Diabetic cat question

July 29, 2009 8:47 AM

My diabetic cat has an off-again-on-again pancreas, so his insulin needs vary. I asked my vet about home monitoring using a glucometer. The vet said no one she knows who's tried it with a cat has succeeded. I tried it following this excellent video and found it was a piece of cake. Now we adjust his insulin based on twice-a-day readings, just as humans do (three times a day). I'm considering offering free home-monitoring training to owners of diabetic pets in my community who might benefit from home testing, as a public service. Do you think this would be useful?
posted by markcmyers to pets & animals (7 comments total)

I don't know if there's a need for it, but you could certainly mention it / put up signs in the vet's office, and then schedule either group or individual training sessions based on demand. If there's no demand, you don't get a phone call; if there is demand, you can figure out your training plan then.
posted by Lady Li at 9:00 AM on July 29

Not to be a nervous nellie, but if you're advising others on how to calculate how much insulin to provide their cat, you may be opening yourself up for a lot of hurt if any of those cats become ill or die due to insulin overdose/underdose. Plus, there may be laws on who may provide veterinary training in your area. You might be fine if it's your close friends and family, but once it's "open-to-the-public" veterinary training, you might be exposing yourself to legal issues. It is a very valiant undertaking, and I'm certain your community would benefit, but the law wants to make sure it's being done right, so do your homework first.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:10 AM on July 29 [1 favorite]

Glucometers aren't indicated for non-humans.

You would be dispensing treatment advice for which you are not licensed.

Don't do it.
posted by FergieBelle at 10:05 AM on July 29

you may be opening yourself up for a lot of hurt if any of those cats become ill or die due to insulin overdose/underdose

Good point, but understand that I would only be showing people how to use the device, not advising on insulin dosages. Still, I would probably need to look at my liability exposure if someone came to the conclusion that I had badly trained them on the device and their pet died as a result. Thanks.
posted by markcmyers at 10:07 AM on July 29

Glucometers aren't indicated for non-humans.

Not true, actually. My vet encouraged me to try home monitoring and even recommended a particular glucometer. Whether I would need a license in order to train people on the device is something I would have to look into, and, as noted above, I would need to make sure I wasn't risking a lawsuit, licensed or not.
posted by markcmyers at 10:13 AM on July 29

Maybe your vet would be willing to supervise if you want to hold a training session. It's sad to have to worry about legal risk when you're just trying to be helpful. I'm not sure though if showing someone how to test blood sugar on a cat would be much of a legal risk though. There's either enough blood for a meter to test or you get an error message. It seems likely to only improve insulin dosage for a good blood sugar level over estimating.

I cringe when I think of a doctor telling a person to just estimate. I had an ex who did this for a short while when he didn't have enough money for test strips and it doesn't work well. Talk to your vet and see if she's willing. I think it would be a really great thing to help pet owners keep their cats healthier.
posted by stray thoughts at 10:18 AM on July 29

I would need to make sure I wasn't risking a lawsuit, licensed or not.

This is exactly what your lawyer will be able to tell you.

Maybe your vet would be willing to supervise if you want to hold a training session.

You may be able to tell a lot about whether your idea is good by whether you can find a vet willing to do this for you. If they all seem uncomfortable with endorsing or being connected to this practice, then you should take that to heart.
posted by hermitosis at 11:33 AM on July 29