Adrian B.
Member Since 2017
Hey there,
My cat Gizmo was just diagnosed 11/01/17 at a level of 426. He was at 90, and two pounds heavier last year. Has no visual symptoms yet, except drinking a bit more. I have had him on Wellness canned Turkey formula for several years now, and just in the past month have been supplementing with a kibble due to ongoing tartar issues. I stopped the dry food now of course.
But when he had his bloodwork done prior to his annual dental cleaning we found that his levels were high. So the vet prescribed 2 units of glargine twice a day. The vet says he's had success with other cats on this med, and that we would reduce the dosage if Giz is doing well in a month.
We'll be starting this weekend when I get the supplies. And I'm nervous, of course. Should I test his blood before the first dose? Can I use a human glucose meter?
Hoping to glean some wisdom and support from you all and to understand how I can best care for my beloved pet.
My cat Gizmo was just diagnosed 11/01/17 at a level of 426. He was at 90, and two pounds heavier last year. Has no visual symptoms yet, except drinking a bit more. I have had him on Wellness canned Turkey formula for several years now, and just in the past month have been supplementing with a kibble due to ongoing tartar issues. I stopped the dry food now of course.
But when he had his bloodwork done prior to his annual dental cleaning we found that his levels were high. So the vet prescribed 2 units of glargine twice a day. The vet says he's had success with other cats on this med, and that we would reduce the dosage if Giz is doing well in a month.
We'll be starting this weekend when I get the supplies. And I'm nervous, of course. Should I test his blood before the first dose? Can I use a human glucose meter?
Hoping to glean some wisdom and support from you all and to understand how I can best care for my beloved pet.
Testing is always a great idea. Test before each shot to be safe (don't want to shoot if his numbers happen to be too low) and grab mid-cycle tests when you can to see the impact of the insulin. I am not personally familiar with using glargine, but I think I have seen that the recommended starting dose is just 1 unit twice a day. It makes more sense to start low and increase, if needed, than to start too high and reduce it... which might even be dangerous if the high dose has too much impact and takes him down too low. You can use a human meter; a lot of folks here do. 
