How do I track insulin and glucose for my diabetic dog or cat?

Insulin works best when the routine around it is boring and predictable. Your vet decides the dose, the timing and what to do when things go wrong. Your job at home is to give it the same way every day, write down what happens, and notice early when something changes.

What to write down every day

AAHA’s diabetes guidelines ask owners to keep a daily log of appetite, thirst and the insulin dose given, and to note any signs of low blood sugar. Cornell’s Feline Health Center adds urine output and body weight. A useful daily line has:

• Insulin: the time of each injection, the dose your vet prescribed, and who gave it.
• Food: the meal time and how much was actually eaten (all, half, none).
• Water: whether your pet drank normally or more than usual. For cats, AAHA calls water drunk over 24 hours one of the most useful practical signs of control.
• Glucose readings, if your vet asked you to test at home, with the time of each one.
• Urine checks, if your vet asked for them. AAHA says to record glucose and ketones, and to contact the vet if ketones are present.
• Weight, as often as your vet suggests.
• Anything odd: vomiting, wobbliness, unusual sleepiness, a missed meal.

Bring the log to every recheck. AAHA’s guidelines say that when a pet has no clinical signs and a steady or rising weight, diabetes is likely well controlled, and the log is how your vet sees that. If you want a ready-made page, the free diabetes log prints with these columns.

Keeping the injection routine steady

Ask your vet for the plan in writing: which insulin, how many units, what time, and what to do if your pet eats only part of a meal or vomits. AAHA tells vets to discuss exactly that with owners, so it is a fair thing to ask for.

Insulin handling matters too. AAHA’s guidelines say not to freeze insulin, not to leave it in heat or a parked car, and recommend keeping it in the fridge for a steady environment. Some insulins are shaken and others only rolled, so follow the instructions for the one your pet uses. Always pair the syringe with the insulin: U-40 syringes for U-40 insulin, U-100 syringes for U-100 insulin.

Practical tips (no veterinary source):

• Tie injections to fixed points in your day, such as your own breakfast, and set a phone reminder as a backup.
• Mark the dose in the log the moment you give it, not later. Two people, two separate memories, one log.
• Keep spare syringes, the vet’s phone number and the written plan in the same place as the insulin.

Low blood sugar: know the signs before you need them

Too much insulin, or insulin without enough food, can drop blood sugar dangerously. AAHA asks vets to help owners recognise “lethargy, sleepiness, strange behavior, abnormal gait, weakness, tremors, and seizures, and know what to do if they occur.” Cornell lists “weakness, lethargy, vomiting, lack of coordination, seizures, and coma” in cats and warns that hypoglycemia can be fatal if left untreated.

What to do depends on how alert your pet is, and your vet’s written plan comes first. For reference, AAHA’s guidelines say to feed a conscious pet, to rub corn syrup on the gums of a pet that is poorly responsive or trembling, and then to take the pet to a vet. Cornell suggests honey, corn syrup or a dextrose gel on the gums, contacting a vet immediately, and never forcing fingers, food or fluids into the mouth of a cat that is convulsing or unconscious. Keep a source of sugar where the insulin lives.

AAHA’s guidelines also draw a firm line: owners may lower or skip a dose when low blood sugar is noted, but “should never increase the dose or frequency of insulin without clear instructions from the attending veterinarian.”

Cats are different: remission and new treatments

Cat diabetes now has its own AAHA guidelines (2026). Their summary reminds vets to “monitor the cat and not just the numbers” and notes that some cats may go into remission. Cornell explains that cats who do reach remission should stay on a low-carbohydrate diet with close monitoring, because some need insulin again later. Some cats are treated with an oral SGLT2 inhibitor instead of insulin, though AAHA notes that not every cat is a suitable candidate. Whatever the treatment, the same daily log applies, and only your vet should change or stop it.