Bounced back quick?

[PercyCat]

Hello everyone!

Last week my cat Percy had a mouth sore so we took him into the vet to get that checked. The vet thought he might have kidney failure so tested his blood and urine. Turns out he only has mild kidney issues, but he has diabetes.

I got the call on Monday night that he has diabetes, Tuesday we spent the morning at the vet discussing our options (because Percy will likely also need surgery on his mouth sore, though the vet said she can't do that until his diabetes is under control) and picked up his insulin (Lantus), then this morning we went back to the vet to learn how to give him his insulin.

I haven't started home monitoring yet (I picked up a home test kit this afternoon. A Freestyle Lite). And that is one of my two questions. My vet mentioned doing a curve once a week while we figure out the correct insulin levels, but didn't mention daily testing. When should I be testing him? Before or after giving him insulin? And before or after he eats?

My other question is how quick does Lantus start taking effect? I'm already noticing Percy is more back to being himself. Is it possible he's bouncing back quick because we caught it early? (We had bloodwork done in April for an unrelated issue and no sign of diabetes, then in October the vet said he has diabetes.) Or could this be something else? I imagine while we stabilise his insulin he'll have good days and bad...but I can't help but be hopeful with how well he's doing...even though he's only been given his insulin twice now.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

When should I be testing him? Before or after giving him insulin? And before or after he eats?

You always test before shooting. Just like humans are told to never give themselves insulin without testing first, it's the same for our furkids.

You want him to not have any food for the 2 hours immediately before shot times so that you get a test that's not influenced by food. Other than those Pre-Shot tests, he can eat normally. Most of us feed multiple small meals instead of 2 big ones ….Not only is it easier on the pancreas to deal with smaller meals, it keeps kitty a lot happier too!

My other question is how quick does Lantus start taking effect?

It usually takes 5-7 days before you see the effects of the starting dose, but it's always possible that Percy reacts sooner.

Now that I answered your questions, it's your turn to answer a few for us! What food is Percy eating? A diabetic cat needs a low carb canned or raw diet that's less than 10% carbs. Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classics or Friskies pates.

What dose did you start at? (a lot of vets start them at too high a dose) Most cats should be started at .5 to 1U and then that dose is held for 5-7 days to build the depot unless they drop too low. (how low depends on the dosing method and which meter you use)

I am providing some links that will walk you through creating the signature, adding profile information (in which you can tell us more about yourself and Percy, if you wish), and then setting up the spreadsheet we use here. The spreadsheet is for recording the insulin dose and testing data you will be getting and is very helpful to you and other members to see how the insulin is working.

• Editing your Signature, Profile, and Preferences

• FDMB Spreadsheet Instructions
• Understanding the Spreadsheet/Grid

If you need help with the spreadsheet set up, please let us know. There are members who can assist or set it up for you.

 

[PercyCat]

Percy is eating Friskies Pate, kind of by coincidence really. He's always eaten kibble (if we gave him soft food as a 'treat' he would ignore it and just eat kibble). Last week when he had his mouth sore I noticed he wasn't eating anything, so out of desperation I have him some soft food and he gobbled it up, so I switched him to that completely. Then he got his diabetes diagnoses and so I made the switch permanent.

And he's on 1 unit of Lantus two times a day.