New member 10/6. Is it ok to stop insulin after the first few injections?

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its_grace

Member Since 2022
Hi there! I'm 2 days fresh into this world & it is A LOT. I joined the Facebook group that you guys have & have gotten some phenomenal advice. What I'm wondering is, my boy has had 2 Vetsulin injections so far but I'm being told to test out switching his diet first to see what type of changes that makes. Would it be ok, even after giving 2 injections, to stop them & just see how he does on appropriate canned wet food for a week or two? Or, since I've already started the injections, is it not recommended to stop & then probably start again?
Backstory: He's a 12 1/2 years old indoor only cat who now weighs 8lbs (down from 11lbs), no other health issues- vet said kidney & thyroid is fine & his heart sound good, but started looking skinny, drinking a lot more & becoming VERY vocal, which is what prompted me to schedule an appointment. We went in Tuesday morning for bloodwork (vet couldn't get a urine sample) & they called me back later that afternoon saying that his glucose levels were around 525 & that he was diabetic. We went back yesterday afternoon to pick up insulin, a monitor & testing strips, when we tested his glucose then it was at 540 but that was after eating (I didn't know if I should feed him prior or not, so I did, & a stressful car ride). The tech who was walking through everything with me unfortunately wasn't very knowledgeable at all & I don't feel comfortable reaching out to them for advice. I'm probably going to look for a new vet. Like I said, the Facebook group has been wildly helpful & informative. They were able to get a urine sample from him when we were there yesterday & I'm going to call to see if they have the results yet because I was told to ask about ketones.
When I tested him this morning before feeding & giving his injection he was at 454 (I put away the food I had laying out overnight because I was told he shouldn't eat 2 hours prior to testing).
But, yeah, that's my story! Any advice on stopping (or not) the insulin after a few initial injections to see how much of a change diet alone can make would be greatly appreciated!
 
As long as there weren't any ketones at diagnosis, I think it would be fine for you to stop the Vetsulin for a few days, do the diet change, practice your home testing and see how it goes.

Once he's eating nothing but a low carb canned diet, you should know within 3-4 days how much difference the diet change has made but if you do stop the insulin, it's very important that if he starts to act sick/refuse to eat, it's important to have some urine ketone test strips to make sure he's not producing ketones.

My China was diagnosed with a blood glucose in the mid 400's and I went ahead and did the diet change first which brought her down quite a bit but not enough so we eventually started insulin (but we used Lantus which is a much better insulin for cats than Vetsulin).

If you're going to look for a new vet, there's some Vet Interview Topics in the Facebook group's Files that can be helpful. There are also some in this thread. I'd look for a vet that prescribes Glargine (Lantus, Basaglar, Semglee) or ProZinc instead of Vetsulin.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
As long as there weren't any ketones at diagnosis, I think it would be fine for you to stop the Vetsulin for a few days, do the diet change, practice your home testing and see how it goes.

Once he's eating nothing but a low carb canned diet, you should know within 3-4 days how much difference the diet change has made but if you do stop the insulin, it's very important that if he starts to act sick/refuse to eat, it's important to have some urine ketone test strips to make sure he's not producing ketones.

My China was diagnosed with a blood glucose in the mid 400's and I went ahead and did the diet change first which brought her down quite a bit but not enough so we eventually started insulin (but we used Lantus which is a much better insulin for cats than Vetsulin).

If you're going to look for a new vet, there's some Vet Interview Topics in the Facebook group's Files that can be helpful. There are also some in this thread. I'd look for a vet that prescribes Glargine (Lantus, Basaglar, Semglee) or ProZinc instead of Vetsulin.
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I got his urinalysis back today & it says ketones 15 mg/dL in red ‍♀️
 
its_grace said:
I got his urinalysis back today & it says ketones 15 mg/dL in red ‍♀️
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That is the second positive color for the test strip which is Small. The first is Trace which is 5 mg/dL.
It it was Trace I would say OK to stop Vetsulin and then start low-carb canned. WIth being Small I would not stop insulin but maybe reduce the dose when you change to low-carb canned.
What dose of Vetsulin are you giving?
Are you home testing BG?
 
I'm hoping you can get some midcycle tests in after seeing.your Facebook posts. With the ketones we may want to increase a little more quickly than usual, but need some midcycles to decide (+4 ish)
 
FrostD said:
I'm hoping you can get some midcycle tests in after seeing.your Facebook posts. With the ketones we may want to increase a little more quickly than usual, but need some midcycles to decide (+4 ish)
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After testing, feeding & giving him the injection around 8:30 this morning, I tested again once I got home from running errands around 3:30 & his glucose was at 440. (Was 390 when I tested this morning after putting all food up for the night- which has been recommended not to do, so I’ll start leaving some out for munching)
 
Ok.Try to get as many +4s-ish as you can over the next day or so . Given the ketones, I don't want to sit too long at a dose - but he could be bouncing right now so we need.to rule that out first
 
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