Please help! Ketoacidosis won't eat, just diagnosed!

Please help!
My five year old tortoiseshell was just diagnosed diabetic on Friday. We have no money, so instead of hospitalizing her, I had to bring her home. She's in ketoacidosis. I have strips to test her urine, and the ketones have been decreasing, though they keep bouncing up and down. Her activity level has barely improved. She absolutely will not eat. She will take chicken broth. I've only been able to give her one unit instead of the prescribed two, twice daily. She is so listless sometimes she won't get up to pee. She has gotten up a few times, but her energy level seems to have plateaued. I'm so worried. The vet is gone for the weekend and I don't know what to do, what I can feed her, or how much broth will let me give her a full two units of insulin.

Please help! I don't want to lose my kitten!

 

My cat is a DKA survivor but he was hospitalized. Do you have a glucometer and are you home testing?
Do you have syringes to assist feed? Here is a link to a video on assist feeding. You will need to get food into your kitty. This is a very good video and I would do what the lady in the video says to do. She will also need insulin to bring her numbers down. I would go get a glucometer if you don't already have one. Did the vet say she had an infection or did she have some other kind of stress lately? I wish you the best of luck and will keep you and your kitty in my prayers.

 

I was house sitting for two days. When I left Rocko was strong and vibrant. When I returned she was listless, not eating, and her hind legs were so weak she could barely stand. I watched her through the night as her breathing became more and more labored. By the time I got her to the vet at 3:30 Friday she was nearly comatose.

The vet knew immediately what it was. She said her sugar was in the 400's and she was in ketoacidosis. She gave me syringes and insulin and a can of food Rocko never ate. She also gave her iv fluids while we were there. I have no glucometer yet and can't afford one. The vet visit took everything.

I've been giving her fluids, broth, and insulin. The ketones are decreasing, but they jumped back up this morning. The broth she will only take broth through syringe, but she laps it willingly.

I don't know what to do.

 

Yo need to assist/syringe feed Rocko in order to give him a change. I would join
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feli ... d-Feeding/
for how to safely assist feed.

 

Okay, so I ground up some canned chicken and broth to give the broth a little more substance. Rocko liked the smell, but still needed the syringe. I got a few small syringes full in her. (I'm using an infant syringe cause that's all I have right now)

She's a little more perky, will hold her head up and move around a bit.

 

She ate a few licks of tuna semi-willingly.

 

thats good he is a little better but he is not out of the woods.

1. what kind of insulin is it? when did you last give it.

2. where do you live? you can get a cheap meter from walmart -a relion prime and some lancets and a pack of strips will set you back only $30. I would strongly advise getting one today asap.. and then we can see if you can give him the insulin. Because if you have to hospitalize it is going to cost A LOT more than that. ( A mirco is better cos it needs less blood but it will cost $45 for the meter , strips and a pack of lancets)

3. Keep trying to get Rocko to eat and drink - its critical. Syringe feed him every hour if you can. Mix the wet food with water and put into a big syringe and put sideways into his mouth. Do you have fancy feast or any other wet food at home too? Sometimes they dont like the vets wet food.

Wendy

 

She's on novalin. Have to wait for next check before I can get a meter and I was told a human meter wouldn't work anyway since she's so far off normal...Friday.

A human doctor friend of mine said to stick with the broth for now and to give the prescribed dose of insulin.

This is so scary.

 

The recipe for DKA is not enough food plus not enough insulin plus an infection or sometimes another systematic stress.
I would keep feeding her every hour or so, around the clock, and if at all possible go get a cheap meter and strips so you can get enough insulin in but keep her safe at the same time. What area or town do you live in? Maybe there is member that has an extra meter that is close to you. Again, I wish you the best of luck and am keeping your kitty in my prayers.

We cross posted. Do you know anyone that is near you that is diabetic that can lend you an glucometer? Human glucometers are fine and will tell you if she is too low.

 

A human meter is just fine to use. 99% of us here use human meters for our cats.

Walmart sells Relion meter which is the cheapest. Also, if you click on the link at the top of every page for Home Testing Kits - Need One? The owner of this board will send you one for the cost of postage. This way you can at least get started with home testing.

Also, the best insulins to use for cats is Lantus (glargine), Levimer (Determir) or ProZinc. Novolin is more of a fast acting insulin and much harder to manage diabetes with.

You may also want to contact DCIN - Diabetic Cats in Need, as they may be able to provide you with assistance in getting a meter as well as possible financial assistance. No promises, but it is worth contacting them to see.

http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/p/our-miss ... eople.html

 

N/Novalin is actually a better insulin now since you can easily change the dose to more easily control BG. You can also does three times a day as necessary.

 

Thanks so much for your support!

I live in Rio Rancho, New Mexico--just on the westside of Albuquerque. I have no idea how to change her insulin dose if I get a meter because the vet said that would be our next step after she made it through DKA. She's a good doc and did everything in her power to treat Rocko despite our financial shortcomings. All I know is she's DKA from sudden onset and no treatment. She hasn't eaten in at least four or more days.

I just gave her five more infant syringes full of broth. I'll be giving her the two units of insulin as prescribed based on my human doc friends advice. I usually give her insulin around seven, so ill try and get more broth in her and give the tuna another go before giving her dose.

 

Can you mix the broth with some wet canned food and feed her that? We need to get calories in her too,,

 

I tried to purée chicken with broth, but it is too thick for my syringe. I can try forcing the tuna on her. I mixed a tiny bit of mayo into it to give it more calories.

 

Do whatever it takes to get her to eat.

Did you get that meter. You really need it.. I don't know if you realize how serious this is for her.. You know DKA is life threatening right?

 

Ok, I just gave her 2 units after forcing about a tbsp tuna/mayo down her. Poor thing

 

Oh I know it's serious. I've torn the house apart looking for my moms meter, but she died five years ago and we didn't keep anything. My grandmother has an extra she's bringing over in an hour, but I still have no idea what to do for a cat.

 

Ok great. Here's some testing tips. Make sure your gran brings over lancets (poky sticks) and strips too.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub

 

The broth doesn't have enough calories in it if she hadn't eaten in 4 days. Do you have a blender or food processor, preferably a small one? Put the food in it with water. That will make it smooth enough for a syringe. You'll lose some of it because you can't scrape it all out. We just did this last week - I learned this trick after a couple of tries mashing it really good. A mixer might even work.

LOTS of prayers here....

 

That info was great, but it didn't tell me levels. The vet said her level was in the 400's. what is it supposed to be? How do I compensate for it being a human meter?

 

Normal cat is 40-130. Higher than that is diabetic. Given you gave insulin you can test to see how she is doing and perhaps as Larry said, give another dose in a few hours (consult him first for when and how much) if she isn't coming down.

Let's see what her reading is. Maybe also call and see if you can find another emergency vet?

Wendy

 

Ok, tested at 315 approx 2hrs after 2 units of insulin. What do I do?

 

That's not too too bad. Another test in 2 hours. Keep feeding and giving water.

What meter is it?

 

How much more broth should I give her? I have a bigger syringe now. Should I try to force solids?

 

Oh it's a one touch ultra 2.

 

Yes, mix the wet food with broth so its thin enough to go through the syringe and try and get a good amount into her.

Did the vet give you a high calorie wet?

Wendy

 

She did, but only one can and it went bad waiting for her to eat it. I can get some fancy feast beef tomorrow, but right now I have canned chicken, canned tuna, and chicken broth.

 

Try hand feeding minced bits of food if you haven't got a blender to puree it.

Both solid and liquid are needed.

 

U have no cat food at all in the house? Try the canned chicken then.. Maybe the below..

Enticing your cat to eat
Here are some things you can do do entice your cat to eat:
sometimes in order to get a cat to eat you even have to resort to dry it is more important that they eat. there are a couple low carb / grain free brands -- EVO and wellness core.
making a buffet to give him choices
heating food
Sprinkle food with :
FortiFlora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
parmesan cheese, other cheeses
smashed crumbles of dry food
bonito/tuna flakes (Asian markets or Asian food section in grocery stores)
Freeze dried treats (Halo, pure bites) -- crumble into dust over food. Chicken or liver flavours.
pour a little water from tuna in water over food (I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats and it shouldn't contain soy -- check labels)
powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.
Olives/olives juice
Other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
trader joe tuna for cats
baby food -- beechnut or Gerber Stage 2 -- you want a baby food that is only a protein + broth (although the Gerber contains cornstarch). It should have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
kentucky fried chicken KFC
deli meats ie turkey /chicken
plain cooked (boiled or baked) chicken breast (or beef, ham, turkey, pork, steak, bacon)
Raw - whole meats, rinsed well or partially baked
canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
chicken broth -- low sodium
Selection of canned foods (buy a can of everything!)

 

I had no clue onions were toxic! The broth I've been giving her has trace amounts! Crap!

So she has now had a full oz of puréed chicken and tuna (using the water from the can as broth). We'll check sugar again in 2hrs. Should I continue feeding every 2 hrs through the night?

Up until Friday our cats were on a strictly dry diet. I haven't had a can of cat food in the house for years. :/

 

An oz is good, I would keep feeding every hour for now. Also you will want to test her blood every couple of hours.. It will start to go back up probably at the next reading. Your insulin only lasts 6 hours so we might want to dose again but I want a novolin user to advise n this.

Let me know what the next reading is..

 

Next readout is 337, 1 hr since 1oz food, 4hrs since 2 units insulin. Do I give her more purée?

 

Ketones read negligible

 

Really? Fantastic!! Ok so feed and water and take a break. When did the vet say to give insulin again? Every 12 hours? Less?

 

I need to go to bed as I have work tomorrow but I am thinking you should test again in a couple of hours and feed and water her again.

Let's chat tomorrow morning about how to stop this happening again and her ongoing treatment.

Wendy

 

Vet said 2 times daily. I guess that means 12 hrs. I get to talk to her tomorrow morning. Thank God we made it through the weekend! She said if Rocko made it through the weekend she could pull through.

So she lapped at her water for a minute after peeing and after sugar reading.

I'll give her another oz of food before bed.

What is the number I'm aiming for? 337 seems high to me if she's supposed to be between 50 and 150.

Thank you all for your help!

 

Leave food out for her and water. And get another ketone test tomorrow morning. 300 is higher than ideal, but we can chat tomorrow about what to do on an ongoing basis. A better insulin like lantus, levemir or prozinc would be one of my first choices but the novolin was good for this emergency.

Wendy

 

For right now, don't be concerned with the 337. Yes, it's high, but you don't want to have it drop too far too soon. Especially if she's not eating all that well.

Food is used, in cases of dropping blood glucose, to raise her numbers to keep her safe. It depends on a cat having some sort of appetite.

You said the ketones were negligible the last time you tested? That's fantastic news.

How many test strips did you get?

For right now, follow the vet instructions as far as how often to shoot insulin. What time did she get the last shot?

 

Thanks so much! Sleep well.

 

Rocko has zero appetite still

I have her insulin about 4 hrs ago. Novalin was the cheapest brand.

I tested one strip in the litter right after she peed. The test before it was trace amounts.

 

I meant how many blood glucose strips do you have on hand?

Here's the scoop on Novalin. I understand it was the lowest cost, and that is critical for you at the moment. So we can "work with it" for now.

It's a shorter duration insulin than we normally like to use. It acts pretty fast, usually it will start pushing the BG numbers down only an hour or two after the shot. And reaches peak effect about 4 hours after the shot. Normally, by the 8 hour mark, it had pretty much worn off. Ideally, you want an insulin that lasts 12 hours, and doesn't work so fast. But like I said, it's what you have and we can try to help you work with it.

If you can get her to eat at all before bed, try to get her to. Even if you have to syringe feed her.

First thing in the morning, try to feed her again. You want food in her belly before you give a shot of Novolin. If she won't eat at all, call the vet as soon as they open. And try to test her BG before you feed her, so you can tell the vet what you got.

In spite of what your vet said, a human meter is perfectly fine for treating/testing feline diabetes with. No matter how high the numbers go. Or how low. Your vet might just not be aware of that. Thousands of cats, literally, have gone into remission with the caregivers using human meters.

My cat was also ketoacidosic. I used a Relion Micro meter. He made it through that crisis, took insulin for 10 weeks, and went into remission. He was on PZI insulin. Two days ago, we celebrated his 2 year anniversary of being off of insulin. The same thing can happen with your kitty. You just have to take this one day at a time.

Carl

 

Hello.
I'm in New Mexico... Los Alamos.
I have a new pen of Lantus in my refrigerator if you get a prescription from your vet ....


Isn't the walmart in RR open all night?
I would suggest to go buy a can of fancy feast turkey and giblets classics feast or chicken classics feast or trout classic feast. Since you haven't had any canned food , who knows, maybe Rocko would try it.


My cat went into remission and I used a human meter. Vets that tell you otherwise are wrong.


I have canned food I can give you too.

I'll help you however I can.

 

Shipping insulin, from Venita at DCIN. I saved this to my favorites some time ago.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwpbGEEvO1H9UmNzRWF4QUg0ODA/edit?pli=1

 

I'm trying to figure out how and when I could come help....it's only 1.5 hours. my schedule is usually wide open... every week but this one.... (and MIL coming)
I think I could do it early Wednesday morning.... trying to figure out a sooner time.

 

Meet halfway somewhere?

 

When you checked her ketones, did you actually stick the ketostix in fresh urine? Sticking it in urine soaked litter will cause the results to be inaccurate.

I understand about the finances but if she is in DKA, she needs to be in the hospital. She needs IV fluids. I know you are trying really, really hard but you have to get much more calories and water in her than normal. You could be facing feline hepatic lipidosis on top of the DKA if her calorie intake is greatly diminished.

The vets can give her a combination of insulins....very short acting plus the novolin (if it is "N") or a long duration insulin to bring her numbers down. Is she getting Novolin R or Novolin N? Novolin R is a very short duration insulin and is usually given as a bolus to quickly bring numbers down. Novolin N is a medium acting insulin. She really needs a long duration insulin with a bolus.

Have you ever heard of Care Credit? They can qualify you quickly so you could get her to an ER.

I do not mean to be pessimistic but DKA should not be treated at home. I hope you can figure out a way to get her to an ER.

Rhiannon....I understand what you are doing and it's so generous of you. But we don't prescribe insulin here. We can recommend it and she can have it on hand for when she talks to her vet. But the vet needs to give the go ahead.

 

Marje is right. She would need to have her vet write a prescription for lantus and determine a starting dose.

 

I agree. The vet needs to prescribe it.
I was looking at us moving forward tomorrow after she saw the vet again....
quoting what she said earlier.

 

Hey, sorry my battery on my ipod died at 11 last night and I just got up.

Thanks for the offer, Rhiannon. I would love to meet with you if only for advice on how to manage this. I will be talking to the vet once my husband comes home from work and I can get another sugar reading. (He'll be home within the hour) We are also looking into a pet insurance that would reimburse her prescription costs.

Update on Rocko:
I did test the urine stream last night so the result was accurate. This morning I tested the litter since I didn't get to her in time, and it was still negative for ketones. The urine smell is also a lot less pungent. Rocko is still very weak, but she is getting on and off the bed. She hasn't messed herself in over 36 hrs now. She is breathing normally and holding her head up. Last night she didn't just flop at the foot of the bed, she actually curled up in the center with me like normal. She sniffed at the tuna this morning, licked it, but turned away and drank an entire bowl of water instead. My husband will be returning with canned food and we'll try that once we have her sugar reading and talked to the vet. Oh and she's meowing now! She wouldn't meow or acknowledge us with more than a slight twitch of her ears when we entered the room. Now she gets up and meows. Oh, and she is no longer compliant and will resist me if I touch her ears. So I'd say that's progress.

She looks worlds better than she did at the start of this very long weekend. She's not back to normal, but she's much better. Thank you all for your advice and help during this time. I don't think I could have done this without you all.

Note: I KNOW she needs to be in a hospital and it is absolutely killing me that I can't put her in one right now. We literally have $8. to our name right now. I can't eat, I can't sleep. I am desperately trying everything I can to keep my kitten alive with the resources I have. Please recognize that.


Anyway, I'll give another update when I have more information.

Thanks

 

Good morning!

Sounds like she is doing a bit better today yay! Did you give her insulin? Please test her before you do and dont shoot if under 200. How are you doing for strips?

Also try and get some food into her.

Can you spend your $8 getting her some friskies pates today?

Wendy

 

Hey Wendy

I have around 20 strips. We lost a few last night trying to get a big enough sample.

I won't give her insulin till I have her reading. I'm not sure if I should feed her before the reading. My husband will be home any minute now, so we'll see.

(He's out buying the fancy feast)

 

No - test first then feed / shoot.

Wendy

 

Right, tested 400. Fed one oz of fancy feast purée w/water through syringe. Gave prescribed dose of insuli. Waiting on phone consult with vet.

So out of desperation I decided to try her old treats (whiskas temptations). She ate them! I only gave her two cause I'm scared for her sugar. She perked up when I shook the bag and even jumped on the bed to get some. I tried putting a treat in the wet food to trick her...no such luck. Also tried iams dry (her previous food) no luck. So she will eat the temptations. Do I let her have them, or stick with the purée and force feeding?

 

How about first we try crushing a couple and making a powder and sprinkling it on top of fancy feast and see if she will eat that. If not, just give her them.. its important she eats right now.

What kind of fancy feast did you get? The classic pates?

Wendy

 

With a BG of 400 I would start with one unit of N insulin. I would measure the BG about 4 to 5 hours after the injection. Also when you post with the BG say about how much was eaten and when

 

I am sooooo glad she's feeling better and acting a little more normal and eating the Temptations and best of all that her ketones are negative. Keep up the good work :YMHUG:

 

I'm still watching your updates.
Definitely try crumbling and sprinkling some of those treats on the food to see if she'll eat.
It may take several different cans to find the one she's interested in.
Interest in the treats is a good sign.
try other things like lunch meat ( read ingredients to avoid sugar) or the meat from a piece of fried chicken.... ( smith's has a thigh for $1 )


What is your name?
I'll figure out a time to come visit... bring you some cans of food since I know $8 won't last very long.
I can bring you some other things we use to entice kitties to eat... like fortiflora, bonita flakes, freeze dried treats.....

We can figure out what you need help with after you consult with your vet.

I also have a larger feeding syringe ( brand new in package) in case I ever needed it some day.
Perhaps your vet would give you one for free if you asked.

 

Ok, so I just checked her sugar prior to dinner and it is 171. She will willingly eat a few treats here and there. Do we give her insulin or not?

 

SHE"S EATING!!!!

 

make sure she eats a good amount .

Normally we dont advise newbies to shoot under 200 as they dont know how the cat will behave but your kitty is prone to ketones and I dont want her shooting up again ..

So first, before you shoot, tell me

1. you have a lot of strips? At least 10.
2. do you have syrup in the house
3. are you able to test for the next 4-5hours as and when requested by us? Minimum you will need a test at +2 and maybe more after that if she drops unexpectedly.

Let me know

 

Can you provide the following information:
BG this morning. I think it wa 400
How long after BG was shot given and how much was given, When and how much cat ate
How long after first BG/shot was Evening BG.
You said evening BG was171

 

Please stall just a minute while I read back over today's events.

 

Can you please let us know if it is Novolin R or Novolin N? There is a difference. Thank you!!

 

It's really important to get some insulin into Rocko tonight. However, we need to have some info please.

-- Novolin N or Novolin R
-- Time shot this morning, amount of insulin given, BG at shot time
-- Any BG readings today? Could you tell us what they were and when they were taken in relation to the shot this morning?
-- Can you get her to eat enough if she won't eat on her own
--you have supplies Wendy indicated and can you stay up to monitor?

 

Talked to the vet and she says we're out of DKA. She had me give her 1 unit of insulin (N), and I test again in two hrs.

Rocko is eating, and has almost eaten a full can of FF! She's sleeping off the insulin right now, but she's actually been a little playful. The vet is very pleased and optimistic.

Next step is to get a BG curve, which I need more strips for. I haven't done well with getting enough blood from her ears. Poor thing Vet said to try her lip.

This morning at around 11 it was 400. Gave 1 oz purée and 2 units insulin.
At 7 it was 171. Rocko ate 1/4 can FF. gave her 1 unit and was told to test again in 2 hrs.
Will report back then.

 

OUCH! That won't help her to eat if you poke her lip! Lips are too sensitive for poking.

You can try the paw pad if you can't get blood from the ear.

You can also aim for the vein in the ear if you really, really need to get a test. Just be expecting a big drop of blood and have a tissue ready to stop the blood after you carefully sip it up onto the test strip.

 

Oops for your vet...lips are a location for dogs, cats don't have the same capillary system in their lips plus they are very sensitive.

HUGS! EAT BABY EAT!!!!

 

Thanks for the advice. I was uneasy about sticking her lip. I got the ear vein once but aiming is hard.
Will try the paw pad next.

 

Hugs! Thanks

 

here are the best ear spots....
I have even better luck just a tiny bit higher than the sweet spots.....

The other part is are you freehand poking with a lancet or do you have a lancing device?
In the beginning, you have to use a higher setting.... and need a larger gauge lance. The ones for humans are usually too fine a gauge.

 

That pic helped a lot! One stick got enough blood.

8pm it's at 264.
She is still grazing at the fancy feast and has eaten most of the can now. Her 1 unit of insulin was 2 hrs ago and her readout then was 171.

 

be sure and give a treat after the poke... it helps create a "good" association. Someday she will actually come running to get tested.

 

She took a treat after

So do I give her the other unit of insulin? Or leave her be for the night?

 

7/22 11 am AMPS 400 2U 7 pm PMPS 171 1U +2 264 Novolin N insulin

Another test at +4 would be good.

No we do not want to give her any additional insulin tonight. Next dose would be tomorrow morning.

How early are you up to give the insulin?

 

I'm up between 9 and 10. Hubby is home then to help test her.

 

Would you help out my feeble, forgetful memory and put some information in your user control panel please? I can't remember where you live and searching through 75 posts in this thread, I could not find it easily.

 

Done

 

Morning Shannyn,

I think you could take down the 911 now. That way, if you need it again, it won't already be up and will more likely to catch attention.

You can also start a new post with new questions.
Or you can share your testing information for the day.
We tend to speak in
preshot numbers where you test, and feed and shoot at the same time. ( so amps is morning shot, and pmps is evening shot)
Then when you get a test.... say two hours later after the shot.... it's a +2 ( there are 12 hours in each cycle)

 

Morning! (how do I take the 911 down?)

So tested at 10am, 535, gave her 1/4 can of FF which isn't finished yet. Do I give her 2 U now?

 

She is much more responsive, still weak but less listless. She left the room on her own power this morning and visited with the other cats a few mins. She is also starting to care about her hygiene again. She's much more active even at 535 for a reading before food. (though she did graze a bit at the old dish right before taking it.)

 

to take the 911 down... go back to the first post you made.... click edit .... there is a row of post icons at the top.... you can change it to none.... or to a question mark...(candles and rainbow means they are gone)


Weren't you giving 1 unit? Or did I miss the change in dose?

 

but your signature says 2u.

 

Will do.

Her prescription is for 2 U, but the vet told me if she wasn't eating or if her sugar was lower, to use 1 U. Last night since the reading was 171, the vet said to go with 1 U.

 

I fell asleep before midnight last night (finally) so I didn't test again.

 

You are home and able to test, correct?

You would have to be able to give her some gravy/higher carb if she dropped below 50.

 

I am home and do have that, yes.
her amps this morning is 535. She's eating at a slow pace. I haven't given her shot yet.

 

I asked someone to come advise.

and I am sending you my cell phone # by pm.... I have to go work for a few hours.... but it's flexible so you can call if you have an emergency and no one is around....

 

Thanks

 

I think it's going to be a bit before someone else can come.
But I know how important it is to get some insulin in her with her high numbers and recent ketoacidosis.

So if you can stall for a little bit and wait, do so.... ( next shot time is 12 hours from when you shoot)
If you can't wait then I would say shoot the 1 unit and play it safe.
Continue getting tests so you can collect data and observe how she reacts to the insulin. Data is good to have .... and you need to know how she responds.



ETA: i'm off to work so if you need me, you'll have to call for the next 4 hours.

 

Giving 1 U now. Thanks

 

Shannyn

I'm sorry...Rhiannon did contact me but I wasn't available and just saw her message now.

I'm glad you gave her some insulin. I would suggest calling your vet today and getting her input on what you should shoot....in other words, a sliding scale. Most of us us the longer lasting insulins that are dosed on the nadir or lowest number but Novolin N is dosed primarily on the preshot (but you need to be aware of the nadir) so if you get a higher PS, you give a higher dose. This is especially important considering her DKA history.

Do you think your vet would help you with that over the phone?

 

HI, thanks.

My vet is out for the day. Tested at +2 491. Giving 1 U to complete her morning dose.

My husband is going to take over for the afternoon. He'll be posting on here if he needs any help. Should we test again in 2 hrs, or let it go longer? If it's still this high in a few hrs, should we give her more?

 

I would test in a couple hours but I have no idea on the dosing. I don't know if this Humulin N Primer has been linked for you before but I think it will be helpful. Novolin N and Humulin N are the same insulin...just a different name.

You do need to find out what her nadir (lowest BG in the cycle) is so you can see how low the dose is getting her. But I would be hesitant to continue to add more insulin during the cycle without a knowledgable person or your vet to guide you. In other words, now that you've given 1u twice at separate times today within a few hours, I don't think Id give another 1u dose before 12 hours without someone to guide you.

I know you can dose this insulin every 8 hours if need be but I would be more comfortable if someone else was here to help you that was familiar with the insulin. Even though it is not a depot insulin like Lantus or levemir, I do think you can see some carryover and overlap between shots. IMHO, I think it is safest for you to shoot only every 12 hours unless an experienced person with this insulin or your vet advises otherwise.

 

Please keep this same post for now. So we can look back at the post history and what has already been said.

You have overlapping doses going now with the shots of N insulin at two different times this morning. I would not give her any more insulin for now, not unless your vet advises that.

Because of the DKA, I highly recommend and strongly urge you to get at least 1 ketone test a day.

Next shot should not be until at least 8 hours after your last shot, preferably 12 hours.

I'd definitely suggest another BG test sooner than 2 hours. A +3 if you can, if anyone is there to get it.

Please tell me how may hours it has been since your last insulin shot.

7/22 11 am AMPS 400 2U 7 pm PMPS 171 1U +2 264 Novolin N insulin

7/23
AMPS 10 am 535 1/4 can FF no shot yet
+2 491 gave 1U


I'd like to see her eat at least 1/2 can of FF before you give the insulin. She needs to eat at least 30-45 minutes before you give the shot. Test, feed, wait 30-45 minutes from when she started to eat, test again. If high enough, shoot the insulin. Never shoot the N if she is below 200. If below 200, stall, no food, test again in 20-30 minutes to see if the number is rising.

No emergency contact number? No other vet in the same office? What do they advise you to do in a case of emergency?

ETA: Please add DKA to your signature. So we know Rocko is ketone prone.

 

How is she doing today?

Guys - do you think she should discuss Lantus or Levemir with her vet?

 

That would be great if she could start the process of getting a prescription for one of the longer lasting insulins.

 

Would it then be ok for a member here to send some insulin to her? If she had that prescription in hand for Lantus or Levimir I mean.

 

I have received and given insulin to caretakes who has a script.

 

HI, sorry I was gone for a day. I'm going to be gone this weekend too. My hubby will be taking care of Rocko.

Rocko is doing wonderfully. She is eating a whole can at meals and is even starting to wander out to be with the other cats now.

Her sugar was in the 500's this morning before food. We gave her 2 U after a can. We're running very low on strips so we can't check till dinnertime.

Is there a cheaper way to get strips? My hubby went to buy them today and they were $40. (we can't do that).

Anyway, my hubby will post on here if he's not sure of something or if there's a problem. I will be back Sunday.

*hugs* thank you all for your support!

(I will add DKA to my sig now)

 

Maybe switch meters to the Walmart relion - check the shopping links above but the strips are cheap depending on which one you get. Or you could try ebay - just watch the expiry dates and choose a reputable vendor..

Wendy