Lionel-3units Lantus

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Frank&Lionel

Frank&Lionel

Member Since 2019
I’ve posted a few times before, I am unable to home test without someone to hold so I don’t really have any forms or paperwork, but my story is, Lionel was diagnosed in May was put on 1 unit Lantus every 12 hrs, he was then upped to 2 and now 3, then I started home testing, I had dry food out for my CKD hyperT cat,I thought it was in a spot Lionel couldn’t get to, but after home testing found out he was most definitely eating it, so I have now took it away from both of them, I was still giving 3 units Lantus every 12 hrs but noticed he was sleeping a all the time, but his neuropathy was getting better, so last night we test him at he was at 6.6 (alphatrak Canada meter) so we didn’t shoot, and now I my husband was working so I didn’t shoot this morning, I’m too worried if he is running that low, I tried to home test but he ran and hid from me for half the day!i am going to test him tonight, but I’m worried how missing 24 hrs has effected him, and if he is high tonight do I shoot the 3 units? Or should he go down, I’m guessing taking away the dry food has effected him lots, maybe he should go down to 1 unit again or I dunno!?! Any help is appreciated and I ll let u know what he test at tonight
 
Hello! I'm not experienced enough to help with dosing, but I will tag someone experienced with Lantus. @Deb & Wink First, take a deep breath. It's going to be all right. Better a day with high numbers than a dangerous hypo event. You were right to skip the dose when you did, and it sounds like you could need a lower dose. Expect a higher BGL when you test again, from the skipped doses, but don't be in a hurry to raise dose because of it. If you test for Ketones, now is the time. Many members use Ketostix to test a urine sample.

A spreadsheet would really help members advise you. You can find information on it here: New? How you can help us help you!
 
Juls and Billy said:
Hello! I'm not experienced enough to help with dosing, but I will tag someone experienced with Lantus. @Deb & Wink First, take a deep breath. It's going to be all right. Better a day with high numbers than a dangerous hypo event. You were right to skip the dose when you did, and it sounds like you could need a lower dose. Expect a higher BGL when you test again, from the skipped doses, but don't be in a hurry to raise dose because of it. If you test for Ketones, now is the time. Many members use Ketostix to test a urine sample.

A spreadsheet would really help members advise you. You can find information on it here: New? How you can help us help you!
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I really can’t test all the time because I need my husband to hold him or else he gets away, but my husband if off for the next 7 days after tomorrow so I’ll be testing him before every shot for the next 7, but yeah, just wondering if I still give 3units or not because obviously the dry food has effected him
 
Deb should be able to come in and advise. I'm not familiar enough with Lantus. My gut reaction is don't raise the dose for one food event, especially after the lower BGL reading you had recently, but Deb will know better than me.

How long have you been home testing? Do you give a low carb treat and some snuggles after a test? That can help a cat become more accustomed to test time, and make it easier. My Billy now purrs when he sees the test kit, because he knows he's getting something good. He even ran in from the other room today for his test. Every cat is different, but bribery often works.

If is doesn't get easier, you might try the kitty burrito trick with a towel, and then give a treat after. It can really help when dealing with an uncooperative cat on your own.
 
I'm going to be very blunt and straight forward here. Sorry if this upsets you but, it's the way it is.

We are very data dependent here. I don't know of anyone here, including me, that would suggest you shoot 3 unit of Lantus without some test data to know how your kitty reacts to that large of a dose.

We also don't have background information to help us. It's like calling up a vet and asking them to diagnosis and treat your cat, without any info to base a recommendation on.

Does you cat have any history of ketones or DKA? That can make a big difference in what we recommend.

Using an Alphatrak meter and getting 6.6 mmol (6.6 X 18 = 118 mg/dL) means:

1. your dose is too high
2. taking away the high carb food for your other cat caused the BG readings to drop
3. shooting 3 U of Lantus without a pre-shot test is endangering your cat. Putting it bluntly, if you give that much insulin now, you may kill your cat
4. your 'shoot/no shoot' limit for Lantus should be 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol)

Even then, without seeing some test data, I will not tell you to go ahead and give insulin. Certainly not that much. Please call your vet if they are still available.

You need to set up that signature info and the SS as Juls pointed out to you. Please. Help us to help you.

I know I probably made you cry. We want to help you, but there simply is not enough information to do that. Sorry.
 
Deb & Wink said:
I'm going to be very blunt and straight forward here. Sorry if this upsets you but, it's the way it is.

We are very data dependent here. I don't know of anyone here, including me, that would suggest you shoot 3 unit of Lantus without some test data to know how your kitty reacts to that large of a dose.

We also don't have background information to help us. It's like calling up a vet and asking them to diagnosis and treat your cat, without any info to base a recommendation on.

Does you cat have any history of ketones or DKA? That can make a big difference in what we recommend.

Using an Alphatrak meter and getting 6.6 mmol (6.6 X 18 = 118 mg/dL) means:

1. your dose is too high
2. taking away the high carb food for your other cat caused the BG readings to drop
3. shooting 3 U of Lantus without a pre-shot test is endangering your cat. Putting it bluntly, if you give that much insulin now, you may kill your cat
4. your 'shoot/no shoot' limit for Lantus should be 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol)

Even then, without seeing some test data, I will not tell you to go ahead and give insulin. Certainly not that much. Please call your vet if they are still available.

You need to set up that signature info and the SS as Juls pointed out to you. Please. Help us to help you.

I know I probably made you cry. We want to help you, but there simply is not enough information to do that. Sorry.
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No not crying!! I have no data! Other then what I told you, I have been shooting at 3units for a month without Home testing,and he didn’t die, I took the dry food away two nights ago and started home testing yesterday, I tried the burrito and he wiggles out, he is 18 pds, and huge, but I ll call my vet in the am and see what they say, they are the ones who have been advising me what to do, up to this point, I don’t get who helps the ppl who can’t home test every single time
 
Deb is right. Shooting without testing is serious. If I had not set up a spreadsheet for members to help me, and not tested pre-dose, my Billy would have died on day 5. Period. That's why we're so serious about the testing and sharing information. It saves cat's lives and people's heartbreak.

I'm glad that your husband will have a week at home. That will help enormously. Use that time to find a method where you can test on your own if need be. And if you can get that spreadsheet and profile information up, it will help the very experienced members here help you.

My Billy could have died on day five. And that was with me following my vet's advice to the letter. Thanks to this group, he's gone into remission and has chance at a very long and very happy life. With or without remission, your kitty can have a long and healthy life too, with proper treatment.
 
Juls and Billy said:
Deb is right. Shooting without testing is serious. If I had not set up a spreadsheet for members to help me, and not tested pre-dose, my Billy would have died on day 5. Period. That's why we're so serious about the testing and sharing information. It saves cat's lives and people's heartbreak.

I'm glad that your husband will have a week at home. That will help enormously. Use that time to find a method where you can test on your own if need be. And if you can get that spreadsheet and profile information up, it will help the very experienced members here help you.

My Billy could have died on day five. And that was with me following my vet's advice to the letter. Thanks to this group, he's gone into remission and has chance at a very long and very happy life. With or without remission, your kitty can have a long and healthy life too, with proper treatment.
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I actually have a couple friends who’s cats went into remission without home testing at all, was hoping we would be the case too, but like I said it’s been 9 months I’ve been giving him insulin without home testing, I was bringing him for tests after I’d raise his dose and my vet would adjust, I ve done multiple curves at home, he had gained back all his weight, all his other tests were perfect other then BG
 
Frank&Lionel said:
I actually have a couple friends who’s cats went into remission without home testing at all, was hoping we would be the case too, but like I said it’s been 9 months I’ve been giving him insulin without home testing, I was bringing him for tests after I’d raise his dose and my vet would adjust, I ve done multiple curves at home, he had gained back all his weight, all his other tests were perfect other then BG
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I’m thinking I’ll just call my vet in the am explain the dry food situation and not give insulin tonight until I talk to them! Thanks for the help I guess
 
Has your cat had Ketones or DKA in the past?

For tonight, you should skip the insulin shot, IF, and ONLY IF, your cat has never had ketones and does not have ketones now. You should be testing for ketones daily. No way to know how low the 3 units or even 1 unit of lantus would take your cat.

If your cat has had ketones in the past, or has them now, even a trace, yYour cat needs some insulin. Do you have ketone test strips to check you cats urine? If not, they are available at the pharmacy.

Please contact your vet tomorrow for guidance and let them know your diabetic cat no longer has access to high carb food you were feeding the other cat. Let your vet know your cat dropped really low. Share your home testing numbers.

Has your cat had Ketones or DKA in the past?
With no access to high carb food any more, your cat could have very low BG readings. We simply don't know.

Instead of "forcing your kitty" with burrito wrapping him, have you tried the "kitty whisperer" method?
•Ear Testing Psychology• Please read that and see if that helps you with the testing.
 
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Juls and Billy said:
Deb is right. Shooting without testing is serious. If I had not set up a spreadsheet for members to help me, and not tested pre-dose, my Billy would have died on day 5. Period. That's why we're so serious about the testing and sharing information. It saves cat's lives and people's heartbreak.

I'm glad that your husband will have a week at home. That will help enormously. Use that time to find a method where you can test on your own if need be. And if you can get that spreadsheet and profile information up, it will help the very experienced members here help you.

My Billy could have died on day five. And that was with me following my vet's advice to the letter. Thanks to this group, he's gone into remission and has chance at a very long and very happy life. With or without remission, your kitty can have a long and healthy life too, with proper treatment.
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I should also add I am 34 years old with a 3 yr old and a new born, my other cat is very sick with CKD so to have the time to Deal with all this isn’t easy!
 
Deb & Wink said:
Has your cat had Ketones or DKA in the past?

For tonight, you should skip the insulin shot, IF, and ONLY IF, your cat has never had ketones and does not have ketones now. You should be testing for ketones daily. No way to know how low the 3 units or even 1 unit of lantus would take your cat.

If your cat has had ketones in the past, or has them now, even a trace. Your cat needs some insulin. Do you have ketone test strips to check you cats urine? If not, go to a pharmacy and get some right now.

Please contact your vet tomorrow for guidance and let them know your diabetic cat no longer has access to high carb food you were feeding the other cat. Let your vet know your cat dropped really low. Share your home testing numbers.

Has your cat had Ketones or DKA in the past?
With no access to high carb food any more, your cat could have very low BG readings. We simply don't know.
We just had another member doing her first curve and she reported a BG of 46!!! Dangerously low and it would have gone down lower without intervention of gravy type food. Like Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. Luckily, she had some on hand and was able to bring her kitty back up into safe BG readings. Her cat could have slipped lower and lower until convulsions and coma and death results.

This is your wake up call folks. For all you who may be lurking and reading other posts here.

My hands are shaking from the stress and panic dealing with the other member.

Instead of "forcing your kitty" with burrito wrapping him, have you tried the "kitty whisperer" method?
•Ear Testing Psychology• Please read that and see if that helps you with the testing.

Maybe your friends did get their cats into remission without home testing. But your cat is not their cat. The food you feed may not be the same as they fed their cat. ECID EVERY CAT IS DIFFERENT.

For the safety of your cat, try some different methods of testing the BG's at home.
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Why would he has ketones? I must add I have seen these low numbers before when he wasn’t eating dry food
 
Hello!

I agree, I wouldn't shoot 3U based on the information you have given here!

Removing access to dry food in the last couple days, while also having seen "low" numbers when he did have access, is very worrying. At this point, not having those carbs could very well have reduced Lionel's insulin needs by a lot, and right now is about when the last dregs of the carb influence are probably leaving. That means that the 3U you were shooting before this could now be very very unsafe. I'm very glad you posted for advice before shooting tonight!

Now, here's where it gets tricky: we're asking about ketones because there's also a risk to not shooting a diabetic cat, if the cat is ketone-prone. DKA is very very serious-- life-threatening, and very expensive to treat. Deb's give you some background on ketones and DKA and how suddenly it can strike, and one of the factors is "not enough insulin". So, that's why we don't like to recommend withholding insulin entirely without more background on the cat's health issues.

From what you've said, it sounds like Lionel is more at risk from too much insulin than too little for his dose tonight, but he's now skipped a couple shots, so we want to be careful.

Are you going to be able to get a pre-shot test tonight, or have you decided not to shoot? If not tonight, will it be possible to get a pre-shot test tomorrow morning and post for advice then? Deb has given you a good "no-shoot" number (8.3), and I like the idea of reducing the dose (no matter what "shootable" number you get) under the circumstances. As others have said, it's very hard for us to give specific advice without more data, we'll do the best we can but we are always going to err on the side of caution.

On another note, it is good to hear that he seems to be feeling good and his neuropathy has improved! Those are very good signs that what you are doing is working for him!
 
Frank&Lionel said:
Why would he has ketones? I must add I have seen these low numbers before when he wasn’t eating dry food
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There are multiple things that can cause ketones, skipping insulin (even if you have to) is one of them. Many diabetic cat owners choose to test for ketones in this situation to be safe, because by the time you see signs of ketones, it usually means a trip to the emergency vet. If testing with urine strips is too difficult, you can get a blood meter that also reads ketones. This is what I did for Billy, because he refuses all lurking near the litter box and holds his pee. I use the blood meter for ketones, but the strips are expensive, so I only use it to do ketone tests and use a cheaper meter for everyday BGL tests.

We all have lives, and children, and elderly parents we caretake for, etc. It's up to you how much you are willing and able to do for your cat. This board can show you what is safest for your cat, but members here cannot give you good advice if they don't have the information they need, in an easily found and recognizable format. And they will understandably refuse to give things like dosing advice without all that information, as they should. No one wants to be the reason a kitty does poorly because they didn't have enough information to help properly. No one wants to guess when a kitty's life is at stake.

I want to add that when Billy was going into remission, it was the most dangerous time, even though it was awesome. Suddenly his pancreas was starting to make its own insulin, and without home testing and a chart of readings to look at, I would not have known when to reduce his dose. Giving a regular dose on top of a pancreas that's decided to make it's own can lead to too much insulin and a dangerous hypo event.
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Hello!

I agree, I wouldn't shoot 3U based on the information you have given here!

Removing access to dry food in the last couple days, while also having seen "low" numbers when he did have access, is very worrying. At this point, not having those carbs could very well have reduced Lionel's insulin needs by a lot, and right now is about when the last dregs of the carb influence are probably leaving. That means that the 3U you were shooting before this could now be very very unsafe. I'm very glad you posted for advice before shooting tonight!

Now, here's where it gets tricky: we're asking about ketones because there's also a risk to not shooting a diabetic cat, if the cat is ketone-prone. DKA is very very serious-- life-threatening, and very expensive to treat. Deb's give you some background on ketones and DKA and how suddenly it can strike, and one of the factors is "not enough insulin". So, that's why we don't like to recommend withholding insulin entirely without more background on the cat's health issues.

From what you've said, it sounds like Lionel is more at risk from too much insulin than too little for his dose tonight, but he's now skipped a couple shots, so we want to be careful.

Are you going to be able to get a pre-shot test tonight, or have you decided not to shoot? If not tonight, will it be possible to get a pre-shot test tomorrow morning and post for advice then? Deb has given you a good "no-shoot" number (8.3), and I like the idea of reducing the dose (no matter what "shootable" number you get) under the circumstances. As others have said, it's very hard for us to give specific advice without more data, we'll do the best we can but we are always going to err on the side of caution.

On another note, it is good to hear that he seems to be feeling good and his neuropathy has improved! Those are very good signs that what you are doing is working for him!
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Thanks so much, I am now worrying so much that he has keystones, I ll go buy some strips tomorrow, just tested him and he is at 17.6, so i m thinking maybe I should give 1unit, I don’t want to give 3 that’s for sure, argh this is stressful, any help?
 
I am going to try to set up a SS ASAP, now that I am going to home test all the time, and I ll call my vet in the am and see, I understand why you can’t give advise, but I ll get a SS soon, his teeth are really bad too, my vet wanted his regulated time pull them so hoping to have that done soon too
 
That's a reasonably high number. Does he have access to food overnight if he's feeling like snacking (now that that dry food is safely out of reach)? A lot of cats will instinctively eat when they go low, so it can be a good safety measure to leave food out when you are nervous about shooting. Many of us use timed feeders to dispense food when we're not around, too, although that gets tricky with multiple cats around!
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
That's a reasonably high number. Does he have access to food overnight if he's feeling like snacking (now that that dry food is safely out of reach)? A lot of cats will instinctively eat when they go low, so it can be a good safety measure to leave food out when you are nervous about shooting. Many of us use timed feeders to dispense food when we're not around, too, although that gets tricky with multiple cats around!
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Yeah I ve been leaving wet food out for him incase he gets hungry in the night, he is a foodie, but he definitely hasn’t been drinking as much water as he use to be so I’ve been adding a couple teaspoons to his wet food, I just gave him 1.5 units, and I’m gonna feed him again around midnight and check his BG then, I have been randomly testing but I ll make a SS and start writing everything tomorrow, I’m going to try to test him myself in the am!I can do it! I ll call my vet in the am and see what they say too! Thanks for the help though and I know everyone is equally busy and I m not helping having 0 information, just having a hard time, I swear if it’s not one cat it’s the other! They give me gray hair
 
I think getting a spreadsheet set up and entering any/all the data you can collect would be very helpful for us to help you.
I do appreciate how hard it can be for you trying to test a cat on your own if he is not cooperative. And you do have a lot of other things going on in your life with a young family and another sick cat. But do persevere, it will be worth it!

If you can get any tests in during the cycles when your husband is home that is great too. Is he always gone when the preshots are due? Could you change the preshot times to when he's available or would that not work?

But I do agree with the others about shooting 3 units if you are now giving a low carb diet and not being able to test before the shots. The need for insulin lessens with low carb food and unless you are testing,you will not know how much of a decrease in dose is needed.

If you can get some Ketostix and test the urine, it would be good to be able to eliminate ketones from the picture at the moment. Always a good idea to test for them when a cat is unregulated.
It is great he is a foodie. That is always a plus with a diabetic cat.
And if you could set up your signature with the necessary information that would be very helpful for us. You will find out how to do it in this link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
Good luck with the testing :)
 
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Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Sounds like a plan!

I'm logging off now, will check in in the morning to see how things went. Be good, Lionel!
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So this morning did not go good, I could not home test him:( I had a hour window to do so and he saw the black bag he ran into my box spring, I flipped everything got him out, cornered him and poked, he then got out of my grip took off running when I tried to get blood out, so stressful, called my vet and we are going in at 9am tomorrow, gonna get him antibiotics for his teeth and schedule his extraction.and they said we ll figure out what his new dose or what not then, I am going to test him regularly for the next 7 days and document it all, once I have that 7 days I ll ask someone to help me make a SS, cause I’m already confused! But thanks to everyone for the help, I’m praying the vet can help us, when I called this morning and asked what dose I should give tonight if he is high she literally said “ whatever I feel comfortable giving” like Jesus I feel comfortable giving what my VET tells me to give, this was just the receptionist, but this is what I’ve been dealing with, can’t get help anywhere, let’s pray the vet helps me in the am But thanks again
 
You made a great try. Having the next 7 days of readings will be a great help, and maybe by then, he'll be a little more chill about about testing. I'm sure the vet will help as well. Good for you for trying to test your kitty. I promise it will get easier as he gets more used to it. You might want to try a small amount of some sort of stinky fish as a bribe at testing time, like tuna or sardines. Even if you and your husband have to burrito him in a towel, feed the treat after, and he'll start associating testing with treat time.
 
Ooof! Sounds like quite a morning!

There's a discussion about testing tips for reluctant cats going on in this thread: In need of some emotional support. Check it out, maybe there will be something there that works for you and Lionel. Anything would be better than having to chase him around the house and flip boxsprings every time you want to test!

How much does Lionel weigh? Is he overweight or underweight right now? One dosing option might be to just start from scratch with a typical starting dose (usually something between 0.5U and 1.5U, depending on the cat's weight and health status) and monitoring for ketones while you're getting regular BG testing going.

Was the dose raised to 3U based on curves or spot-checks at the vet? How much time between raises after his diagnosis in May?
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Ooof! Sounds like quite a morning!

There's a discussion about testing tips for reluctant cats going on in this thread: In need of some emotional support. Check it out, maybe there will be something there that works for you and Lionel. Anything would be better than having to chase him around the house and flip boxsprings every time you want to test!

How much does Lionel weigh? Is he overweight or underweight right now? One dosing option might be to just start from scratch with a typical starting dose (usually something between 0.5U and 1.5U, depending on the cat's weight and health status) and monitoring for ketones while you're getting regular BG testing going.

Was the dose raised to 3U based on curves or spot-checks at the vet? How much time between raises after his diagnosis in May?
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i ll definitely check out the tread about emotional support, when my husband is around we have no problem doing it, I have been bugging Lionel for 12 years now, he is super fluffy so I have to cut his mats and he gets poop in his fluff often so I’ve been taking care of that too, so it’s as if he is just “over” me bugging him, but i also know within the next 7 days doing it with my husband I ll figure out a way for me to do it alone! He was actually down to 12 pounds when I brought him in when he was initially diagnosed, they started him at one unit Lantus every 12 hrs, 6 weeks after I brought him in for a fructosamine test and they then raised him to 2 units, he started gaining weight,almost 14 pounds now and acting normal so I assumed (which I shouldn’t of) that he was better and regulated, one morning he jumps on the couch and misses, which is weird so I take a good look at him and he’s walking on his hocks, RUSH him into the vet and they lend me their meter and send me home to do a curve, I think his curve he started around 22 went to down to about 17 and then back up again, so they raised him to 3 units, at this same time my CKD cat gets super sick and stops eating Christmas Day, I had his dry food in a spot I thought Lionel couldn’t get to, I notice the dry food is going down quickly, but I know my CKD cat isn’t eating so I then learn he was sneaking the food this whole time, so I started lifting it at night and when we left, but I would forget it sometimes and noticed my CKD isn’t really eating it so I stopped giving it all together about 7 days ago, I had kept the metre after doing the curve so a couple days ago I decide we should check his blood now that he definitely has no dry food access, and he was at 3.7, so that triggered this whole thing, I’m thinking the same as you though, we should restart at 1 unit and do a curve and see what’s really up now that I finally have his food right, and also I’m sure his teeth are causing some BG issues too, so once I can get those pulled (which I’m nervous about) maybe remission will actually be achieved. Thanks for listening and all the help and info
 
Let's see if we can get the Spreadsheet set up sooner than 7 days.
I am going to tag @Chris & China (GA) to help you. You will need to send her a PM after she answers this tag, which you can do by clicking on the 'inbox' in the top right corner of this page.
If you can enter all the BGs you get in the SS we will be able to help you a lot more.
Don't forget to set up your signature. It is straightforward and helps us a lot.
 
I'd like to suggest that folks dial down the rhetoric a bit. Just like every cat is different, every caretaker's situation is different. From Lionel's caretaker's posts, she doing the best she can to care for Lionel.

There are a couple of options with respect to testing. The best and maybe not the easiest since Lionel sounds like a big and feisty kitty is home testing. The best variation on that theme is a Freestyle Libre sensor. If you've seen the ads on TV, these are a disk that's applied directly on the skin (the vet would need to shave a patch of fluff) and the sensor remains in place for 2 weeks. You use an app on your phone to get a blood glucose reading. They are replaced every 2 weeks. This is a link to a post about the Freestyle Libre. The downsides are that it's a more expensive method of home testing and our clever cats are sometimes able to remove the sensor.

The other option which is less good is there are products that your can add to litter that will let you know if there's glucose in your cat's urine or you can get Ketodiastix (vs Ketostix) which will test for both urinary glucose and ketones. The strips will not give you a number they way blood glucose meters will but it's something. It still means you need to stalk your cat to the litter box.

Please let us know how we can help.
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
How's it going today, @Frank&Lionel ? Did you take him to the vet this morning? What did they say?
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Good day! We had a GREAT trip to the vet, she is so happy with me trying my best with home testing, like I said my husband is home for 7 days so we are testing every day, and documenting, by the end I’m sure we ll be fine alone, that being said, he is now scheduled to get his full extraction on March 5th, I also got him a antibiotic shot that last 14 days to help with his teeth, she seems to think once his teeth are pulled it’s going to be nothing for me to have him regulated, possibly without insulin! He actually gained another pound in a month, now 7.7 kg! Everything is slowly coming together for us! We finally got the right food and testing before giving insulin! My vet thinks these groups are making me over paranoid, not necessarily a bad thing but Lionel is doing awesome and she’s proud of me,
 
S
Frank&Lionel said:
Good day! We had a GREAT trip to the vet, she is so happy with me trying my best with home testing, like I said my husband is home for 7 days so we are testing every day, and documenting, by the end I’m sure we ll be fine alone, that being said, he is now scheduled to get his full extraction on March 5th, I also got him a antibiotic shot that last 14 days to help with his teeth, she seems to think once his teeth are pulled it’s going to be nothing for me to have him regulated, possibly without insulin! He actually gained another pound in a month, now 7.7 kg! Everything is slowly coming together for us! We finally got the right food and testing before giving insulin! My vet thinks these groups are making me over paranoid, not necessarily a bad thing but Lionel is doing awesome and she’s proud of me,
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She told to just shoot 2units if he is high, I am going to do a curve tomorrow or Saturday to see what’s up, but he was 13.6 last night so I gave him 2 units and this am at the vet he was 17.6 so I gave him 2 units! I am writing everything down so Sunday I ll set up my SS
 
So glad to hear you had such a great vet visit!!!!!

Frank&Lionel said:
My vet thinks these groups are making me over paranoid, not necessarily a bad thing
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Hah! Yeah, it is tough to find a balance with this disease, because the "bad things" that could happen, even if rare, are really bad. The worst part is, often the main external symptom you get that things are going south is "lethargy", which... I mean, they're cats, right? Lethargic is kind of their home base! So if you aren't careful, you start spending a lot of time doing things like staring at your cat sleeping, poking him once in a while juuuuust to make sure, lol! We're such big advocates of testing here in part because it helps give you more control over the situation-- you don't have to stare at your cat and guess what's going on inside him, you can know. And then eventually you settle down into a routine, you get to know your cat's patterns, etc., and the whole thing gets easier.

Good news on the upcoming dental, too! That will make a huge difference for him, I'm sure, not just with respect to the diabetes. He'll be feeling so much better once the sore teeth are out and he heals up! I am also glad you'll be doing more testing over the next several days-- just the antibiotic alone may have him feeling better enough to bring his numbers down a bit, so it'll be good to be keeping an eye on them.
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
So glad to hear you had such a great vet visit!!!!!



Hah! Yeah, it is tough to find a balance with this disease, because the "bad things" that could happen, even if rare, are really bad. The worst part is, often the main external symptom you get that things are going south is "lethargy", which... I mean, they're cats, right? Lethargic is kind of their home base! So if you aren't careful, you start spending a lot of time doing things like staring at your cat sleeping, poking him once in a while juuuuust to make sure, lol! We're such big advocates of testing here in part because it helps give you more control over the situation-- you don't have to stare at your cat and guess what's going on inside him, you can know. And then eventually you settle down into a routine, you get to know your cat's patterns, etc., and the whole thing gets easier.

Good news on the upcoming dental, too! That will make a huge difference for him, I'm sure, not just with respect to the diabetes. He'll be feeling so much better once the sore teeth are out and he heals up! I am also glad you'll be doing more testing over the next several days-- just the antibiotic alone may have him feeling better enough to bring his numbers down a bit, so it'll be good to be keeping an eye on them.
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I honestly don’t have it the easiest with these cats, like I said my CKD, HyperT cat got really sick at Christmas. So I was trying to take care of him while at the same time trying to regulate Lionel, all on top of taking care of a family of 4 at Christmas!!! I am literally administering cat drugs 6 times a day, so at first the home testing didn’t seem as much of a priority, the neuropathy kicked me in the ass with it though, and prompt me to get him regulated so I can pull those devil teeth, my cats having opposite diseases is stressful enough, feeding them the right food and making sure they don’t eat each other’s food, I barely have time to shower in a day never mind sit there and make sure everyone is eating the right food, my vet has sympathy for me and my boys, I literally live a 2 min car ride from my vet and know my cats way too good so as soon as something is off we rush over! But I do love home testing was sick of always worrying and it is so nice to know what is going on, if I m unsuccessful with doing it on my own I will look into the libre but I think once I’m more comfortable doing it Lionel will be too! Thanks again for all the help
 
Hey, I can see it! Well done!

The only weird thing is that it's doing something odd on the conversion from World to US numbers (should happen automatically)-- it's converting, but adding extra lines afterwards, not sure why it would do that.

You'll want to put that link into your signature, so you don't have to keep copying it into a message every time someone asks for your ss.

I hope Lionel gets better about the testing and stops hiding... Most cats eventually do, with the right bribes. Could be treats, or could just be some extra pets and fussing... whatever works, basically. Let us know how we can help!
 
So, after having a chance to look at the numbers you are getting, good call to reduce the dose after getting that 5.1 for PMPS last night! It does look like 2.0U is too much, at least while you can only do the limited testing. Eventually, you'll want him down in those numbers, but not if you can't monitor him closely for safety.

The other thing to think about right now is that Lantus, as a depot insulin, does better the more consistent you are with the dose. We want to find a dose that you can shoot consistently, with fewer skips.

How do you feel about sticking with the 1.0U for a little while, and see how he does?
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
So, after having a chance to look at the numbers you are getting, good call to reduce the dose after getting that 5.1 for PMPS last night! It does look like 2.0U is too much, at least while you can only do the limited testing. Eventually, you'll want him down in those numbers, but not if you can't monitor him closely for safety.

The other thing to think about right now is that Lantus, as a depot insulin, does better the more consistent you are with the dose. We want to find a dose that you can shoot consistently, with fewer skips.

How do you feel about sticking with the 1.0U for a little while, and see how he does?
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That sounds good to me, I do want to do a full day curve while my husband is off so thinking Tuesday or Wednesday. But I ll just shoot 1 unit for now for sure :) thanks again for the help
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
The only weird thing is that it's doing something odd on the conversion from World to US numbers (should happen automatically)-- it's converting, but adding extra lines afterwards, not sure why it would do that.
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My fault...I fixed it (I hope)

Frank&Lionel said:
I ended up giving him 2 cause he was at 22.7, I ll keep an eye on him though and feed him again before bed.
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Please do NOT give 2U again....it's already shown it's too much because you have gotten 2 PMPS numbers that were too low to shoot. You don't have enough testing yet to shoot lower numbers so having to keep skipping is bad for Lionel

Also, you need to start getting 1 test somewhere mid-cycle on the AM cycle (like 4-7 hours after the morning shot IF you can) and at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle. Most cats go lower at night so it's important for his safety.

If you can't get mid-cycle tests on the AM cycle due to work, then you should try to get a couple tests on the PM cycle (like 2 hours after the shot and 4 hours after the shot +2/+4) and then run a full curve on a day off.
 
yeah I messed that up, only 1 from now on, my bad, and he s starting not to hide as much so let’s hope I can do a curve, unfortunately it hasn’t been easy at all, was hoping after doing this 50 times he would be more use to it, he has been in the box spring since after his insulin and seems to stay there most of the day, I do check on him and give him pets often, tomorrow I ll keep the bedrooms closed to try to get more test in!
Chris & China (GA) said:
My fault...I fixed it (I hope)



Please do NOT give 2U again....it's already shown it's too much because you have gotten 2 PMPS numbers that were too low to shoot. You don't have enough testing yet to shoot lower numbers so having to keep skipping is bad for Lionel

Also, you need to start getting 1 test somewhere mid-cycle on the AM cycle (like 4-7 hours after the morning shot IF you can) and at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle. Most cats go lower at night so it's important for his safety.

If you can't get mid-cycle tests on the AM cycle due to work, then you should try to get a couple tests on the PM cycle (like 2 hours after the shot and 4 hours after the shot +2/+4) and then run a full curve on a day off.
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