Hi Laurelei and Vicky
Welcome to the new Lantus forum! I see you are in beautiful B.C Canada! I'm in Ontario - lots of Canadians here in Lantus Land, by the way - so welcome!
I'm going to throw some links at you with important questions, if you have some time, it would help us all get to know a bit more about Vicky.
Tilly Protocol: here in the Lantus forum, we follow the Tilly protocol, which has had a high success rate.
http://www.tillydiabetes.net/en_6_protocol2.htm
From the stickie up above "New to the Group"
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=157
This chart is key to knowing what is going on in each cycle while on insulin.
Spotchecks BG testing at Preshot, +1, +3, +6, +9 and +11 are some of the most important to grab.
PRESHOT testing is a must. Let me put it this way - if Vicky was your child, would you inject insulin not knowing if she needed it or what her current BG levels were? On top of that - - I don't want to scare you, but in all honesty,
shooting blindly without that preshot test is just not safe.
Learn how YOUR kitty is responding to insulin:
Onset - the length of time before insulin reaches the bloodstream & begins lowering blood glucose
Peak/Nadir - the lowest point in the cycle
Duration - when the insulin is strongest or works the hardest
How to do a Curve & Example of a typical curve:
+0 - PreShot number.
+1 - Usually higher than PreShot number because of the last shot wearing off. May see a food spike in this number.
+2 - Often similar to the PreShot number.
+3 - Lower than the PreShot number, onset has started.
+4 - Lower.
+5 - Lower.
+6 - Nadir/Peak (the lowest number of cycle).
+7 - Surf (hang around the nadir number).
+8 - Slight rise.
+9 - Slight rise.
+10 - Rising.
+11 - Rising (may dip around +10 or +11).
+12 - PreShot number.
Carryover - insulin effects lasting past the insulin's official duration
Overlap - the period of time when the effect of one insulin shot is diminishing and the next insulin shot is taking effect
Insulin Depot - (aka "storage shed" in Lantus Land) "spare tank" of insulin, which has yet to be used by the bod
Dosing Lantus is not based on preshot numbers, since u have very few, can you tell us how you reach to 4 units? Are you working with your vet to reach this dose?
We really encourage spotchecking here, not only does it guide you along with dosing, but helps to know kitty is safe and not going to low.
Becoming Data Ready: Again, you will need more spotchecks to see how Vicky is doing on Lantus
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147
Treating Hypo:
http://www.gorbzilla.com/treating_hypog ... elissa.htm
List of hypo symptoms: Again, not trying to scare you - but it is very important to know what to look for.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-925783
Spreadsheet help plus adding a U.S spreadsheet, from the TECH forum:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16
A lot of our members are from the U.S, and reading spreadsheets in U.S numbers is quicker and easier to help with suggestions and feedback, when you have some time, it would be great if you could add a U.S spreadsheet for Vicky. If not, you will have to do a lot of math converting the Canadian numbers x 18.
What diet is Vicky currently on? If you need help and info on nutrition, this link will take you to Dr Lisa's Feline Nutrition site.
Dr Lisa's Feline Nutrition:
http://catinfo.org/
Need help picking low carb (LC), medium carb (MC) and high carb (HC) wet foods? See this link:
Janet & Binky's (GA) Food charts:
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html
Some other questions, what does Vicky weigh?
What is your schedule like for spotcheck availability? For curves?
We're all glad you're here with Vicky, and we here to help and guide you along to reach the goal of a healthy happy kitty.
And please, consider getting into the habit of preshot testing before shooting insulin.
As well as spotchecks, there really is no way of knowing if Vicky needs to be kept on 4 units or if she has earned dose decreases.
Hope to see you posting often!