Feeding Timing Help

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SherryDarlingNJ

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Bally gets her 1 unit of Lantus at 9 am and pm. Yesterday (our first full day home and on insulin), I fed her right after her injection. She ate everything within about two hours of the injections. (She has never been a piggy eater). This morning she did not eat at all. I tried giving her fresh food every three hours (9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m.) and she ate maybe three bites. Finally at 6 p.m. she quite eagerly ate about 3 oz. of food (all food is canned; she is getting about 5.5 oz. of food daily). She had her insulin at 9 p.m. Should I give her food again now (it's now 10 p.m.) or in a few hours or wait until morning? Should I give her three oz. or a smaller amount at first? I would like to keep everything regulated but I don't know what to do if she won't eat "on schedule." I do not do home glucose testing (yet). Thanks all.
 
Hi!
A newly diagnosed diabetic kitty will be hungry because the diabetes prohibits her body from getting the right amount of nutrition out of the food. At first, let her eat if she's hungry. You may want to avoid feeding an hour or so before a test, because the food will raise her BG short-term, and you may get readings that are not quite accurate. Usually, you test, then feed, then shoot insulin. Lots of people shoot while kitty is eating because they find it easier when kitty is distracted. Most cats don't even stop munching during the shot.
Several small meals throughout the day are actually a good thing. You can feed her now, or you can leave food out and let her eat when she's hungry later. Just try not to leave the food out too long in case it spoils. Some people freeze food, put it out, and kitty will eat it as it thaws. I'm sure someone that does that will chime in soon.
Carl in SC
 
Thanks, Carl. Yes, before the diagnosis she was WOLFING down food, which was totally out of character for her and one of the reasons why I knew something was amiss.
I did refresh the food today every three hours so it wouldn't be all dried out. I will give her another small meal before bedtime tonight. I will also change the order of feeding and insulin.
 
If you ever have any doubts about whether or not to give her a shot for any reason, please make sure to post here and indicate "dosing help needed" in the subject line. Sometimes kitty might be a little "off", not wanting to eat, or whatever, or her BG numbers will just not make sense. Much better to ask before and not after...
You will also find a wealth of really good information if you visit the Lantus forum (under Insulin Support Groups) that is specific to the insulin you are using. Please post any questions you might have about lantus or dosing advice there, as you'll get a quicker response. Lots of experienced lantus users on board!

Carl
 
Many of us mix some water in with the wet food - a little less water than food. Mash it to make about the consistency of applesauce. The water will help the food stay fresh for longer, and also get a bit of extra water into the cat. Most cats love the 'gravy'. You can even put warm water on the food to enhance the delicate aromas.
 
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