New from Canada

Hi, my cat Lucy (11 yrs old, dry food addict) was just diagnosed a week ago after being hospitalized for dehydration and refusing to eat. We had suspected diabetes for about a month before this, but because according to the vet her numbers weren't that high (18.5-22) she was possibly just high from the stress of blood being drawn. She then developed a UTI and was prescribed an antibiotic. At the end of the course of antibiotics is when she quit eating. Now she's been home with the instructions to give 1u of Lantus once every 24 hours. At first I was dosing with the pen, but after finding this site, I called my vet and he said to switch to the syringes to be sure of proper dosing. He said to check BG at +6, which is around 11:30 pm. So far the lowest her BG has been is 16.8, which was yesterday morning. For a couple of days last week she was around 20-23, but the last 3 days she's been 22 or above, except the 16.3 yesterday morning. This morning at 5:15 she was 23.3. I've been freaking out for the last week, trying to gather as much information as possible, and trying to make sure I do the right thing. I'm trying to get her on low carb canned food, but it's definitely a challenge. Also when I asked the vet about dosing every 12 hours, he said no, he sounded like he thought I would be giving her too much. I'm not even sure if I have a question (or maybe it's more like I have a million!). I think from what I've seen if I have a question about the Lantus and dosing I should move to that forum. Sorry for the long post, but I've never been a member of any online group before and I'm happy you all are here so I can ask for help when I'm freaking out!

 

Very very very few cats get by with only one injection a day. I would go with 1 unit twice daily.
Dose is determined by the the lowest the cat goes between shots. That is typically 5-7 hours after the shot.

Welcome.
Lantus is a good insulin
Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
As you seem to know a low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Thank you so much for the info. I had a feeling she should be getting the shots every 12 hours, which is how I ended up on this forum. I was too overwhelmed and scared the first few days to mess with the vet's advice. I'll start tomorrow morning with 1u every 12 hours and see what happens. I'll also check out the links you shared. Thanks again!

 

Good morning and welcome from a fellow Canadian. Where are you located? I'm in Toronto, Ontario.

Maybe we can get you settled in a little before you head on over to the Lantus board. We all have signatures set up (the lighter text at the bottom of most posts)so that when we have questions or concerns, some basic information is always available to those trying to help. We like to include things such as kitty's name, your name, the type of insulin and dose, type of meter you are using to test, what food kitty is eating and if there have been or are any other health concerns that must be considered when offering advice. Setting up a signature just makes it easier on you so folks aren't constantly asking for the same info over and over.

To set up a signature, click on your name on the dark bar up in the upper right corner of the screen. This opens a menu box and you then select "signature" from the left hand column. This opens up a text box where you can enter the information you want to share. It only allows 3 lines of text but that's usually enough room. When done, click on the "save changes" button at the bottom and you are done.

I see you are testing at home which is great. Most folks here use a human glucometer and all the reference numbers in the documentation here is based on human meter readings unless otherwise specified. There are also pet meters and they read a bit higher than human ones. Either works just fine but it's important for us to know which meter you are using so any advice is accurate.

Just to be clear, you would NOT give 1u twice daily. You would give 0.5u twice daily. Your vet prescribed 1u so split that into 2 doses given 12 hours apart. It's better to start with a low dose and work up than to give too much at any time!

We also all have spreadsheets set up that can be viewed by anyone with the link. That way if you need assistance, we can see how kitty has been reacting to their insulin and offer opinions on how to move kitty towards better regulation. The instructions for setting up a spreadsheet are HERE.

If you need any assistance with any of the above just holler. You will find this group most welcoming and tremendously well versed dealing with feline diabetes and a lot of other things too! Looking forward to getting to know you and Lucy.

 

With the BGs that were posted (300-400) for Lucy I would give 1 unit twice daily

 

@Larry and Kitties I agree that 1u twice daily might be needed but since the vet thought 1u per day was a good start dose and she's only been dosing once daily, I think it would be prudent to see what happens with the 1u dose split (0.5 twice daily) before increasing it. Lucy may be bouncing to a degree due to the insulin not lasting long enough so that may be influencing some of those higher numbers. Better high for a bit than too low! Just my cautious nature!

ETA If she is using a pet meter those numbers aren't quite as high as they may look.

 

Hi, I just spoke to the vet after giving him an update on Lucy's numbers. Have suggested I start 1u every 12 hours due to the numbers I sent him. I'm using a human meter to do the BG readings (BAYER Contour Next). I tend to be overly cautious myself, but at the same time I really want to help Lucy the best I can. What about .75u every 12 hours? As soon as I have time I will get everything set up with all my info etc. I tend to be a little lost when it comes to technology, so I'll do my best to get things set up to fill in the blanks.
Thank you so much, I feel better already knowing I can ask for help when I start to panic (which is often these days!)
I'm in Alberta, it's nice to find a fellow Canadian here!

 

There are a few of us Canadians around. I think there is another member or two from Calgary or that vicinity if I remember correctly.

Based on your use of a human meter I would have no issue giving the 1u but if you feel uncomfortable with that, start with the 0.5 or 0.75u. I know that feeling of just wanting to see some improvement all too well but this isn't a sprint... it's a marathon. You need to do what you are comfortable with. Are you available to get any mid cycle tests through the next couple of cycles? If so, then I'd say go for 1u. If not, then you can back it off a bit and take it a bit slower. The trick is to slowly increase doses so you don't bypass the optimal dose.

 

The spreadsheet looks far more daunting than it is. It's set up so we count the hours after the shot in each cycle. That way if you need assistance we can see what the readings look like at 2 hours or 5 hours after the insulin has been given rather than trying to calculate this stuff based on everyone's individual time zone and shot schedules. The AMPS and PMPS columns are for pre-shot test numbers. The next column called Units is for the dose of insulin given. The columns marked +1 to +11 indicate each hour after the shot giving you two 12 cycles. No calculations are needed. Just make sure you use the World version so that any calculations between our Canadian reading scale and the US reading scale are dealt with automatically. The majority of members are from the US and they measure in a different scale than we do, which explains the "300 to 400" Larry mentioned above. So the spreadsheet allows all of them to help us despite this difference. Let us know if you need any more help with the spreadsheet. It really is one of the most valuable tools we have for monitoring our furkids.

Keep taking deep breathes! While this can be very overwhelming in the beginning, I promise that in a short while you are going to look back and wonder why you were so worried!

 

Thank you, I'll try to remember to keep breathing. I'll have a look at setting up the spreadsheet sometime today. I can definitely make sure I'm around to do midcycle tests.

 

Welcome!

You seem to be off to a very good start, but I thought I'd drop this here for you, to help out! One thing that also may help that's not in the tips is Fortiflora--it's a kitty probiotic that you can get from your vet or online that helps with digestive issues, but it also includes the same flavorings they put in dry food to make it so addictive. It's a powder, so some people have had success in sprinkling it on the canned food.

Tips for transitioning dry addicts: http://catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf

 

Thank you. I'll find some of this. I would be so happy if I could get her onto canned foods!