My Vina has Diabetes

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Kat2cat, Aug 25, 2015.

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  1. Kat2cat

    Kat2cat New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2015
    Hello-New to the group as of yesterday. My Vina girl was sluggish, losing weight, drinking (falling asleep in her water dish). BS-488. Got my education yesterday-2 u Humulin AM and PM. My question, is that she was used to getting a small meal around noon and is now wanting to eat. Can I give her something small to carry her over to 4:00 pm when I can give her another insulin dose? Thanks for this site. I loved reading all of the comments.
    Kat2cat
     
  2. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome.
    It is OK to feed a mid meal. Just be consistent.

    By Humalin do you mean Humalin N since there are other kinds of Humulin since Humalin is Eli Lilly's trade name for a family of insulins. N insulinis not the bst for cats since it only lasts 8-10 hours
    Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
    Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
    What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. Not reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb cannedhttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

    Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

    2 units sis high stating does, especially for N.
     
  3. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    Welcome to FDMB.
    As Larry notes, Humulin NPH tends not to last a full 12 hours. Once you're home testing, you'll likely see this. If so, for good control, it may be necessary to shoot (give insulin) about every 8 hours.
    For some other assessments you may make to evaluate your cat see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools, especially water intake/thirst, dehydration, urine volume and frequency, and urine ketones and glucose.
     
  4. Cat Ma

    Cat Ma Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2015
    My cat was on Novolin (same as Humulin; just different manufacturers) and was on 2 units. At best, she was getting 6-8 hours of benefit on it, not 12 hours. She soon went hypo. Novolin is fast and short acting and harsh on a cat.

    Please see Larry's link for home testing blood sugars. This is a must while a cat is on insulin. Many of us use a human glucometer for home testing. A popular, inexpensive choice is Walmart's Relion Micro or Confirm glucometer and strips. Starting out, we recommend using a 26 or 28 lancet gauge (I use a 26). See the links Lary & Kitties and BJM gave you above. They are very handy.

    Also keep on hand some honey, karo syrup or high carb gravy food in case Vina goes hypo.

    Welcome!
     
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