Gandalf - Correlation between extreme cold and BGs

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Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin

Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin

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I highlighted the days on the spreadsheet in which we've had bitter cold temps, beginning 12/31. It was 6 days in a row with highs no better than 15°. Most nights/AM were below zero, at least 3 of -8° when I got up. I have a temp gauge on my heat pump outside and I check that way, I'm not even going by what the Weather Channel or local news says for cold temp - that is the temp at my house!

I myself have noted days where I am physically stiff and uncomfortable. Sunday into Monday was the worst for me and lo and behold, Sunday was his highest BG days too. But the blue section of the notes corresponds with the orange parts of the BGs very distinctly. The only good day was the 31st when we had greens. That was the first day it became so cold though. And I was playing with dose still on the 2nd so that has a role too.

If you go back 2 weeks, he had pretty good numbers. He is still responding to the insulin, as noting Monday he was in the 100s. And I especially note he's only 149 this AM when it's only zero this morning and is supposed to warm up before our big snow storm. Planning on taking day off tomorrow - don't think I'll be able to go anywhere.

I also note Beau was 77 this AM.
 
Vicky, I wonder if the cold is something they "get used to"? He seems to have come back down even though the temps did not come up. Glad you got to the acu vet today. Looks like tomorrow is going to be a MESS out there! Did she (vet) do any blood work or have any thoughts about the hyper-T possibilities?

Inquiring minds want to know!

PS - Beau was 114 this am -still no shot.
 
His BG shot up today, probably because I had to leave him at the clinic for an hour and a half while I ran errands. I checked his +8 on my OTU mini and he was 374. I can't remember if others have said that meter reads higher than some. My regular one is an Aviva, I'm getting low on strips but don't want to have any sent to me until next week when it might be a little warmer. I'm only using the Aviva for preshot tests.

I freaked the acu vet out today by showing her Gandalf's spreadsheet! She saw that 53 the other week and said he's getting dangerously close to hypo. I tried to explain the action of Levemir and that 50s are not uncommon. Unfortunately she does emergency vet work and has seen cats seizure when in the 40s, to which I asked what insulin, she said it doesn't matter. We have seen differently here. She said they use a regular glucometer because time is of the essence and they can't wait for lab bloodwork because I asked if it was veinous blood or ear blood. I actually didn't get an answer, so I still wonder if that wasn't veinous blood.

After thinking about it, the situations she has seen don't surprise me that she would see cats seizure when in the 40s. Most likely they were on an incorrect dose to begin with and the instance she related was of the cat being double dosed. So say the cat is already getting 3U, which may be too much and then is double dosed. Yes, you're asking for trouble in that case. My argument is that a cat which is well managed on an insulin like Lev or Lantus is most likely not going to experience a symptomatic hypo at 50.

She got a little hysterical on me in fact and said I was playing with fire and very very lucky. I guess I'll keep his spreadsheets to myself from now on. We dropped the whole thing after I said I've been treating him a long time and have never seen him have a symptomatic hypo although I've gotten low numbers. She insisted it does not matter what insulin - a reading of 40 means not enough glucose is getting to the brain and can cause seizures.
 
That's too bad - that she wasn't open to your experience. I have had the smae experience. Beau has been as low as , hmmm, 26? I may be mis-recalling that, might have been 30s, but only two times do I remember symptoms. Once he was licking an empty bowl across the floor when I full one was just feet away, and another time he seemed to be walking VERY carefully - sort of like he was drunk both times. But no seizers. And anyway, I would not even worry about him being in the 50s. Even 40 would only make me feed him immediately. FYI, he hit the 3os once or twice on vetsulin with no symptoms and 40 at the vet, which made them give glucose, but he had no symptoms.

Besides, non-diabetics can be in the 40s. I tested my aunts cat and she was 48. 60s are common also, so how can a diabetic that is 10 points lower be in danger?
 
BTW, his weight is fine!

I weighed him - 14 lbs. 5 oz. He weighed the exact same in October, although I'm not sure if we used the same scale, as one weighs in ounces, the other in tenths of a pound. If he was weighed on the ounce scale in October, he's actually gained 2 ounces!

Acu vet agreed I could be seeing some muscle wasting to account for why he looks thinner to me. She felt him and said he still has some padding over his ribs and said that even though his backbones seem prominent, if you can't feel them, the cat is overweight. He won't stand up when there and that's when it's most noticeable, because his sides seem more sunken in.

She said he's maintaining his condition right now, between all that's going on with him, so it's a good thing. I guess I'm worrying over not much, but his BG swings are still bothering me. confused_cat
 
Well, it's good to get him weighed so you know to worry or not. I think as they get older the transfer of muscle to fat is inevitable. I look at Beau, who is supposedly 2-3 lbs under his ideal weight and I can't see him putting on 3 lbs - or even 2 - and not being too fat. But if it was 2 lbs of muscle it would be a different story.
 
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