My tuffy is about 12 years old. Newly diagnosed with diabetes. Today was the first day for insulin, I am doing everything myself sns it is a bit overwhelming. Today seems to be going okay, but I have a few concerns that I'm afraid I will only be able to figure out with time. One; how do I know when to not give him insulin? Two; how often should I feed him now? I am obviously new to all of this, and any help I can get will be greatly appreciated!
Ist day on insulin
- Thread starter Tuffysmom
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Sharon14
Member Since 2015
Welcome! The only way to know if Tuffy needs insulin is to learn to home test his glucose. It’s easy to do and we can help you learn. Here’s some info, read it and come to the Main Health forum and ask any questions you have.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Chrissy66
Member Since 2018
Welcome Tuffysmom. First thing to do is set up a Spreadsheet which is really easy to do and keep track of his numbers. Also canned food only and the lowest carb is best. There are alot of experienced Kitty mommies here that will be able to help you with anything you need. They really helped me when our Candi was first diagonsed.
FurBabiesMama
Member Since 2017
Welcome. See you on the main health forum!
Thank you all. I have a paper diary started. The first day I tested him 4 times to get the hsng of things. Now the ear blood drop is easy and he seems to understand. I think my biggest concern is if by chance he was close to normal level at the time I am supposed to give his shot, what do I do? Do I give him less? Do I give him the whole 1.5 units? I have done a lot of research before I started, so I know to give him only wet food, I even add water to it. Im making him exercise a little more. The problem is I had a baby in November and I was away with my grandmother in January and February and I missed how much weight he had lost until i couldnt mias it anymore. He lost 10 lbs in less than 4 months. So hes not fat anymore. Hes very skinny, so I don't want to make him do too much.
FurBabiesMama
Member Since 2017
It would be best if you post your questions on the main health forum. Be sure to include basic info like the type of insulin you are giving and whether you are using a human meter or pet meter. Those things impact the answers/recommendations you will get. In fact, it would be best if you could set up a signature with that info so you do not have to repeat it every time you post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/
Without knowing any of that, I will say that the normal 'rule' when you are starting out is that if the pre-shot number is under 200 with a human meter, you wait 20 mins or so without feeding then test again to see if the number is rising. If not, you repeat that. Then, if it is still low, you do not give the shot or give a reduced dose. Once you have more data, you will get to where you can shoot on lower numbers as long as you are home to monitor. (The spreadsheet is really, really going to be a helpful tool; it's worth setting up; here are instructions: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/)
As far as feeding, you can feed multiple times per day and even allow free-feeding since Tuffy is underweight. I feed four times a day, and I leave whatever is left out for them to graze on. You just do not want to have food out two hours prior to your pre-shot glucose test so that the test results will not be influenced by food. (I have a link to the AAHA guidelines in my signature which address feeding.)
Without knowing any of that, I will say that the normal 'rule' when you are starting out is that if the pre-shot number is under 200 with a human meter, you wait 20 mins or so without feeding then test again to see if the number is rising. If not, you repeat that. Then, if it is still low, you do not give the shot or give a reduced dose. Once you have more data, you will get to where you can shoot on lower numbers as long as you are home to monitor. (The spreadsheet is really, really going to be a helpful tool; it's worth setting up; here are instructions: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/)
As far as feeding, you can feed multiple times per day and even allow free-feeding since Tuffy is underweight. I feed four times a day, and I leave whatever is left out for them to graze on. You just do not want to have food out two hours prior to your pre-shot glucose test so that the test results will not be influenced by food. (I have a link to the AAHA guidelines in my signature which address feeding.)
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