Newly diagnosed kitty

Hello everyone! I am so grateful this message board exists!
My Alabaster was diagnosed last week with Diabetes. His sugar was in the 900's and since starting his insulin it has stayed between 390-370, and has not dipped below that. My husband is a diabetic so we have the strips and glucometer and have been testing every other day. Our grade follow up appointment is in three weeks. We're very tempted to giving him 2 units twice a day to get him down, but the Vet said to leave it like it is until the appointment. This is making me very nervous. Thoughts on this? We have also cut out all dry food. Thank you all.

 

He is on Lantus Flexpen 1 unit in the AM and 1 unit at 6:30pm before his dinner, and we're feeding him a half of a can at each feeding. I can't imagine having him be in the high 300's until his next appt on the 18th.

 

Hi Janel and Alabaster! Found your thread here . So as I briefly stated on your intro post, insulin is not like a medicine, it is a hormone. Lantus is also a depot insulin and is long lasting. Since you are able to home test, you should try doing minimum testing at least (AMPS and PMPS). These are BG tests taken about 15 minutes before actual shot time and you don't want Alabaster to have eaten anything 2 hours prior to this time so the BG number is not food influenced. Also, I would suggest you pick up some insulin syringes U-100's with half unit markings. This allows for smaller increases as increasing by whole units, which works for humans but does not work well for most kitties . Any idea why Vet wanted you to come back in 3 weeks?

Check out the Lantus forum to learn more about the insulin you are using . Will help to setup your Signature too with some information about Alabaster.
Here is the Spreadsheet template most of us who home test use to track and share BG numbers. Just need a Google account and if you're not tech savvy, just ask for help . Lastly, I like to give this to new members to read ahead of time but hope you never need it: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

Feel free to ask ANY questions

 

Okay, thank you so much! I guess the Vet said they wanted to wait that amount of time while he is started on it, and then on the 18th they're going to keep him for the day and test him every two hours. I've called them and have given his BG numbers and they still don't advise adjusting, which just seems crazy to me.
When we had our first education appt they stated his Insulin is the same kind that my husband takes and there is no difference. I'm curious with changing the needle, if his syringe would work for the half dose? Today I will be picking up Purina DM wet food as I read it only has 3gms of carbs. I'm hoping that will help. Again, thank you. This has been so incredibly emotional and heartbreaking. It helps to know there are others going through it.

 

And I'm sorry, what do the abbreviations AMPS and PMPS mean? Is that meaning testing once in the AM, and once in the PM time?

 

Correct. Technically:

AMPS = AM (Pre Shot)
PMPS = PM (Pre Shot)

As Yong mentioned, usually right before your shots, which should be at 12 hour intervals.

BTW, how much does Alabaster weigh? And confirm you only give 1 can (I assume 5.5 oz?) Per day? That seems like very little unless he is tiny.

 

Thank you so much for clarifying. And I agree about the food, I've been feeling terrible about that. We just started him on the 5.5oz cans. I'm afraid that's not enough as he is a 16lb cat, but my husband is worried a whole can twice a day will raise his sugars. The can's we've been giving him are at least 10gms in carbs. Today I'm going to pick up a new brand that is only 3gms in carbs and give a whole in the AM and PM. Do you recommend giving the shot before he eats, right after?This is all so new we just feel a bit lost on what to do. Thank you for the feed back.

 

Also, is it better to inject him in his belly area, or the scruff between his shoulders? I'm wondering if by doing the scruff the insulin isn't getting all the way in.

 

Sorry for not clarifying AMPS/PMPS, I usually try to do that when first discussing them. Glad Sandi clarified
For injection sites, most do not use belly/abdomen:

 

There's really no reason you need to spend the money for the "prescription" food.....Any canned or raw diet less than 10% carbs is fine for our diabetics. Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies pates or 9-Lives ground, but there are lots of other foods you can feed (that have much better ingredients than D/M does for about the same price)

The "Prescription" food industry is a total scam....there's absolutely nothing in "prescription" food that requires a prescription!! The ingredients are also pretty lousy

Ingredients in D/M: (which is actually 6% carbs according to THIS CHART)....and about $2 per 5.5 oz can
Liver, poultry by-products, meat by-products, water sufficient for processing, chicken, salmon, oat fiber, salmon meal, artificial and natural flavors, calcium sulfate, guar gum, potassium chloride, carrageenan, salt, Vitamin E supplement, mono and dicalcium phosphate, taurine, thiamine mononitrate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, potassium iodide. A-2530

Ingredients in Fancy Feast Chicken & Liver Classic: (2% carbs)....and about $.60 cents per 3oz can
Liver, Meat Broth, Meat By-products, Chicken, Artificial And Natural Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Magnesium Sulfate, Taurine, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide

Ingredients in Friskies Classic Pate Poultry Platter: (4% carbs and about $.50 cents per 5.5oz can)
Turkey, Poultry By-Products, Water Sufficient for Processing, Meat By-Products, Liver, Fish, Rice, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Magnesium Sulfate, Calcium Phosphate, Taurine, Thiamine Mononitrate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide. B-6057.

 

You Test/Feed/Shoot.....all in 5-10 minutes....You Test to make sure they're high enough for insulin, Feed to make sure they're at least willing to eat, and Shoot

You want to take food up for 2 hours before the Pre-shot tests so you get a number that's not influenced by food.....it's fine for him to have mini-meals between and can actually be easier on the pancreas to deal with since small meals don't make the pancreas work as hard

 

Thank you all so incredibly much. And Chris that is good to know about the cheaper food! I really appreciate you adding the carb percentage with the fancy feast and friskies. I bought $20 worth of the DM before seeing this thread, but we'll always need wet food so we'll keep it in stock. I'm calling the Vet today to get his Curve appt moved up closer.

 

for the fancy feast, do you feed two of the 3 ounce cans at a time?

 

If he needs the extra food / calories and will eat both, it's not a problem. Just make sure you don't feed him 2 hours prior to next pre-shot test time

 

Okay, thank you!

 

Don't forget to look at those links I posted in my first reply to you

 

You can take it back for a refund....just tell them he won't eat it....it's got a 100% guarantee ......then you can use the money to buy a blood glucose meter and strips!!

 

Yep! I printed out the hypoglycemic guide and we have a bg chart on our fridge that we chart our testings and results on. Thank you for sharing!

 

Hi Janel! Eveyone's given you great advice so far! I have a couple of questions:

At 16 lbs, he's a big boy! Is he a large framed cat (like a Maine Coon) or is he overweight? How old is he? Do you happen to know what his ideal weight should be (the vet should be able to help you out with that). Because if he's overweight, then feeding 2 5.5 oz cans a day may be a little much (you want to feed for ideal weight, not current weight), and you'll want to pay attention to how many calories you're giving him so that he can safely lose weight over time. Getting overweight cats down to a healthy weight is important in controlling BG, just like with human diabetics. If he's a large framed cat and is not overweight, then 2 cans is a good place to start.

Are you shooting at the same time in the AM and PM? Lantus works best when you give it 12 hours apart at the same time every day (for example, at 6am and 6pm).

Yes, most of us here buy Lantus in the solostar pens and use syringes to draw the insulin out, because cats need much smaller dose adjustments--.25-.5u at a time. If you scroll about halfway down this thread, it shows you how to draw out with the syringe. Our cats need such small doses, it's more economical to get the pens (and treat them like 3ml mini-vials) because the 10ml vials go bad before you can use all the insulin. With the pens, you can usually use the whole thing before it goes bad.

There's no need to take your cat in for office curves if you're testing at home--you can do the curve at home and it will be more accurate than the vet testing. Cats get stressed at the vet and it artificially inflates their numbers, leading to chronic overdosing. I would directly ask your vet if you could do the curve at home rather than bring him in, and see what they say. Some vets think it will be too difficult or overwhelming for their clients--but that turns out really not to be the case. If you need articles to bring to your vet to convince them about the benefits of home testing, there's a lot available we can give you to print and give to them!

With Lantus, you want to try and get a minimum of 3 tests a day--once before each shot to make sure it's safe to give insulin, and then a shot somewhere in the middle of either cycle. That middle number is what you typically use to adjust the dose, and is much more revealing than even a curve once a week. This is because a cat getting too much insulin will drop low, and then have very high glucose for several days in response to the low number. Unless you're lucky enough to catch that curve on the low day, his BG will still seem high and you get into even more chronic overdosing. That is why the daily tests are so important.

 

Thank you Chris. I kept my receipt just in case so that's good to know. And luckily my husband has an extra glucometer and we have strips cause he is a Type 1 diabetic. So we've been able to be testing him. His poor ears break my heart, they're bruised a little bit. But at least we can test him. I also called the Vet today and got his June 18th appt moved to next Tuesday so that's good!

 

There's tips that help with bruising! Where are you poking for the test? You want to aim for the "Sweet spot", between the vein and the edge of the ear, not the vein itself. Here's a great picture of where to test. You can find it with your own cat by shining a flashlight behind his ear, if you're having trouble seeing the veins.



After the test, put pressure on the spot with a tissue or cotton ball for at least 20 seconds. After that, use a teeny tiny dab of neopsorin + pain relief ointment on the spot, and you shouldn't have any more problems with bruising!

 

Thank you Julia and Bandit! Yep, he's an American Bobtail so he has a big frame. They weighed him at the Vet at his last appt and he was spot on. Thankfully he's never been overweight.
He turned 13 years old back in April. He's such a sweet boy, like all of our kitties, it just breaks my heart. It's so hard to test him three times a day since we both work from 9-5pm. But we are testing him at 6:30am and then at 6:30pm before he eats.
I am so thankful for all of everyone's help with this! And that's great to know about the Lantus! I will definitely have to read that information about drawing it out with a syringe. And congrats about your kitty being in remission!

 

Thank You!!!!!!

 

Where do you get the syringes from? Would this be something we can just get, or will we need another script for?

 

Ok, then yes, 2 5.5 oz cans of the DM (or 4 3oz cans of Fancy Feast Pates), would be appropriate for him. He may also need a slightly higher dose than the average cat to get him regulated, but time and testing will tell! I've seen big cats need bigger doses, and I've also seen them do fine on average doses. Every Cat is Different!

I was working two jobs and in grad school when Bandit was on insulin back in 2009-2010, and my day job was an hour away from my house, so I couldn't go home at lunch to get the mid cycle test. Bandit got his shots at 7am/7pm, so 1pm/1am was mid cycle for him. So, I would test at around 9-10pm when I went to bed, and then set an alarm to get up at 1am to test and feed him, and then go back to bed. It was a pain at first, but after a couple of weeks my body adjusted and I was able to fall back asleep easily. But, I would say getting up at 1am and getting that test was well worth the trouble, because once he went into remission, I no longer had to schedule around the insulin shots or test more than a spot check once every couple weeks. Except for a few month hiccup in 2015 because he had to go on steroids for an unrelated condition, he's been in remission for 7 years now! I'm a firm believer that the bit of extra effort getting those daily tests is certainly worth the long term benefits of remission. I don't mean to sound scolding or overwhelm you, since everything is still probably very new and stressful for you right now, but it's just some food for thought. It took me a a few weeks in the beginning to 1. Figure out that my vet didn't know what she was doing dosing my cat and decide to use the Lantus protocol, 2. Get comfortable home testing where it was quick and not a big deal, and 3. Adjust myself to the testing/dosing schedule.

I'm not gonna lie, the months in 2015 when he needed insulin was much easier to handle than 2009-2010 because I changed jobs and work is now only 15 minutes away, so I had the opportunity to run home during my lunch break a couple days a week and get the test (so I didn't have to get up every night at 1am), and my partner started helping me get some of the tests so we could trade off the 1am tests instead of me having to do them every night.

 

I'm not sure about the u100 syringes, but the u40s I've always had to have a script for or just buy them from the vet - but buying them from the vet is often more expensive than just getting a RX and buying them where you choose.

 

I think whether you need a script for syringes depends on the state you live in? In NY, you need a script, and you can have your vet write you one. You're looking for 3/10 ml, 5/16 in. (8mm), 31g syringes with half unit markings. I've found they're cheapest at Walmart (Relion brand).

 

This chart can tell you if you need a prescription for syringes in your state: http://www.temple.edu/lawschool/phrhcs/otc.htm

 

Thank you for all the info! I am overwhelmed, but at least I don't feel alone with this like I did before finding this site. I will do whatever it takes to try to get him in remission, so if I need to get up at 12:30am I will. Tonight we'll test at 6:30 and around 12am to see where he's at. I'm proud of him though. He's taking his shot like a champ!

 

All these have half unit markings and are the correct syringes for U100 insulin and are available from ADW online:
UtiCare
Monoject
Carepoint
Sure Comfort
BD Ultra-Fine

They're also available at WalMart if you have one near you..Their Relion Brand 3/10ml, 3o or 31 gauge, 8mm insulin syringes all come with half unit markings and are only $12.58 for a box of 100 (although it seems a lot of WalMart employees don't realize that they DO come with half unit markings!!)

 

Thank you! I will check Walmart out. I just watched the video on how to pull from the Pen so that's a step in the right direction.

 

Has anyone told you about buying Lantus from Canada?

It's about 1/3rd the cost and it's where most of us are buying our Lantus and Levemir from

Here's all the information on buying from Marks Marine Pharmacy

 

Just saw this.. thank you for the information regarding buying the Lantus from Canada. Anything to save some money will help. I appreciate the link as well.

 

Not sure if everyone can see this post, but since the onset of the diabetes, Ally's gait is terrible. His use of his back legs is terrible. Like he is walking on his "ankles". Has anyone else had this issue, and will it be corrected once his BG is regulated?

 

Sounds like diabetic neuropathy and he's walking on his hocks ("ankles"). My boy had it in his front paws too. As he's BG gets under better control the neuropathy can reverse itself. Can't say 100% guarantee but it's a pretty high chance from what I've seen here. Some use a supplement called Zobaline (Methylcobalamin B12 and Folic Acid) to help reverse the damage but working on BG is the best thing. Nerves are the slowest to heal in all animals, including humans, so it does take patience . Little over 6 months, I can barely tell he ever had it

 

Okay, thanks for letting me know. He's usually so rambunctious that it is awful to see. But, that gives me hope! I got his sugar down to 260 on Saturday, which was hopeful, but now it's back up in the 300's again. He see's the Vet tomorrow so fingers crossed! Thanks again for the heads up on the neuropathy.

 

The Zobaline for Cats has worked miracles for many, but yes, it can take time. Getting the glucose under control and adding the Zobaline will help

Here's how far back they can come though!!

 

Oh my gosh that is so heartbreaking. That is how Alley is walking. He can't jump up on the couch either. Thank you so much for sharing that video and especially the link. I will be buying some today. Is it a liquid form or is it a pill?

 

Just purchased

 

I just read that sometimes two a day helps if it's pretty bad, which Alleys it. Do you know if people administer it at the same time, or one in the am and one pm?

 

It is a pill .....it's tasteless and easily crushed and added to food

If you're going to do it twice a day, one in the morning and one at night would probably be best

One thing about B-12....you can't really "OD" on it....any excess that the body can't use is peed out (of course you don't want to go crazy either and give him half a bottle at a time)

 

Okay, thank you so much. I will start with one in the AM, and one at night.

 

Well, everyone was right. I should have listened to you all. I took Ally in yesterday for his Curve appt and he was so stressed out they couldn't test him at all. They told me to pick him up immediately and when I got there, the Vet Assnt said "Your cat hates us." I got him home and his neuropathy was HORRIBLE from the stress.
We upped his dose and will continue checking him at home throughout the day.

 

I strongly recommend that you set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here and log all your BG data on it. I'm quite sure we can help you with your lovely boy.

 

Thank you! You are all so kind. ..I can't believe how fast they wanted to get him out of the clinic! They even forgot to pack his insulin! He must have been pretty aggitated. I have a daily chart at home and i document his BG on there. I had trouble uploading the chart with the link, but it could be a setting on my work computer. Pretty much is average number if 370. Today though he got 2 units in the morning for the first time, so we'll check him before supper tonight. I order a b12/folic acid supplement that should be arriving on Friday, so I hope that helps with his legs/paws.

 

Hi
This is the best place for you to get help for your boy. I spent two months going to the vet but they could not even do a curve for me. My boy growled and even lunged at them. They only kept doing fructosamine tests every 2 weeks and after 2 months my boy's BG was still above 300 but they told me he's regulated. The final straw was when they told me if he's still losing weight when he's already regulated then it means he's having cancer! That's when I frantically googled and discovered this forum and meet all these wonderful folks. My boy's numbers are so much better now, his legs are stronger and he doesn't hide anymore.
Set up your SS asap so that someone can help you. You and your boy will feel so much better after you join this family.

 

Oh gosh that's terrible! I am so sorry you two went through that! This is such a daunting process. And heartbreaking at that. I just want my boy back.
And I tried to get it set up, but I think there's some setting with google that's block for creating that link. I'll keep trying though.
I am planning on picking up .5 syringes from Walmart and trying to titrate him to the right insulin amount he may need. I never thought I would say I am grateful my husband is a diabetic. Thankfully we have all the supplies he needs for testing. The lowest number we got was 265 which was wonderful considering! Hoping tonight is even better.

 

Yes, 265 is a good number!
Hopefully someone can help you with the setup. I set it up on my iPhone. Took me a few days too to figure it out.

 

I have tried to set up the spreadsheet and can't figure it out. When you say you need a google account.. would that be like a

Hi, I have tried setting up my spreadsheet and can't figure it out. By having a gmail account, is that the same as a Google account?

 

Yes. I can help you

 

Thank you! I will have to try and do this from home at a later time.

 

Just let me know

 

Thanks! So this morning the Vet initially said to bump him up to 2units twice a day. They just called and said his Pertosamine lab that test for the past two weeks, was 655 and should have been 400. So now they want him to take 3units twice a day. I'm scared this is really going to drop him down. Does anyone think I should start with the two units and just keep checking his BG? They also told me there is no point to check him unless you think he's low. I don't get the reasoning in this.

 

Did you mean Fructosamine test? I thought as of Thursday he was still on 1.0U twice a day... would not jump to 2.0U (which is a 100% increase) and definitely not jump to 3.0U. Let's get your Spreadsheet going with home testing first, we'll recommend you only increase by 0.25U at a time. Think you said you'll be picking up some half unit syringes from Walmart soon.

Think you're also working on food changes, we don't want to change too many things at once

 

Hi, that's what I thought they meant, but I think she said Pertosamine (I might be wrong though). She said it is a lab that checks the BG for the past two weeks.
I picked him up from the Vet yesterday and they said he was too aggitated to do the Curve. They actually said he hated the Staff, which I thought was pretty insensitive. I'm sure he was very scared. But, this morning they advised 2 units twice a day. My husband gave him the units and checked in on him at noon. We're going to check him of course this evening before deciding what to give him.
The Vet also told me she didn't think it was worth the time to be checking his sugars unless we thought he was low. That I didn't understand.
And I think I got my Spreadsheet up!!! Not sure if anyone is able to see it. Do you know how I access it? And thank you! Oh I see the link now! I'll have to figure out how to access to chart it once I close it.

 

Also, the way my spreadsheet looks, it seems I can't chart AMPS unless it's under 299. Do you know how I can set this up to where it can be for any range?

 

Yeah that sounds like Fructosamine. I don't think he hated the staff, like you said, he was probably just very scared! Poor thing. When Vet's say things like, no need to check unless you think they're low, we'd think to ask them "Would you blindly give insulin to a small human child without testing BG before each shot?" Probably not . Our fur babies are no different. I do see your SS . You'll just sign into Google, click on the 9 little square icon, then click on Drive and open the SS. Should automatically update. I still would've tried 1.5U first, at least for a couple days before going to 2.0U. When you check tonight just make sure he has not eaten anything 2 hours prior to PS test time so his BG is not food influenced.

Once you start collecting some data on his SS we'll be able to help more. Most of us do not consult our Vets for dosing advice because they have a tendency to increase by whole units. This works for most humans but not little kitties (even 20lb kitty is little compared to a human )

 

I'm going to send you a PM (private message). Check your Inbox in a minute.

 

I showed the vet my SS and how well my boy is doing now. She didn't look impressed. Kept asking me if I'm giving him hill's prescribed food. Told her about YA and she dismissed it. I've given up talking to the vets. I've lost confidence in them. I thk cos it's so easy to euthanise cats that they don't bother to explore other ways.

 

That is terrible. One Vet I talked to who saw him for his appointment was grateful we're checking me at home so that made me feel good. I guess he has a cat that gets 6 units a day. But a different Vet from the same clinic called and advised I don't check him and put him on 3 units. I don't like they're not on the same page. What is YA? Is it a type of food?

 

YA is Young Again, one of the only low carb dry foods for our kibble addicts. There is also EVO but it seems that even though it's low carb it can keep some sugar cats BG elevated.

 

Honestly, I think a lot of vets are totally at sea when it comes to treating FD. I don't fault them necessarily - they don't get much instruction on it, they might see only one or 2 FD kitties in their practice, if any, and cats are very complex in their reactions to insulin. I even had my horse vet comment once about how very complicated cats are when it comes to diseases of the endocrine system like diabetes. That's why we as owners have to learn all we can and be willing to be more hands on, especially when the vet's treatment falls short.

 

I can see that from their perspective. It's just all very overwhelming. But thank God for this website or I would be totally lost! You all have been an amazing help and have given hope and comfort. We're going to start his Zobaline today so I hope we get good results with that.

 

We're always here to help.

 

Thank you so much! I can't imagine what I might be putting him through, or not treating him as good as I could without all the helpful info. We're going to adjust his dose on Saturday when we're home with him all day. Only by .5 so we'll see.

 

There is also the new Dr Elsey (of little fame) Clean Protein low carb dry food

 

I see starting last night you jumped to 2.0U though, that's a 100% dose increase. Please try to get a before bed test if you are not home during the day

 

Good Morning! We did do the increase. At 6:30 last night we checked him and he was at 380 so we gave him 2 units. We checked him again at 12:30am and he was at 322. We checked him this morning at 6:30 and he was at 305. We gave him 2 units which made me a little nervous, but we fed him a whole can of food instead of half. I hope this was okay to do. I am just so nervous. Do you think I should try to go home at noon and check him?
His energy level as of yesterday was a bit better. This morning he was really talkative which was great. He even sprinted for a second. We started his dose of Zobaline last night and today as well.
Thank You for checking in!

 

Ok then you're 322 reading should go in +6. Meaning 6 hours after shot administered . Was wondering how he might have dropped 58 points in an hour after eating more . If you won't be penalized for stopping home and you are worried, you can try to stop home. He'll probably be OK since the little drop last night was over 6 hours. If the Vet tries to increase to 3.0U next, please don't jump to that. He is showing some response to 2.0U so you might've lucked out and his ideal dose (which can change ) was not between 1.0 and 2.0U. It might be between 2.0 and 3.0U, so if he hold similar numbers the next couple of days, think of trying 2.25U

If any of that was confusing, 1. My apologies! 2. Ask me to clarify

That's very good to hear!

 

Hi and welcome. Around here we increase in .25 increments so as not to miss a good dose. My Max was 16 pounds and started at 1 unit and within a week had a 60 nadir. Every cat is different. The depot builds so it's too soon to know if he will need more or less insulin. Since dosing is based upon the nadir, lowest point in the 12 hour cycle I'd try to get a test st +5-7 whenever possible. If you can grab a +2-3 you will get an idea if more tests are needed for that cycle. There's a lot to learn so keep asking questions. I'd also suggest you start posting on the lantus/lev board so more eyes will be watching.

 

Oh I was so happy to see him have some sass back! Oh, so the +"numbers" mean hours? Like where to put it in the spreadsheet? I'm sorry, not computer savy over here. Thank you for clarifying! Thank you so much for getting back with me about the numbers! I am definitely not going to go to 3 units. I really don't feel safe doing that. Tonight we're finally picking up the titrating syringes. I think tomorrow were going to bump him up to 2.5 in the morning depending what his reading is tonight. The Vet wants us to bring him in two weeks for another Fructosamine lab, but I'm nervous because they're expecting the results to be from the 3 unit dose. :/

 

Hello, and thank you. You all have been an amazing help. We're both incredibly blessed we found this site!
What does nadir mean? .. I have a pen I am using for his lantus so I will be drawing from that for the first time. Not sure how to do this but watched a video so I hope I can do this correctly. I've been wondering if I have been injecting into the muscle instead of the fat as well. It has been so hard to tell.

 

Yup, we do it this way to accommodate the multiple time zones members live in
This might help too: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

I wouldn't bump him up so soon, like tiffmaxee said, the depot takes some time to adjust/stabilize. Have you read the Lantus protocols stickies? They're on the Lantus forum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-glargine-levemir-detemir.9/
Start Low, Go Slow Method (SLGS)
Tight Regulation Protocol (TR)

I believe collecting data on your SS is way more beneficial than a Fructosamine test and probably less expensive

 

Can someone give me some advice on buying syringes? We will be looking at Walmart tonight. Thank you all!

 

What does the depot mean? And is it best to just keep him at 2 units with checking for maybe a week?

 

Click the Lantus link, it answers these questions better than I can .
Walmart does carry U-100 syringes with half unit markings but I got frustrated after like 3 pharmacy staff's compiled of people who aren't the brightest bulbs . If I try again, I'm taking a picture of the one's I want as other's suggested. Good luck with yours!

 

I'll check that link out . And thanks! We'll see what happens tonight

 

Ally's BG is down to 258! It's progress at least! And he tried licking the vinegar bottle in the lazy susan so some naughty antics have surfaced!

 

@Yong @Kris & Teasel Today has been a rough one. . Not sure what happened, but I gave Ally his morning dose and he was at 400. Rechecked him at noon and he was at 417. We didn't want to give him more because we were unsure if the morning dose may be in his system still. Just rechecked him and he is at 466!!! We gave him 3 units. We went to Walmart and they did not sell any syringes with half doses, only full units. I am just beside myself. I'm afraid to feed him, but he has to eat. I'm only going to give him a half a can and retest around 8pm when it's two hours after he eats. Please advise if there is something more I should do.

 

Hi Janel, I just responded to another post where you mentioned this:
"I would not have increased the dose by a whole unit again. 2.0U was starting to show something. Too much insulin can cause higher numbers too . You could post on the Lantus forum to see if they think you should go back and then increase by 0.25U. I see you might've had a fur shot this morning too, please NEVER re-shoot. There's no way to know how much or how little insulin actually went in."

You can order syringes online if your Walmart did not carry the one's with half unit markings. Many of us use ADWdiabetes.com. Glad you did not re-shoot . Did you pick up ketone test strips? I think part of it is bouncing form those yellows last night and maybe a little from getting a fur shot. Here's a link for the syringes I bought: https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1289/monoject-ultra-comfort-insulin-syringes

 

Please don't worry. What he's doing is a very common reaction to some slightly lower yellow numbers - he's bouncing. There's a lot to learn in treating FD and I recommend that you post on the Lantus forum to get help with dosing from the experts there. Read the info stickies about the two sets of dosing guidelines, TR and SLGS. It's best if you choose one to follow so you have a system in place to help you with dosing decisions.

Two things for now:

1. A dose isn't raised in response to bounce numbers. Rather, it's the lowest a dose takes your kitty (the nadir) that you look at to evaluate the effectiveness of a dose and decide whether to keep it, raise it or lower it. That's why you need data from the +4 to +8 part of as many cycles as you can manage.
2. When a dose is changed the recommendation here is that it's done in 0.25 u increments. You could potentially zoom right past the good dose by increasing by a whole unit.

All of this and more is in the info stickies on the Lantus forum.

 

Going to reply here to keep it on your thread . I think I gave you the link to the Lantus forum to find those stickies, Kris mentioned , Yes post #73!
We all have at least one fur shot in our longer sugar dances, it happens. Correct in do not give it later in the day, just wait until next scheduled time . It's a steep learning curve, you'll get there

 

Thank you both so much!!! I am beyond worried. Ugh. I just want him to be okay. I need to learn the process I guess. I will post dosage questions in the Lantus forum. Again, thank you!

 

Thank you! Its hard to not be sad about this, but it's all about learning and adapting now. Just need those syringes!

 

Don't worry if he spikes even if it's a black number. Please go read those Lantus stickies I mentioned above and make a note of anything you want to ask about.

Here's the general mind set:

• choose a reasonable dose
• give it consistently AM and PM for minimum 3 days (TR dosing guide) or 5 to 7 days (SLGS dosing guide)
• test BG AM/PM and mid cycle every day and/or do a weekly curve
• evaluate the data using the guidelines described in TR or SLGS and keep or change the dose
• don't react to spikes in BG.

 

That's the key! The process is outlined in detail in the yellow stickies on the Lantus forum. It's very methodical.

 

Without this website and all of your help Ally and I would be LOST. I am very lucky I found this and all of you for help.

 

Found this again! Just purchased the syringes! Ally and I thank you!

 

I think I just posted the link on your other thread again too

 

I bought them yesterday Thank you!