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Treatment guidelines
Your veterinarian will determine the correct
dosage of insulin for your cat. If your cat has other medical problems,
your veterinarian will start appropriate treatment.
Starting treatment with insulin
The insulin
requirement of each diabetic cat is different. Your cat’s insulin
dose is based on its body weight and individual needs.
The initial insulin dosage is
calculated based on the blood glucose concentration and the body weight of your cat. For the first few days
of treatment you veterinarian will probably:
- Monitor the effect of this dose – you will probably be asked
to observe if your cat drinks and urinates less
- Check your cat’s blood glucose concentrations
- Check for the presence of glucose and ketones
in your cat's urine
This information will help your
veterinarian adjust the insulin dosage until the correct
dose for your cat is found. For information on collecting urine and blood
samples see Monitoring.
It may be necessary for your
veterinarian to hospitalise your cat to investigate the effects
of the insulin further. Read more under
Glucose Curves.
Maintenance treatment with
insulin
Establish a routine
Your veterinarian will
set up a treatment programme including:
- insulin treatment
- a recommended diet and feeding regime - see Nutrition
You will need to stay in close
contact with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will decide on how often your
cat needs to have a check-up and may request that you collect urine or
blood samples to help monitor your cat’s progress. More details
in Monitoring.