New to Lantus

Hi. My cat Doc was using NPH insulin and now has been switched to Lantus along with DM dry and wet food. Today is day one. I was told by vet that I could give insulin even if Doc didn't eat well before giving the injection. So, of course, he didn't eat well but I gave it anyway. Now I'm scared he is going to get hypoglycemic. I'm still programmed if he didn't eat to hold insulin. Was I right in giving the insulin on some DM dry overnight and a small amount of DM wet this am? There is dry food down for him to eat when hungry.

 

It's not a problem if they don't eat with their lantus shot, lantus takes longer to onset than the in and out insulins so they don't need to have food on board immediately. You want to be a little more careful if you have reason to think kitty won't eat later (not saying you wouldn't shoot in those circumstances but there would be more to consider) but it's absolutely fine if you're confident they'll eat later.

Are you home testing yet? You will be far less worried about hypo if you can see what's going on ...

 

Hi and welcome to Lantus & Levemir Land, the nicest place you never wanted to be.

Have you had a chance to read the stickies at the top of the Lantus & Levemir page? There is a ton of info there and it can be overwhelming, but it really is important to start working your way through them. You need to learn more about how Lantus works, as it sounds like your vet is not terribly familiar with it.

If you are not home testing yet, I strongly suggest you get yourself a human meter and start. There are lots of tips on how to test in the stickies. We can help. Then you will want to set up a spreadsheet to help you keep track of the numbers, and to help us help you. Ask lots of questions. We've all been where you are.

 

Hello and Welcome,

Hope Doc ate later and all is well.
I will concur with Tricia and Serryn if you are not already testing, it will make you feel a lot easier about giving insulin if you know what Doc's BG's are, I know it may seem daunting at first, we have all been there, but really it's usually not as bad as you might think, most of our kitties learn to come to us for their BG tests and a lot of them purr right through them.

Keep asking questions we'll be happy to help.

 

Thanks for the responses. Yes, Doc, did eat better. Mostly the dry DM. But definitely enough that I didn't have to worry about the insulin now. I am not doing any testing. It was never even brought up to me.

I had two cats. Doc and Milo. They were littermates and 14 1/2 years old. Milo was diagnosed with diabetes last February and Doc was diagnosed in April. I tried the DM food back then and neither cat would take to it. So the vet put them on the NPH insulin. I just lost Milo two weeks ago. So I met with the vet yesterday to discuss how we could better manage the diabetes in Doc. So we're trying the food again and the different insulin. While on the NPH insulin I never did any testing either. What does that involve? And should the vet be telling me that I should do it?

 

Welcome to the group!!

The vet "should" be encouraging you to home test but there are a lot of vets out there who have some rather old school ideas about home testing (e.g., you'll hurt your cat, you'll mess up their ear, your cat will hate you). I managed Gabby's diabetes for 6.5 years. I tested only on one ear. I didn't mess up her ears. She knew that testing was associated with treats and/or food and didn't mind testing in the least and would generally come when I called her to get tested. Ultimately, your kitty will put up with your testing because you are helping your cat to feel better and they do understand that.

More importantly than anything else, testing gives you control and allows you to keep your cat safe. That safety is critical to all of us here. Throughout my time on this board and from what others have told me, we have been incredibly lucky that no one has had a cat die from hypoglycemia but that's only because we really do strongly encourage (read that as jump up and down and twist your arm) to learn how to home test. Think of it this way -- would a parent give their child a shot of insulin without first testing? No pediatrician would EVER recommend they do so. It's no different than with your kitty. The only way to know whether it's safe to give insulin is if you know what your cat's blood glucose value is before you shoot. It's also the only way to know if BG levels are dropping to dangerous levels where you need to intervene. Testing allows you to understand how your cat's body responds to insulin and whether you need to reduce or increase the dose -- and yes, most of us learn to do that without the input of a vet (just like humans make those dose adjustments). Again, I managed my cat's diabetes with minimal oversight by my vet. She was very supportive of my management and when I moved and changed vets, even the new vet acknowledged that I knew more about Gabby's diabetes than most vets.

All of that said, the front end of the learning curve is pretty steep an definitely overwhelming. As Tricia suggested, there is a wealth of information in the sticky notes and their associated links. Don't expect to absorb everything -- that will take a little time. The good news, though, is that the people here are very generous with their time and information and we are happy to answer your questions. The information will also become second nature (just not all at once).

Please let us know how we can help.

 

I wouldn't hold it against your vet that they didn't suggest you test. So many don't and some even actively discourage it. When they're running a glucose curve they've usually got a pretty stressed out cat to deal with and they don't understand how easy and stress free it is to do at home - once you've got the hang of it. I do find it odd that not every vet encourages it though, you wouldn't find a doctor telling a parent to give their child insulin without testing.

Most people test from the edge of the ear (between the vein and the very edge - you want to miss the vein or it gets very messy!) cats have very few nerve endings there so it really doesn't hurt them. You can prepare Doc by rubbing the edges of his ear for 20-30 seconds several times a day (as often as you think of it) and telling him how good he is for letting you. Then introduce clicking a pen near his ear after the rubbing so he gets used to the sound of the lancet. I did that for a few days before trying to test Vyktor. The first time I actually tested him I thought I was going to vomit but he didn't bat an eyelid.

Best to use a human meter rather than a cat specific ones because the strips are so much cheaper and you want to start out with lancets of 28 gauge or lower (the lower the number the thicker the lance) to help you get blood. Also give a low carb treat after each test or attempted test so he associates those with his tests. You wouldn't believe how many kitties end up loving testing time. Others like Vyktor find them so ho hum they just carry on sleeping right through them.