3/6 Griffin (first post) AMPS 211 +3 239 +6 266 +9 14 PMPS 15.6

griffinsmom

griffinsmom

Member Since 2022
Hi all,
First post today, started testing and a spreadsheet, we are still getting the hang of things. Last night I saw the 185 and got worried we were going too hard too fast with the dosing so I backed off to 1unit today. I have no idea if I'm doing the right approach or not, any advice will be much appreciated.
 
Hi Melissa!

Welcome to FDMB :-)

If yesterday was Griffin's first day on Lantus, 2U may have been too high. We usually recommend a starting dose of 0.5U to 1U. In case, you haven't seen it, here's the page on the dosing protocols we follow. If you will pick one, we can help you with dosing advice accordingly.
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)

If you can test at least 4 times a day - 2 preshots and 2 mid-cycle tests - TR is a good protocol to get him to a good dose and get him well regulated.

Was he transitioned to raw recently or has he been eating raw food since before his diabetes DX? Does he have any history of ketones?

Btw, could you please add the meter you are using to your Signature. I see it's mentioned on the SS but not in the Signature. Thanks!

 
Thanks for the quick reply and warm welcome, I'm so glad I found this group.
He's been raw feed since we got him at 12w, he's 11yo now and 9.3kg. I really really love my vet but raw food is something we agree to disagree on so I'm wondering if she failed to take that into account with initial dosing, she did mention his size was a factor in the starting dose she recommended. No ketones.

I'm surprised and happy with his numbers so far, when I've managed to get the sample, I'm trying to keep these initial pokes as positive for everyone as I can. The curve ball is I'm planning a vacation in 10days and have a cat sitter arranged (we'll be gone for 12days), she says she's comfortable giving insulin but I might get a CGM for him while we're away so she doesn't have to do the ear pokes. Which leads me to think that SLGS might be a better way to start and keep him stable while we are away. Ultimately I'm home during the day a lot and 6/7 days of the week I can test multiple times a day so I think TR will be my goal once things settle down and we are back from travelling.
 
griffinsmom said:
The curve ball is I'm planning a vacation in 10days and have a cat sitter arranged (we'll be gone for 12days), she says she's comfortable giving insulin but I might get a CGM for him while we're away so she doesn't have to do the ear pokes. Which leads me to think that SLGS might be a better way to start and keep him stable while we are away. Ultimately I'm home during the day a lot and 6/7 days of the week I can test multiple times a day so I think TR will be my goal once things settle down and we are back from travelling
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I would suggest that you stay with TR for now. We follow the concept of vacation dose when we travel and the sitter can only give shots but not test. We can adjust the dose down to a vacation dose 3 days before you leave - giving the Lantus depot time to readjust.

Anyway, let us see how it goes. It takes the initial Lantus depot a week to build. :-)
 
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
 
Thanks Diane. Testing is going okay, I hit the vein last night which wasn't fun for him. Luckily for me I work in a human medical field am used to poking people so the act of poking him doesn't feel hard for me, just getting our routine down and him used to it is our challenge right now. The tip to collect on your finger nail is genius!
 
griffinsmom said:
Thanks Diane. Testing is going okay, I hit the vein last night which wasn't fun for him. Luckily for me I work in a human medical field am used to poking people so the act of poking him doesn't feel hard for me, just getting our routine down and him used to it is our challenge right now. The tip to collect on your finger nail is genius!
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Have you tried giving him a freeze dried treat while testing him, letting him know that he will get a treat while testing
 
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griffinsmom said:
I'm surprised and happy with his numbers so far, when I've managed to get the sample, I'm trying to keep these initial pokes as positive for everyone as I can. The curve ball is I'm planning a vacation in 10days and have a cat sitter arranged (we'll be gone for 12days), she says she's comfortable giving insulin but I might get a CGM for him while we're away so she doesn't have to do the ear pokes. Which leads me to think that SLGS might be a better way to start and keep him stable while we are away. Ultimately I'm home during the day a lot and 6/7 days of the week I can test multiple times a day so I think TR will be my goal once things settle down and we are back from travelling.
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If you plan in following SLGS for now until you get back from vacation you can add that to your signature please , you can always change it to TR when you return
 
Welcome to FDMB and the LLB group!

One comment on your spreadsheet... You will want to get at least one test every night during the PM cycle. We encourage members to get at the very least a "before bed" test. Even though Griffin is still in the process of forming his insulin depot, it's important to get at least one test each 12-hour cycle. Many cats have a tendency to drop into lower numbers at night so you don't want to miss a low number and a dose reduction. In addition, if you aren't testing at night, you're missing half of your data.
 
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