Confused when to give insulin

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Re: How often to feed a cat?

I recommend you keep testing on yourself until you get the hang of it. Make sure you read all the instructions. There's usually a correct order on when to insert the strip into the machine, wait for it to be ready, then add blood. Make sure you have a big bead of blood first then hold the strip to it. The blood needs to go on there all in one go. Is it a sipping type strip or a pad strip that the blood goes on? Sipping types suck the blood up the middle and are much easier for cats as they require way less blood. If it's a pad, it's easy enough to do with a human finger but I found it nearly impossible for Scout to aim it correctly and get enough blood on there.

HTH,
Lori
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Hi,

My Sasha has had diabetes for more than five years, and I was not good at home testing. Things still went very smoothly somehow until fairly recently. In recent times, after he has been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, I have been trying this week to learn to home-test. It can be difficult at first, from what many say, but then almost everyone says they get the hang of it. I am still working on it, and I've decided to ask a vet tech who is a friend to help show this to me.

If you are questioning what you should do today, there are a few crucial things -- your kitty needs to not skip eating and you don't want to go without giving insulin if it is needed. Can you call your vet's office for guidance, and even -- as a backup -- run the kitty in for a quick blood glucose test? That would be preferable than taking any guesses.

My own advice would be to not try to learn everything at once. Home testing is very important, but if you are working with a good vet you can get some guidance on the insulin injections and on feeding your kitty regularly, and making sure you get into a regular routine...just while you get up to speed. I know this could be upsetting to some, but if you are making yourself crazy trying to home-test today, that isn't good either. it's more important that you get the rest of the routine down, perhaps use your vet as a backup in a pinch right now, and take it slow. Don't pressure yourself too much at once.

The ketone testing is important. I've just started to do this myself, and it's a good thing to do. I actually caught some urine as Sasha was doing this in the litter box. Here is a link with helpful info:
http://www.sugarpet.net/urine.html

Hang in there, and know you and your beloved feline will do very well!

Sending gentle hugs and positive vibes,
Susan
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Thank you. I gave his insulin this morning!
Maybe I'm not using my relion meter correctly then? Not all of my attempts I had the stripe inside but my last one I did. Maybe it didn't get there all at once either.
I will keep trying with my relion confirm today if it doesn't work after following your suggestions I will use the hocks website. I'm surprise how much cheaper the strips are comparing to the price I saw at walgreens this morning!!

Thanks Susan for the ketone test link I will definitely try that too. I'm just wondering how to get urine form him. He doesn't squat to pee so there is a lid on his box otherwise he would pee directly on the wall! I might try to take him outside because he might think he is going to the vet and pee before he gets in the car :-D except last time I took him to the vet he peed on his way home instead. My other cat uses the bathroom outside (from the most part) but Sam is indoor only. I might try to find the special type of litter.
I can't be more grateful to all of your help. I don't think I could make it only with the instructions of my vet!!
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

From what I've noticed many of you free feed you cats, some feed 3 or 4 times a day. My vet is still telling me to feed him 2 x a day but I want to feed him 3 x. I don't want to disrespect my vet but I I think eating 2 x a day is very little :sad: I just don't know sometimes when to listen to the professional or when to go with my guts!
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Hi Melancia,

One thing to remember is that you are the one who loves him and knows him, not your vet or any of us even tho we want him to get well & you to succeed at getting him settled. You have to go with your gut. In this case, the research backs up that diabetics do best with small frequent meals. Read up on it and see what he wants. Diabetics don't process food or water correctl;y. They are always hungry and thirsty and urinate like crazy usually. It's good to always have water available and to feed small amounts often.

A lot of vets mean well but just aren't up on the latest research. Some vets are supportive of home testing and others think we're unable to handle it and would rather make money by making us come in. :smile: It all depends. Your vet started you on a good dosage of a good insulin so you're ahead of the game but that doesn't mean that you have to go against what feels right especially when he's lost so much weight.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Just dropping in to see how you're going. Its always a trial by fire, starting testing. I hope you have some luck today. Don't give up! Things are looking up, you're even getting blood, which is usually the biggest problem. Did you shoot?
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Thank you for your support once gain :]

this is true some vets aren't up to date. I remember the first time I was told Sam might have diabetes I asked my vet if I should change his diet and he said no. This is when I found catinfo.org. The vet wanted to prescribe specific diabetes food but I told him I wasn't settle on it, he said he wasn't a nutrition expert so he trusts Hills and Purina, but he respected my opinion which I'm glad, he didn't force me to do anything! He was supportive with home testing but since I'm not using alphatrack I don't know if he will like it!! oh well..

By the end of this day Sam will have eaten 1 can 6z of food, I haven't seem him eating like this in a long time! I'm so happy with him :]

Yes I gave insulin to him this morning but I will try to test him before I give the other dose tonight. I was probably using the meter incorrectly so we'll see how things will go!
I will keep you guys posted :}
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Melancia,

Everyone here has also been helped by others when they were new and soon you will be able to help others too that are new and trying to learn all this new stuff at once and worried about their furbabies so don't think anything of it.

It's great that he's eating so well. Just remember with the testing to always put the strip with the black or striped end in the meter, facing up and the part you get blood on sticking out and always wait till you see the blood drop on the meter before putting blood on it. I'm not sure what order your strip goes into your meter. Some go in first, some at the last minute but they all have that in common.

What I do is stick my strip in the meter, halfway (not enough to make the meter start, this way it is ready. When I have a drop of blood, I stick the strip the rest of the way in and grab the blood with it but I never used your meter so better read the directions and listen to those who have. Mine only takes a second to get ready once the strip is pushed in.

Your vet sounds pretty supportive. Just stand up for what you believe nicely. Just say he's starving and you have to feed him more often or don't even mention it, or you could try to educate him about it by bringing in some materials from online research if you feel comfortable doing that.

BTW, I tried using the lancet without a pen today on Racci's +6 test and it was easier than a bad pen. I'll be doing it that way until my new Freestyle pen comes.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

GOOD NEWS!!! I was finally able to test Sam! I was doing it all wrong. His result was 362 though :/ if the human meter isn't that accurate do you think it is 50 over or 50 less than 362? I know at the vet's office he tested 400.

That is good you used the lancet without the pen. I also find it very helpful!

I'm soo happy :]
Thanks for your valuable suggestions!!
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

all meters have a +/- of 20% but you just use the reading on the meter as it is, it is not uncommon for BGs to be lower at home than it is at the vet's office due to Vet Stress.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Oh Good on you! :thumbup
And I'm strangely pleased to see a number in the three hundreds, that's much better than 21!

Do you have any plans to do a blood glucose curve? That's the next step.
You take a reading every couple of hours, to work out what is happening over the course of 12 hours.

When you do one, choose a day when you have the time; maybe this weekend? So long as puss will cooperate.
Actually I found that my first couple of curves were good, because it meant Akbah and I got into a routine with it. He learned that the testing meant special treats and a fuss being made. Soon enough, my civvie Hannah worked out that tests means treats, and now they both line up for it when they see me getting the lid off the testing tin: a biscuit tin containing heat sock, torch, meter, lancet, strips, spare needles, a pen. There's a box of tissues next to it. So I open the tin, put the lid on the couch and line up in the lid: my pen (to write the measure on my hand afterward) the torch, the lancet, the meter, take out a strip and put it half in. Put a new needle in the lancet if required. Leave the lid on the lancet. By this stage the cats are lined up and Akbah is usually on the couch, watching. Then I get the sock and a tissue, and go to the microwave, followed by cats. Heat the sock 26 seconds, folding up the tissue to make a backer-cushion for his ear when I do the prick. Take the treats out of the fridge. Get the sock out of the microwave and tuck the tissue into it so that it warms up too. Over to the couch, followed by cats.

Akbah sits in front of me, so I pick him up and put him next to me on the couch. Inspect his ears with the torch to find my next target spot. Warm his ear for at least a minute, with lots of ear and cheek scratching, and back stroking. take the lid off the lancet, turn the torch back on, torch in teeth, take warmed tissue out of sock, tissue in ear, poke. Hopefully, that's that and there's blood. Then, holding his head and ear (some people get the blood onto their fingernail but I have unreliable fingernails, so I leave it on the ear)... Push the strip into the meter (I do this in front of ak so he doesn't turn his head too much); wait till it beeps. Get the blood sample. Show ak the screen, and tell him what the number was. Hold off his ear with the tissue for 30 seconds, with more head scratching. Put stuff away. Write number onto hand. Distribute treats. Pack up tin.
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

oh thank you for he tips :D what kind os treats do you give them> I order on amazon a chicken treat that I read here on this foreum but for no i give him 1 temptation, he loves taht thing!
I think I will do the monitoring today, so I will do taht every couple hrs and post here right> cause I don't think I will know what to do with the information. I think for know it's too soon to reduce the insulin amount right? so the info I will be collecting it's just to see what happens to him?
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

I actually just tested sam, he was on an empty stomach and I got 135 mg. Can this be right? he was 362 last night. It's been a little over 12 hrs since I last gave isulin.
He is eating now but I'm wondering if I should give his insulin this morning or not since I heard less than 200 mg there is no need to give insulin. Not sure what to do here!
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Hi Melancia,

Did you see the post on the first page of the health forum about low numbers? Read that. He is in no danger at 135 but that was before eating. Test him again after eating and delay his shot until he is over 225-250 which should be in an hour or two. Just remember when you delay the morning shot, you also have to delay the evening shot so it's about 12 hours away. That's great that you're testing and great that he's readting well to the insulin. Did you have a good blood drop when you tested? You might want to double check again to make sure it was accurate since that is low for 12 hours and let us know. I have to take care of Racci's test and shot soon so will be leaving for a while but will check again before i start with her and when I get back.

You're going to need to start a spreadsheet to keep track of the readings and shots so we can help you better. the link for instrucctions is: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207#p179835

Melanie
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Thank you Melanie.
No I haven't read the forum about low numbers but will look for it this morning!
yes I had a really good blood drop when I tested him.
I will test him again in 1 hr to see what I get and give his insulin if it's higher than what you suggested.
I will also go through the worksheet and get it setup!

thanks :]
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Hi Melancia,

I have a little more time now. In case you didn't find it, this is very important and you should print it out in case you ever need it. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=61799. At 135 he is in no danger though. Have you checked him again yet? Sometimes they go up fast.

Until you know more about your cat you should not shoot at low numbers but we also have a post on shooting at low numbers. After you've been testing him for a while and done a few curves you'll get a feel for what's safe for him.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

I jsut tested him and he is 291. Last time he ate as at 9am. Should i give his insulin now? but then does it mean I have to give his next shot at 1:50am? (it's 1:50pm where I live).
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

He's really gone up! That's why I said not to wait too long. Yes give his shot now and test him about but I would lower his dose a little. It seems that his dose is too high. I would go down 1/2 unit. Do you have 1/2 units marked on your syringe? Its probably too late now but for the next dose lower it. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me. I'm going to send you a pm with a phone # so that doesn't happen again.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

thank you. well you have your own life and cats to take care so I understand!
No there isn't 1/2 unit on my serynge. should I eyeball 1/2 unit?
he just finished eating it so I will give his shot pretty soon.
So do I have to wake up at 2 am for his next shoot? should I eyeball it too to 1/2 unit?
thanks :D
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

Yes, you will have to eyeball it. I sent you that pm, btw. I'm sorry to say you may even have to give it later than 2 if he's too low. :YMSIGH: Been there, done that. Then it takes a few days to get him back on schedule by moving him back 1/2 hour a day until he's baclk to 12. Sorry. You can check tonight about 1am though and see what his bg is, if it is high enough, 11 hours is safe as long as his bg been going up all night.

The new dose will take a few days to settle so you may see his numbers go crazy for a day. Don't worry if they do. The 2nd or 3rd day will be a better day to tell if it was a good move to lower the dose. I don't think it will since he hasn't been regular anyway but just in case.

If you ever need help right away when its important and noone is around you can also post in both the PZI board and this one to get greater exposure or change the header.Oh, and please try to get that spreadsheet up so we can better help you and keep track of all these doses and bgs. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207#p179835 Instructions.

Edited: Was 1U PZI now .5 PZI
 
yes he is taking 2 units a day. Thank you I got your msg.
I wanted to give his shots at 9am and 9pm (this works for my schedule better).
So if at 2am he is under 200 I don't give insulin right? If this is the case for example, when should I check back? when I wake up early in the morning?
If at 2 am he is higher than 200 then I give his shot, so how do I get back to 9am and 9pm schedule?
I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to put my cat in danger!
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

I just saw a post I missed before. He is on 2 units? Is it Lantus or PZI? Please clear this up. This will bring him to 1.5?

You have a choice. If he is low at 2, you can either wait another hour at most because he will probably go up fast or you can wait until 8 or 9 tomorrow morning to get him closer to the time you want in which case he will be really high and still all screwed as far as schedule. You should really work hard at getting him back on a every 12 hour schedule after this time either way though and definitely get that SS going so you know what's going on with him.

Melanie & Racci
 
Re: How often to feed a cat?

he is on prozinc. I give him 1 unit 2 x a day but I just gave him 1/2 unit 1 hr ago. so I give him 1/2 unite 2x a day he will be taking total of 1 unit a day.
I'm just confused because if he was 135 this morning should I have given his shot anyways since his levels went up?
I just don't want this to happen again so I don't know if he is low, if the best solution will be not to give insulin then but give him in 12 hrs again :/
I will start on the worksheet right now.

thanks!
 
I just added my spreadsheet! But i'm just a bit confused about the + numbers, if they mean time where is 12? I don't know if my ss makes any sense..!
 
That is what I thought! I must have seem someone else's message next to yours. That's one of the reasons for a ss. It eliminates mistakes.

You could have either waited an hour or fed him and tried again. Either way would have been okay this morning but now we have to deal with what is. In the future, try feeding him to see if that will bring him up and test again . If that brought him up, you could then shoot him a little late instead of real late. Or you could wait an hour at most and try testing again, and feed after testing which would be ideal if he was ready. And the same should apply to tonight.

Melanie


I was just posting when your message came in. the numbers are + the hours since you shot. amps= am or morning pre=shot also = 12th hour and pmps would = pm pre-shot.
 
ok it makes sense now. Since he was on empty stomach he was testing low, if I had tested him after he ate his levels would have been a little higher than I could have given his shot then..
Now that I made this mess is there any way that I can fix the current situation? Could I test him close to midnight and see what his levels are? but then if it's high 12 hrs wouldn't have passed. Is it dangerous is I test him tomorrow at 9am and skip the 2am ordeal? :?
oh ok I think I understand this worksheet now but I"m not sure if what I added is under the correct field.
on 2/16 I didn't test him but I gave 1u at 9am didn't give at night
2/17 I gave 1u at 9am but still didn't figure out the meter thing, at 9pm I tested him 362 but it was right after he ate :/ and gave him 1u
today I tested him at 9am 135mg, tested at 2pm 291 gave 0.5u. does this info make sense on this ss?

thanks :D
 
I'm confused too now! Melancia has become Nadja! I hope that was an amicable takeover. ;-)

Spread sheet ...well, your 21 is missing, you could put it in and write a note in the comments saying it might have been a misreading. May as well keep it in case you find that Sam really is swinging that much.

2/17 I gave 1u at 9am but still didn't figure out the meter thing, at 9pm I tested him 362 but it was right after he ate :/ and gave him 1u
Click to expand...
You need that 362 over near PMPS (= pm or evening, preshot). If you tested him directly after he ate, I'd put it to the left of the shot, as the PMPS measure as their BG doesn't change that fast. But if it was an hour later, put it into the +1 box, on the right of the shot.
In the columns for the shots, write "1U at 9am" ... "1U at 9pm" so that people can see later, that the time changed.

There is a "12" over on the far right in +12, not sure what that is? Also for the day before. Need to lose those 12s, you've never had a 12 BG reading have you?

today I tested him at 9am 135mg, tested at 2pm 291 gave 0.5u. does this info make sense on this ss?
Click to expand...
Put the 135 over to the left, in the AMPS column (am or morning, pre shot). Put the 291 in +5, as 2pm is 5 hours after 9am.
Then in the column for the shot, write "0.5U at 2pm"

Hope this makes sense.
 
It looks like the 21 happened on 17th at about 1:20? So I'd call that 1pm.
9am - 1pm is 4 hours, so put the 21 in on the 17th, after the AMPS at +4
 
First things first. I'm glad it makes sense now. Usually you would not want to test on a full stomach, some treats are ok but not on a meal. BUT if you test and get too low a reading it is ok to feed say half a meal or less, wait for it to settle 15 minutes or so and then test again and see if it's safe to shoot. Try to keep as close to schedule as possible even if it means feeding or giving less of a dose by 1/2-1 unit when he is at 200. Play it safe but he was started at 2u which may be much too high for him so better safe than sorry and you know if you skip it all together he will be very high by later which is bad for him. Understand?

Now for tonight, I would be afraid to give it almost 3 hours early without having history on him. You can test him at midnight and then at 1am. What time did you shoot him today? I would not shoot more than an hour early and only if he went up at 1 from his 12 bg. Did I explain that well enough? If you skip it altogether, in the morning he will be very high again so post here with his bg. Someone will be up. We are international. Change the beginning of your header to Help Now Please!

Your ss should have your first shots of the day, 9am in the Amps column, your tests during the day should be after that in the hours after the first shot so +1=10am.+2=11, etc. Your night shot should be in pmps and then any after that should represent the times following it. Understand now? Let me know so I can clarify before I go cook dinner. :smile:

Melanie
 
Akbah's mom is here now too. Sorry didn't notice your post about ss. I was a little confused by the name change also. :razz:

Nadja, You should also change the time zone settings when you get a chance because when you were saying you just gave a shot it was almost 6pm my time. We all set it for our own time so people know what time it was when we posted. Until you do, you'll have to be specific. :smile:

Melanie
 
Hi Melanie :-)
Hey Nadja, Good on you for the trouble you're taking for your cat.
I've sent you a PM in case you'd like help fixing up your spreadsheet, as that all got a bit technical.

Your cat is only on 0.5U twice a day isn't he. Started on 1U, now down to 0.5?
If you did 2am tonight, then maybe you can move it back to 1pm/1am tomorrow, 12noon/midnight the next day...
Is this going to fit with your work times?

NadjaAndSam said:
oh thank you for he tips :D what kind os treats do you give them> I order on amazon a chicken treat that I read here on this foreum but for no i give him 1 temptation, he loves taht thing! I think I will do the monitoring today, so I will do taht every couple hrs and post here right> cause I don't think I will know what to do with the information. I think for know it's too soon to reduce the insulin amount right? so the info I will be collecting it's just to see what happens to him?
Click to expand...

That will be really helpful to get an idea of how Sam is responding to the insulin, those frequent tests today will fill out his spreadsheet.

Regarding treats: I give akbah a little bit of meat. Yesterday, it was a bit of roast chicken from our tea. Often, its a bit of roast meat which would otherwise go on my husband's sandwiches.
 
thank you I will look at your msg because I know my ss needs some improvement!

I started at 1un but Melanie suggested me to lower the dose to .5. at the prozinc forum they suggested me to lower it to .75 :/
How can I tell my cat needs more or less?
I was also wondering if it's best to test him before he eats and right after he ate (before the shot) or just after he ate..
Today I fed him 3 small portions, he still needs 1 more for dinner, is this good? I know we already talked about how many times to fee, some people free feed other smalls portions.. I don't know what is best for him :sad: It's just hard for me to see him begging for food :?
 
I test mine before he eats. If Sam is hungry that's good, he was not eating before. Give him a wee bit more, so long as its low carb. Sam has probably lost weight recently? He's not obese or something is he?

The only reason I don't free feed is because if I did, Akbah would gobble it all up in one go and then puke.

You can only be sure if your cat needs more or less by getting frequent regular BGs for awhile, that's why if you can get BG every two hours for 12 hours would be a great thing.
 
Sam has lot some weight, a little over 2 lb.s He is now 10.9. My vet said it would be nice if he could loose a little bit more but not overnight (like the way he lost 2 lbs).

I have another cat, Franklin, he is all white and Sam is all black. he needs to loose some weight :? maybe 3 lbs. He is also on wet food, on wellness. Sam eats nature's variety, he didn't care for wellness. Franklin goes outside and I know some of the neighbors feed him because he is an adored cat in the "hood". I just don't know exactly who feeds him.
I wanted to do the curve thing today but someone said it would be pointless since I didn't give insulin this morning. :oops: today would have been a great day. I think Tuesday might work for me.
I'm just not sure if as of right now I should continue giving him 1U or reduce it. Maybe I should give him 1 U until I do the curve thing, would this be a smart thing to do?
Well I need to get some dinner. Last time I ate at was breakfast.. but this forum is addicting!
Thanks for all your help! Everyone has been great and I appreciate it :-D
 
See what his next BG is. I think testing him at the moment would be useful, even if you didn't get a full curve, at least you'd have some idea of what was happening in his system.
LIke, if its 7:30pm there now, and you're looking toward a 1:30 or 1am shot? If you test now, and again at 10pm, and again at midnight, you'll have some idea of how much change is happening with his BG.
I say you need measurements.
 
thank you! I actually just tested him and he is 356. :( I must say he was a bit nervous, he is learning when I'm grabbing my stuff to poke him.. :?
 
I decided to post in the PZI forum as now that you are getting BGs, you needed more experienced eyes to look at dose and timing of shots.
And I see you are already there! Hooray!

If anyone else is looking for the rest of the conversation, its at
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=63946#p693650
 
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