Oscar 20/9PM162,21/9 AM-172.8 off Lantus

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25237

Hi All,
Not sure if I did the right thing but Oscar seemed to be diving with only small amounts of Lantus so I stopped dose to see if he could stabilize on diet. He was doing well in blue but went to yellow on last test.We just arrived home after 4 hours in the car and he was very tired and a little agitated so I will test again soon. He loves the FF low carb and seems to be doing well. I found myself syringing gravy or getting him to lick honey after doses so whilst away from home it seemed better to stop Lantus and monitor. He behaved himself beautifully in a strange environment (motel/apartment) , we didn't leave him alone but he honestly didn't seem to worry at all. 'Wonders will never cease!'
Anyway I thought now I am back on the net I better see how you al feel about me trial? He does seem a happier boy as well!
Cheers Joan

Hi Joan -- so glad to hear he did well on the trip. and that he is a happy cat !

hmmmm looking at your ss. yes that yellow number could be from trip stress.
and the 1 drop dose you were giving honey and gravy??
the couple days off look like he still might need a little bit of insulin to me.
of course you can use food to try and manipulate his numbers -- and that's what i would suggest for now.

you can test to see if he pancreas is working using food --you can feed ( small frequent meals best) and then test a couple hours after meal and see if the food brings his numbers down...... that means pancreas is working.
you can then use the food (small meals recommended above) through out the day to keep it stimulated and numbers down.
a timed feeder could help with that if you won't be around. ( i know I know that means wait til another trip to town ;-)
sometimes a cat that drops down on a micro dose can be helped to get OTJ using this small meal method.

I would do a food test and report back !
let me see if I can find a good post on that.......
ok
I cut and pasted below instructions for Libby and Lucy OTJ trial that Jill posted for someone else. not sure who's original author of instructions...... either jill or libby. want to give the right credit
anyways explains about the food trials a little more. hope that helps.

here's a copy of libby's otj trial instructions:

Here's what you do:

Test at your normal AMPS and PMPS times. Feed multiple small meals throughout the day as much as possible (small meals are less likely to overwhelm a newly functioning pancreas).

If she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time, just feed small meals and go about your day. If she is blue, feed a small meal and test again after about 3-4 hours. If his number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then her pancreas is working! (some cats will come down in 2-3 hours, others take as long as 4).

Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. It is not unusual for cats to get lots of blue during their trial, especially at first. Don't panic and don't shoot unless we tell you to.

After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens, we just give her the support she needs. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.



(my emphasis in bold)
since ps are not green and have not been. I would try the test and see if numbers drop on food alone.
report back. if test doesn't work going to need tiny bit of insulin with some food manipulations. K?

Thanks Cheryl,
I will give the test a go, I may have a bit if trouble 2 days this week when away. Although I will be going to Adelaide soon so can look into the timer feeder.
I know I was probably a bit premature stopping Lantus but I got so scared of the lows.
Once again thanks for the info. Fingers crossed.
Cheers Joan

too new to give advice, but i just want to say "go Oscar"!!!

paws and fingers crossed for oscar here as well...

celi & Binks

The .1u is usually the last dose that they stay on to give them a tiny bit of help getting their numbers into solid greens.
He did earn the decrease from the .2u.... so that technically would be his new dose.
I am sure the experts will stop by to take a look...

Joan -

I think you can try experimenting with food but my hunch is that no insulin is premature. Generally, you're looking for a solid block of numbers that are below 130 on the AlphaTrack (below 120 on a human meter). There really shouldn't be those bounces like you saw on the 17th.

Janice's cat, Johnny, is similar in that only a little bit of insulin was effecting numbers, although I still don't think Oscar is quite there. This is what Johnny's spreadsheet looks like so you have a comparison. Johnny had several false starts at an OTJ trial but was spending a lot of time in numbers below 120.

You will be away for two days? Well, if his numbers stay the way they are now Joan, he will need a little more insulin to help him out. His struggling pancreas needs all the help it can get. We feed and then do a BG test in 3 hours...and if the number hasn't come down significantly, we wait for the +4 to see if the numbers really drop.

Many people who have rushed this last stage have enjoyed only a short time at the Falls. The kitty is struggling and before long, they are back on insulin again. The decision is up to you of course...but it might not be worth pushing the envelope...
I think that with the new dose of .1u he won't be getting such low lows....maybe you will give it a try....

hmm, I have to say that it sure looks like Oscar still needs the insulin. You are aiming for him to be in a range between 80 and 130 all the time. Did he come down after the yellow?

Libby and Lucy said:

hmm, I have to say that it sure looks like Oscar still needs the insulin. You are aiming for him to be in a range between 80 and 130 all the time. Did he come down after the yellow?

Click to expand...

hi joan. i agree with libby. it doesn't look like oscar is quite ready to handle things on his own yet. your best bet is to resume insulin and try to keep him in that 80 - 130 range (for alphatrak users). the good news is he's close! :mrgreen: