Hello all

Hey there,

My cat Gizmo was just diagnosed 11/01/17 at a level of 426. He was at 90, and two pounds heavier last year. Has no visual symptoms yet, except drinking a bit more. I have had him on Wellness canned Turkey formula for several years now, and just in the past month have been supplementing with a kibble due to ongoing tartar issues. I stopped the dry food now of course.

But when he had his bloodwork done prior to his annual dental cleaning we found that his levels were high. So the vet prescribed 2 units of glargine twice a day. The vet says he's had success with other cats on this med, and that we would reduce the dosage if Giz is doing well in a month.

We'll be starting this weekend when I get the supplies. And I'm nervous, of course. Should I test his blood before the first dose? Can I use a human glucose meter?

Hoping to glean some wisdom and support from you all and to understand how I can best care for my beloved pet.

 

Welcome! Gizmo looks very sweet Testing is always a great idea. Test before each shot to be safe (don't want to shoot if his numbers happen to be too low) and grab mid-cycle tests when you can to see the impact of the insulin. I am not personally familiar with using glargine, but I think I have seen that the recommended starting dose is just 1 unit twice a day. It makes more sense to start low and increase, if needed, than to start too high and reduce it... which might even be dangerous if the high dose has too much impact and takes him down too low. You can use a human meter; a lot of folks here do.

It is a good idea to post your questions on the Main Health Forum rather than here in the introduction forum so more people will see them and respond. There is also a forum specifically for lantus/glargine. You may want to start out by reading the 'stickies' at the top of the glargine forum page.

 

Welcome, Gizmo and parent!

Hopefully you've gotten some reading done on the forums and the sticky notes. I found myself reading things 2-3 times for it to really sink in. If you have any questions just let us know, but I wanted to pop in to say Hi!

Sandi&Whisper.

 

Welcome! Good luck with testing this weekend! I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.

 

Thanks that vid did make me feel a little better about taking Gizmo's test. I've been trying to use the lancet device which came w/ the meter I have and maybe just using the lancet itself will be easier. Gizmo is all paws and whenever I try to take a drop of blood, he starts walking all over, purring like a maniac.

 

I used the device the first few weeks and it drove me nuts. I find freehand poking much easier. Aim for the sweet spot.