New to this all, Somogyi effect or insulin not working? (terrified already)

Hi all!

I'm Ceci and my cat Owen has diabetes since several months

Like most of you, I noticed he was unusually drinking and peeing a lot. At the vet clinic, after different studies, the diagnosis was diabetes.

The vet first recommended to change his diet, for a low carb dry food, Royal Canin Diabetic Feline. But after a month, it didn't make a difference about Owen's high glucose levels which were over 350.

We continued with the new diet (which remains until today), and tried some pills called Minodiab (that's the name in my country, it has a drug called glipizide). After 20 days of 2,5 mg of that drug every 12 hours, the conclusion was that it did nothing

So finally, the last choice was for sure, insulin shots. I started to inject Owen on Saturday morning, 2 units of Caninsulin. Before his second shot at night, his glucose level was 142. I was so happy, it was working it seemed. I told the vet and he recommended just 1 unit of insulin this time.

The thing is, the following morning, his bg level had raised a lot It was 403. So again I shot Owen with 2 units. At night his level was 487. We tried one more day, but it kept on rising, 531... I took Owen to the clinic for a glucose curve, there his bg level was out of range, the glucometer just marked HI

Since the insulin was not taking effect, I took him home because the glucose curve couldn't be done under the circumstances. The vet said that it could have been a Somogyi effect (when the glucose level drops suddenly, so the organism thinks it's an hypoglycemia and increase the glucose to balance), and that we'll suspend the insulin for a couple of days, to try again then with a lower dose instead of the 2 units I started with first.

The thing is, that after the insulin was suspended, Owen's levels were: 506 (yesterday at night) and 546 tonight

I'm starting to freak out that his levels are not dropping and he might have an attack at any moment :'( Luckily he is playful as always and drinks a lot of water, the vet said that's good to keep eliminating the glucose.

Some of you has ever had or read about a situation like this?

 

Hello Ceci and beautiful Owen, I think it is a good idea to start again with a lower dose. It sounds as though Owen had what we call a 'bounce' where the blood glucose drops too low and the body then releases glucose from the liver, it can take a few days to clear a bounce. This happens when the insulin dose is a bit higher than needed and drops the glucose too much. Good that you are home testing as that helps to keep Owen safe.
Can you answer a few questions.
What insulin are you using?
What meter - human or pet as that makes a difference interpreting the numbers?
What food does Owen have?
Does he have any other health issues?

Freaking out is normal at this stage and cats cat tolerate high numbers much better than humans. Are you testing Owen's urine for ketones, it is a good idea to do this periodically and if numbers are running high, you can buy urine testing strips - I use keto-diastix.

When you have a moment can you add a signature. We'll help you through this.

If you have questions please post in the main Health forum and the lovely people on the site will be able to answer them for you.

 

Hi Ceci, welcome to you and Owen. As Alexi says, it could be a bounce you're experiencing. We can tell you more if you can get a few readings mid cycle. The RC dry is too high in carbs for a diabetic (not sure of exact carb count, but have seen up to 23 carbs!). We recommend a wet low carb food. A switch to this food can cause a drop in Owens glucose, so if he's on insulin when you switch, be sure to test him! Please come to the Health Forum and ask questions, there are more folks watching that forum, so you'll get more responses.

 

This is a comparison chart of prescription dry food which shows RC diabetic dry as 23%, so definitely too high for a diabetic kitty.

https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/assets/yacfc-rx-diet-chart.pdf

The chart was done by the company who makes Young Again so it may be a bit slanted towards their product but it gives a good comparison.

 

Thanks everybody for you kind responses I will answer the question you asked me:

What insulin are you using? -> Caninsulin
What meter - human or pet as that makes a difference interpreting the numbers? - Contour BS by Bayer, I didn't know it could make a difference
What food does Owen have? -> He's having Royal Caning Diabetic Feline, but according to you, that's not good. I'll look for an alternative to that, definetively I want my cat to have the best I can find.
Does he have any other health issues? -> Luckily he doesn't so far.

I will move to the health forum like you suggested and will create a signature. Thanks a lot!! )

 

Canisulin is a short acting insulin that has steep drops. A lot of cats do not respond well to it. I suggest that you ask you vet to prescribe a longer acting insulin. These are Lantus, Levemir, PZI and ProZinc. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins that will be filled at your pharmacy. If your vet prescribes either of these, ask for a prescription for the pens instead of a vial. The insulin will last longer and you will be able to use almost every drop. PZI and ProZinc are pet insulins that your vet can order for you. If you vet prescribes PZI from BCP, they can go to their website and order the first vial for you for free.

With any new insulin, you want to start over at a low dose and gradually increase it over a period of weeks. Only increase by 1/2 unit at a time with a week in between dose changes. It takes about a week for a cat's body to adjust to the new dose.

Also, you do not need to feed your cat prescription food. Many of us feed our cats Friskies or Fancy Feast canned foods. The pate flavors are lower in carbs, avoid anything that has gravy in it.

 

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