a diabetic coma and then Coronary Arrest when she no longer was diabetic. We however did not know this could happen and never knew that some cats can go in out of diabeties. They were able to revive her which was truley amazing but she has not needed insulin since. So please keep checking and watch her weight. Alley had also lost some weight from crf as well.
Glad to hear you were there!!