? New, ok BG but has symptoms, should i shoot?

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Billy the Kat Parent

Member
(UPDATE: We decided to feed him and shoot at half his recommend dose, since his BG went up some, and we dont want to push the potential night dose any later. Your input would still GREATLY APPREIATED!!! As it has been so confusing and scary navigating this world where the vet says one thing, and other vets or people with experience say that advice is dangerous.)

Chant 16yo m tuxedo recently diagnosed.
Just tested at 101, but he has some symptoms - occasional body swaying and head twitching, almost but not quite plantigrade posture, feet seem to hurt, obviously hungry. (Walking posture better after cleaning stuck litter off feet). Should i shoot?

Details: given rx of prozinc one unit twice daily. For several days he tested in upper 300s. Recently been testing 80-110, so haven't shot in a few days. Im concerned cuz its against the vet recommendation to not shoot, and maybe hes having symptoms becos of that. But im scared of hypos. Also the vet has also said many questionable things, including: we dont need to test his blood until a week after dx, getting a home meter is not necessary, if you do have a home meter shoot full dose if its above 75, dry food is fine, etc

Please advise, hes hungry :( thanks so much for your time

Note: he used to take a predinisolone steroid daily but hasnt had an asthma attack since we switched his food. Except he had one yesterday, so we gave him half a pill.

Sorry i couldnt find where to add the signature so here it is:

Billy and Chant, Dx oct 26 2024, prozinc, relion platinum, low carb canned fancy feast (edit: not meow mix like i brainfarted before), has asthma and prescribed prednisolone steroid for it
 
Last edited:
Billy the Kat Parent said:
Chant 16yo m tuxedo recently diagnosed.
Just tested at 101, but he has some symptoms - occasional body swaying and head twitching, almost but not quite plantigrade posture, feet seem to hurt, obviously hungry. Should i shoot?

Details: given rx of prozinc one unit twice daily. For several days he tested in upper 300s. Recently been testing 80-110, so haven't shot in a few days. Im concerned cuz its against the vet recommendation to not shoot, and maybe hes having symptoms becos of that. But im scared of hypos. Also the vet has also said many questionable things, including: we dont need to test his blood until a week after dx, getting a home meter is not necessary, if you do have a home meter shoot full dose if its above 75, dry food is fine, etc

Please advise, hes hungry :( thanks so much for your time

Note: he used to take a predinisolone steroid daily but hasnt had an asthma attack since we switched his food. Except he had one yesterday, so we gave him half a pill.

Sorry i couldnt find where to add the signature so here it is:

Billy and Chant, Dx oct 26 2024, prozinc, relion platinum, low carb canned meow mix, has asthma and prescribed prednisolone steroid for it
Click to expand...
I will tag several expert that can help you with shooting hang in there:bighug::cat::cat:
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Billy the Kat Parent said:
Thank you so much!! I updated the post since we decided to shoot a half dose, but i still really look forward to hearing from the people you tagged!
Click to expand...
no problem, with ProZinc which my Corky also uses, the protocol is test, feed shoot, do not give insulin on an empty stomach, when you test to shoot, if the Bg is low like 120 or less, feed and wait 1/2 hour test again, is better to shoot then skip a dose, you should have handy what is called a HYPO KIT, this will contain some wet cat food between 11-15% carbs and some high carb food between 16-24% carbs some Karo syrup or honey, this will be used in case his BG is 50 or lower, and still when in the low 60's you can hike up the BG by feeding la teaspoon at a time and test repeating this until the BG is safe, we can help you along the way if this occurs, when in doubt please post, there will always be someone here to help, I should know, I use to go frantic when it was time to shoot and Corky's BG was anywhere in 150 or lower, today I shoot even in the high 70's, but it is a process, mentally and feeling easy on what to do, we do need to know more about Chant in order to help you so we can all be on the same page and see his progress with the insulin and feeding, below is a link to help us help you, create your signature and spreadsheet. We are here for you, the quicker you create your signature and spreadsheet, you can be on your way to a healthier Chant:bighug::cat::cat:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
 
Billy the Kat Parent said:
Sorry i couldnt find where to add the signature so here it is:

Billy and Chant,
Click to expand...

Your signature should be in gray letters, do you see mine at the end of my post
This is where you can set up what we call your signature, it's at the end of everyone's post in gray letters. Just tap on your name up top then tap on signature and add this information. You will link it to your spreadsheet

  • 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.

Can you set up our spreadsheet , we use it to track our cats BG This link will tell you how to set it up and explain how to use it

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

@Billy the Kat Parent
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you have any trouble setting up the spreadsheet I can get @Bandit's Mom to help you as she is great at setting them up in 2 minutes.
If you are finding the BG numbers are dropping lower he may be needing less insulin. Maybe try 0.5 units and see if you can shoot twice a day. I am a bit concerned you have been skipping doses of insulin. That can be risky if your kitty is prone to ketones. I know it is hard when the BG is not high enough to shoot. You did well giving a 1/2 dose.
Do you think you could buy a bottle of Ketostix from a pharmacy and test the urine for ketones? I would be happier if I knew he had no ketones. You just need to collect a urine sample and test it as per the directions on the side of the bottle.
I am a bit concerned about the body swaying and head twitching…is that new? I would double check the BG if that happens again. Did it go away after feeding?
Are you testing during the cycles? And feeding snacks during the cycles as well as the two main meals?
 
Im so scared that's the problem, how much of an emergency is it if he still has ketones? And should we feed him higher carb food so he can get insulin? I don't even remember, what does insulin do for ketones? His vet is closed all weekend, idk but i might be able to ask another vet that's open

Unfortunately we skipped a couple shots due to low numbers, and his bg and symptoms seemed to be stable until yesterday. I remember the vet did say he had ketones, but i never researched it because nobody at the vet office said anything about what ketones do or DKA or how to treat it, just the insulin and low carb food for diabetes. And to shoot twice a day without testing, and when i asked about low numbers they said to shoot if it's above 75. That scared me because everything i read said that shooting when low without testing can cause hypos which is worse, so i didnt know what to believe. But now apparently not shooting put him in danger of DKA which is just as deadly? I'm so scared i messed up bad, I've done so much research but somehow missed this really important thing :(

And those weird symptoms were new, and went away after feeding. We checked a couple times before feeding and then a bunch of times during the day. We usually feed him just twice a day during shot time, but yesterday fed him treats throughout the day because his bg went down to like 55, and didn't go up much. By his dinner time i don't remember exactly what it was but it was still low so we didn't shoot and we have him some extra carbs with his food
 
Billy the Kat Parent said:
Im so scared that's the problem, how much of an emergency is it if he still has ketones? And should we feed him higher carb food so he can get insulin? I don't even remember, what does insulin do for ketones? His vet is closed all weekend, idk but i might be able to ask another vet that's open

Unfortunately we skipped a couple shots due to low numbers, and his bg and symptoms seemed to be stable until yesterday. I remember the vet did say he had ketones, but i never researched it because nobody at the vet office said anything about what ketones do or DKA or how to treat it, just the insulin and low carb food for diabetes. And to shoot twice a day without testing, and when i asked about low numbers they said to shoot if it's above 75. That scared me because everything i read said that shooting when low without testing can cause hypos which is worse, so i didnt know what to believe. But now apparently not shooting put him in danger of DKA which is just as deadly? I'm so scared i messed up bad, I've done so much research but somehow missed this really important thing :(

And those weird symptoms were new, and went away after feeding. We checked a couple times before feeding and then a bunch of times during the day. We usually feed him just twice a day during shot time, but yesterday fed him treats throughout the day because his bg went down to like 55, and didn't go up much. By his dinner time i don't remember exactly what it was but it was still low so we didn't shoot and we have him some extra carbs with his food
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
It would be very helpful if you set up a spreadsheet. We are very numbers oriented and are reticent to provide guidance regarding dosing without benefit of seeing your cat's blood glucose levels. There's info in Bron's post (#5) for the link to our spreadsheet info.
 
Chant just tested at 107bg and idk if i should shoot? If i do it would probably be like a quarter or less dose. Because yesterday i shot at a half dose, and he went hypo for a few hours (50s even after feeding several temptations, numbers got better with dinner of regular food with syrup mixed in).

Numbers today:
11:46 am 93 bg, fed leftovers from last night (he has never not finished canned food before, but i think he was weirded out by the syrup which we added partway through the meal)
1:06 pm 107 bg
1:41pm 106 bg
2:13pm 104 bg

I would just skip the dose, but elsewhere someone said that skipping a dose is bad if he has ketones. (I know barely anything about ketones and I thought until research last night that DKA was some kind of kidney disease. Also the vet said he had ketones but didnt say what they were or how to treat them.) I got ketone test strips but he hasn't used the litter box yet.

On the other hand, i keep reading that hypos are the most dangerous complication, so err on the side of skipping/reducing dosage.

On the other other hand, if i give him insulin, i want to give it during the day so I can monitor him.

My vet is closed, other ones won't advise, and idk what to listen to from my vet anyway because they said no need to home test we'll test him after a week, and sold me dry food (which i returned unopened once i read dr lisa's food chart WHICH THE VET SENT ME)

Also i apologize for breaking forum ettiquite and not responding to people or posting my signature or spreadsheet. I am in the process of doing those things and i asked the person that was recommended to help with the spreadsheet, so please look at my previous posts which contain that information. I'm just going through it (and it took me so long to make this post becuse i literally couldn't find the button to make this post even though i'd used it before. my brain is so fried and im using old glasses that are hard to see through)
 
omg this took me so long its getting so late, and roommate was up most of the night with him last night, i'm going to feed half a can now and the other half later when i get advice on shooting
 
Billy the Kat Parent said:
Chant just tested at 107bg and idk if i should shoot? If i do it would probably be like a quarter or less dose. Because yesterday i shot at a half dose, and he went hypo for a few hours (50s even after feeding several temptations, numbers got better with dinner of regular food with syrup mixed in).

Numbers today:
11:46 am 93 bg, fed leftovers from last night (he has never not finished canned food before, but i think he was weirded out by the syrup which we added partway through the meal)
1:06 pm 107 bg
1:41pm 106 bg
2:13pm 104 bg

I would just skip the dose, but elsewhere someone said that skipping a dose is bad if he has ketones. (I know barely anything about ketones and I thought until research last night that DKA was some kind of kidney disease. Also the vet said he had ketones but didnt say what they were or how to treat them.) I got ketone test strips but he hasn't used the litter box yet.

On the other hand, i keep reading that hypos are the most dangerous complication, so err on the side of skipping/reducing dosage.

On the other other hand, if i give him insulin, i want to give it during the day so I can monitor him.

My vet is closed, other ones won't advise, and idk what to listen to from my vet anyway because they said no need to home test we'll test him after a week, and sold me dry food (which i returned unopened once i read dr lisa's food chart WHICH THE VET SENT ME)

Also i apologize for breaking forum ettiquite and not responding to people or posting my signature or spreadsheet. I am in the process of doing those things and i asked the person that was recommended to help with the spreadsheet, so please look at my previous posts which contain that information. I'm just going through it (and it took me so long to make this post becuse i literally couldn't find the button to make this post even though i'd used it before. my brain is so fried and im using old glasses that are hard to see through)
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Bandit's Mom
@Wendy&Neko
 
I’m sorry no one has got back to you.
What did you end up doing ?.
It is going to be much easier to help you if you can get the spreadsheet and signature set up.
With ketones or DKA in the picture it is important to feed lots of food and try not to skip any doses of insulin. If the bags are not high enough to shoot, the dose may be too high.
Can you tell me what type of insulin you are using and what dose please?
Try and get a test done for ketones as well please.
 
As Sienna says, getting the spreadsheet and signature set up will help us to be able to help you a lot more. We rely on those two things to give us the tools to help you.
Have you managed to get a ketone test done yet?
 
Not yet for the ketone test, and I'm having trouble with the spreadsheet so I'm still waiting on the person brom recommended to help me with is. I did post screenshots of his numbers on my other post though
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I’m sorry no one has got back to you.
What did you end up doing ?.
It is going to be much easier to help you if you can get the spreadsheet and signature set up.
With ketones or DKA in the picture it is important to feed lots of food and try not to skip any doses of insulin. If the bags are not high enough to shoot, the dose may be too high.
Can you tell me what type of insulin you are using and what dose please?
Try and get a test done for ketones as well please.
Click to expand...

Thanks for following up, he tested at 80 so we fed him without insulin. He was prescribed one unit twice daily of prozinc. The last we gave him was a half unit yesterday and he went hypo. So could you please explain or refer me to where i can learn about insulin and ketones? And what to do at what number or ketones?

(The vet said nothing about the connection between the two or any danger of missing sides, and the pharmacist when i got the strips said that for human patients and the diabetic cat she had, they don't test ketones often or change treatment based on them)
 
It is a good idea to test for ketones in the urine or the blood (either is ok) if the cat is unregulated, is not eating well or you are having to skip insulin doses.
I’m going to tag @Suzanne & Darcy as she is our prozinc person
And I’ll tag @Bandit's Mom again for the spreadsheet.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top