First of all, you might try and switch to PZI bovine insulin. It is the type that most closely resembles a cat's anatomy. You can order it online, through your vet. I don't think they will let me post a phone #. It is also longer-acting.
I want to show you an article on 'tight regulation' method conceived by a vet. I hope this helps, and doesn't confuse you. <The method of managing the feline diabetic that I use has been called “Tight Regulation.” This name describes the fact that this protocol uses proper diet and the correct insulin to bring the cat’s blood glucose levels into a tight range around normal for healthy cats. In so doing, it can cause permanent remissions in even chronically ill cats. One of the unique features of this method is the practice of hometesting. I recommend that all owners of diabetic cats purchase a glucometer (the kind human diabetics use to test their own blood sugar levels) at their local pharmacy. Learning to use such a device on a cat is simple and easy; I have never had a client who could not learn to use a glucometer with great skill in a very short time (see
www.felinediabetes.com/bg-test.htm). Once you are hometesting, you have all the information you need, at your fingertips, to manage your cat’s diabetes, perhaps even managing it right out of existence!
PZI insulin has a peak activity time in most cats at 6-8 hours after injection. This means that the blood glucose level in the diabetic cat will be at its lowest point 6-8 hours after the last dose of insulin. After this time, it will begin to rise again until another dose of insulin is injected. Because of this, I ask my clients to perform a blood glucose test at 6-8 hours after each dose. If the blood glucose is still above the normal range (greater than 150) then another injection of insulin is warranted. In the beginning days of tight regulation, owners typically test three to four times per day and often give insulin, in doses dictated by the blood glucose reading at each test, this often as well.
This may seem very time and effort intensive, and compared to the usual once daily or twice daily “blind” dosing of insulin that traditional protocols call for, it is more work. However, the benefits of Tight Regulation are huge, and every one of my clients that has tried this method is glad they did. Their cats feel better, are more active and playful, and regain better body condition than they ever experienced using the “old” methods. Further, over a few days or weeks, many cats require smaller and smaller doses of insulin, less often, and the majority go off insulin altogether over time. The extra time and effort invested in the beginning of Tight Regulation is repaid manifold as the patient becomes well again!
The following is a suggested “sliding scale” for the cat just starting Tight Regulation. The protocol asks the owner to test at least twice daily, but optimally three or four times daily (every 6-8 hours), with doses of insulin given according to the reading at each test:
Blood Glucose mg/dl Units of Insulin to Inject
151-170 .5
171-185 1
186-200 1.5
201-220 2
221-250 2.5
251-290 3
291-350 3.5
351-410 4
Using this protocol, you can expect to start seeing some very “normal” numbers within a few days or weeks of starting. As long as you are feeding your cat ONLY low-carbohydrate foods, you do not need to be fearful of clinical hypoglycemia. In fact, those blood glucose numbers in the 60-120 range are the objective of the protocol. Even if the blood glucose drops to 30-50, do not feed sugar syrup or dry food. A small, high protein wet food meal is all you need for a cat at these numbers and that is more for the owner than the cat. As time passes, smaller doses will achieve the same results that larger ones once did, and you will even start skipping doses as you test and find the blood glucose is still in the normal range many hours or even days after the last dose of insulin. When this happens, you will know your cat’s own pancreas is beginning to function on its own.>
