Question about when to not give insulin

Status
Not open for further replies.
CaseyBee

CaseyBee

Member Since 2015
Hi, I'm new to the boards and I apologize if this is a frequently asked question. I did search but couldn't find anything.

My cat was diagnosed at the end of October and had a hypo incident on 2U of Humulin N twice a day, and has been on 1U of the Humulin 2 x per day for about a month or so. I've been doing BG testing on him the last few days and it's been ranging between 5.7 and 7.6, which I think seems a little low to be giving him injections.

I'm just wondering if anyone can give me any guidance. The vets office has been closed over the last few days but I will call tomorrow when they re-open, just wondering if it seems reasonable to not give him his shots until I speak to them.

He is fine. Eating well (low carb wet food), not drinking or urinating excessively and is very playful.

Thanks!
 
Here is a conversion chart. My numbers are US; you can convert to your metric.

http://www.joslin.org/info/conversion_table_for_blood_glucose_monitoring.html


We generally suggest that new diabetics not get insulin under 200 until you have the data to know what a dose might do to their levels. Our regulation numbers are mid 200s at preshot and above 50 (on a human meter) at nadir ( the lowest point of the cycle). We consider a cat in remission if they are in the 40-120 range, off insulin, for 2 weeks. If a cat is lower than 50, it's time to pay attention and intervene with higher carb food and maybe honey. On your AlphaTrak meter, the number to pay attention is 80 with 68 being low enough to intervene.

If going to no insulin increases his numbers above 250, you might try reducing the insulin to 0.5 or less.
 
Last edited:
Thank you Sue & Oliver, that's great information and very helpful.

I'll follow up with his vet in the morning.
 
Just wondering if you are using a human or pet meter such as the AlphaTrak? The pet meters read a bit higher and if that is what you are using, your cat is basically in the target ranges for a cat on insulin and may not need any insulin.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Just wondering if you are using a human or pet meter such as the AlphaTrak? The pet meters read a bit higher and if that is what you are using, your cat is basically in the target ranges for a cat on insulin and may not need any insulin.
Click to expand...

I'm using an AlphaTrak, it was recommended to me by the Emergency Vet clinic I took him during his hypo incident. Love the black kitty in your avatar.
 
Thank you for the compliment. My avatar is my sugar girl, Menace. I love your black kitty too! I have a big soft spot black kitties!

I too use an AT meter. Did the ER vet not give you any guidelines as to what readings you are aiming for...like when not to give insulin? It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't. I use a target range of between 4.4 to 9.7 on the AT meter. All the reference numbers used on this site are based on human meter readings (which read lower than our AT meters) unless specifically indicated otherwise which is why I asked about your meter. If I were you, I'd be inclined to try withholding one dose and try to get a mid cycle reading or at least see what the next pre-shot reading is and then you can always post back here for some guidance as to what would be a safe dose for your kitty! I'm so glad you posted. Humulin N is an insulin I am not familiar with but I believe that it's action is a little faster, brings about a more dramatic drop in readings than what I use (Levemir) and doesn't always last a full 12 hours in cats. Every cat is different so to some extent, it's a trial and error proposition but there are folks here familiar with Humulin and they can offer some assistance to help you find the right dose if indeed your cat still needs some insulin.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top