Adopting a senior diabetic cat tomorrow and need advice.

I have had two diabetic cats. One is in remission but I have had two diabetic cats. One is in remission but I lost the other one just recently. I decided I would adopt another senior. I spoke with his foster mother tonight. He is not in any kind of control. She has him on 10 units of Vetsulin q12 but says he tests at 300+ most times. It isn't clear to me if she tests him before every dose or how often she actually tests him. I intend to start him on Lantus. I will give him his first dose of Lantus 12 hours after his last dose of Vetsulin. My question is what dose of Lantus should I start him on?. There's no way I'm going to give him such a high dose but on the other hand if he really is that difficult to control should I chance starting him on 1u and SLGS? I am comfortable testing and intend to start him on LC food. I have never tested for ketones but will start if needed. Any advice you can give me would be very much appreciated. Thanks

 

Welcome Judy and new fur baby!
I'm sorry you lost one of your sugar babies but it's so great you are adopting another! . Might be a good idea to post on the Lantus forum, just copy your post over there as well

 

Thanks

 

What's the protocol for changing insulin types? It's been a long time so I can't recall exact figures but when we changed Nigel to Caninsulin I'm sure he had to go 24 hours without any insulin before starting a new type. I can't even recall what type he was on before the switch but he did much better on Caninsulin.

 

Welcome

 

Vetsulin/Caninsulin is in-out insulin and not a depot insulin like Lantus or Levemir. So you can just use any insulin without a cycle with no insulin

 

If it was my cat, I would start over at 1 unit and wait at least a week before increasing the dose. This way you can work up to the optimal dose and reduce the risk of hypoglycemia. Since you already have experience with caring for sugar kitties I am guessing that his diet will also be changed to a low carb diet.