Alpha Trak supplies

HELP..................Is there anywhere that I can purchase Alpha Trak glucose strips for less than 48.00 ?????? I even contacted the company that makes them and no help there...........Never did this forum stuff before so be patient with me....Priscillalea@hotmail.com...thanks.............PS...people can get their supplies for next to nothing, there must be something for our critters.............

 

Hi Priscilla,

Unfortunately the Alpha Trak is pretty expensive, which is why most of us use human meters because they are much cheaper. Have you thought about switching to a human meter? Human meters read a little lower than the Alpha Trak but that is fine for what you're using it for.

 

Check American Diabetes Warehouse

They do carry the supplies; buying in bulk reduces the cost per strip.

Keep a running stock so you don't run out when you need supplies.

Or switch to a human glucometer such as the Relion Confirm from WalMart (aka Glucocard 01, online) and adjust to the different ranges for the glucose tests (see the attached article) and the MUCH lower cost.

Rand link4 Dosing protocol for cats on glargine or detemir using daily home monitoring of blood glucose concentrations to adjust insulin dose.pdf

 

Hi,
I am using an AlphaTrak, also and American Diabetes Warehouse is also the cheapest place I have found for strips. They are pricey and I have been mulling over making the switch to a human meter.
Mares and Miss

 

Hi Everyone, Thanks so much for all of the responses. I will check the diabetes wharehouse, however I think I did and they were more than 48.00, my Vet sells them to me for 48.00, which is a discount...I was recommended the Alpha Trak as the best for pets and was so new at this I did not check any further.......after spending 169.00 for the glucometer I hate to not use it, but I will check the Diabetes wharehouse, thanks to you all so much...Priscilla

 

My Vet charged me $80 yesterday. I'm kind of angry about that right now.

tmjn

 

80 Dollars ??????? Was that for 1 can of strips ???? Amazon .com has them for around 54 dollars...The markup by some Vets is really not nice.............Once I paid 40 dollars for Clavamox and then saw it in the Foster and Grant catalogue for 17.00...........My Vet has been very nice to me, since I have so many kitties, 16, and work very hard to give them the best care, he gives me a 30% discount and that helps alot....no, My house does not smell. even with all of them, takes alot of time though, they are all rescues and no, I will not get anymore................I work with a few rescue groups in my area of Florida and we save many and it is a great feeling...anyway, I digress, sorry........Have a talk with your Vet, I have never heard of them costing 80 dollars. Call all the vets in your area and see what they charge and get them from them, we cat Moms have to fight for ourselves.good luck.......Blessings, Priscilla

 

Ugh, I know how it feels to eat the cost of something like that, but you'll find that you'll pay less for both the meter itself (about $20) and 50 strips (about $22) if you get something like the Relion Micro at Walmart. Then maybe you could sell your AlphaTrak on Ebay or something to try and recoup some of your money? Just a thought if cost is a big factor for you right now.

 

Thanks Julia, I will check out the one from Walmart that you mentioned........How much variance is there in the results? Hannah is very difficult to stabalize, she tends to run high, but my Vet and I are a little afraid to raise the Insulin because a year ago all of a sudden she dropped to 36, had a seizure and went blind and we had done nothing any different.so we are both very hesitant.......................Thank God she got her sight back and is fine now, but it makes me very nervous ..but I will check on the one you mentioned for sure, maybe I can sell the Alpha Trak to my Vet, ha ha..................Blessings, Priscilla and Hannah Glory

 

Human meters run about 30 points lower than the Alphatrak, so you just have to keep that in mind. What insulin are you using? If it's Lantus, the dosing protocol actually has two sets of values, one for Alpha Trak and one for Human meters, so you can compare the meters : http://felinediabetes.com/Roomp_Rand_2008 dosing_testing protocol.pdf

How often do you test a day? Are you testing before each shot to make sure it's safe to give insulin? This is very important in preventing hypo incidents. Also, what type of food is Hannah eating? Higher carb diets can also cause problems with regulation, with crazy ups and downs. Diabetics should be eating canned food that is less than 10% carbs, with no access to dry.

Perhaps we might be able to give you some advice to help get your cat regulated. Usually the biggest roadblocks to regulation are inappropriate diet, a secondary illness or infection (like dental disease), or a too high/too low dose of insulin that needs fine tuning.

 

Julia. I use Lantus Insulin for her.................She just went through a UTI and just a couple of days ago she had a dental proceedure done................I feed her Fancy Feast fish and Shrimp mostly, because it is the highest in protein I can find that is not perscription.17.5% protein, no carb level on can, but one site I went to was by a Dr. Lisa Pierson and she said you could use high protein over the counter, so to speak...............She also hates dry food for cats..........The only dry food Hannah is exposed to is Inova EVO.7% carbs.......I have this down in very small amounts for a couple of reasons, I have 15 other cats who like some dry food and because I am a nurse and sometimes work 12-14 hours, I am afraid to have no food available for Hannah if she should start to drop her BG................So with a possible 12 hours between meals I am afraid for her to have no access.......................I frequently do curves, every two hours after a dose of insulin just to check and she is very unpredictible...............The time she had the seizure and went blind with a 36 BG, she had not had insulin in 12 hours and had not been given any at that time, she was staying with a nurse friend of mine, I was out of town, my Vet could not understand how that would happen.....When she was first diagnosed she went into remission 2 times, and there was never any warning............So I guess my biggest question is can I leave her for many hours with no food available safely ? I am hoping that the EVO will be beneficial for the other 15.....I have increased canned food for all of them and leave very little EVO down, when it is gone I do not add to it..........Thanks for the article on Lantus, I will print it and study it................If I had to have one cat with diabetes, Hannah is the easiest to handle, the others would never let me puncture their ears.I really appreciate all your help, I will try harder...I am off for a couple of days and will take up all the Evo and see what happens.Thx Priscilla

 

I work two jobs and go to grad school, so I am gone for long periods of time and like you I don't like the idea of not leaving food out. So I freeze Bandit's canned food and then I have an autofeeder to release it at the right time. If your cats won't try to gnaw at it like Bandit does, you can just leave the frozen food out and wait for it to thaw without the auto feeder. 15 cats though! That's a lot to manage!

You don't want to feed fish for every meal, just once or twice a week because of the mercury content, the addictive nature of it, and the tendency for cats to develop allergies to it. Any of the Fancy Feast classic flavors are good to feed her. The carb level doesn't matter too much as long as you're down under 6% or 7%.

My guess is that the higher numbers were due to infection, though, and not the food. If she just had these conditions clear up, you can expect a drop in her numbers soon. Are you testing before each shot every day? This is the key to preventing a hypoglycemic episode. With Lantus, you also need to get one more additional test in per day at about 6 hours after either shot. Because I was gone for 12 hour all day like you, I set an alarm and got up at 1am to get the test, and went right back to sleep. It seems like a pain but you get used to it fast. The reason this test is important to get every day is because dosing for Lantus is based of the nadir, or the lowest number of Hannah's cycle. Here is a great post that explains how Lantus dose adjustments should be made: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581.

The key to remission is getting those numbers down into a normal range for as much of the day as possible so that the pancreas can heal. I can't seem to find where you said it, but what is Hannah's current dose?

 

Hello again Julia, been off the computer for a day or two.............Hannah Glory gets 4 units Lantus AM and PM.........I have a source where I get Lantus for free, what a help that is...............Anyway I generally do not do bgs before the Insulin because I give it after meals......I have kept some records the last few days just to give you an idea how unpredictable she is, hope it is understandable....................OCT 6.....4 units at 0820...BG 313 at 1120..........4units at 1915....BG326 at 2315....May have had some EVO, cannot remember..............Oct/7......4units at 1915.................BG 172 @ 2315.....................10/8 4 units @0615......BG 313 @ 1130 am {no dry food}..............4 units @ 1830.......341 @ 2300 {no dry food}................10/9 BG is 358 before breakfast and before Insulin, just to see..............4 units @ 0805....BG 311 @ 1400....No food in between breakfast of canned food................I am gradually stopping all dry food for everyone of course I have a riot on my hands but I feel it will be best for all...............When Hannah had her Hypo-crisis, she was on 5 units and her Vet and I are afraid to go there again, I have begun not to have any other food available for her, only wet meals in AM and PM............she runs high for the most part and then all of a sudden bang, she drops with no warning and nothing different has happened...........actually had a day last week of 102 and 106, nothing different occured..............So I will just keep trying to do my best............The really odd thing is that she runs lower when she is at the Vet than when she is home, even though the food is no different, it should be just the opposite for many reasons...............Well I love her dearly, she was born into my hands and I will keep trying to find a way.thank you for all your help and suggestions, you are extremely knowledgeable...............Yes, 16 is a great challange but they are well taken care of and loved alot...........I work with a few rescue groups and see alot of happy things and some not so happy,but we try. We do TNR and see great success with that..........I will check into people glucometers....it makes me angry, there is a glucometer ad on tv right now with strips that are identical to the alpha trak and they say to call and they can get them free.....I think we animal lovers should get a break also.....Priscilla

 

Hi Priscilla,

One thing that I see that might be a problem is that is that Hannah's insulin is not being given 12 hours apart. Lantus works best when shot consistently on a 12/12 schedule (for example, shooting at 7am and 7pm every day). Would your schedule allow you to make this change?

Also, 4 units is a very high dose of insulin. I think that is why you had a hypoglycemic incident. Most cats on a low carb diet do not need much more than 1u of insulin. I have the feeling that Hannah's dose is too high. Cats on too high a dose will remain just as high on cats on too low of a dose because their liver will release glucose into their bloodstream to counteract chronic hypoglycemia. Does she have any history with ketones, and are you testing for those as well? If she does not have a history of ketoacidosis, I would strongly recommend that you drop the dose and test to see how she responds.

You are home testing, which is wonderful. Are you testing every day? With Lantus, you need to get at least three daily tests (and a curve once a week) to determine dose adjustments and see how the insulin is working. These tests are before each shot, and then one test about 6 hours into either cycle.

If you can, I would strongly recommend setting up a spreadsheet so that you can get advice from the many highly knowledgeable people in the Lantus forum. The people there have helped guide hundreds of cats into remission, including my own.

Here's a link on how to set up a spreadsheet: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

And a link to the Lantus forum: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9

 

Hi again, It has been a couple of days again...........No, I have never tested for ketones, I will see about doing that.............I try to do 12 hours apart but some times I get home a little later .......last night when I got home 12 hours after Insulin she was 391 and tonight she is 168. I cannot think of anything that is different today from yesterday, I think I am just losing my mind.............When I see 168, I think o good it is working ,then it shoots up for no reason I can see..Anyway, I will check on that spreadsheet you mentioned and see about testing for ketones........I have never heard of a cat running high because the Insulin is too high...............because she is 168 just before dinner, I will give her 2 units and test her later............The last week or so I have tested her 3-4 times daily when possible, sometimes in the middle of the night and it is very unpredictible. fortunately, all her other labs are good after 3 years of this crazy diabetes.............the other morning she was 71, scared me to death......I wake up all night long just to see if she is okay and do bgs in the middle of the night...I have noticed that if she is low, it is always about 12 hours after Insulin................Anyway, gotta run.you have been great, thanks so much............I will keep in touch...Priscilla and Hannah Glory

 

I hope you come back. DO NOT give 2 units at 168. Please ask for advice on dosing - start a new topic with your number and Lantus, Advice needed

 

Too late, I gave the 2 units, I thought it would be okay since she normally gets 4 units...............I will check her a couple of times tonight and give her some of the other dry food if she gets low....I am so confused..............The 168 was before her dinner...................I will come back, I just don't have time to get on here very often, I will keep a close eye on her..................My Vet just tells me to give her 4 units every 12 hours , I did what he said then got my own glucometer to do my own testing and now I am really confused.........The other day when I skipped a dose because the BG was too low, the next day it skyroceted up to high 300's.........I am a nurse for crying out loud and I feel sooooooooo stupid......Thank you for contacting me Sue, I will watch her tonight closely...Priscilla

 

Can you stay on for a little while so people can give you advice on what to do if she goes low?

Give us the numbers again. When was the 168?

Don't feel stupid. This is hard!

You could be looking at a hypo. Please stay on awhile and let us help.

 

My Vet said to keep honey in the house so I always have it near by.........Okay, yesterday 10/13 at 0600 she was 71, I gave no insulin...when I got home from work she was 391 at 1800 which was before dinner and before Insulin...at 1845 I gave 4 units..at 1230 midnight she was 306 now this AM< at 0600 before breakfast and before Insulin she was 338 so I gave her 4 units at 0615.............and went to work.........at 1730 before dinner and before Insulin she was 168. I gave her dinner and then gave 2 units, I have treats near by and will check her later and see how she is, she is near me constantly when I am home................and as I said I worry about her all night and check her sometims twice a night...............Priscilla

 

You will need to check her numbers often tonight.

If she goes down to the 50s, give her some regular lo carb food - a little so she doesn't get filled up.
Check again in 15-20 minutes. If she goes down to 40, give her the gravy off some high carb food. It will help her levels go up without filling her up. Keep testing.

If she goes below 40 or has any symptoms, give her syrup directly on her gums. And get her to the vet.

If you could be on the site, we would be able to walk you through if she goes low.

Get some advice before you give a dose again.

 

Okay, I will watch her closely and test often.............If I get into trouble I will get her to a Vet, we have a 24 hour emergency Vet in our area............I am closing down for now.............I am not a computer whiz, this is all new to me.Thanks everyone......Would you believe I still have dial up ?????????????? I will talk tomorrow or contact you on here...................Priscilla

 

Okay. Best of luck. Hope your night is uneventful.

The 168 at the end of the cycle suggests your overall dose is too high. I don't use Lantus but you need some advice on dosing.. Any time you can get a number at 6 hours or so after the shot will help you see how the insulin is working and help you figure out the dose.

 

if you are still here, please check her an hour after the shot was given. and then again at 2 hours after the shot. i have a hunch she very likely is going to go uncomfortably low on you in all honesty so please keep a close eye on her numbers tonight

i jotted down what i could and got this

6 am 71
+12 391
+12.75 no bg 4 units
+5.75 306
+11.25 338
+11.75 no bg 4 units
+11.25 168 2 units

anyone else get that?

i'm thinking there might be a very full shed right now and while yes, the 2 should empty it out some, that potentially won't be seen until the next shot time or the next

 

k, went back and read this whole thread as well as wrote out what i got out of what numbers you mention

while yes, some of the problem i believe is your schedule, sometimes we can't do anything about our schedules. i too work odd hours and very rarely get to shoot a 12/12 schedule. mostly on the weekends i can and occasionally a time or two thru the week but for the most part we're more on a 10/14 schedule moreso than not. and in all honesty, i think it works just fine. for us. Mousie's a bit of an oddball though in the sense that she's not much of a candidate for remission so i take an occasional 200 BG with a grain of salt, give her her regular shot and carry on with life because i know the next one will be back to low 100's. as long as she stays low enough to not develop complications i'm happy

the catch is there's a bit more learning to do than most i think, and patience. first, you have to learn how lantus works. for instance, it builds up in their system so 1 shot is not so important as a chain of shots. thus, the reason she surfs along in these 300's for a few days then poof, down into the hundreds or lower. in other words, 4 units for 3 or 4 shots in a row, builds up and ta-da, you get great action or too much action and then you either skip a shot or you only shoot 2. that empties out the build up and you go back up to the 300's, and repeat repeat repeat. make sense?

one of the problem is the 4 units in my opinion. it's too much. we went thru a period where the same thing was happening, although we've never gotten that high in doses, so i would reduce her dose every time it happened and ta-da, it doesn't happen near as much any more because we found a dose that works for her, maybe once every few months i have to decide to skip or reduce. we were dealing with 1 unit, then a skinny 1 unit, then a fat 1/2 unit and ultimately we have settled on 1/2 unit twice a day and i can shoot that as long as she is near or over 100. even when she high carbed herself last week and i got a higher than normal number for her, (somewhere in the 200's, i can't remember exactly what it was), i stuck with the 1/2 unit and 2 shots later she was back to herself. the key is to not have such a high dose that it becomes deadly with every 3 or 4 shots.

when we have to shoot on a schedule other than 12/12 we have to factor in that any shot done in less than 12 hours is like increasing the dose, and any shot done in more than 12 hours is like a decrease in dose. thus, what we're shooting has to be truly thought out because you're back and forth every day you work a long shift. too much is always worse than too little so it's critical to stay the course & be patient.

it may not be what one wants to hear if remission is the goal because i do believe it makes remission harder to obtain but i don't think it's unobtainable.

being beckoned to the other side of the shop so gotta go for now

 

In addition to the schedule issue which could present a challenge, I really can't tell if 4.0u is OK or if it's too much. What I do think is happening is that you're seeing bounces. The dose is probably bringing your cat's BG level down into lower ranges and due to the release of glucagon and counterregulatory hormones, numbers are spiking back up. The only way to get a better idea of what's going on is to get more spot checks.

I also think you are thinking about Lantus much like a shorter acting insulin. Because of it's long-acting nature and it's being a depot-type medication, you do not need to feed prior to shooting. Most of us who use Lantus test, feed, and shoot all within 5 minutes. Testing prior to shooting is essential for knowing whether it's safe to give a shot. It's just as essential to get spot checks since Lantus dosing is based on the nadir, not on the pre-shot value.

I would encourage you to visit the Lantus board and read the starred, sticky notes at the top of the Board. Below are links to those sticky notes and what they contain.

• Tight Regulation Protocol: This sticky contains the dosing protocol that we use here. There are also links to the more formal versions -- the Tilly Protocol developed by the counterpart of this group in Germany and the Queensland/Rand protocol developed by Jacqui Rand, DVM and published in one of the top vet journals.
• New to the Group: Everything you wanted to know about this forum and more. Info on our slang, FAQs, links to sites on feline nutrition and to food charts containing carb counts, how to do a curve and the components to look for, important aspects of diabetes such as ketones, DKA, and neuropathy, and most important, info on hypoglycemia.
• Handling Lantus: how to get the maximum use from your insulin and what to not do with it!
• Lantus depot/shed: This is an important concept for understanding how Lantus works.
• Lantus & Levemir: Shooting & Handling Low Numbers: What data you need in order to be able to work toward remission or tight regulation as well as information if you have a low pre-shot number or a drop into low numbers during the cycle.

 

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. Wow I am very touched by all of your responses..well it was NOT an uneventful night......Two hours after the 2 units her bg was 79, down from 168.
so I just decided to head for the Vet. When I arrived about 45 minutes later, it was 68.........so she spent the night.........I just brought her home she was 400 when I picked her up. They said feed her and give her 2 units afterwards so she ate like a horse and I gave her 2 units, so the wait begins...............This vet mentioned that Prozinc Insulin might be better, what do you know about that ???...............I am desperate to get to a point that I can sort of depend on some stability with her, I worry all the time, plus I have 15 other cats...............I care for each one as diligently but thank God she is the only diabetic...................Later.Priscilla

 

I was watching for you this morning, Priscilla. Sorry you had a vet visit but glad things were all right.

Lantus is a good insulin but does require a strict protocol. You want to give a consistent dose over a number of cycles and base your dosing on the nadir number, so you have to be able to get a number sometime around +6. People who work during the day often get the +6 number by setting their alarm at night.

I think the 2 units sounds like a much safer dose. You might expect some higher numbers for a cycle or two as she may be bouncing from the low numbers. Can you get a +6 today?

The insulin choice is up to you and your vet. ProZinc is a little more forgiving in terms of dosing. It works beautifully for some cats and not so well for others. I would encourage you to read both the support groups, for ProZinc and Lantus. That should give you more info on how each works and is dosed. Read through some of the threads to see how people are doing with the insulins. viewforum.php?f=5

 

personally i'm glad you took her in

fwiw, i'd stick with the lantus myself. it will and does work beautifully with, and i might get some flack for this one :lol: , a lot less headache if you ask me

it just has to be dosed properly and i don't think it has been so far.

wonder what everyone would think of sticking with the 2 units for awhile, assuming the BG is high enough to warrant it? you might go over to the lantus insulin support group and get some input on that? do you know how to get to that part of the board?

 

Well, lets see, first of all what exactly is nadir? and I am assuming that +6 means 6 hours after the dose, right? and no, I am not sure how to get to that part of the board.........AND I know I said this before, but I am so moved by all your help......and being basically computer illiterate I think phones are easier, but this has been a real learning experience and I will keep coming back..............by the way her bg after one hour is now 406 after 2 units, don't panic, right ?????????????...Priscilla

 

nadir is basically when the insulin peaks or the lowest point (level) in the cycle

and yes, when you see the + numbers it is the number of hours since the last shot. we do them that way because the board is an international board so if you say you tested at 2pm, someone in india is going to have to do some math to figure out when that was and if a kitty is seizing or something, there's not time to do that math really

here's a direct link to the lantus support group
viewforum.php?f=9

or when you come to the board for the day you have a list of forums right? health, supply closet, community, grief, etc.....see the one that says Insulin Support Groups, about half way down the page? within that box see "subforums: lantus, levemir, pzi, vetsulin....."? just click on the word Lantus and it will take you to the same place

and no, don't panic. 406 is pretty much the same as 400 and the insulin should start working about now andddddddd, really anything you get today, unless too low, can pretty much be noted and then kinda ignored because 1. going low last night will make kitty bounce higher today and 2. the vet's office probably gave her stuff to raise her glucose level back up which you will most likely see in today's numbers too. what you'll be working on for the next couple days is refilling that build-up of insulin i mentioned earlier. the key is to not overfill it, thus my recommendation to stick with the 2 units for a couple days

 

Ditto on Cindy's post.

It would be very helpful for you to get a spreadsheet going so people could looks at your history and dosing when you have a question. It may be hard on dial up. I wonder if I can set up one for you that you can access. If you want me to try, look at your private messages.

 

Okay, it is now 6 hours since AM dose and she is 384, which I know is just because of everything that has been done...........Will stay with 2 units for days and give her time to settle down.............Now my next question is this......I usually try to give Insulin at 0600-0700 and then at 1800-1900..........Today it was 1015 Am, what time should I give tonights 2 units ? I need to get back on her schedule somehow, I am off for the next couple of days so I can work with her more than usual..................My regular Vet called when he heard from the Emergency clinic, and I am a little concerned because he seemed at a loss as to what keeps going on with her............I know none of you are here in FL but do you know of a cat diabetes specialist in Fl. ?I guess I can go on-line and look for myself, this is getting very expensive but there must be a way.............Priscilla

 

There might be someone in Florida. What city?

 

when needing to adjust schedules, you can do so by moving each shot up 15-30 minutes until you have her where you need her timewise

alot of people will do the same thing when daylight savings changes take place, move 15 minutes at a time

 

Check your home email, Priscilla. (I am helping Priscilla set up a spreadsheet.)

On your spreadsheet, if I am reading your numbers right, it looks like you usually give insulin and then checked 3-4 hours later. You need to check her levels every morning and evening before giving insulin to be sure that it is safe to give the amount you are planning on. (It looks like you started doing that several days ago which is great.) Keep it up!

Once we get your spreadsheet up, you can also post over on the Lantus support group to ask dosage questions. (Everyone there uses your insulin.) Cindy also uses Lantus so she is a good source here on Health.

 

Okay, I will try working on the spread sheet in the morning and see how it goes..............I live on the
East Coast between Titusville and Ft. Pierce in a little place called Barefoot Bay, I am about 90 miles east of Orlando, but do not bother yourself I'll try to find one myself you have done so much already for me. So Hannah had 2 units at 1015 AM so I will give it at 815 Pm, will that be far enough apart?.............

 

I already have your spreadsheet set up. You need to check your home email and verify it. I sent you an email.

 

You really should give the insulin 12 hours apart, especially with Lantus. It builds up a shed and overlaps so you don't want to shoot early.

I'll check on Community to see if anyone is around. People love to help out!

 

Okay, I will give it later, but soon have to get it back to 7and7................Will check spreadsheet, thanks so much.Priscilla

 

Once you verify it with Google from your home email, I can post it to your signature and everyone will be able to see at a glance what is going on. Then it will be a lot easier to give you advice.

Check your private messages on here also.

 

Okay, your spreadsheet is at the bottom of your post. It will appear every time you post. Check to see that I got the numbers and dates correct.

 

Hi Priscilla!

I am 10 miles away from you in west Melbourne. If you'd like for me to give you a call tomorrow, please PM me your phone number. I have a terrific vet and I'll be more than happy to share my knowledge with you!!!

 

Got the spread sheet, thanks so much, I put in my favorites, I added some tonight ,see if I did it right. I called the ER Vet and he said I could give the two units at 9pm, her bg was 372 at 830 PM............Cannot wait to talk to you "Smokey" do not know how to do PMs yet, do not care if anyone sees phone number.772-664-7841.........My Vet is really great, but he sounded as overwhelmed by Hannah's crazy BGs as I am........so maybe a new perspective would help. As far as the spread sheet is, my computer said it is too big, I know it can be made smaller but am not sure how, but it "slides". Gosh, you guys are going to force me to know what I am doing on the computer at this rate, well maybe Hannah and I can get some sleep tonight..................Blessings, Priscilla

 

I know time is a problem, but I hate to see you shoot a full hour early. And her numbers are going down, not up. So you could, and most likely are, shooting into an overlap of the previous insulin. Can you possibly wait until 9:30, get a test and make sure she is headed up? You can shoot 15 minutes early tonight and tomorrow morning. That picks you up a half of an hour.

 

if you want you can go ahead and edit out your phone number and i'll pm it to Smokey.

you do that by clicking "edit" in the lower right of that post. it will open the window back up and you can erase the number.

you can send pm's several ways. one is by clicking "pm" in the lower left of Smokey's post to you and it will open a window wherein you can type your message and click "submit"

 

k, i sent your number to Smokey

 

Hi. I'm also in West Melbourne.

Although I have now been away from the trials and tribulations of FD for 7 years, I was very successful with my treatment of Spooky and support from the Animal Medical Clinic on Babcock Street.

If you would like to talk to me, please just send me a pm with your number and I will be happy to call you. This weekend is a bit hectic, but during the week will work.

Best wishes,

Lisa and Spooky (GA)

 

HI lisa, My phone number is 772-664-7841 and I would love to hear from you,,,,,,,,,,,,,is that the Vet hospital that sometimes does the TNR with SCFN ? look forward to speaking with you.......Priscilla

 

I did wait until 930, it was 372 and I gave 2 units, it is now 130 am and I just woke up and did a BG and it is 363, I filled the spread sheet hope I did it right........going back to bed and see if I can get some more sleep , I will do it again when I wake up............I guess I just do not get it, I want to see it get to a decent level and stay there for a while but it is always changing so there is never any stability .once I can get back to my schedule, I will do my very best to be as close to every 12 hours. isn't there ever a time that you can just give the insulin and not always have to check the BG ? She has been a diabetic for 4 years and I only just started doing it my self about 6months ago...............I know someone who never checks and her Vet only does a fruitosimine {sp?} every few months, what's with that?....Thanks for all your help, back at you later..........Priscilla

 

Oh, I forgot, someone asked me about the protein content of foods, it is the first in list of ingredients called crude protein and it will say a percentage.for example, Fancy Feast Fish and shrimp, dark blue label is 17.5% I believe.......They never list the carbs though, at least I can never find it except on Evo.....Priscilla

 

Happy Sunday Everyone, Hannah is 273 this AM, 11 hours after 2 U, she was 363 at 0130, she is due any minute now for 2 more Units..................I like that she is coming down but do not want to over do it...advise please..............Priscilla

 

Let me see if anyone is over on Lantus this am, Priscilla. It looks like she is coming down, not going up? You want to only shoot a rising number.

 

I'd suggest that you stall (don't feed) for 30 min. Re-test then. Sue's right -- if numbers are dropping fast, you don't want to shoot. You want to shoot either a rising number or a flat number. (Remember when you get your next test, that there's about 20% variance in numbers due to the meter. If you get a number that's 10 points or so different, it's pretty much the same number.)

Do you have flexibility with your schedule for tomorrow? When you stall, you can't move your shot times by more than 30 min. per 24 hrs without it effecting how the dose works.

 

Priscilla,

Yes, some people just give the same dose without testing, week after week. Those cats do not usually do well - either they hypo or they don't get enough insulin and waste away. Our idea is that we would never just give our 2 legged children insulin without testing and adjusting. We do the same for our 4 legged ones.

I hope you can contact one of the two wonderful ladies who live near you and just get a basic Diabetes 101 and a vet suggestion. Then, I would suggest you start posting your dosing questions over on the Lantus forum to get advice. (Sienne is coming over from there to help out but Lantus is a busy forum and it is hard for her to break away. Much easier if you post there when you need dosing help, here when you need general answers.) viewforum.php?f=9

 

I certainly will of course test her, I agree it needs to be done, I always test her alot when I am off........Are there parameters, so I can know what to give, without bothering everyone? They do that for people, can it be done for cats ?.............I love Hannah, she was born onto my hands, I would never do anything to hurt her, I just want to know how to help her and keep her safe as long as possible....I think we are doing pretty well since it has been 4 years an all her other labs are great. anyway thanks for all your help, I'll do my best..........Priscilla

 

Here are the general guidelines for giving Lantus:


"General" Guidelines:
Hold the initial starting dose for 5 - 7 days (10 - 14 consecutive cycles) unless the numbers tell you otherwise. Kitties experiencing high flat curves or prone to ketones may want to increase the starting dose after 3 days (6 consecutive cycles).
Each subsequent dose is held for a minimum of 3 days (6 consecutive cycles) unless kitty earns a reduction (See: Reducing the dose...).
Adjustments to dose are based on nadirs with only some consideration given to preshot numbers.

Increasing the dose:
Hold the dose for 3 - 5 days (6 - 10 consecutive cycles) if nadirs are less than 200 before increasing the dose.
After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 200, but less than 300 increase the dose by 0.25 unit.
After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 300 increase the dose by 0.5 unit.

Reducing the dose:
If kitty drops below 40 (long term diabetic) or 50 (newly diagnosed diabetic) reduce the dose by 0.25 unit. If kitty has a history of not holding reductions well or if reductions are close together... sneak the dose down by shaving the dose rather than reducing by a full quarter unit. Alternatively, at each newly reduced dose... try to make sure kitty maintains numbers in the normal range for seven days before reducing the dose further.
If an attempted reduction fails, go right back up to the last good dose.
Try to go from 0.25u to 0.1u before stopping insulin completely.

Random Notes:
Because of the cumulative nature of Lantus and Levemir:
An early shot = a dose increase.
A late shot = a dose reduction.
A "cycle" refers to the period of time between shots. There are 2 cycles in one day when shooting twice a day.
Sometimes a dose will need to be "fine tuned" by adding some "fat" or "skinny-ing up" the dose.

And you asked earlier about the carb content of food. Here is the food chart: Janet and Binky’s chart We try to stay under 10% carbs, find a food our cat will eat that we can afford. There are two canned food charts - one old and one data. (Depends on whether data was available for update) Check both out to find the foods you are looking for.

 

Priscilla, please start a new topic for your next question -with Lantus in the subject line. Few people will look at this thread because few people use the AlphaTrak (in the original subject line). They don't know you are needing specific help with Lantus.

PS I think you are doing a great job. This is very hard, particularly learning all the ins and outs at first. Just keep breathing and reading.

 

Thanks so much Sue, I'll kkep trying....Priscilla