Test, shoot insulin, wait and hour, and then feed?

Hello,

I have always read/heard that we are supposed to test our cat's glucose, then feed him, and then give him insulin either while he is eating, or shortly after. (Todd is on ProZinc, btw)

But then today, I brought him to a new vet. She said that there is new info out there that says we should give them insulin and then WAIT an HOUR before feeding them. Have any of you heard this? Do you medicate your kitties this way?

I am very new here, and Todd was diagnosed a few months ago. I have all his numbers written down, but I will be putting them in a spreadsheet tonight. Thanks for any help!
Heather

 

Some of the older, harsher insulins were dosed like that, but nobody here waits an hour before shooting if they're using one of the newer ones like ProZinc, Lantus or Levemir

We Test/Feed/Shoot.….all within about 5-10 minutes.

I'd ask him to send you a link to his "new information"

 

No, she wants me to give insulin, then wait a while to feed him. But I agree, it's contrary to what I've always heard.

 

We use ProZinc and as stated above, we test/feed/shoot. I would be interested in that new information, myself.

 

She said it was given at a recent conference she went to. Someone from the Royal Veterinary College was presenting. It had to do with energy(calories) burned to digest food, cancelling out the energy needed to process the insulin? Or something? And that it is more effective if the cat's body is given time to absorb the insulin before using energy to digest the food... hence waiting to feed. I think.

Obviously I am no bio major. So I wanted to check with all of you to see if any of you have been given the same instructions. I'm bringing Todd back in two weeks for another fructosamine test, so I will ask for any journals or data she has on that info, and add it here!

 

I know you want the food in them before the insulin's onset which is different with different types of insulin. So, the more fast-acting the insulin, the sooner they need to eat. If you have an insulin that is going to drop them within an hour, you might have a bad situation on your hands if you wait an hour to feed them. On the other hand, Prozinc can take a couple of hours or more (depending on the cat) to have an impact Lantus and Levemir take even longer.

 

No, the protocol for "harsh" insulin was to test feed and then inject 1/2 or more after eating

I would not inject before eating since what does one do if the cat does not eat?

 

Yes, I agree with this.

 

Just to throw this out here... I always inject before I feed Mia. I test then give her shot then feed. Her not eating any at all when I serve a meal is extremely rare. I'm sure it has probably happened a time or two, but she ended up eating at least a little something within a reasonable amount of time, so it has never been an issue. I guess if a cat has a history of sometimes not eating, it would be different.

 

I know it. And Todd was so sick last spring (pancreatitis, hepatic lipidosis, feeding tube for 2 months...) I cheer every single time he eats these days. Yeah, I will just continue to make sure he eats a bit and shoot when he is in the middle of his meal.