Newly Diagnosed 11 year old

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theascension

Member Since 2016
My cat marmalade was recently diagnosed as diabetic. He was in bad shape 9 days ago with a urinary infection, lethargic etc.
After diagnosis we were prescribed caninsulin and told to give him 3 units twice daily and report back within 7-10 days.
I bought a glucose meter (accu-chek avira) and have been taking measurements twice a day ( I can't get away from work to do more).
He's been between 100-150 most mornings and evenings until yesterday and today he was 180 and 220. Today I measured him first thing after feeding (220) 6 hours after insulin (63) and then fed him again around lunch and at 8 hours he was 108.

Outside of measurements he already seems to have recovered amazingly. He's on low carb (fancy feast pate) but I plan to get him on a cooked chicken/chicken liver diet. He's cleaning himself/high energy/wanting food all the time again.

I have a few questions since this board seems more knowledgeable than my vet.
1. I see caninsulin is not well regarded here, since my cats only been on it a bit over a week should I look into getting Lantus from a Canadian retailer? Is Marks Marine Pharmacy well regarded?

2. When I do a BG curve should I do it once a week on the weekend since that's the only time I'd have time?

3. How does one know when their cat no longer needs insulin? Is there a trial day or two where you test him and see if he's within normal range? I understand normal as 55-150?

4. Is it possible to get a cat into remission if only do a twice daily injection?
 
theascension said:
My cat marmalade was recently diagnosed as diabetic. He was in bad shape 9 days ago with a urinary infection, lethargic etc.
After diagnosis we were prescribed caninsulin and told to give him 3 units twice daily and report back within 7-10 days.
I bought a glucose meter (accu-chek avira) and have been taking measurements twice a day ( I can't get away from work to do more).
He's been between 100-150 most mornings and evenings until yesterday and today he was 180 and 220. Today I measured him first thing after feeding (220) 6 hours after insulin (63) and then fed him again around lunch and at 8 hours he was 108.

Outside of measurements he already seems to have recovered amazingly. He's on low carb (fancy feast pate) but I plan to get him on a cooked chicken/chicken liver diet. He's cleaning himself/high energy/wanting food all the time again.

I have a few questions since this board seems more knowledgeable than my vet.
1. I see caninsulin is not well regarded here, since my cats only been on it a bit over a week should I look into getting Lantus from a Canadian retailer? Is Marks Marine Pharmacy well regarded?

2. When I do a BG curve should I do it once a week on the weekend since that's the only time I'd have time?

3. How does one know when their cat no longer needs insulin? Is there a trial day or two where you test him and see if he's within normal range? I understand normal as 55-150?

4. Is it possible to get a cat into remission if only do a twice daily injection?
Click to expand...

Your cat seems to be doing pretty well on Canninsulin so you might give it a little longer. We generally consider cats regulated if they are in the mid 200s at preshot and double digits at nadir (but no below 50 on a human meter or 68 on a pet meter, ranges nearing hypo. A curve, with tests early in the cycle (2-4 hours after the shot will let you see whether he drops early or whether his lowest point is nearer 5-7). Tests in the 8/9 and 10-11 hour window will let you see if the insulin wears off early or lasts longer. Curves can be done on weekends and give you some good data.

We consider a cat in remission if they range from 40-120 (on a human meter) for 2 weeks, off insulin.

Fancy Feast pates are a good low carb food. Just meats are not a complete diet. If you'd want to feed raw, check out Dr. Lisa's raw recipes: www.catinfo.org
 
Fancy Feast pates are a good low carb food. Just meats are not a complete diet. If you'd want to feed raw said:
www.catinfo.org[/url]
Click to expand...

Yes that's the recipe I'm going to go off of. Just waiting on some vitamins to arrive. I'm going to start fully cooked since he's often gotten fully cooked meat off the table.


Woodsywife said:
If the UTI is clearing up, I would monitor closely. It could have caused his level to go up.
Click to expand...

See this is why we were a bit taken aback when he was diagnosed become only 1 month earlier we took him in to get checked out for peeing indiscriminately and they didn't find diabetes then (but did the tests).

Today I measured him 136 about 20 minutes after he ate so I'm actually going to abstain from insulin unless he needs it today and monitor him closely (doing a curve). Edit: I ended up giving him some insulin at 9:00 because his BG rose to 163.
 
Last edited:
See this is why we were a bit taken aback when he was diagnosed become only 1 month earlier we took him in to get checked out for peeing indiscriminately and they didn't find diabetes then (but did the tests).

Today I measured him 136 about 20 minutes after he ate so I'm actually going to abstain from insulin unless he needs it today and monitor him closely (doing a curve). Edit: I ended up giving him some insulin at 9:00 because his BG rose to 163.[/QUOTE]


Please make sure you monitor and post for advice on dose. That 3u in my mind is a bit high to start with. Once the UTI clears up it might affect his levels.
 
Do you think I should lower dose to 2u? How do I know what to lower the dose to? Thanks.

Also i think I should switch injection points since today it seemed tough to do it today near the scruff of the neck..
 
theascension said:
Do you think I should lower dose to 2u? How do I know what to lower the dose to? Thanks.

Also i think I should switch injection points since today it seemed tough to do it today near the scruff of the neck..
Click to expand...

I can't advise on dose as I'm not familiar with canninsulin. You should rotate sites using both sides of scruff, both sides of chest. There are other sites also. Let me see if I can find the post and link it.
First day of injections
 
Test before each dose, then feed. If it's safe to give the Caninsulin wait 20 minutes after the meal before giving the injection.

I'm a bit concerned about the following:-

1. He was diagnosed when an infection was present (infection can temporarily elevate blood glucose levels).

2. 3 units Caninsulin twice a day is quite a substantial dose for a newly-diagnosed cat (especially if the cat's being fed a good low-carb food).

3. You say your cat is frequently very hungry. That can be caused by either very high numbers (polyphagia - cat can't use nutrients properly because there's not enough insulin) or BG numbers that are too low (hypoglycaemia caused by too much insulin).

Caninsulin typically drops blood glucose fairly hard and fast within the first 3-4 hours after a dose is given. As Sue recommends above, try to get as many 'before bed' tests (2-3 hours after the evening dose) to see where the dose is taking your kitty. If there is a big drop at that time you need to monitor more closely (staying up if needs be) to keep your kitty safe. All data is useful and any spot checks you can grab during the week - even testing 2 hours before a dose - can provide valuable supporting data in addition to your weekend curves.

If your cat goes below 50 on the Aviva meter then absolutely a dose reduction is required. When my cat was on Caninsulin I would not have been comfortable with her on a dose that took her below a level of about 90 on a human meter because the insulin's quite harsh and I wanted a bigger safety cushion. (Other members may have different views/approaches to share with you.)


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