Haven't started insulin yet and cat tested in normal range?

Hello All!

New member here!

My 18 year old male cat Bash was diagnosed as diabetes on 3/15. We had our consultation with the vet on Tuesday and he prescribed 2 units of Prozinc twice a day. He wants to stay on this dose for three weeks and then we will re-evaluate. He said we didn't need to do home testing, we will just re-check every three weeks. We haven't started the insulin yet because the vet advised we start on a day we can monitor him for 12 hours in case there are any issues. We plan to start insulin on Saturday. I want to home test because I want to avoid hypoglycemia as much as possible as we try and regulate. I bought a One Touch Verio BG monitor today and tested Bash just to see where he was at. It was about 5 hours after eating. He tested at 120. I fed him and tested an hour later and he was 161. This is normal range right? I set the meter with 60 as low and anything over 205 as high. I'm confused as whether cat vs human highs and lows are different on the monitor? If this is normal I'm afraid of starting insulin. Any feed back would be appreciated. I'm new to this and I'm a bit confused. Thanks in advance!

About Bash
Bash is 8.5 pounds and losing weight fast. He used to be 14 lbs
18 yrs old
No other health issues that I know of
His hair is greasy right now with lots of dandruff
He is still very energetic
He is not drinking a lot or peeing a lot...but he was a few weeks ago
He is hungry all the time
After he was diagnosed I switched to wet food from dry food he was eating Rachel Ray Nourish but as of two days ago I started feeding Purina DM. I also have been giving him Fancy Feast classics

 

Just a quick note....GA means "Gone Ahead" or "Guardian Angel"....we use it for our kitties that have passed. A lot of people think it means "General Advice" but it doesn't (or that they live in Georgia....lol)

Sounds like the switch to a low carb canned food instead of dry is really helping out!!

Normal blood glucose numbers for cats is 50-120 on a human meter.

One thing you also have to remember....cats will almost always test higher at the vet's office due to being under stress. They've just been thrown in a carrier, had a car ride (that most don't like), sat in an office full of other pets barking and meowing and then having some stranger poke and prod....it can raise the numbers up to 200 points! When they return home and relax, the numbers can come down quite a bit.

Unfortunately too many vets start their patients at too high a dose based on those high numbers they see at the office and then once the cat is back home again and comfortable, it can be a recipe for a tragedy

I think you were right not to start the insulin yet.....I'd just continue to test for another day or two and see how Bash does.

If he does need to start on insulin, I'd strongly suggest starting at maybe .5 instead of 2U though! It's a lot safer to start low and gradually increase than to start too high and risk a hypoglycemic crisis.

Try testing when he hasn't eaten for at least 2 hours.....then feed him and test again in about 3 hours and let us know how he does

 

Thank you Chris that helps a lot! I want to clarify that dose is 2 units twice a day on a U40 syringe. I will keep testing tonight and tomorrow and see how things look. Thanks again!

 

2U is 2U....and it's a higher starting dose that we usually recommend, especially since Bash's numbers aren't very high.

They do make U40 syringes that have half unit markings which can make it a lot easier.

 

Welcome to the group! I hate to say but more vets do this than not evidently. My cat was given a higher staring dose from the vet & eventually we ended up at the ER vet. She made it through but I wish I had come to this forum sooner! Start low, please. What Chris said! You will find so much info here that is spot on & plenty of support.
Did the vet happen to mention thyroid as a possible weight lose issue? Just thinking of other things to check out...

 

Thanks Becky!

The vet said most if the signs point to diabetes. I am starting g to wonder if it is a combination of things though, since so far his BG isn't too high. I tested Bash this morning before he ate and he was at 194. I (reluctantly) gave him the recommended dose. I tested him two hours later and he was at 125. I let him eat a little more food a couple hours after the shot which I know is a no-no...but thank goodness I did. He peaked today at 67 which I know would have been lower had he not eaten after the shot. After 12 hours he was at 73 so I did not give him his second dose. I fed him and will continue to test tonight to see when it comes back up over normal levels. I am so glad I decided to home test or we could have had an emergency on our hands tonight. If his BG is high in the morning I'm going to lower it to one unit and do another curve for the next three days on that dose. I will call my vet and let him know I'm lowering the dose on Monday. I can't believe all vets don't recommend home testing!

Melinda and Bash

 

Wow good thing you were testing. Your cat is probably boarderline. If you switch completely to fancy feast classic you may find is enough to keep him in normal numbers. Definitly don't give 2 units. Way too much.