feeding and shots

[My cat Mal]

Feeding question: Malcom gets Lantus every 12 hours and Istarted out only feeding him then. He used to be a free feeding cat. Now he gets Friskies wet food but only at time he gets shots. Every morning, about an hour before his shot he is tearing up paper, moving around our room because he wants to be fed. Today this was around 4 AM, almost 2 hrs before he should have gotten his shot. Lately I have started to feed him small amounts besides his normal feeding time because he is making me nuts.
This morning I just let him eat at 4 although shot due at 5:45. So my question is do I try to get him to eat a bit more and give shot? I haven't gotten home blood testing going yet to use as reference point.
His vet seemed pretty strict about 2 cans a day. He was pretty lean when he started insulin and I think he has put back on some weight and looks good but I don' t want him getting over weight again. Sorry if I am a little incoherrent, I'm tired and eyes feel gritty.

 

[Critter Mom]

Hi,

A lot of Lantus kitties get their food allowance divided up into mini-meals throughout the day. I would feed Saoirse every three hours (a necessity because of her chronic pancreatitis and impaired fasting BG issues).

Are you home testing? I ask because if you change how much you feed and when it could affect his BG numbers and if you change the feeding pattern you'd need to make sure the dose he's on doesn't take him too low with a new meal schedule.

Here's a body condition chart so that you can visually assess whether Mal's at his ideal weight. (It also helps to get a reasonably-priced digital baby scales to do weekly weight checks.)

Body condition chart

Something you might like to try is to give Mal most of his grub before his insulin dose and then split the balance into snack portions given at intervals during the rest of the cycle. The most important thing apart from making sure he has enough food on board early enough for the insulin to work on is to make sure you lift all food by two hours before the next preshot test so that you'll be confident his BG level isn't food influenced when you're deciding if he's high enough to safely give the next dose.

If you want to give Mal mid-cycle mini-meals or snack-sized p0rtions of his food allowance while you're out of the house or sleeping a timed feeder is a godsend. Many members here recommend the Petsafe 5.


Mogs
.

 

[My cat Mal]

Hi,

A lot of Lantus kitties get their food allowance divided up into mini-meals throughout the day. I would feed Saoirse every three hours (a necessity because of her chronic pancreatitis and impaired fasting BG issues).

Are you home testing? I ask because if you change how much you feed and when it could affect his BG numbers and if you change the feeding pattern you'd need to make sure the dose he's on doesn't take him too low with a new meal schedule.

Here's a body condition chart so that you can visually assess whether Mal's at his ideal weight. (It also helps to get a reasonably-priced digital baby scales to do weekly weight checks.)

Body condition chart

Something you might like to try is to give Mal most of his grub before his insulin dose and then split the balance into snack portions given at intervals during the rest of the cycle. The most important thing apart from making sure he has enough food on board early enough for the insulin to work on is to make sure you lift all food by two hours before the next preshot test so that you'll be confident his BG level isn't food influenced when you're deciding if he's high enough to safely give the next dose.

If you want to give Mal mid-cycle mini-meals or snack-sized p0rtions of his food allowance while you're out of the house or sleeping a timed feeder is a godsend. Many members here recommend the Petsafe 5.


Mogs
.

I'm not testing yet but I will! Right now I gave hima little more food so wonder should I still gicpve shot? Wait until this evening? I don't know what to do.

 

[My cat Mal]

Thanks for body conditioning chart

 

[My cat Mal]

Hi,

A lot of Lantus kitties get their food allowance divided up into mini-meals throughout the day. I would feed Saoirse every three hours (a necessity because of her chronic pancreatitis and impaired fasting BG issues).

Are you home testing? I ask because if you change how much you feed and when it could affect his BG numbers and if you change the feeding pattern you'd need to make sure the dose he's on doesn't take him too low with a new meal schedule.

Here's a body condition chart so that you can visually assess whether Mal's at his ideal weight. (It also helps to get a reasonably-priced digital baby scales to do weekly weight checks.)

Body condition chart

Something you might like to try is to give Mal most of his grub before his insulin dose and then split the balance into snack portions given at intervals during the rest of the cycle. The most important thing apart from making sure he has enough food on board early enough for the insulin to work on is to make sure you lift all food by two hours before the next preshot test so that you'll be confident his BG level isn't food influenced when you're deciding if he's high enough to safely give the next dose. I feel confused by this aspect of home testing. So people are adjusting doses based on the BG level? Then How do you know what the right dose should be? If you determine it is right not to give a shot is it imperative that you test again to decide if now you should give one? And what determines that kind of timing? This is what confipuses me with the blood testing, it seems like all day you are tracking your kitty and I don't see how that is manageable. Also, Do people find some days they give more shots, less, are doses always varying?

If you want to give Mal mid-cycle mini-meals or snack-sized p0rtions of his food allowance while you're out of the house or sleeping a timed feeder is a godsend. Many members here recommend the Petsafe 5.


Mogs
.

 

[My cat Mal]

What confuses me with blood testing is how you determine the right dose based on your test? If you feel no shot is needed how long do you go before seeing if your cat might need one? I have to go to work and be gone a good 6 to 8 hours. Do people doing BG tests find they are always adjusting doses, adjusting when shots are needed and so on? I may be feeling overwhelmed from being up since 4 and worrying but I feel like the testing seems like people are spending a lot of time checking their cat's blood sugar. If you get this mastered what does a normal day look like?
I had a hard time getting good with his shots, getting a schedule down and making sure I have wet food and treats 24/7 but I feel concerned about managing this and of course feel like a jerk for not doing it yet.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

how you determine the right dose based on your test

The recommended starting dose for most insulins, including Lantus, is 1 unit twice a day with 12 hours between doses. For Lantus you usually stay at a dose for 5 to 7 days, at least at the beginning. Testing before feeding/injecting tells you whether your planned dose is too high for where your kitty's BG is at. That's the minimum amount of testing needed to keep your kitty safe. At least one other test around midcycle is strongly recommended to see how low the dose takes the BG. This is a key piece of info for Lantus users because dosing decisions are made based on that. If you can't do it on a work day, you try to do it late evening or on a weekend. A full curve should be done periodically on a day off so you have a complete picture of how kitty responds to a dose.

If you feel no shot is needed how long do you go before seeing if your cat might need one?

This is tricky territory and you should post on the Lantus forum for advice from experienced users. This happens when a kitty might be nearing remission.

Do people doing BG tests find they are always adjusting doses, adjusting when shots are needed and so on?

How often a dose is adjusted depends on where you are in a kitty's treatment history: maybe more often at the beginning while trying to figure out the best dose and less so later if you've found a good dose that achieves regulation. Some kitties are trickier to figure out than others. A shot is given every 12 hours unless certain issues arise like a BG number being too low based on a preshot test or a run of low BGs suggests that remission might be starting.

FYI: if BG is in the mid-200s at preshot and low 100s or high double digits at nadir, you can call kitty regulated. Sometimes Lantus gives a flatter curve with less difference between PSs and nadir though.

seems like people are spending a lot of time checking their cat's blood sugar.

It seems like a big burden until you actual get into a routine of test/feed/shoot (maybe 15-20 minutes to do and most of that is kitty eating), nadir test midday or late evening (5 minutes?). You'll get so well practiced at it that you can do it half asleep.

I had a hard time getting good with his shots

This gets MUCH better with time. However we still flub them occasionally or have a fur shot. Same with pricking the ear for BG tests. Kitty can be trained to go to a certain place to get attention, treats, ear rubs, etc. but no ear pricks. Later, you can introduce the testing when the pleasant routine is established. We have tips to help with that.

feel like a jerk for not doing it yet.

Don't beat yourself up! This is challenging to deal with and we all understand because we've all been where you are.

 

[Critter Mom]

(((Mal's Person)))

Things can be very overwhelming in the early days but you're doing really well looking after Mal.

Re testing and dosing, the primary reason for testing is to check whether a dose is safe. Secondary to that as you build up a body of test results it can help you to improve Mal's regulation over time (remember: marathon, not sprint! ). The test data can act as a guide to you and your vet to optimise Mal's insulin treatment (and it can help members here to give you better suggestions any time you may need a bit of help). Doses are adjusted in small increments and the data you gather will give you and your vet the information you need to make any necessary adjustments as you go along.

Some members test their cats a great deal each day, others do less testing. The Lantus Tight Regulation study recommends testing a minimum of three times a day; two preshot tests to check it is safe to give the AM and PM doses plus one mid-cycle test (ideally around expected nadir time but all mid-cycle tests are useful no matter which point in the cycle they're done) plus occasional curves to get a better overall picture of how the dose is working. (Note: on average the study participants tested their kitties 5 times a day but you need to work out what you yourself can manage.)

If you're using Lantus, dosing is based on the BG levels at the lowest part of the cycle (the nadir) so snagging mid-cycle tests is important. Even if you're at work during the day you should hopefully be able to do a morning preshot, evening preshot and then a 'before bed' evening mid-cycle test. IIRC somewhere in the stickies at the top of the Lantus & Levemir board there's one which gives suggestions on how to fit in testing around a busy daily schedule; might give you some ideas to think about.

Hang in there; it does get easier with practice.




Mogs
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