Do I have to give insulin every time my cat eats?

[Emily and Petey]

Hi there - I just brought my cat home from the vet on saturday, so new to this Diabetes care stuff. My vet said to feed my cat on a schedule, 8am and 8pm. But if he gets hungry in between or earlier, like at 6pm, say, is it ok to give him a little food? Does he need insulin every time he eats? And is it important that he gets it exactly 12 hours from his last meal/shot?

Thanks!
Emily

 

[Dyana]

Cats normally do best with insulin every 12 hours. What type of insulin did you get?
Almost all of us are home testing our cats blood glucose, and we suggest not feeding in the last two hours before the shot time as the food can give him a temporary spike in his BG, and it's better to have a true reading at shot time rather than a food spiked reading.

 

[Emily and Petey]

They gave us Lantus.
I don't have the home test kit yet, but plan to get it tomorrow if I can (I was told I could get everything at CVS?)
But it sounds like you're saying that I could feed him now (6ish) and then give his shot at his normal time, which would be 8, correct?

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Here is a thread with all kinds of info on home testing:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

[Dyana]

I almost said if you want to feed him a little bit at +10 (6:00pm your time), you might as well test him and then compare that test to the pre-shot test, but I forgot your not yet testing . You can go ahead and feed him.
Lantus works best when given as close to 12 hours apart as possible. Lantus and Levemir are both depot insulins. You should read up on how they work by reading the Stickys on the Lantus forum.

 

[Kitty mom]

You only give two shots 12 hours apart. We feed our cats every 5-6 hours as it seems to help keep their blood sugar more even. I believe most diabetic cats do better with smaller more frequent meals .

 

[Emily and Petey]

Ok, thanks!

 

[Jill & Alex (GA)]

They gave us Lantus.

Did the vet give you Lantus? Usually one purchases Lantus from a drug store or pharmacy. Repackaged insulin will often look like the vial on the left. A vial of Lantus should come packaged like the picture on the right.

If you are buying repackaged insulin from your vet, even if it was transferred into a sterile container, its efficacy and longevity may be questionable. You might want to review the sticky: LANTUS & LEVEMIR - INFO, PROPER HANDLING, & STORAGE.

I don't have the home test kit yet, but plan to get it tomorrow if I can (I was told I could get everything at CVS?)

You should be able to pick up supplies at any drug store. Many of our members buy ReliOn blood glucose meters from Walmart because the test strips are inexpensive.

But it sounds like you're saying that I could feed him now (6ish) and then give his shot at his normal time, which would be 8, correct?

Most of us test, feed, and shoot within 15 minutes. With Lantus, you'll want to have food on board before the insulin begins to onset (the length of time before insulin reaches the bloodstream & begins lowering blood glucose).


Edited to add: Lantus is usually given every 12 hours. You don't want to give insulin every time your cat eats if you feed in-between shots.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

Welcome!

I just wanted to add that not only do you not have to give more shots when you feed more (great question to ask!), you absolutely should not give Lantus more often than the one shot every 12 hours. Once you are home testing you might see high numbers, don't be tempted to give insulin more often.

 

[Jeanne & Dottie]

They gave us Lantus.
I don't have the home test kit yet, but plan to get it tomorrow if I can (I was told I could get everything at CVS?)
But it sounds like you're saying that I could feed him now (6ish) and then give his shot at his normal time, which would be 8, correct?

I have a CVS meter, Emily. And I'm a newbie just like you so far so good. The pharmacist said they'd had no returns because of malfunctioning issues. There is a control solution you can get to test the accuracy of your meter. I had to order mine, and have yet to get it. (the solution, not the meter. I have the meter.) It's got nice features, even a "graph" that's built in, but it's nothing like the SS given out here.

Hope your furkid's holding up well.