New Member. Desperate for advice!

[Mel0112]

Hello, I am a new member and really hoping to get some answers. My 14 year old cat went to the vet about 3 years ago for teeth extractions. When he went they said he was diabetic and ran a bunch of tests and I was to reschedule down the road. I started testing his glucose at home 3x a day and noticed his sugars all over the place and the vet recommended we don’t start him on insulin yet. Not long after he had to have his toe amputated due to possible cancer. He was also being seen regularly due to a possible insulinoma because he has such drastically changing blood sugar levels but we found out he does not have an insulinoma. He also had a seizure due to low blood sugar.


Recently he’s been losing weight so I took him in and had blood work done. His BUN was high but normal creatinine levels. The vet said he is also dehydrated probably because he is not eating enough because his mouth is quite sore. He wanted me to start him on 1 unit of Lantus only if his sugars were above 10. The issue is his sugars fluctuate so much. This morning his sugars were 13.6, he ate his food and I retested about 30-40 mins later and it was registering as low. I tested 3x to make sure and all said low. About 6 hours later his sugars are 17.5.

I’m at a total loss as to what to do. He is wasting away in front of me. He has no energy, he’s losing weight, he cannot stand or walk properly anymore due to neuropathy. I’m terrified to give him insulin with his glucose readings varying so much but the high glucose is obviously causing him problems. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

 

[CORKY]

Hello, I am a new member and really hoping to get some answers. My 14 year old cat went to the vet about 3 years ago for teeth extractions. When he went they said he was diabetic and ran a bunch of tests and I was to reschedule down the road. I started testing his glucose at home 3x a day and noticed his sugars all over the place and the vet recommended we don’t start him on insulin yet. Not long after he had to have his toe amputated due to possible cancer. He was also being seen regularly due to a possible insulinoma because he has such drastically changing blood sugar levels but we found out he does not have an insulinoma. He also had a seizure due to low blood sugar.


Recently he’s been losing weight so I took him in and had blood work done. His BUN was high but normal creatinine levels. The vet said he is also dehydrated probably because he is not eating enough because his mouth is quite sore. He wanted me to start him on 1 unit of Lantus only if his sugars were above 10. The issue is his sugars fluctuate so much. This morning his sugars were 13.6, he ate his food and I retested about 30-40 mins later and it was registering as low. I tested 3x to make sure and all said low. About 6 hours later his sugars are 17.5.

I’m at a total loss as to what to do. He is wasting away in front of me. He has no energy, he’s losing weight, he cannot stand or walk properly anymore due to neuropathy. I’m terrified to give him insulin with his glucose readings varying so much but the high glucose is obviously causing him problems. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Welcome to FDF, I will tag several members familiar with Lantus and they can guide you with dosing or any other concern you may have. I do have to say that it is great you are home testing, make sure you test before dosing, you do not want to shoot before knowing your cat's BG, it is important the BG is know before, so you will not have a Hypoglycemic episode, again, welcome, please post any concern no matter how small
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I’ll ask a few questions to get a better idea of things if you don’t mind.

He was also being seen regularly due to a possible insulinoma because he has such drastically changing blood sugar levels but we found out he does not have an insulinoma. He also had a seizure due to low blood sugar.

What test did he have to rule out insulinoma? And do the vets know what caused the seizure from the low blood sugar?

Why is his mouth sore? Does he have current Mouth issues?

What meter are you using to home test the blood sugars?

Do you think you could set up a spreadsheet and a signature and add data so we could see what is happening please?
Here is a link to HELP US HELP YOU which tells you how to set them up

What food are you feeding him now? How often do you feed him and how much food?

Did you give him insulin this morning when his BG was 13.6 (245)?

 

[Mel0112]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I’ll ask a few questions to get a better idea of things if you don’t mind.


What test did he have to rule out insulinoma? And do the vets know what caused the seizure from the low blood sugar?

Why is his mouth sore? Does he have current Mouth issues?

What meter are you using to home test the blood sugars?

Do you think you could set up a spreadsheet and a signature and add data so we could see what is happening please?
Here is a link to HELP US HELP YOU which tells you how to set them up

What food are you feeding him now? How often do you feed him and how much food?

Did you give him insulin this morning when his BG was 13.6 (245)?

Could you explain the spreadsheet to me some? What does AMPS stand for? Is there where I input his blood glucose?

For the insulinoma they performed an ultrasound of his pancreas. They said it look good and healthy and didn’t notice anything. My vet does not know what caused his low blood glucose but believes that is why he had a seizure.

His mouth is quite sore. He was supposed to go a few years ago to have at least one tooth extracted. Since then his teeth have gotten worse. Some have fallen out, some are broken and his gums are swollen and red.

Currently I am using the Contour Next and the Pet Control hq. The readings are never the same but quite close.

He is eating wet food only now due to his sore mouth. He eats 1.5 cans of fancy feast at 6am and 1.5 cans at 6pm. He is currently 8.2 lbs. In 3.5 months he has lost 1.2 lbs so I am feeding him a little more than recommended.

No, I did not give him insulin when his glucose was 13.6. About 40 mins later his glucose dropped way down. I tested 3x and each time it said low but about 6 hours later his glucose was 17.5.

 

[Mel0112]

Welcome to FDF, I will tag several members familiar with Lantus and they can guide you with dosing or any other concern you may have. I do have to say that it is great you are home testing, make sure you test before dosing, you do not want to shoot before knowing your cat's BG, it is important the BG is know before, so you will not have a Hypoglycemic episode, again, welcome, please post any concern no matter how small
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)

Thanks so much!!

 

[CORKY]

Thanks so much!!

AMPS means that this is the first dose given in the morning PMPS is the evening dose you are giving, the + 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9- are the hours from the first test till last test , so you can have a better vision click below in blue Corky's spread sheet, and you can see how is posted.
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Wendy&Neko

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Could you explain the spreadsheet to me some? What does AMPS st

@Mel0112
Click on this link I went into detail about this
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/cant-get-a-blood-sample.296050/#post-3223731

I posted it for another member

Please set up your signature

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Thank you!

You will see it at the end of everyone's post in gray letters

Can you set up our spreadsheet where we enter our cats BG numbers This link will tell you how to set it up and how to use it
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/


Also here is a glossary
Here's a couple posts with acronyms/abbreviations:
FDMB Glossary and The Official Lantus, Levemir & Biosimilars Slang Dictionary

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Could you explain the spreadsheet to me some? What does AMPS stand for? Is there where I input his blood glucose?

For the insulinoma they performed an ultrasound of his pancreas. They said it look good and healthy and didn’t notice anything. My vet does not know what caused his low blood glucose but believes that is why he had a seizure.

His mouth is quite sore. He was supposed to go a few years ago to have at least one tooth extracted. Since then his teeth have gotten worse. Some have fallen out, some are broken and his gums are swollen and red.

Currently I am using the Contour Next and the Pet Control hq. The readings are never the same but quite close.

He is eating wet food only now due to his sore mouth. He eats 1.5 cans of fancy feast at 6am and 1.5 cans at 6pm. He is currently 8.2 lbs. In 3.5 months he has lost 1.2 lbs so I am feeding him a little more than recommended.

No, I did not give him insulin when his glucose was 13.6. About 40 mins later his glucose dropped way down. I tested 3x and each time it said low but about 6 hours later his glucose was 17.5.

@Bron and Sheba (GA)

 

[SmallestSparrow]

Since no one yet mentioned it I have a few thoughts about glucose levels that seem all over the place:first thing check the equipment. Are your test strips expired? Or were they stored where there’s humidity or it’s hot or cold? Were they stored in a container other than the one they came in? The “magic” that gives you a glucose number relies on a chemical reaction that happens in the strip. If they are old, or have been left in heat or cold or humidity it can damage the strips. Next, consider putting fresh batteries in the meters. Finally, control solution checks of the meters and strips. When learning to code a person in medicine the first thing you do when they flatline is shake them and look for a lead that may have come lose.

I hope they find a cause for his problem

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Do you think you could set up a spreadsheet and take some blood glucose data for us for a few days so we can see what is happening?
And set up your signature? These two things are vital for us to be able to help you.

 

[CORKY]

Do you think you could set up a spreadsheet and take some blood glucose data for us for a few days so we can see what is happening?
And set up your signature? These two things are vital for us to be able to help you.

It would be great