Help - by reading of 32.4

Smudge came off insulin (Lantus) 6 months ago and has been doing well, with BG spot checks showing her in the range of 6 to 8.6. Last night at bedtime she had diarrhea and vomited twice overnight. Appetite had been good all day. She was a bit fussy with her food today (she normally has a ravenous appetite) but was otherwise okay. She threw up about 2 hours ago, had another episode of diarrhea, and hid under the bed. She came out a few minutes ago to lie on the bed and thats when I checked her BG. Its 32.4. And of course its Christmas Eve.

Given her age (16.5) and her other chronic issues (pancreatitis and arthritis), when she came off the insulin back in June, my vet and I discussed that it was now about quality of life for her over quantity, and we would do no more testing if she started to go downhill. But if its just a matter of starting her back on insulin, I can certainly do that as I still have fresh insulin and all the administering and testing supplies.

My question is, does this alarming number need emergency attention, or will I be okay to wait until my regular vet is open again on Tuesday? I dont want her to suffer, but I also dont want what could potentially be a $1,000 after-hours emergency vet bill if its avoidable.

 

Did Smudge get into contraband?
Do you think she's having another pancreatitis attack?
I cannot access your spreadsheet. You need to open it with Google Drive and click "share."
Tagging a few people for you.
@tiffmaxee
@Bandit's Mom
@JeffJ

 

It might be a pancreatitis flare. If so it’s not the end. Max lived to 19 and had chronic pancreatitis. In between flares he was fine. If she’s having a flare the bg could be elevated from that. I would not rush to start insulin. That is really high though. I can’t see your spreadsheet either. Have you been checking the bg every month? When was the last check and the bg?

 

I think I may be to blame. Her sister refuses to eat any canned food unless it has gravy, and although Smudge only gets fed pates, she is fond of stealing a bit of her sister's food from time to time. I can address that later, but right now I need to know if the high BG number means her life is in danger, or can I wait to get her to the vet when they open again 4 days from now?

 

I dont know how to access Google drive to share my spreadsheet, but I'm not sure the info would be useful anyway as I have not recorded any numbers there since she came off insulin in the summer. I spot check her every 3 to 4 weeks and she's been consistently in the 6 to 8 range. When I last checked 2 weeks ago she was 8.6.

 

You can’t base anything on one test. I wouldn’t let her remain this high with diarrhea for 4 days but it could be the contraband and nothing more. I wouldn’t rush to the ER tonight. Does she want to eat? I would check her bg in the morning and f high check again 3-4 hours after eating and see if it’s coming down. again.see if the diarrhea stops.

 

Thank you. Now that I've had a chance to do a bit of research, I'm leaning toward it being an acute pancreatic attack based on her symptoms of loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. I will take her BG reading again in the morning and see where we are. She's only had the one tiny episode of diarrhea so far today, but she threw up again about half an hour ago. She's laying quietly on the bed, and purrs when I make a fuss over her, so I will not panic. Thank you for your help/advice; its been very reassuring.

 

If she continues to throw up you might need to get her to the ER. You don’t want her dehydrated. If it’s acute pancreatitis she needs fluids, a nausea shot, and possibly pain medication. Acute pancreatitis requires going to the vet.

 

So watch her obviously and if she gets worse or vomits and has diarrhea more she will need a vet.

 

Sorry to hear Smudge is feeling poorly at the moment. I agree that it could potentially be a pancreatitis flare, given Smudge's history.

In addition to the recommendations above, I'd suggest also starting straight away to monitor urine for ketones as a general but important safety precaution (high BG, not able to keep food down, as yet unidentified trigger for vomiting and diarrhoea). Should you get a positive test, anything more than 'trace' needs immediate veterinary treatment.

Fingers and paws crossed that Smudge will feel better very soon.


Mogs
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If a cat has regular BG then a sporadic high BG, then I suspect the gravy was the culprit for that high number. Periodic high BG numbers by themselves are not dangerous. But if the kitteh has high BG over time, then that can cause issues. I would just watch her like the others said.

As Critter Mom suggested, a ketone test is important. If you never did one before, you can get ketone test strips from CVS or Walgreens - and just catch the urine flow. I used to test Leo's urine from the "foam" in the litter box right after....it was close enough.