Cat Still Lethargic

hi there! My ten year old kitty got diagnosed on Saturday with Diabetes. His readings at the vet were 620. Since then we have put him on two units of Novolin R every twelve hours. I’m so new to this and I’m seeing the vet tomorrow to ask him some more questions but my cat is acting super lethargic still and hasn’t pooped in a couple of days (still is peeing) He eats a normal amount compared to how he used to ravenously eat and drinks water still (not as much as he used to but that might of been because he’s been diabetic) my main question is is this normal? Does it take a cat a while to regulate and stabilize or is something wrong?? We got him a glucose monitor and we tested him yesterday around 5:45 PM about an hour and a half away from his next Insulin dose. He tested at 568, which is of course still very high, we then attempted to do another one two hours after receiving the insulin but could not get enough blood from the poke (we are struggling with the ear so we have been doing the paw instead) This morning we tried again about three hours after his morning insulin shot and he read at 240 but is still acting lethargic and sleepy all the time. I’m sure he has neuropathy in his back legs which I read can take a couple weeks to get better and back to normal but I want to know what is causing this lethargy and sleepiness. We are thinking he might need to go up to three units but we will be discussing that with our vet tomorrow. If anyone has any advice I would it appreciate it so much. I just wanna see him acting relatively normal so that my mind can be at ease.

 

First of all Welcome!!

You've arrived at a place where there's a lot of people with tons of experience that can help you, with the testing, the feeding, the dosing, everything related with diabetes so take a big breath and try and relax, is very overwhelming at first but I promise it gets easier.

Congratulations on testing at home that's a great start!!

Getting a cat regulated takes time A LOT OF TIME, sometimes months but it can be done so you will need to be patient.

We need to know a bit more about your cat so that people here can give you some opinion about what's going on, first of all his name , if he has other issues besides diabetes, what is he eating, what insulin are you giving, are you using a human meter or a pet meter?

Your cat can be a bit letargic because his blood glucose is still pretty high, also you mentioned that he was at 568 and he went down all the way to 240 that's a big drop and sometimes when a cat has been a while in high numbers when he starts showing lower numbers (even if they are not the normal range ) he can feel a bit under de weather, it takes time for them to get used to low numbers again, but it could also be something else, has he been tested for ketones?

Are you giving him something for his neuropathy? That is also going to take a while before he gets ok is not usually corrected in a couple of weeks but they do get better

There's an spreasheet that we use here to register all the test results that will help you and also will help the people in the forum to see what's going on, here's the link to the instructions
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thre...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/

And please ask all you want we can help you

 

R insulin dosed only twice daily is not suitable for cats. R is very fast acting and only lasts 4-6 hours. It main use for cats is for treating DKA at a vet.
N/NPH insulin is better but only lasts 8-10 hours. It is OK for dosing three times daily.

 

Hi there! Thanks for such a warm welcome! The cats name is Harry! He’s such a sweet and calm boy and is doing oh so well with his Insulin shots and Glucose Pricks! Harry is on Novolin R and is currently eating a low carb wet food (fancy feast pate) and drinking a decent amount of water. He perks up whenever it’s food time! What do you suggest for the neuropathy? He doesn’t walk on his haunches but I can tell that he doesn’t move a lot because something is causing a discomfort, he will walk and then sit and then lay down. Also, I saw someone comment that he might not been pooping because there is pain near his colon??? He hasn’t been tested for ketones but I guess I should do that, he just hasn’t been showing signs of the Hyperglycemia that normally go along with ketones in the urine but I could be wrong. He perks up at times throughout the day usually right before food/insulin and towards the end of the 12 hour mark...so basically right when the insulin is basically gone...I don’t know quite what that would mean. How often should I be testing him right now in the beginning?? We are struggling with the ear but if I’m going to be poking him several times throughout the day I’d rather it be the ear then the paw. A family friend bought us the CareTouch monitor which is a human monitor and we are also confused on the notches on the lancing device, it has settings of “2, 4, 6, 8, & 10” What do those numbers mean?! Now I’m at the point where I don’t know if the dosage is too high or too low, he weighed in at about 12.9 lbs at the vet on Saturday. I’m happy he’s still eating and drinking and peeing but I just feel the him being lethargic is not true to his natural state. I am taking him into the vet tomorrow so hopefully I’ll have more (positive) news to share.

 

Wow...interesting that our vet would prescribe that if it’s not suitable for cats... and now we’ve spent money on an insulin that isn’t even the correct one Harry tested negative for Ketones in Urine on friday and was high (620) but wasn’t showing signs of DKA, really makes me question the quality of the care we were getting there. Maybe we will take him to a different veterinarian.

 

Called the vet and told them what I think is happening: Poor Harry probably is having trouble regulating because the Novolin R is wearing off after 4-6 hours leaving Harry without insulin for another 6! So he’s going from low blood sugar to high blood sugar, going up and down! No wonder he’s so lethargic. it shocks me that the vet wouldn’t have me giving him it three times a day or putting him on Novolin N the longer lasting insulin. The vet said they would call me back before 7 tonight to tell me what to do but I’m thinking of getting him on the longer lasting Insulin so that he can get some regulation going on. Poor guy

 

Now is the time for you to check out information on the various insulins available to you.
Lantus http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/the-basics-new-to-the-group-start-here.18139/
Prozinc http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...prozinc-pzi-insulin-for-diabetic-cats.164995/
Novolin http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-novolin-humulin-nph.186097/
Vetsulin http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.186099/
The first two are gentler on the cat. The last two are much harsher.
Lantus is not as expensive as it seems. You can get a prescription from your vet and order it from a Canadian pharmacy. Roughly $150 will last you at least a year.

Personally, I'd be looking for a new vet. Using Novolin R as a day-today insulin is dangerous.

The numbers are the depth to which the lancet penetrates. My lancing device had numbers 1 to 4, with 1 being the shallowest.

A member of the forum has made an excellent video about how to test:

 

Thank you so much! We are starting Harry on Lantus tomorrow morning! Hopefully, this will put us on the right track! We will not be going to that vet anymore cause they seemed to be more motivated by greed then helping animals.

 

Hi and welcome Emma and Harry!
I have a Harry too!
I'm so glad you are starting Lantus insulin. Has the vet said what dose to start on.? The starting dose is usually around 1 unit and you will need to hold the dose for 5 to 7 days to let the depot fill. We recommmend increasing in 1/4 unit increments so as not to go past the best dose and to keep your Harry safe. How much does Harry weigh?
Always test the blood glucose level before every shot so make sure it is safe to give the insulin and try and get some mid cycle tests in too as that will tell you how well the insulin is working.
Which country do you live in?
I see someone has already mentioned getting your signature done......that will appear at the bottom of all your posts and will give us information about Harry.

Also you might like to set up Harry's spreadsheet. That will show all the data from the tests you take and it will enable us to help you with dosing advice if you would like some help.
Here is the link to the SS. If you have any problem with settimg it up shout and someone will help you.

Could Harry be a bit dehydrated! That can cause lethargy. If you lift his scruff, does it fall back quickly or does it go back slowly? Feel his gums......are they nice and slippery or are they tacky?
Diabetic cats are often a bit dehydrated so putting some warm water in with their food helps combat this. If he will let you do it......put a tablespoon of warm water in with his food.
With Lantus FDMB recommends feeding before the shot and again a couple of times during the first half of each cycle.
Keep asking lots of questions!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

 

Hi there!! Harry is starting on two units of Lantus but I’m going to monitor him throughout the day to see if that’s the right Dosage! I’m getting ready to leave the country for four months so I’ve been busy with some stuff but will try and get his profile/signature up so that my dear mom can record and monitor while I’m away! Harry is still not moving too much but his eyes are way more awake and he is still eating and drinking! Hopefully, once we get him on Lantus and get a schedule going we will see an improvement