Is It Ok To...

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Angela & Blackie & 3 Others

Angela & Blackie & 3 Others

Member Since 2010
When Blackie was on ProZinc, the vet told us to wait 20 minutes after she eats to give her the shot. A good friend of mine told me that it's ok to shoot after she eats, especially if we're in a hurry or something.

Is it ok to do that?

I'm still on the "wait 20 minutes after Blackie eats" mindset.
 
I shoot Napoleon as soon as he starts eating. Not sure if that is the wrong way to do it but I know of a lot of people who do the same. Lantus is more of a gentle, flat curve insulin, so although it can happen, Blackie dropping suddenly may be unlikely. Ultimately it comes down to whatever makes you most comfortable. I am around for a little while at least after each shot so I can make sure he doesn't puke. That is usually the main concern and why you are told to wait. Hope this helps ;-)
 
The way I do it, as has been our way here is Test, Feed,Shoot--I give Moonie real chicken where I test her, and while she is occupied eating the chicken, I test & shoot her--Then she eats cat food either soon after, or sometimes she waits a bit. She usually eats on her own within an hour or so..
If you feed long before the test & shot, the test result will be higher(I'm talking 15-20 minutes) and not the true bg number--
It takes low, med., or high carb cat food 15-20 min to show up in the bg--
So Glad you are asking questions!! It's the only way to learn--Good Job!!
 
So, what you're saying is test first (of course... I always do that), feed, and then right after she's eaten, I can give her the shot? I normally begin the day's testing at +3, then go to +6 and +9, and then the PMPS and again at +4 where I go to bed soon after (or trying to... I need my sleep). LOL
 
My vet tech originally told me to feed an hour before the shot! But she said in a pinch, I could just feed and shoot... That hour was killing my schedule! And no one would volunteer to help me shoot because they didn't want to kill an hour waiting...

Now, I test and then immediately put down food. She then has about 10 - 15 min to eat before I actually shoot, just so I can make sure she has food in her (she is a very slow eater, so I often sit there and sprinkle freeze-dried chicken dust on her food to get her eating a little faster). Since my girl is kind of a grazer... I like to make sure she gets at least 1 Tbsp down and then I can shoot without worrying too much... I know she'll come back and eat more over the next few hours.

I usually get a +2 or +3 if I'm home... Otherwise, when I'm going to work, I test right before I leave for work - which could be +1, +1.5 or +2, depending on how quickly I'm moving. At night, I test at +2 or +3 and then I like to get +4 and +5 if possible cuz I like to try to catch her nadir which seems to move around between +3 and +6... or maybe it happens when I'm asleep - it's hard to say! I'm kind of test-happy though... Gives me a reason to bargain hunt for test strips on eBay...
 
I'm so glad someone asked this question because I've been wondering if there's a "rule" to it as well. I usually test Lightning, then feed right away (depending on the number) and then I was waiting 15-30 minutes to shoot. Lately I've been just shooting right after he's done eating (mostly because I want to go lay down for 30 minutes or so before I have to get up for work :smile: ) He usually eats in about 2 minutes...he wastes no time getting his food down that's for sure!! I haven't had any problems with this new routine so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I didn't jinx myself!
 
Many of us test, feed and shoot while the cat is distracted w/ the food. Tess never even notices that I'm shooting if she has her nose buried in the bowl if she isn't eating while I shoot she fidgets a lot or used to.,
 
I've been told to wait 20 minutes after Blackie eats before shooting. Not sure why. I failed to ask, and he didn't supply the information at the time. I was just happy that I was going to trying to get my cat as healthy as possible.

I took a chance and gave her a flank shot 15 mins after she ate. I have never given her a flank shot, so this will be interesting.
 
Most vets ar familiar with the other fast acting insulins. With those you need to make sure the cat has food before you shoot. Lantus gives you a little more breathing roo, the onset is usually 2 to 3 hours after the shot.

Where did you shoot before? The scruff? There was a discussion here a while ago about that. I think people said that scruff shots take longer to work, absorbed more slowly.
 
Most vets are used to working with shorter acting insulin that has a much quicker onset than Lantus. One way to prevent numbers from plummeting after shooting those kinds of insulin is to have food on board before the insulin.

Unlike short or intermediate acting insulin, Lantus onset is at around +2 to +3 depending on your cat. (Another reason for getting a curve so you know when the Lantus is kicking in.) It's less critical to feed well before you shoot with Lantus because onset is delayed. In fact, there are times when Gabby wanders off or grazes and it's never been a problem. Like the others have noted, I test, feed, then shoot and it's all within about 5 min. or less.
 
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