I have never used Lantus... but have to help a newbie

Status
Not open for further replies.
Allie & Myrtle (GA)

Allie & Myrtle (GA)

Very Active Member
One of my work-mates has a newly diagnosed cat, and wants me to give him his first injection this evening (using Lantus)!!

I used Caninsulin/Vetsulin on Myrtle.

I used to gently roll Caninsulin and warm it a little in my hands. I read on the FAQ here than you don't roll a Lantus vial. What about temperature?

Don't ask about home-testing nailbite_smile - this cat is WILD! and if they ever manage to home-test, he wouldn't let a stranger (me) do it.
I am confident that this will be a safe low dose for a start, and I do know his BG is pretty high. He needs to start asap, after a long delay in treatment, so that's why I am going to shoot blind - about 1.5u.
They will test his pee, and not increase that BID dose for a while at least.

I have already talked them out of 3u BID starting dose as prescribed by the vet!

I am nervous about this. Wish me luck. Not sure how he will accept a stranger poking him nailbite_smile .
 
Good luck Allie!

I've never warmed my Lantus, but my guy handles it fine. I don't know what others do.

As you read, don't roll! (I did the first week, duh!)
 
Hi Allie

personally, I wouldn't dose any cat without knowing the BG levels.
And if they decide to start anyway, no matter the dose, well, as we all know, the risk it is to shoot blindly.


No don't roll the Lantus, it does need to be kept refrigerated thou.

Maybe you could print out the Lantus info for them, home-testing info etc.
Are they prepared for possible hypo? Do they have a good choice of low carb wet foods? HC food as well.

Good luck, it is really good of you to help out, I hope home testing is in the near future too.
 
Lantus should not be rolled like other insulins, and should be refridgerated. IMHO it should be started at 1.0 unit, but I am not a dosing expert, but that is the dose that I see most cats start on. Please be sure that the insulin is given every 12 hours, and that your friend knows what to look for should her cat go too low.
Hope that helps a little. There will be others along to help more, soon.
 
Hi Allie -

Just thought of this...there was a thread about testing a difficult cat that I thought maybe you could share with the owners that might help them make the decision to home test.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5690

I wouldn't shoot blind now, but 8 years ago I shot Humilin (short acting insulin) blind for a year. It wasn't until my guy had a hypo that a vet suggested I home test to see his numbers. After a week of home testing, he went OTJ. I think of what it takes to suggest OTJ now. He survived that year of shots no problem, but I cringe when I think of it now.

Maybe once you work with the cat you have some recommendations for them.
 
Allie & Myrtle (GA) said:
I read on the FAQ here than you don't roll a Lantus vial. What about temperature.
Click to expand...
The small amount being drawn up should not cause a problem regarding chill. If there is concern, simply hold the drawn syringe in the hand for 30 seconds or so.

Regarding shooting blindly... Lantus is much different than Vetsulin in that it builds up an overlap. Where Vetsulin would be completely worn off in 10 hours (for most cats) - Lantus will work up an overlap ("shed") when dosed as closely to a 12/12 schedule as possible. Additionally, Lantus is dosed according to nadir - not preshot as was the case with Vetsulin... all Food for Thought.

Good luck!
 
I have printed out some Lantus info for her, and talked to her a lot, and she does know about home-testing.

She vaguely knows someone who does home-test, and may be able to help her. I never was able to home test Myrtle who was also semi-feral, and she never hypoed. I do know she was not in as run-down a state as this guy is, and I know how nervous his beans are, so I feel I can't ask them to delay until they master the art of home-testing. Yes, I know the risks - I heard about them myself till I was driven off the forum from sheer guilt and stress.
She knows about hypos and how to treat, she has the right food, she knows about starting low and going slow, but from what I hear I truly believe he will need a bit more than 1 unit BID (unless of course Lantus is a totally different insulin than what I used. I think he is more in danger of ketones than hypoing.
I also remember how overwhelmed I was and she has huge stress from other sources herself and is freaking out.
She is dependent on her DH to inject normally because her hands are so badly deformed with arthritis (and she can barely walk as well) that she can't fill the syringe and hold it to shoot.

Say a little prayer for her and her sweet boy Misty. :smile:
 
[quote="Sherri & Stash.

Regarding shooting blindly... Lantus is much different than Vetsulin in that it builds up an overlap. Where Vetsulin would be completely worn off in 10 hours (for most cats) - Lantus will work up an overlap ("shed") when dosed as closely to a 12/12 schedule as possible.

Good luck![/quote]


Errrrr - is that overlap business dangerous?
 
"Allie & Myrtle (GA)"][quote="Sherri & Stash.

Regarding shooting blindly... Lantus is much different than Vetsulin in that it builds up an overlap. Where Vetsulin would be completely worn off in 10 hours (for most cats) - Lantus will work up an overlap ("shed") when dosed as closely to a 12/12 schedule as possible.

Good luck!
Click to expand...


Errrrr - is that overlap business dangerous?[/quote]

Yes, it is dangerous...if the amount of insulin given is too much, the cat can go hypo once the shed is full and the same amount of insulin is given. There is no rhyme or reason as to how much insulin a given cat will need, which is why we usually start with 1.0u and work up or down from there, but always with testing.

My Morris was 26 pounds and got 11 units of Humulin N for 8 years. He was 17 pounds when started on Levemir (similar to Lantus in dosing and protocol) and never went above 1.0u and was as low as .10u before getting sick a month ago. So you can see it does not relate to weight or BG at DX...it's a process.

I know what you mean by being impossible to test, especially if the person doing the testing doesn't have full motor control as it sounds like your friend suffers from. All they can do is keep on trying...it is much more important with this insulin than with the others that have a shorter duration and no overlap.

Good luck, and God bless you for helping them.
 
Brenda and Morris said:
Errrrr - is that overlap business dangerous?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is dangerous...if the amount of insulin given is too much, the cat can go hypo once the shed is full and the same amount of insulin is given. There is no rhyme or reason as to how much insulin a given cat will need, which is why we usually start with 1.0u and work up or down from there, but always with testing.

My Morris was 26 pounds and got 11 units of Humulin N for 8 years. He was 17 pounds when started on Levemir (similar to Lantus in dosing and protocol) and never went above 1.0u and was as low as .10u before getting sick a month ago. So you can see it does not relate to weight or BG at DX...it's a process.

I know what you mean by being impossible to test, especially if the person doing the testing doesn't have full motor control as it sounds like your friend suffers from. All they can do is keep on trying...it is much more important with this insulin than with the others that have a shorter duration and no overlap.

Good luck, and God bless you for helping them.[/quote]

Aaaarggghhh! Will need the good luck, prayers, good vibes! nailbite_smile nailbite_smile
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top