Is 8 units of insulin too high for my newly diagnosed diabetic cat?

If the insulin and syringe is U40 then yes, 5 should be 5 units (it is important to use the same graded syringes and insulin as this would invalidate the graduations otherwise). Blood glucose should be checked resting and fasting as a meal or strenuous exercise will affect readings - a schedule of timings before meals/exercise should be arranged in order to compare readings. Changes the the dose rate given should be made only in consultation with the treating vet - we are not legally in a position to prescribe medication as the animal must be under the direct care and supervision of the prescribing vet in order to make these decisions

Never ever change your cat's insulin dose unless specifically instructed by her vet. You could accidentally do great harm or even kill her. Have Flowe seen by her vet, and her vet can determine if it needs to be adjusted. Best of luck.

Hi, you would probably need to go through a consultation as this allows several messages and much more in depth advice. Important information such as when was she first diagnosed and what dosage of insulin she was started on and if she had any blood tests afterwards and what they indicated. What was her initial weight and how is her weight doing. What do you normally feed her and what times. Is she allowed to go outside, what other medications is she on. There are lots of things to consider and a face to face examination is always advisable at least once every six months. However in the short term, you could have a consultation with one of the experts here, hope this helps !

Hi Sarah, I'm glad Neelix is responding well to treatment. Yes, it should be fine to do the dosing you described. Just be sure she eats first before giving the insulin. Watch her closely after the 4 unit dose to make sure her blood sugar doesn't go too low. If you notice anything abnormal then get her to an ER vet for an exam. Best wishes.

It sounds like Kosey's glucose is getting under control pretty well this time around as well which is great news. If you are ever worried the glucose is too low the safest thing to do is to not give any insulin so I think you did the right thing. It sounds like at this time the 5 units may be too much and you can start giving lower doses. To be sure this is the right thing for Kosey I would recommend having a glucose curve done at your vet (where multiple blood glucose readings are taken throughout the day). You may have done this in the past but it can be helpful to do it again while trying to regulate your cat. Good luck!

Hi there. Pets who are on an insulin dose that is too high can have something happen called the Somoygi effect, which basically means that their glucose levels can drop suddenly and then get really high afterwards as the body "overshoots" as it tries to compensate for the sudden drop. So yes, it's possible for an animal on a too-high insulin dose to have high glucose readings in some cases. This is why blood glucose curves are generally needed to assess the pet's response to insulin. This means checking the glucose level every 2 hours for an 8-12 hour period, to give a clearer picture of exactly how the levels are changing throughout the day. I would recommend talking to the veterinarian who is managing Cupcake's diabetes about how best to monitor her glucose levels and determine if any insulin dosage changes are needed.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If glucose was high on blood work and glucose is also present in the urine, then this is a diagnosis of diabetes. Insulin should begin as soon as possible when a diabetic is first diagnosed. Unless the patient is really ill or unstable, one or two day delay for insulin should be okay. A 12 hour glucose curve at the hospital should be run with the insulin Bella will be on for her first day of insulin treatment so the proper dose can be calculated and to make sure Bella does not have any negative reactions to the insulin or become hypoglycemic at any point. I hope this helps!