You always relax me.@Kako, if you don't get lucky with finding your Lantus via the Supply Closet remember it's much cheaper to buy from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada.
I'm very glad you found FDMB, Kako, and I hope you're not feeling quite so scared now.
Mogs
.
Not scared at all now since Tux's BG is no longer 700's and 600's! Please advice me on adjusting Lantus dose starting a day after tomorrow. 
Um..... Just had to comment on this, because the inference (intended or otherwise) is that Lantus is somehow 'better' than Prozinc. And I wouldn't want others reading this thread to get that impression.
Thank you Elizabeth (for crossing fingers) and Bertie (for crossing paws).@Kako
Good luck with the change of insulin, Kako!
There are many experienced Lantus users here who will be able to advise you on how to help your gorgeous Tux to feel better.
Keeping fingers and paws crossed that things improve for him really soon.
Hugs,
Eliz
This is true, Eliz, and I agree with you wholeheartedly that an individual cat may have a much better response to one particular insulin over another. However, if I were a relative novice and I was considering a switch from Caninsulin/Vetsulin to a different insulin one of the major factors I would take into consideration when making the decision as to which insulin to try next would be evidence of improved likelihood of remission rates, doubly so if I were under significant financial constraints and could not afford the luxury of a 'suck it and see' approach to treatment; I'd want my cat to get the best bang possible for my limited bucks. I'd also take into consideration the experiences of others who had at one time treated their cats with the insulin I was currently using but who had had demonstrable success with a different insulin. If more of them had better success with Lantus then that is what I would choose. I would also give weight to the experience-based opinions of highly knowledgeable people who were very active members of reputable diabetic cat fora because they would have had exposure to a wealth of evidence, albeit technically anecdotal, of performance of different insulins and they might give me a valuable steer as to the best insulin to try next based on the success rates of the members.
I will include Rosa in my prayers.
One AlphaTrax strip costs the same as two cans of Friskies. 
I've used 100 strips within 3 weeks because I wasted a lot of them the first two weeks. I hardly waste now and I've ordered one bottle of FreeStyle strips for less. It's on it's way.
Thank you so much. I really do appreciate that more than you can possibly know.I will include Rosa in my prayers.
The strips are a horrible price - really crazy. I know the FreeStyle ones are a little cheaper, though none of them are really all that reasonable. I went with a human meter because after paying for Rosa's diagnosis (2 lots of blood work and 3 vet visits) and her Lantus at $300, I couldn't afford the Alphatrak strips immediately! Fortunately, we did well with the ReliOn and I've since found that I was lucky and got one that reads really close to the lab values.Testing costs... yes!
You don't need to convert the number on a human meter, Kako.
Lantus initial dosing is based on the cat's weight - if they're at their ideal weight or above it, then it's based on their ideal weight. If he's underweight, then it would be based on his actual weight. Can you let us know how much Tux weighs at the moment and how much he ought to weigh?
Don't know how much he suppose to weight.
Have a look at this body condition chart, Kako. It will help you to assess whether Tux is at ideal weight.Tux weights 10.6 lbs right this moment.
Tux is between 5 and 6 today. Since we switched to wet food, he asks more and more food and now he can eat 2 cans of 5.5 oz Friskies a day if I give him.
We will start with 1 unit, and we will shoot for ideal weight too.
The instructions for Lantus say that most cats hit their low point between +5 and +7. However, it does vary a lot. Rosa's lowest point was anywhere between +2 and +11 and moved pretty much on a daily basis. It was earlier if she was going to drop low and tended to be later if she was just 'surfing' in good numbers. What we usually ask people to do is get a pre-shot, a +2 and a mid-cycle (around +6) test during the daytime cycle to begin with. And then a pre-shot, +2 and before bed test at night. At least until we know how a cat is going to react to Lantus those are good starting points.[/QUOT
OK, I will do so. Thank you and good night!
Yes; you need to lift food for two hours before the preshot tests. When getting the mid-cycle tests, you just decide on your feeding schedule and do spot-checks between doses. Typically Lantus nadirs are around the +5 to +7 mark but it depends on the individual cat's response and the nadir can move around a bit. As you build up data in Tux's spreadsheet it will help you to determine when the best times for testing will be.
The rule makes hard when we need to test frequently but I will try as much as Tux corporates me.
As Mogs said, Kako, it can be a bit scary changing to a different insulin. (I've done it twice, and was scared both times....
...but was also sort of excited at the same time....
)
With meter variance those numbers are pretty much equal. That's fairly normal for a +2 on Lantus (unless it's a particularly active cycle).
Don't worry, Kako.
No need to panic. You only did that once so, while it's possible that it might reduce the life of the Lantus ever so slightly, it won't have done any real harm.
I am looking at Rosa's SS. It has totally different colors from Tux's and it's pretty! I at first thought you were using different spreadsheet.
She got to pretty numbers in the end, but if you look at the first week or so there was nothing pretty about that at all! Her reading on diagnosis was 680 and I really never thought it would be possible for her to reach remission from such a high starting point. But she did, and so far (anti-jinx) she's been diet controlled for a little over a year now. So never give up hope!I am looking at Rosa's SS. It has totally different colors from Tux's and it's pretty! I at first thought you were using different spreadsheet.
I selected the row I wanted to put the OTJ trial header on and merged the cells in the row so that all the boxes in that row turn into one big box. Then I typed in the information I wanted and used the 'horizontal align' button at the top of the spreadsheet to center the writing. Finally, because I wanted a different color for those rows than anything I was using anywhere else, I selected the row and used the 'fill' button (the one that looks like a paint can) to make the row a different color from everything else.
Rosa's numbers came down so quickly. Took her only 10 days!?She got to pretty numbers in the end, but if you look at the first week or so there was nothing pretty about that at all! Her reading on diagnosis was 680 and I really never thought it would be possible for her to reach remission from such a high starting point. But she did, and so far (anti-jinx) she's been diet controlled for a little over a year now. So never give up hope!
I selected the row I wanted to put the OTJ trial header on and merged the cells in the row so that all the boxes in that row turn into one big box. Then I typed in the information I wanted and used the 'horizontal align' button at the top of the spreadsheet to center the writing. Finally, because I wanted a different color for those rows than anything I was using anywhere else, I selected the row and used the 'fill' button (the one that looks like a paint can) to make the row a different color from everything else.
I like what you've done with your SS - it will make it really easy for us all to see the change in insulin when we're looking at his numbers.
Love the number, but I don't know how much Lantus to give him. 1 unit be good? Or it's too much?
What you did for Rosa is amazing!Tux will get there - remember Rosa was only ever given Lantus so we didn't have to go through switching insulins and re-starting the dose. Give him time - the first 5 days are tough because that's when the Lantus depot is building so you don't always see much change in the numbers then. But once you hit the right dose, he'll start giving you pretty numbers too!
Thank you! But Rosa did the really hard work - she had to heal herself! I just gave her the insulin.What you did for Rosa is amazing!
That's what we usually do with Lantus - the smaller the dose we can finish up with, giving a cat support for as long as we can, the better chance we have of a strong remission.
That's a great pre-shot number this morning! I like that.
And yes, it's always a little bit scary when you see your first green number but there are people here to help you through being scared. Lantus isn't usually dosed on a sliding scale - we stick with a particular dose until the depot is full or until the cat earns a reduction. Dosing isn't based on the pre-shot number with Lantus - the reason we get a pre-shot number is to make sure that Tux is high enough for it to be safe for him to have a shot at all and because that and the +2 can often give you an early warning if Tux is likely to have a very active cycle. So based on that, I would have stuck with the 1 unit this morning. However, 0.75 if you weren't sure is fine - it's much better to reduce slightly if you're not sure than to skip the shot completely. If Tux is under 200 at any of his pre-shots for now, please post for advice - if there's a strong chance he will drop low, someone will stay with you to help you if he does get low enough to earn a reduction. And for anything over 200, we would usually give the full dose. As you get more used to Tux's response to the insulin, that pre-shot limit can be reduced - most people here will give a full dose for any number above 50 on a human meter or 68 on an Alphatrak - I think the lowest pre-shot number I gave a full dose on was around 56 or 57. Lantus is an insulin that does better at keeping numbers down than at dragging high numbers down and because it is gentler on a cat's system than Caninsulin, what we often find is that if the cat starts off in a lower number, they are likely to have a fairly flat cycle where the numbers don't move very much at all. That is actually very good for the cat because if they can spend all day in the normal range, then they are spending all that time healing.
Thank you!
Yes, he got pretty colors today! Like a rainbow! I am excited, and the same time I am nervous thinking "I will see the green soon".
Nice numbers, Kako!Thank you!
Much better than the blacks and reds.
And you have a lot of people right here ready to help you when he decides to try the green range out for the first time! 