ADVICE FOR FIRST TIME GIVING INSULIN

[ajsandbe]

My cat Georgie was diagnosed with diabetes Monday and I am so happy this forum exists first and foremost. My doctor gave me very little information regarding his condition and treatment aside from prescribing him two insulin shots a day and prescription diabetic food. I am driving to the pharmacy for the insulin and it would really help me if anyone could give me some tips and guidelines for this whole ordeal. Do I need to buy a glucometer before I begin insulin treatments? How often should I test his levels? What should his levels be at? Is there any emergency kit for hypoglycemia? Is it safe to start treatment right away (I've started his food on Monday but am unsure if there will be any complications starting insulin too)? Will his condition improve with the insulin? Ugh- I am extremely overwhelmed and really want to do my absolute best for my dear George. I am just worried that I will mess up his levels of god knows what when I start the insulin treatment. I read the warning sheet for hypoglycemia and it said that one symptom was ravenous hunger- he has definitely become really hungry and meows for food all the time. Should I be concerned? Is is just because of his sudden diet change (I used to free feed him kibble food- now he has prescription wet food-one can per day). Ah, too many questions. Just want to do my best.

 

[ajsandbe]

I have been reading and looking at all the articles and resources posted on the forum. THANK GOODNESS! I am still overwhelmed though. Any good book suggestions?

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB!.

...I am driving to the pharmacy for the insulin and it would really help me if anyone could give me some tips and guidelines for this whole ordeal.

Which insulin?

...Do I need to buy a glucometer before I begin insulin treatments?

We strongly recommend you buy an inexpensive meter like the WalMart ReliOn Confirm, Confirm Micro, or Prime, which is inexpensive and uses inexpensive test strips.

...How often should I test his levels?

Test before every shot to make sure it is safe to give insulin. Test when possible about halfway between shots to see how effective the dose is.

...What should his levels be at?

I'll put the chart in another post - its long.

...Is there any emergency kit for hypoglycemia?

Yes. Karo syrup, oral syringes, and gravied high carb food.
How to Handle Low Test Numbers

...Is it safe to start treatment right away (I've started his food on Monday but am unsure if there will be any complications starting insulin too)?

Yes. Start low - 0.5 to 1.0 units of insulin is safe to start in most cases.
Pop over to Cat Info to read about feline nutrition and to print out the food list. We suggest over the counter, low carb, canned or raw food. One example is Friskies pates. Another is Fancy Feast Classic pates. The prescription stuff isn't really any better and may actually be higher carb.

...Will his condition improve with the insulin?

It should.

...I read the warning sheet for hypoglycemia and it said that one symptom was ravenous hunger- he has definitely become really hungry and meows for food all the time. Should I be concerned? Is is just because of his sudden diet change (I used to free feed him kibble food- now he has prescription wet food-one can per day). ....

Ravenous hunger happens because without enough insulin, the body can't use the glucose from food to fuel the body.
It also happens if you give too much insulin, hence the suggestion to start with a low dose.

 

[BJM]

Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]

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How to use the glucose reference values chart:

When you get a test, look for the number on the chart that either equals, or contains, the test value you have. Read the information. As needed, make a decision and act.

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)

 

[ajsandbe]

You guys are the ABSOLUTE BEST!!!! I am unsure which insulin Georgie was prescribed because the vet just faxed it to the pharmacy. I will pick it up tomorrow and let you know. When I first found out I didn't even know what questions to ask- now I have pages of questions and lots of extremely valuable information thanks to this site! You don't know how much this means to me! Thanks again!

 

[ajsandbe]

Georgie is extremely hungry right now- meowing for food all the time. I have not begun the insulin treatment but have changed his diet- from kibble free feed to one can of diabetic food per day. I am worried that this transition is too much. Maybe I am over analyzing. Am I?

 

[ebuckley]

Same thing happened to my cat and she still is more hungry than when I was free feeding dry food, tho it is settling down a bit for us 6 weeks in. I believe the recommendation is 0.5-1.0 oz per pound of healthy weight of canned food spread out over the day. Keep in mind that wet food has more volume and water and is less dense than dry so a meal of wet food takes up a lot more of the bowl than a meal of dry.

When blood glucose is high it means the body isn't able to use or store those calories--they are just getting flushed out with urine. They are kind of starving even tho they are eating.

The fancy feasts and friskies that BJM mentioned are great and inexpensive.

 

[ajsandbe]

Good to hear it's not just my Georgie. I came home today and the trash was knocked over and both my cats had guilty faces. I just want to make sure that I am not tapering too quickly. George looks rather slim which was a symptom (of diabetes) that spurred me to take him into the vet- consequently I learned he had diabetes. Is he really starving? That is so sad to my ears. I just hope this stage gets better because I sure don't want the little guy to be so hungry all the time. I suppose it's that sort of mentality that made me feed him to much- which gave him diabetes? I am going to have to research proper food per day amounts. That figure you gave me helps a lot. Guess I never knew. Oh dear Georgie- hope he knows it's for the best.

 

[NitroViper]

I'm one of the biggest worry warts here and my cat was diagnosed last Friday. If you read my thread there is so much info and I ask so many stupid questions lol.

I was really worried and thought I would fail, but I started giving insulin Monday and wow it isn't bad at all.

I'm very new so im probably the last person to listen to but if you read my thread there is very good information that is easy to read and will make you feel better im sure.

Wease's Original Post

 

[KPassa]

You might be interested in this thread on feeding kitties as much as they want (within reason). When Mikey was first diagnosed, he was a starving 6-month-old kitten that weighed as much as a 4-month-old. The first week was terrible because I "followed Dr.'s orders" and only fed him two calorie-portioned meals a day. He didn't gain any weight at all and had actually lost a little bit. The second week, someone shared that link with me and I began feeding him a bit more. One day, I let him truly eat as much as he wanted and he consumed over 600 calories! (He was only 4.5 pounds at the time.)

After that experiment, I continued feeding him a bit more than "recommended" but within reason (about 25-50% more). I also started adding water to his food and spread out his feeding into several smaller meals across the day/night. He eventually caught up with his weight bracket for his age and the ravenous hunger abated as he got into better numbers. Now, I can let him free-feed without worry and he eats just enough to maintain his weight (now around 14 pounds). It gets better, I promise.

 

[Suzanne & Cobb(GA)]

There are no stupid questions!! There is a lot of information that you get, so even if someone has answered your question before, another person may phrase the answer in a better way.

Everyone is overwhelmed at first. We all want the best for our kitties!

Cobb was ravenous when I made the switch from dry to wet food. He was originally eating 3 cans of Friskies a day. I've tapered off to 2 cans, but I know that is still too much. They will be hungrier than normal until you get their BG regulated. Totally normal. It keeps peace in our house to feed him whenever he's hungry - except within the 2 hours right before his shot. (Those 2 hours can be stressful sometimes.)

Ask questions!! Lots of questions! We all learn from them!!

~Suzanne

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi sugardude Georgie and welcome to the message board. Would you introduce your mommabean or pappabean to us? We'd love to know their first name and where you are located. There may be someone that lives close to you that can help you which is why it's nice to know your country, state/province, closest city.

It will get easier. It will take some time, but you'll get your George feeling better with all the helpful suggestions here.

For now, my best suggestion is deep breathing exercises. Deep breath in, hold, release, deep breath in, hold, release, deep breath in, hold , release. It will help you to be calmer and relieve some of the stress. If you are calmer, Georgie will be calmer and easier to care for.

My second suggestion is go feed Georgie more food for now. I definitely think he could use more than one can a day unless he's a really tiny kitty. My Wink was 12 pounds and was eating 9-12 ounces of food a day at the beginning. He's regulated now so he only eats about 6-7 ounces a day for his new svelte ideal weight of 10.5 pounds.

 

[ajsandbe]

Georgie's mom-Me. I live in Iowa City Iowa. So glad to hear all the loving and helpful responses. This has been so beneficial to both me and Georgie. Hearing everyone's stories gives me such comfort. Good advice on the food. My vet was a little terse with me and not all that informative so its nice to hear stories based on experience.

 

[ajsandbe]

I was prescribed Lantus.

 

[Suzanne & Cobb(GA)]

I was prescribed Lantus.

Lantus is a good insulin. There are a lot of us who use it.

There is a lot of info on the Lantus page about the protocol, storing and handling, etc. check out the stickies at the top of the page.

Any questions...we are here to help!

~Suzanne