8/31/17 Lantus help!

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Snowy's Mom

Snowy's Mom

Member Since 2017
Snowy had diabetes three years ago and went into remission. Now his diabetes is back, and he's bouncing badly. I am not getting much help from my vet, he tells me to dose for whatever his BG is at the time, I know this is not right. I am using the Alpha track 2 meter. Snowy is 14 years old, he is on Wellness canned cat food. This is the food he was eating when he went into remission. Could someone take a look at his spreadsheet and please give me some idea what to do? Thanks.
 
Hi, sorry you are back. I love Snowy's name - it fits him so well! :cat:

I heard Wellness are higher carbs now. People on here were complaining about it.

I would stop doing what your vet says to do with dosing according to the BG. That's not how Lantus works. It seems you were getting some nice numbers with 2u so I would go back and do that for both AMPS and PMPS. Get some mid cycle tests to see how low it takes Snowy.

I'm tagging some pros to get some eyes on this for you.
@Bobbie And Bubba
@Wendy&Neko
@rhiannon and shadow (GA)
 
Lantus isn't supposed to be dosed with a sliding scale....it craves consistency

I'd go to 2U and shoot that at AM and PM for at least the next 3 days.....try to get at least 1 mid-cycle test in on the AM cycle (like 5-7 hours after the shot if at all possible) and get at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle.

Lantus is dosed based on how LOW it takes them, not the Pre-shot values, so it's very important to get testing in between the shots to see how well she's really doing.
 
Hi there and sorry you are back again. I can relate to that.........

Lantus needs to be dosed consistently and the dose held for the required amount of time according to which method or protocol you are going to follow. Have you giving any thought to whether you follow TR or SLGS? And if you can set up a signature and put that info into it, along with AT2 meter and food you are feeding when Snowy lost remission and any health conditions, that would be helpful.

Chris gave you some good advice. As of right now you are only get 1/2 the picture by testing in the AM cycle and not the PM cycle. A lot of kitties go lower at night so those test are very important to keep Snowy safe and also to have a better understanding how the dose is doing for him. If he is going lower at night then some of the higher BG readings at AMBG's could be a bounce.
 
I see the dose has been addressed.

I only have one suggestion to add about the food.

Food companies are notorious for changing their formulas or even deleting the one flavor we like. And that can be big trouble if your cat will only eat the one that is going away. It's good to have a couple of different brands in the rotation so you don't get caught in a difficult situation trying to get your cat to eat
something new. I've never met a cat yet that didn't like a little variety in the canned food.
Just as all of us who have had 6 different open cans in the fridge at a time....:smuggrin:


The wellness complete health are all between 4 and 11 % carbs so that's good.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi there and sorry you are back again. I can relate to that.........

Lantus needs to be dosed consistently and the dose held for the required amount of time according to which method or protocol you are going to follow. Have you giving any thought to whether you follow TR or SLGS? And if you can set up a signature and put that info into it, along with AT2 meter and food you are feeding when Snowy lost remission and any health conditions, that would be helpful.

Chris gave you some good advice. As of right now you are only get 1/2 the picture by testing in the AM cycle and not the PM cycle. A lot of kitties go lower at night so those test are very important to keep Snowy safe and also to have a better understanding how the dose is doing for him. If he is going lower at night then some of the higher BG readings at AMBG's could be a bounce.
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I worked on trying to get the spreadsheet on here all day yesterday, and I have no idea how to add anything to signature! I use AT2 meter, he eats Wellness Complete Health, which is what he was eating when he had diabetes last time and went into remission. I only feed chicken and turkey flavor. In the spreadsheet where there are no PM numbers is when the vet told me not to test at all but I felt the need to at least test in AM. As you can see I am testing both now and some in between. We did start slow at 1 unit and he increased each week, but when he wanted me to go to 3 units I refused because he was dropping pretty low on 2 units at times. I live a very long way from my vet and I don't drive, so if I had a real emergency it would be very bad! Snowy also has had IBD for years, and on Budesonide and Metronidazole. He is 14 years old and basically a happy boy! Thanks!
 
Good job on getting the spreadsheet set up. It is SUCH a valuable tool.

Here are instructions for setting up your signature:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

As far as testing goes..regardless of what the vet says...the best approach is to ALWAYS test before each shot and try to get at least one test in between shots. I believe you are using Lantus...once you get your signature set up you can include that in there....it is best to stay with the same dose...unless the numbers drop too low. Since Lantus is a depot insulin changing doses will not necessarily affect the cycle you change on. If you read some of the yellow "sticky" posts at the top of the Lantus forum:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-glargine-levemir-detemir.9/

they explain how the depot insulins works and different protocols for dosing and changing doses. And of course any questions you have about Lantus or anything else, just ask :bighug::bighug:
 
Hi and welcome to Lantus & Levemir Land, the nicest place you never wanted to be.

I see you are getting your preshot tests. That is awesome. We strongly recommend that you ALWAYS get a test before you shoot to be sure it is safe to give insulin. Also, at least one mid-cycle test is important. It sounds like your vet is not familiar with Lantus or up to date on the latest FD info. Lantus works best with consistency because of the depot. Here is a sticky that explains about the depot: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-levemir-what-is-the-insulin-depot.150/

To create your signature block, put your cursor on your name at the top right of the page. You will see a choice in the drop down box for signature. Info we like to see there: Cat's age, weight and date of diagnosis. Your name (or what you want us to call you - some here prefer to use a pseudonym), where you live (we at least need to know country/time zone), any other meds or conditions kitty has, kind of meter, what you're feeding. You can also put the link to your SS in there so you don't have to add it every day. You can look at others' signatures to see the most common info. If you need help, just ask.

Here is a post we created to help new members get comfortable here. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/updated-tips-for-new-members.173572/

Read as much of the stickies as you can and ask lots of questions. Knowledge is power. We're glad you and Snowy found us!
 
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey said:
Hi and welcome to Lantus & Levemir Land, the nicest place you never wanted to be.

I see you are getting your preshot tests. That is awesome. We strongly recommend that you ALWAYS get a test before you shoot to be sure it is safe to give insulin. Also, at least one mid-cycle test is important. It sounds like your vet is not familiar with Lantus or up to date on the latest FD info. Lantus works best with consistency because of the depot. Here is a sticky that explains about the depot: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-levemir-what-is-the-insulin-depot.150/

To create your signature block, put your cursor on your name at the top right of the page. You will see a choice in the drop down box for signature. Info we like to see there: Cat's age, weight and date of diagnosis. Your name (or what you want us to call you - some here prefer to use a pseudonym), where you live (we at least need to know country/time zone), any other meds or conditions kitty has, kind of meter, what you're feeding. You can also put the link to your SS in there so you don't have to add it every day. You can look at others' signatures to see the most common info. If you need help, just ask.

Here is a post we created to help new members get comfortable here. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/updated-tips-for-new-members.173572/

Read as much of the stickies as you can and ask lots of questions. Knowledge is power. We're glad you and Snowy found us!
Click to expand...
I agree that he should be tested before each injection. That is the the problem with my vet began. He had me increase his dosage and told me not to test for a week. I had to be away from home one morning and was nervous about giving the increased amount, so I tested and it was 129 if I had given him the recommended amount we would have been in trouble!
 
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