How long is too long between food and shot?

[Naio]

I've been having trouble getting Mehmet to eat enough for a shot, for about a week or more.

Tonight, he was hungry two hours early. I thought, rather than wait till shot time and then spend an hour trying to get him to eat, maybe I should let him start now and by shot time he will have eaten his dinner. (He's been eating in little nibbles.)

But he chowed down nearly two teaspoons right away! Maybe the pepcid I gave him last night and this morning finally kicked in?

So, now what? How long is ok to wait before I give him the shot? Is an hour ok?

Yes, I still have not developed the ability to test this kitty, which complicates matters.

Also, how much food SHOULD a 14lb kitty eat if he is in bed all day (but doing some vigorous purring)? The vet said at least a tablespoon before each shot, and it's been a struggle to get him to eat that twice plus maybe a tablespoon of dry food in 24 hours (he used to prefer only wet but now I feel like anything he will eat is good). It does not seem like enough, but am I wrong?

I appreciate you folks' patience with my newbie questions.

(PS: I realise now I probably should have posted this in the old thread and not started a new one .)

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

I just tried to quickly ready thru your previous posts. If I am holding on to the info you provided, his food has changed lately to the classic ff.
Sometimes when you introduce a new food, they are gung ho for it... for a can or two... and then suddenly not interested. So my first suggestion is try other cans.
everything on this list is okay.

since you are just starting on the testing, if he eats 30 minutes before shot.... or an hour.... you should be okay... we normally try to not feed the 2 hours before shot time just so the food doesn't influence the number at test time.

Have you read thru this page on testing....
many of us have dark ear cats... I actually have a super bright flashlight that I hold in my mouth while I'm poking.
You can get a headlamp.... or use the flashlight behind the ear..... and poke towards it....
it really helps to use a napkin or something on the opposite side of the ear to put pressure on it.
the neosporin ointment with pain relief also helps the blood bead up so you can see it better... apply before the poke and after.

My 13 lb girl eats at least 2 full friskies cans a day ( 5.5oz)
The pepcid should kick in within 30 minutes of you giving it.
If he is lip smacking after taking a couple of bites, that usually implies that it is nausea. And you will want to ask you vet for some ondansetron for that. ( it's a human drug - comes in 4 mg pills and you give 1 mg morning and night.)
if the vet wants to give an appetite stimulant.... make sure you get the ondansetron and then cyproheptadine for
stimulant.... ( i only need a tiny crumb of the cypro)
many vets want to give Mirtazapine...for appy stimulation but many of us find that it's too much.... and prefer the cypro.

And it's good to post a new thread.

I hope you get some answers from the vet....

hope you can get better with testing right away.... it's very very important to know how he is responding to the insulin
and you probably need to get some ketostix so you can monitor his urine for ketones.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

A new thread is fine, your other one was getting long. You can always copy the url for the old one and link it to this one.

Normally with a milder insulin like ProZinc, it isn't so important that he have food in his tummy before a shot. But you do want him to eat something and continue to eat, at least a little. You can always shoot a little less insulin if he is not eating well.

Yes, you and we both will feel better when you are confident testing and have some levels to guide you. It's scary shooting in the dark.

And I second getting ketone tests. No food, not much insulin is not a good combination.

 

[jane and stewey]

Coordinating insulin delivery with feeding is a must do. Depending on the type of insulin and/or it's peak time of use. I am currently using Lantus. With it, I feed the cat and as soon as she has finished her food...I administer the insulin. Waiting hours after eating can really cause havoc for your kitty. Regimentation is one of the key factors in maintaining a stable blood sugar. Uncontrolled hunger is often a sign of uncontrolled diabetes. Good luck from jane and stewey