Should I test blood glucose levels before I begin insulin therapy

[Nancylds]

Hello,

We recently had our cat Kitty diagnosed with diabetes. My question is should we do a blood glucose curve baseline for a period of time before starting the insulin? A quick reply would be appreciated!

 

[Juliet]

Hello,

We recently had our cat Kitty diagnosed with diabetes. My question is should we do a blood glucose curve baseline for a period of time before starting the insulin? A quick reply would be appreciated!

No need to do a curve before starting insulin but do test before every shot.

What is your starting dose going to be? A great place to start would be to read the stickies and get as much info as you can. Really helps find your feet with all the new stuff to learn.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

It's actually a good idea to start testing before starting insulin....especially if you're going to switch to a low carb diet since that can bring the numbers down considerably

It also gives you some time to develop a testing routine that works for you and your kitty (and perfect your technique before it's really important that you get a test in every time)

It's not necessary to test as often, but having an idea of where you're starting can be helpful.

Before you start insulin is the best time to change to a low carb diet too!!

 

[JeffJ]

Chris has a good point. You may be able to regulate your kitteh with food changes alone. And even if you don't, BG testing routines are useful.

For Leo, he is diabetic for almost 3 years now. He has a dedicated towel in the kitchen. I call him over, he gets on it and gets tested. Then he gets a treat, or his next meal. Anyhow, it takes the stress out of the testing part of it - since it is just routine now.

 

[Nancylds]

Thank you for all of the replies! I'll be sure to do a BG test before starting her on insulin, just to be on the safe side.
I'll also give the message board stickies a look for more information. She's already on a strict low-carb diet and I have everything ready to prepare her for her insulin treatments and glucose curve checks, for some reason I just couldn't find any viable internet sources suggesting if I should do a curve before going through with her first shot. Once again, thank you for info!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

suggesting if I should do a curve before going through with her first shot.

I don't think there's any good reason to do a full curve (testing every 2 hours for 12 hours)....I was just suggesting that you go ahead and learn how to test, develop a good routine and figure out what works best for both you and your cat.

The actual usefulness of the numbers isn't really the issue....just getting both of you used to the process of testing (before starting on insulin when it's vital that you test every time you need to)

Having some "baseline" numbers is OK....it will give you an opportunity to know where you started so you know how far you've come, but you don't need to do an official "curve"

 

[Juliet]

I don't think there's any good reason to do a full curve (testing every 2 hours for 12 hours)....I was just suggesting that you go ahead and learn how to test, develop a good routine and figure out what works best for both you and your cat.

The actual usefulness of the numbers isn't really the issue....just getting both of you used to the process of testing (before starting on insulin when it's vital that you test every time you need to)

Having some "baseline" numbers is OK....it will give you an opportunity to know where you started so you know how far you've come, but you don't need to do an official "curve"

Yes. That’s what I meant. I thought she was asking about doing a full curve. Didn’t see the point.