Please Help..Freaking out Overdose On Lantus This Morning

I wanted to start Chicken on 2.25 units of Lantus this morning and her lantus pen does not allow us to use it at 2.25 units so I brought home some diabetic syringes from work and drew it up and administered it to her. I had my husband check it because he is also a nurse and deals with that more then I do and he said it was ok. When I went to give it to her I thought...boy that seemed like an awful lot more then I usually give her and then he looked closer at it and realized that I had given her around twenty units...OMG I wanted to vomit and cry at the same time. She did eat well and I also gave her treats, DM dry food, some syrup and a couple licks of yogurt and of course called the vet, who was not in yet but who I am waiting to hear back from. Her blood sugar this morning was 220. I am going to set my alarm and wake up every couple of hours since my husband and I both work nights and we have to go back tonight also and I will check her blood sugar and I am going to lay out in the living room with her to make sure she is OK. Has anybody else made this dreadful mistake? I am so embarrassed and I will just die if something happens to her. I will never forgive myself. Right now she seems fine, I am keeping a good eye on her. I think I will hold her dose tonight to give her a break.
Any information that anybody can provide me will be wonderful. Thank you so much in advance.

 

breath it looks like your doing the right things my name is Julia and Magellan is also using Lantus. Mistakes happen there are a lot of other people who know more but I wanted you to know you where not alone here, I know how very scary this.

 

I hope your Chicken will be alright and of course you are upset. How long ago did you give the insulin and what time does the vet open? Hopefully some more experienced members will see your post. I will tag some of them. @Chris & China @Vyktors Mum @julie & punkin (ga) @Sienne and Gabby @Wendy&Neko

 

Thank you for stepping up I did not want her to feel alone

 

I am thinking about what I would do and I would call an emergency vet and seek advice about what to do if your vet doesn't call you back soon. By soon I mean very soon and not in several hours. Probably I would just go straight to a vet after calling first to make sure they are open.

 

I also wouldn't go to sleep in case you sleep through the alarm.

 

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/wh...dentally-give-my-pet-a-double-dose-of-insulin
This was written by a vet and it says to go straight to a vet.

 

Mistakes happen and it won't be the first time a diabetic cat has got an accidental overdose. The important thing is that you realized before you went back to sleep and left him alone for a few hours! I would agree with making sure you speak with either your regular vet or an emergency vet as soon as possible. However, I would also agree that you really need to stay awake until after you speak to a vet and follow whatever course of action they give you - it may well be that he needs to spend part of the day on a glucose drip to counteract the insulin. The vet can do this for you and keep him safe. If your vet says you can treat him at home with sugar/carbs, then he will need frequent testing over the next few hours to make sure he isn't dropping dangerously low. Unfortunately I've only got a few minutes before I have to leave for work so can't stick around as it's my first day on a new contract, but I'll look back in when I can today.

If it's been more than an hour since Chicken's shot, can you please test her again to make sure she's not dropping quickly.

 

I agree with Voula. I would not go to sleep and I would take Chicken to the vet as soon as possible. Checking his blood sugars every couple of hours is not going to be often enough. Once the insulin kicks in it could drop quickly.
Do you have any high carb food in the house? If not I would send your husband out to get some and feed some to Chicken.
I strongly urge you to seek vet advice and don't wait until it becomes an emergency.

 

I agree....your vet should be open by now...I'd take Chicken in right now, tell them what you did and let them handle it...if she starts to crash, she could crash hard and those few minutes between you and the vets office may not be enough

They can put her on a glucose drip immediately if she should crash....Lantus overdoses can also last over 16 hours so unless you're able to stay up with her all day and keep testing/feeding, the vet is where she should be

And yes, others have done the same thing before in the past, so don't beat yourself up

 

I hope you are on the way to the vet now to get Chicken on a glucose drip. This is not something that should be handled at home. That is too much extra insulin to be managed at home.

I've even heard of vet techs making the same mistake showing clients how to shoot insulin, 2 units was really 20. In that case, the cat had a high dose condition and did OK. However, I've also seen poor outcomes for cats that have been given too much insulin and people delay getting them into the vet.

Best of luck.

 

I have a lot of experience with the use of long-acting insulins (Lantus and Levemir) in felines and have been a member of this board for almost 9 years. I agree with Wendy. This isn't one of those times to try to handle things at home. Please take Chicken to your vet or an Emergency vet as soon as possible.

Long acting insulins have the potential of producing prolonged hypoglycemic events. We've seen hypos from Lantus and Levemir overdoses last as long as 16 - 17 hours. Even if the numbers are high now, kitty can bottom at any time... it can even happen much, much later in the cycle than usual. Just when you think it's safe to go to sleep... it may not be.

 

I presume you rushed Chicken to the vet, as urged by the experienced members. Praying that she will be okay.
Please be gentle with yourself -- mistakes do happen

 

Oh my goodness... Hoping and praying that everything is OK....
Please update us when you can.
.

 

Going forward...
Here's a little info on syringes: You'll want to get some U100 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings. They're the best to use for fine dosing. BD, Monoject, GNP, and ReliOn are just some of the brands available with half unit markings. Needle gauge and length is your preference They come in ½ inch or 5/16 inch needle lengths. Needle gauges 29, 30 or 31 (31 being the thinnest).

Syringe scales:




Thoughts and prayers are with you.
Please update when you can...

 

Thank you all for you prayers and help and advice. I layed in the living room and she layed right beside me and I woke frequently to check on her. I did her initial injection at 0800, along with the food etc she ate then repeated it at 1200 and it was 49, I then gave her another can of food that she ate, some DM dry kibble and some temptations treats. Then at three she was 38, still very alert, ate dry DM, cool whip (anything I had that she would take with high sugar) and treats. She is cleaning herself right now and acting fine... But I am not thinking we are out of the woods... I am going to check her again at five before work and feed her then check again at six before I leave and God willing it will be coming up. Thank you all for everything. I did not know where else to turn. I hope everybody had a great day and thank you again for all the wonderful reassurance and help. Xoxo

 

When a cat is in the 30's we recommend testing every 1/2 hour. A lot can change quickly - you do not want to go two hours between testing. I still HIGHLY recommend taking her to the vet. As Jill said, overdoses can last more than one cycle. A vet would be a much safer place for her, especially while you are gone to work.

 

If her reading was 38 you should be checking her every twenty minutes. This would be the case even if she had the correct amount of insulin as this glucose level is too low and as many members of this board have said a cat can seem fine one minute and the next be in serious trouble. I am glad that your Chicken is okay so far but I still stand by my statement that you should take her to the vet. I am not usually forceful about giving advice to people and I try always to be respectful in how I give advice but this is a very serious situation. Checking every few hours with a dropping blood glucose after so much insulin is very unsafe. I pray your Chicken will be fine and perhaps I am not understanding if there is a reason such as finances for not taking Chicken to the vet in which case my apologies if I have been insensitive but this is a very serious situation that needs veterinary attention as others have said.

 

If she was at 49 at noon and at 38 around 3pm after all the stuff she ate, she is still dropping. You really need to get her to the vet NOW! She may take a dive and if you are off at work there won't be anyone there to help her! If as you suspect she got 20u of insulin instead of 2.25u that's almost 10X the correct dose. That is huge. If you gave it to her around 09:30, her nadir (low for the cycle) may not occur until 4:30 or 5:30pm., so she could drop even further.

 

Has anybody else heard anything about Chicken? I'm so worried!

 

Please, please do take your cat to a vet.
The blood glucose can suddenly drop faster than you will be able to bring it up; and, given the extent of the overdose this could easily be fatal or could leave the kitty with organ or brain damage. I'm really sorry to be blunt, but this is an extremely serious situation.

Everyone here is keeping fingers and paws crossed for your kitty....

 

Please, please, I beg of you, take Chicken to the vet. Many of those above who have given that advice are very experienced and know what they are talking about. I for one trust these people and seek advice from them about FD. If they told me to rush my kitty to the vet, I`d be on my way in a heartbeat.

 

I hesitated to add to all the words of wisdom that have been given to you. Even with giving REGULAR doses of insulin a cat can suddenly drop and go into a hypo state, which if not treated promptly can be deadly!!! With the amount that Chicken was given, albeit in error, this is a CRITICAL situation. Chicken may seem fine right now and maybe for a few hours in the future, but insulin is a hormone and can totally change the whole endocrine system. It may not happen at 4 or 6 or 8 hours after injection, but that is a LOT of insulin for Chicken to try to assimilate. The effects may come 12 or 24 hours later and could be serious or deadly. Please do not wait...if Chicken is able to survive this massive dose, then you can get back to the rest of the world. Please listen to the advise that has been given!!

 

Thank you for giving us an update. We don't think that you don't love Chicken. We are just very, VERY worried! When we didn't hear back from you, we didn't know if you had talked to vet at all! Is the vet willing to be there, no matter what the time, or do you have quick access to an ER vet?

ETA: This was in response to a post from Chicken's mom. Not sure where the post went.

 

Chicken's mom - you are not the only one who has made this mistake. It's obvious you love Chicken and want to do the best for her.

You've already gotten lots of good advice, so I'll just add a

 

She is at the vet... Thanks everyone!! Will keep you updated.

 

Thanks Stacey for that info...did she go super low?

 

My housemate misread a syringe and OD'd Spitzer with 10 units instead of 1. Spitzer spend 2 days on a dextrose drip to fight the overdose.

 

We know you love your baby, that was so obvious in your original posting. I`m so happy you took her to the vet. I`ve heard of a few cases where a dosage was given which was 10x the required amount -- one of them was a vet tech who was instructing someone on how to administer an injection! We`re human, mistakes happen. We all wanted your little girl to be safe, thus the numerous urgent posts. Please keep us posted and hugs to you

P.S. Her pic is so cute!!

 

I am SO glad that you took her to the vet. You obviously love your Chicken a lot and in this case better safe than sorry. Good luck with her treatment.

 

So relieved Chicken is getting the care she needs. We know how much you love her and we could all "hear" your pain of regret in your original message and just wanted to help you keep her safe. Mistakes happen but she is in good hands now. Go do something nice for yourself for a bit. You must be wound up in knots! Please keep us posted!

 

Only just got home from work - I'm so glad to hear you've taken Chicken to the vet. That will definitely be the safest place for her while you have to work tonight. And my apologies to Chicken for calling her "he" while I was rushing to try and post on my way out the door this morning - I hope she wasn't too offended by my mistake! Please do keep us posted on her progress.

 

Thank you!! I do love her very much.. My husband took her and they have her kayro syrup and checked her sugar they got it up to 119 and said she was good to take home. I called them crying my eyes out and telling them that my husband was on his way, they were all set up for her when they got there : ) I am so glad her vet is open until 2100. I asked them if they were sure she was ok to come home and they said yes! My husband said she is back to acting like her normal self and I think we all feel much relief : )) Me, Chicken, my husband, Casper and our son Connor thank everyone on here so much I just can't tell you xoxo

Hi, the lowest she went was 38. At 1800 she was up to 53, my husband stayed home with her tonight but I was getting very scared reading the posts from everyone and I really respect everyone here so we took her to the vet : ) She is doing fine Thank you.

 

Great to hear that she is doing fine. We've seen so many situations where this has not gone well so always err on the side of safety.

 

Thank you so much for that, I knew I would look like an idiot writing that on this forum but I knew that there are a lot of very educated and experienced people on here also so I had to ask for help and I am so glad that I did : )

 

Thank you for the information!

 

Not at all - I think you'll find every one of us has made mistakes with our sugar kitties (many of us more than once). And the only stupid question is that one that doesn't get asked until AFTER things start going badly wrong. And it sounds as though Chicken is going to be just fine, which is the most important thing of all!

 

I am so glad to hear that Chicken is safe and well. You did exactly the right things for your beloved kitty. Everyone can make a mistake, but you were home testing AND you asked for advice. Chicken is most fortunate to have two such caring petparents.

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you very much for the information, I truly appreciate it!

 

That is wonderful news that Chicken will be alright and you and your husband must be so relieved and it is good you took Chicken to the vet too. As others have said similar situations have not ended so well so always best to be safe.

 

Thank you so much for doing that for me, that was so sweet of you, I really appreciate it

 

Hi Stacey. I was so worried for Chicken and you and your husband too. I also worried maybe I was being too forceful in my posts but it was because I felt so anxious for all of you and wanted Chicken to be safe. I am so pleased Chicken will be alright and I can only imagine how you must have felt when you realised your mistake.

 

Thank you so much, I really needed that : ) You all are so very kind, thank you so much.. It has been such a stressful day...I so appreciate you all

 

I would like to share a handy hint in case it helps anyone avoid a similar mistake which can really happen to anyone. Because I do suffer from anxiety I sometimes have doubted if I had the correct insulin dose in the syringe and sometimes if I have had to get up in the middle of the night if we are off schedule it is easy to forget in a drowsy state whether insulin was given especially if we have been off schedule so this is what I do. When I fill the syringe I place it down and take a photo of it on my iPhone. The beauty of modern smart phones is that you can magnify the photo and this helps also with dosing because we don't have half unit syringes here. So taking a photo of the syringe helps in that it helps with accurate dosing, it provides a time and date for when I gave that dose, and it makes me recheck the amount of insulin I have drawn into the syringe. It also eases any anxiety I may have later if I find myself wondering if I drew the correct dose.

 

Very smart : )) I usually just use her Lantus pen, but I can't give .25 units on there so that is why I was using the syringe. I think we will just stick with the 2 units from the Lantus pen from now on! Thank you for the helpful tip though, great idea!

 

I just read this now. I am so relieved that Chicken is okay. Most of us use syringes with the pens. Now that you know how to measure you will be fine. Chicken won't always need 2 units so it's good to get used to using them.

 

I am coming to this late in the process but, I had my heart in my mouth for you all and am SO happy to hear that Chicken is doing ok! I'm also so glad that you took her to the vet's as better safe than sorry. I've made mistakes too and I find that sticking to the pen injector makes it really hard to make a big mistake. I also find that not being able to dose in more than whole units on it, is a pain but, I would prefer to be low on the dose than to go too high anyways.

We all make mistakes as it's so easy to do. I like the idea of taking a photo of the needle though! Great idea as there have been times when in a groggy, tired state, I've thought I've dialed up 1 unit to find that I dialed up 2. I'm glad that I caught it and discharged it and dialled up again to the 1.

I think using the injector pen right now is a good idea and if you need to go down by a half unit or so, perhaps, making it a rule to double check before you inject to be double sure. We all have "Duh Moments". Thankfully, Chicken is ok.

I'd just keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours and keep checking her levels to ensure that there's not another hypo coming after all of the sugar wears off. Perhaps, keeping her on higher carb foods for 24 hours to be sure might be wise???? As our vet has said, "better to be higher than to go too low".

Let us all know how she is doing.

 

So pleased it has all worked out all right. Don't worry you make a mistake....we all do at one time or another. The important thing is you acted on it immediately and took the advice given...that was smart! And Chicken is safe.
I think I called Chicken a he in an early post.....sorry Miss Chicken.
Before I give any insulin, I always check it again just before I actually give it....a hang over from my nursing days.....I once found I had drawn up 10.25 instead of 5.25 units and found it just as I had pulled up the skin and rechecked the dose!
Please keep posting and set up a Spreadsheet when you feel up to it! Here is the link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/

Well done today.....

 

I would not try to stick with the pen. I think you will be right drawing now that you've made such a huge boo boo, can't see you doing that again! My understanding is that the dose drawn by the pens is not very accurate when it is refrigerated - as we need to keep it for our kitties so it lasts the distance. Also 1 unit dose changes are too large going up or down (with the exception of high dose kitties) when using lantus.

We do have a saying better too high for a day than too low for a minute but it must be remembered that if the BG is too high for an extended period that will also kill your cat. So you need to be able to dose appropriately. I have a sample dose made up using coloured water (you can also use cold tea) and compare the dose I have drawn to the sample before I shoot. This avoids errors in dose and also helps me to be more consistent in dosing.

In case your vet didn't mention it - after an episode like this cats can be extra sensitive to insulin. Depending on her numbers you may want to skip the next dose, if she's okay to shoot monitor carefully. So glad your Chicken is okay. It would be great if you could get a spreadsheet up for her, the instructions are in the tech forum.

 

I am so very new to this site, but I wanted you to know I was following Chicken's progress all yesterday, with hope & prayers for you all. It rattled me as a sugar kitty Mom and your courage & smarts to admit a mistake and ask for help here was a valuable lesson learned. All the out pouring and non judgemental comments were amazing to me and in my sleep deprived state moved me to tears more than once. I am so glad I came here. Big hug to Chicken and family, I am so glad for you all.

 

Awe thank you and in my deprived sleep state I have tears in my eyes from your beautiful message : ). I am also very new to this site and feline diabetes but I know that a lot of these people are not and I knew that at least one of these wonderful people would of had experience with something like this and I got an absolute outpouring of advice, prayers and support that overflowed my heart!! This is a great place to be, I was so ashamed but I knew I had to post and ask for help. Chicken is doing well this morning after a very long and stressful day yesterday : ). Thank you all again so much!!

 

Thank you for the update. I'm so pleased to hear that Chicken is doing well this morning. I know how incredibly stressful yesterday must have been for you and I'm so happy that you found this site and were able to get the help you needed to keep Chicken safe.

 

Thank you so much. I tried to set up the spreadsheet and I was having some trouble with it. I use a Mac so I don't know if that is the problem. Maybe I will try it on my husband's PC and see if I have any better luck. Thank you again for all of your support!!

 

Thank you... I will try again to get the spreadsheet up... I tried a couple times and was not successful but I will try again : )) thank you for all the great information!

 

If you send a PM (start a conversation) to Marje&Gracie she's a pro with spreadsheets and can get one up in no time. I use a Mac too but both of my ss were set up by her as I did something wrong.

You are right that thus is the most caring group of people I've ever come across and I've had to be on several yahoo groups for two senior cats that gave had lots of issues.

How is Chicken's BG now?

 

Vyktors Mom...HI first of all. I also did something similar to your idea with the coloured water, put onto a shiny surface to see what a dose looks like. It's a great idea.

One thing that I just wanted to make mention of was the dosing with the pen injector system. Ok, laugh if you want as I felt a bit insane in doing this but, I had heard the same rumour about the pen dosing being off by being in the refrigerator and had been using it that way. So, I sat with a syringe and, the pen dialed to the dose and I literally, put one dose (from an old pen, not quite finished) of insulin from both the pen dialed dose alongside the same dose drawn from a syringe and looked at the sizes. Actually, the one drawn up by the syringe, tended to be the most variable in sizes. It didn't matter how many times I did it, 9 out of 10 times, the syringe was the most variable (pen was cold from the fridge and both were withdrawn from the same pen). I was STILL not convinced because I figured perhaps my eyes couldn't tell (in spite of about a dozen tries). I called the manufacturer of the pen. They said that "the dosing mechanism is not affected by being in the fridge. It works exactly the same cold from the fridge as it does from the warm counter or wherever. The only reason for not keeping it in the fridge is for comfort of cold insulin being injected and it's intended for human usage at much higher doses. They admit that they know it's being used on cats but refuse to give out any information regarding cat or dog usage as it's intended for humans and that's what their clinical trials and info are basted on. But, I asked twice about the dosing mechanism being damaged by refrigeration and both times, I was told it does not damage it, dosing is still accurate but, either way (fridge or not) the insulin becomes ineffective after 28 days. yada yada yada

Laugh, but still not convinced, I talked to my vet who said.."use the injector...easier on you to not make a mistake".

I had a previous diabetic cat where I used syringes. The doses with drawing up to the marks, bubbles, being impatience, time factors, etc., are really not accurate either. I've used both the syringe and the injector pen and I was used more to the syringes. I found the injector more difficult at first but, now...I'm feeling more at ease with it and I feel a little more confident using it. I think it's all coming down to 1) partial doses (can't do that with the pen as it's whole units only) and 2) personal preference and what everyone is comfortable with. Neither way is totally "accurate" 100%.

Anyways, that's my experiments, research and experiences. I think everyone has to choose which way feels best for them.

 

So what will you do if you need .25 more or less?

 

Obviously then, you have no choice but to use syringes. If I have to go to a half dose...I'd have to switch back to the syringes. I can do both. I'm just preferring that since I am on a whole unit and not partial units, I use the pen injector. It's purely preference at whole unit doses.
But, may I ask (I really don't know)...are there .25U markings on syringes for U100 types? Or, is everyone eyeballing it?

And, btw...I just wanted to add that I *think* (from my understanding anyways) one can't go from using syringes in the pen to the "dial-up method injector system". I think air gets put into the pen with the syringes and therefore, less accurate doses then. Not sure though.

 

You can only get syringes with 1/2 unit markings. For smaller doses many of us use digital calipers. I got mine from Harbor Freight.

 

Thank you tiffmaxee. I really wasn't sure on that and it's good to know.

 

When it comes to the .25 doses, we're either eyeballing it or using calipers....Calipers are the best way to make sure you're getting the same dose every time from the syringes since you don't pay any attention to the lines on the syringes

Here's a great post on Dosing with Calipers if you're interested (includes video)

 

Marje of Marje&Gracie made a video of dosing with calipers in case you are interested. I agree the syringes aren't accurate which is one reason why I use them.

 

Thank you, Chris & China...going to watch that video as I don't know about callipers at all.

And, thank you tiffmaxee (your message came in as I posted to Chris & China.

 

A few things in response to some of the comments:

- Please continue testing because as Serryn (who is very experienced) mentioned, a cat that has been that low, or had a symptomatic hypo, could be more sensitive to insulin after the episode.

- If you look on this "Where Can I Find?" post, which was prepped specifically for use on the Lantus/Lev Insulin Support Group, in the lower part of the first post you'll see 2 links to cats that were accidentally overdosed. You want to be careful for at least a few days AFTER the episode happens. An extra 20 units is huge - I would not relax until several days are past.

- Diabetic cats have the potential to have their pancreas heal and for it to begin sputtering back to life and putting out insulin. If that happens, the dose that was "just right" before can become too much now. Home testing will let you know what you need to do with the dose - but unless a cat is kept in constant relatively high numbers, they will need dose adjustments. I'd highly encourage you to always test before each shot, and if at all possible, to get one test in the middle of the cycle (anywhere from 3-8 or so hours) after each shot. You will soon see that a cat's blood sugar doesn't remain constant. A tightly regulated cat might be constant, but you are not at that phase yet. Not every cat will be able to heal their pancreas, but some can and some go off of insulin because of it. There is a see-sawing quality of adjusting the dose downward if the cat's pancreas does begin to put out some insulin. As the cat's own body increases its amount, the amount injected decreases 0.25u at a time.

- Lantus dosing is based upon how LOW the dose can take the cat. The low point is typically, but not always, somewhere inbetween the shots. So in order to know what to do with the dose, you really need the information from the mid-cycle. What's most helpful is to have a spreadsheet, then sprinkle the tests in here and there. You don't have to test every hour, but if you think of the spreadsheet like a jigsaw puzzle, having only a stripe down the middle tells you far less than if the puzzle pieces are sprinkled around throughout the puzzle.

- I would strongly encourage you to use syringes. You can draw up a sample syringe, as Serryn described, and mark the 2u with masking tape, then always compare to it if you want. You won't make this mistake again - it's the kind a person only makes once, LOL. What we know with cats is that they respond to very tiny changes in the dose - you can change a cat's blood sugar even by "fattening" or "skinnying" a dose, not even a 0.25u increment. That's why the ability to accurately adjust the dose by less than 1.0u is critical. The variations that Louellen is talking about are likely because the syringe markings are inconsistent. We've found that to be true, so many people either use a sample syringe to compare for dosing, or use calipers. With both of those techniques, you ignore the syringe markings. If you compare 10 of your syringes, the markings will no doubt not all be same - looking at the distance down from the hub. On that same post I linked above, if you look for "Dosing with Calipers" you'll find instructions on how to do that. We don't usually suggest that to new people because it's overwhelming enough just starting, much less worrying about syringe markings, but since the topic has come up, I wanted to give you the info.

There is a lot to learn but fortunately, you've hit the jackpot with diabetic cat websites. There are many people here who can help you learn what you need. I'd encourage you to begin posting on the Lantus/Levemir insulin support group where you will find all Lantus/Lev users who can help you learn these finer points of how to take care of your sweet Chicken. You will learn a ton by reading other people's posts there as well.

So glad she's doing ok now. Hang in there. The beginning is overwhelming, but as you learn more, it all gets infinitely easier.

 

Thank you so much for all of that very useful information. I have looked around the Lantus/Lev forum and I will go back. I am going to have my husband work on the spteadsheet or maybe I will go and try it on his computer. I understand the calipers and will look into getting some.
Chickens sugars today have been pre-shot AM 300 so I gave her the 2 units then her pre-shot PM was 289. Those are both pretty high for her... Which I am thinking may still be some residual from all the glucose she had yesterday.
Her Vet called me this morning to check on her because the vet from the clinic associated with hers that is open late and where my husband took Chicken last night called her and told her we had brought her in so she called to check up on her which made me feel good.
She ate well today and seems to be feeling good so we will keep our fingers crossed. You are right I will NEVER make that mistake again.
Thank you and have a wonderful night!!

 

Thank you for the update on Chicken. The last day or so has probably played havoc on Chicken's system with the high dose insulin and the IV dextrose, so it will be a few days before you see where she is actually "at". I am glad to see that Chicken is so resilient and seems not to have had any lasting effects from her adventure. At least now you can start the treatment plan and see how well she responds to the Lantus and then take it from there.

Having a preadsheet would be most useful, not only for members to be able to offer advise, but also for you to track her progress with the colour coding. I did handmade notes from the beginning, but after a few months when I finally got my spreadsheet going, I found it to be so much simpler to view, plus the link can be sent to your vet and they can view the progress as well.

You and your hubby are off to a good start, especially with already home-testing.

 

I do write down her numbers and times etc and made a spreadsheet and printed it out for the vet but I would really like to start using the one on this site. I will go try it now on the PC instead of my Mac and see if I can do it, lol.

 

Good luck. I ended up needing some help with the fine tuning and posting set-up so if you do have problems just ask and those in the know can help you out!

 

YAY I actually did it!! At least got it set up, now I just have to input the numbers . I'm getting there slowly but surely, thanks for the encouragement and the offerings of help

 

Looks like you did it @Chicken'sMom !! I see the spreadsheet...now you just have to start plugging in the numbers!

 

WOW..You are miles ahead of me when I started my spreadsheet!! I can see it fine! WTG!!!

 

I'm so glad chicken is doing well! That picture you have of her is great! She looks like such a sweet kitty.

 

WOOT! you got the spreadsheet done and I see tests in there! It is an invaluable tool for us - especially with Lantus since we look at the past several days to see what the overall picture is, not just at one number. Great job!

Another little bit of info - cats are often lower at night, some giving all their lowest numbers in the pm cycle (between the evening shot and the morning shot.) The morning amps (am preshot) is often higher because of something called "Dawn Phenomenon." People will consistently encourage you to get some test in the pm cycle because of this reason - since Lantus dosing is based upon the low numbers, catching the low numbers becomes very important.

I'd guess the higher numbers you saw yesterday were in response to the overdose. An increase in dose can cause "New Dose Wonkiness" in many cats - where the blood sugar rises and stays higher for a while after a dose is increased. It's also very possible that the last 2 days of high numbers are from what we call a "bounce," caused from Chicken getting into such low numbers.

There is an explanation of those 2 phenomena in this post. These are important to learn to recognize because they are 2 occasions when high numbers do not mean that a cat needs more insulin. It can take a while for most people to be able to "see" them in their cat's ss, so most new members ask for someone with experience to take a look at the spreadsheet if they are thinking about increasing the dose - just to be sure the cat really needs more insulin and it's not just passing high numbers that will resolve on their own.

 

Thank you so much! Everybody gives me a hard time about dressing my kitties but I have done it since they were babies, just to take them to the vet and for Christmas cards, lol. Have to use doggie clothes though, perhaps I should invent some Kitty Wear : )

 

I never had a cat that would let me dress them. I did have one when I was a kid but he would just flop down on his side if I put anything on him .

 

Never tried to dress the cats, but both my dogs have shirts and sweaters. Curly because he is hairless and gets cold, then can get sunburned during the summer.

 

She does not walk much when her clothes are on but she does tolerate them and me, lol : ))