New Member: Kozmo’s Progress

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Annie & Kozmo

Annie & Kozmo

Member Since 2020
@Bron and Sheba (GA) and @Elizabeth and Bertie

Hello ladies and apologies for tagging you. We lost you! I changed the title of my previous thread and reposted and tagged you yesterday morning and received no reply. I’m assuming it might have something to do with the website maintenance?

I checked my phone all day and all night with no response, so I’ve created this new thread in the hope it gets noticed by someone. We feel scared and alone.

Kozmo appeared to be doing okay until early this morning when he vomited at +9 with BG HI. I managed to get 10g of Sheba Pate into him.

His AMPS was of course HI again and he refused food. We shot straight away. He’s licking his lips and his breath smells fruity. We’ll test for ketones when he gets up.

We’re collecting a new vial of Caninsulin from the vet this morning and will be phoning to add anti nausea medication to our order.

We’ll also run regular tests through the day and evening.

His BG is high at the beginning and end of each cycle. Why is this happening? Is the dose too low?
 
Hi Annie @Annie & Kozmo
How are things today? Im sorry you lost your thread.
The BG is high at the beginning and end of the cycles because caninsulin does not last 12 hours. It looks like he responds quite well to the dose. It’s just not lasting long enough.
How is he eating today. Did you give cerenia?
It looks like a negative ketone test this morning. Is that right?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi Annie @Annie & Kozmo
How are things today? Im sorry you lost your thread.
The BG is high at the beginning and end of the cycles because caninsulin does not last 12 hours. It looks like he responds quite well to the dose. It’s just not lasting long enough.
How is he eating today. Did you give cerenia?
It looks like a negative ketone test this morning. Is that right?
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Hi Bron! I honestly thought we'd lost you yesterday!

I've just updated the old thread with what's been happening. I didn't realise you were Australian (fellow Aussie here and Kozmo is too, but we live in the UK now). Shall I find you back on the old thread or keep going on this new one?

We got quite the fright when we woke up to Kozmo vomiting in the early hours and even more so when he dropped from HI AMPS to 7.7 in one hour. We're also concerned about his constant high levels and what to do about it. Is it time to move to Lantus?
 
Change the subject line on this thread and we’ll continue here.
I just have to serve dinner to my family and I’ll get back to you. hang in there.
you can’t lose me that easily.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Annie --

I'm very relieved you're testing for ketones. I was very concerned given that you noted that Kozmo's breath smelled fruity. Just to be overly cautious, you are following the directions on the package if you're testing urinary ketones?
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Not offended about anyone being over cautious at all. We most certainly do run our urinary ketones exactly according to instructions. We’ll be running tests every morning and evening throughout the duration of high BG levels - to be honest, it’s so easily to catch a running sample from beneath Kozmo that we’ll test any spikes (if any) after he’s established on his new insulin.
 
We’ve WON!!!!!!!!! We pushed, we fought and we won for Kozmo!

After five weeks, a change of vet, enough stress to make us vomit, two DKA’s and a lot of coercing and arguing we finally have a script for Lantus in our hot little hands!

We know there’re probably other little fights over the horizon, but we’ve won the war. The vet is waiting for Lantus to fail so they can run tests and ultrasounds to ‘make Kozmo’s last days more comfortable’. I can’t believe she said it.

We’ll fill the script, stock up on U100 needles and wait for the wonderful people of the FDMB to instruct us when the time is right. From what I’ve read, there’s a transition period from Caninsulin to Lantus that’ll require constant monitoring. May we ask what to expect and when we might start?

I haven’t tagged anyone and am not sure if that’s forum etiquette, will anyone see this post?

Apologies for sounding ridiculously happy. Kozmo has had a cerenia and is ravenous which adds to our delight. We will always do what’s best for him.
xxxxxxxx
 
There isn't really a "transition period." You can make a unit-to-unit switch from Caninsulin to Lantus. So, if you were to switch today, you could switch to 2.0u of Lantus. Some cats have a marked response to a new insulin and they opt to start at a slightly lower dose.

It does take 5 - 7 days for the Lantus depot to form and stabilize. During that period, you generally don't see Lantus doing great work. The depot is one of the factors that make Lantus differ from most other insulins.

You may want to take a look at the sticky notes on the Lantus board in preparation for the switch. And congrats on getting your prescription.
 
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) I think the transition period Annie is talking about is the time we need to wait before swapping over to Lantus from caninsulin as it has only been 7 days since Kozmo was in hospital with DKA to make sure that the ketones are well and truly behind us. All negative so far.
Kozmo is still not eating a lot and was nauseated, vomited and refusing food yesterday morning so they were able to get some cerenia to help with that from the reluctant vet. I have not heard how that went yet.
I would be reluctant to swap to Lantus until we get the nausea sorted and food intake increased more and a bit further away from the DKA.
What do you think?
Annie currently has 2 threads on health at the moment. Would you be able to merge them please Sienne? Thx.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...high-bg-levels-sweet-breath-after-dka.231632/
 
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@Bron and Sheba (GA) -- the threads are from different days. I don't think they need to be merged.

Here's the link to the previous thread.

If the ketones are staying negative and Kosmo is eating, I think it could be fine to switch to Lantus. It's really a judgement call. On the one hand, there's limited duration with the Caninsulin and on the other hand, there's the Lantus depot needing to form.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I think the transition period Annie is talking about is the time we need to wait before swapping over to Lantus from caninsulin as it has only been 7 days since Kozmo was in hospital with DKA to make sure that the ketones are well and truly behind us. All negative so far.
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Hello to our FDMB super heroes. I am happy to report that Kozmo has wolfed down 4.5 x 85g pouches of wet food over the last 24 hours. A life record indeed! Now I know the satisfaction ‘feeders’ get from seeing others enjoy their food .

The cerenia is certainly working. He ate an 85g pouch at PM+8 which kept his AMPS levels down to 31.7 from his usual 34+

Bron, you read my mind about the syringes - we have found the correct ones and are about to complete the checkout. They’re U100 .3ml with ½ unit graduations and 8mm needle.

Now we’ve just got to find where we can fill our Lantus script. We’re not having much luck with online people pharmacies but have found an online vet supply store with the earliest being Tuesday via special delivery. I’m going to keep trying local pharmacies in the meantime. I’ll search the Lantus forum for threads that might help.
 

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Annie & Kozmo said:
Hello to our FDMB super heroes. I am happy to report that Kozmo has wolfed down 4.5 x 85g pouches of wet food over the last 24 hours. A life record indeed! Now I know the satisfaction ‘feeders’ get from seeing others enjoy their food .

The cerenia is certainly working. He ate an 85g pouch at PM+8 which kept his AMPS levels down to 31.7 from his usual 34+

Bron, you read my mind about the syringes - we have found the correct ones and are about to complete the checkout. They’re U100 .3ml with ½ unit graduations and 8mm needle.

Now we’ve just got to find where we can fill our Lantus script. We’re not having much luck with online people pharmacies but have found an online vet supply store with the earliest being Tuesday via special delivery. I’m going to keep trying local pharmacies in the meantime. I’ll search the Lantus forum for threads that might help.
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Great report all round.
I’m so pleased the cerenia is making a difference!!
Keep it up Kozmo!!
Yes those are the syringes.
We need to see that Kozmo is able to keep up the eating and no ketones then we can think about swapping to Lantus.
Keep offering food every couple of hours if he will eat.
 
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You should be able to buy Lantus at most pharmacies I would think because it is a human insulin. Make sure you get the cartridges not the vial. Usually the cartridges are sold as a pen of 5x cartridges. If kept in the fridge the insulin will last for 6 months opened or up to the use by date if unopened.
Ask any questions you are not sure about.
I’m just so happy Kozmo is eating well!!
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
You should be able to buy Lantus at most pharmacies I would think because it is a human insulin. Make sure you get the cartridges not the vial. Usually the cartridges are sold as a pen of 5x cartridges. If kept in the fridge the insulin will last for 6 months opened or up to the use by date if unopened.
Ask any questions you are not sure about.
I’m just so happy Kozmo is eating well!!
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The pharmacy 500yds up the road dispensed it for me. Unfortunately the vet prescribed the 10ml vial and that’s the only way the pharmacy is allowed to dispense it. After our battle with getting the script in the first place, we’re happy to work with the vial for six months and then we’ll make sure the vet prescribes the cartridges on the next script. They’re incredibly more economical!

The pharmacy didn’t stock the syringes that we need so we’ll wait for our online order to arrive - I’m guessing it’ll be Monday or Tuesday. Perhaps by that time, Kozzie might prove himself to be ready for Lantus!

Thanks to you all for being here for the three of us. Our journey has only just begun xxx
 
The 10 ml vial is fine. It’s just not as economical but it’s Lantus! Make sure you keep it in the fridge. Put it into a cup to support it and put it into the main part of the fridge not the door.
Don’t roll or shake Lantus
Ok Kozmo, it’s up to you now.... no pressure!:D
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
@Annie & Kozmo i looked at the SS and I could see Kozmo was refusing food at AMPS and +5. Did you give the cerenia ?
I’m glad the ketones are still negative but the not eating is of concern.

Have you seen this
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/suggestions-on-how-to-stimulate-kittys-appetite.130770/
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Bron, Kozmo still isn't eating. He has no ketones... yet, but from his behaviour I think he might be heading towards his third DKA. He has had cerenia and it's made no difference.

We're at our wits end. My husband and I have differing opinions and the pressure is about to combust. He can't understand why we can't use the Lantus that's waiting for us in the fridge because it feels like Caninsulin is killing Kozmo.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
@Annie & Kozmo i looked at the SS and I could see Kozmo was refusing food at AMPS and +5. Did you give the cerenia ?
I’m glad the ketones are still negative but the not eating is of concern.

Have you seen this
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/suggestions-on-how-to-stimulate-kittys-appetite.130770/
Click to expand...

Yes I have and we've done everything possible to encourage eating to no avail.

Because of the time difference between Australia and the UK, I'm going to change the title of this thread and ask for some help. The first question I need to ask on behalf of my husband is "why can't Lantus be started immediately?"
 
Oh no, poor Kozmo! And poor you...

The issue with lantus is this: because it is a "depot" insulin, it can take a few cycles before you see the full effect of a particular dose. For a cat teetering on the edge of ketones and not eating well (like Kozmo), that would be like skipping or reducing doses at exactly the wrong time. When treating ketones/DKA at the vet, they often use even faster-acting insulin than Caninsulin, because time is of the essence and ketones can develop so fast. Ideally, we would concentrate on getting Kozmo eating as the most important thing right now, get him stable, and then think about switching insulins.

That said... I think we do want to discuss options here, because something isn't working for Kozmo. The question is, is it the Caninsulin (directly or indirectly), or something else, and what can we do about it? Putting aside some unknown medical issue, we have for a start:

1) nausea. Is he showing overt signs of nausea (lip-licking, approaching food then turning away)? One option might be to add another antinausea med, ondansetron. It works by a different mechanism than cerenia, so you can give both at the same time. It's a human med, so I don't know if you would have the same issues with vet prescription in the UK :(.

2) food aversion. When they feel sick, cats tend to develop negative associations with the food they were eating/offered at the time. Things they once loved may be shunned. At this point, you aren't worried in the least about carbs, you just want him to eat, so try anything. If he has developed an aversion to everything that's "good for him", well, you can deal with it later, after you get him eating at least some junk food. Sometimes they just need to get kick-started with something, then they will eat on their own. Try anything.

3) Caninsulin itself. I have heard of cats for whom caninsulin just didn't agree with them. It's not common but it is possible. A more common complaint is just that caninsulin produces wild swings of numbers (which you are seeing). It is possible that that last thing (caninsulin's wild swings) is contributing to Kozmo's feeling poorly, I just worry about making that assumption, switching to Lantus, and watching him go further downhill as the depot fills.

Has he always felt this way since he started the caninsulin? I know it probably seems like it since he's only been on it a month and already had two episodes of ketones/DKA :(, what I'm wondering is if the downturn was rapid after starting the insulin, or if there was any kind of lag in which he seemed to be improving. It would help us to guess (and it would be a guess :nailbiting: ) if the problem was with the Caninsulin specifically, and whether it might be worth the risk to switch to Lantus even at this delicate stage.

Meanwhile: it's great that he's still negative for ketones, but if he does not eat for you soon, you are going to have to move to assist feeding (with a feeding syringe) to get some food into him. Do you have any feeding syringes at home, or can you get them today (Sunday)?
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Oh no, poor Kozmo! And poor you...

The issue with lantus is this: because it is a "depot" insulin, it can take a few cycles before you see the full effect of a particular dose. For a cat teetering on the edge of ketones and not eating well (like Kozmo), that would be like skipping or reducing doses at exactly the wrong time. When treating ketones/DKA at the vet, they often use even faster-acting insulin than Caninsulin, because time is of the essence and ketones can develop so fast. Ideally, we would concentrate on getting Kozmo eating as the most important thing right now, get him stable, and then think about switching insulins.

That said... I think we do want to discuss options here, because something isn't working for Kozmo. The question is, is it the Caninsulin (directly or indirectly), or something else, and what can we do about it? Putting aside some unknown medical issue, we have for a start:

1) nausea. Is he showing overt signs of nausea (lip-licking, approaching food then turning away)? One option might be to add another antinausea med, ondansetron. It works by a different mechanism than cerenia, so you can give both at the same time. It's a human med, so I don't know if you would have the same issues with vet prescription in the UK :(.

2) food aversion. When they feel sick, cats tend to develop negative associations with the food they were eating/offered at the time. Things they once loved may be shunned. At this point, you aren't worried in the least about carbs, you just want him to eat, so try anything. If he has developed an aversion to everything that's "good for him", well, you can deal with it later, after you get him eating at least some junk food. Sometimes they just need to get kick-started with something, then they will eat on their own. Try anything.

3) Caninsulin itself. I have heard of cats for whom caninsulin just didn't agree with them. It's not common but it is possible. A more common complaint is just that caninsulin produces wild swings of numbers (which you are seeing). It is possible that that last thing (caninsulin's wild swings) is contributing to Kozmo's feeling poorly, I just worry about making that assumption, switching to Lantus, and watching him go further downhill as the depot fills.

Has he always felt this way since he started the caninsulin? I know it probably seems like it since he's only been on it a month and already had two episodes of ketones/DKA :(, what I'm wondering is if the downturn was rapid after starting the insulin, or if there was any kind of lag in which he seemed to be improving. It would help us to guess (and it would be a guess :nailbiting: ) if the problem was with the Caninsulin specifically, and whether it might be worth the risk to switch to Lantus even at this delicate stage.

Meanwhile: it's great that he's still negative for ketones, but if he does not eat for you soon, you are going to have to move to assist feeding (with a feeding syringe) to get some food into him. Do you have any feeding syringes at home, or can you get them today (Sunday)?
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Thank you so, so much for replying, Nan. Kozmo has just woken and came into the kitchen looking for food - he ate a chicken mini fillet. We also tested for ketones and thankfully it's still a negative result. He's now begging for his naughty kibble (pre diagnosis food)... and he's now eating a lot of them. This is good. It should be noted that he's never been a big eater and rarely shows interest in any type of food apart from chicken.

Caninsulin isn't doing any favours for Kozmo at all, in fact, his levels are blowing sky high at each end of his cycles and it's getting worse. We haven't had any kind of normal behaviour since his diagnosis. He sleeps most of the day and night, wobbles around and stares at the walls. It's awful. We understand that Lantus is a depot and it'll take time to adjust, but Caninsulin appears to be doing him more harm than good and if we keep going on it, we'll very likely be back at the vet because I don't think he can tolerate such consistently high levels.

As at 10 days ago his blood tests weren't indicating any underlying condition, and of course we can't say for sure without invasive testing. Kozmo won't tolerate his belly being touched and would need a general anaesthetic.

The vet prescribed 1 unit of Lantus, does this sound like the right dose? Kozmo weighs 3.8kg We want to do what's right for Kozmo and it seems that moving to Lantus couldn't be worse than continuing on Caninsulin. We're ready to rush him to the vet either way.
 
Hooray for Kozmo eating! Atta boy!

When switching to Lantus, you would do the same dose as Caninsulin, 2.0U. It's higher than the usual starting dose, so I understand (and approve!) that your vet prescribed 1.0U, but in this case it would be better to start higher.

Hmmm.... I have to say, hearing about how Kozmo is doing I am really leaning towards recommending the switch soon. Not immediately, let's wait a bit for others to weigh in, and to make sure that Kozmo keeps up the eating (he probably will now that he's gotten access to his old forbidden foods!).

Tagging @Bron and Sheba (GA) and @Sienne and Gabby (GA) on this question too.
 
I've worried myself sick today with his condition, but my husband, Neil says I've been falling down the rabbit hole unnecessarily because Kozmo has actually been eating after AM+5 and he'd consumed 1.5 pouches of wet food between midnight and 5am (which is two hours before his AMPS).

Kozmo has been deteriorating more each day that he's been on Caninsulin. He's been a zombie since we brought him home from hospital post diagnosis and it's getting worse. This morning his levels stayed higher post shot for much longer than previous days (at 500+) and it's now 1.5 hours before his PMPS and he's already 500+.

You'll see from his SS that yesterday he zoomed from a lovely +9 154.8 to an awful 543.6 an hour later.

My husband despises the effect Caninsulin is having on Kozzie and doesn't want to administer another dose of it, and I understand how he feels because with the high levels Kozzie's consistently suffering, he's unlikely to reach the ideal criteria we were hoping for before switching to Lantus.
 
Part of the problem is that some cats get very limited duration with Caninsulin. With Lantus, you get longer duration but it can take a week for the numbers to start to come down. In addition, Kosmo is bouncing. For example, what you're describing yesterday is a bounce and you can see the same pattern on 5/7. Bounces aren't dangerous. The big swings can make your kitty feel crummy, though. So between the bounce and limited duration, you're seeing high numbers.

It would help enormously if you could update your spreadsheet. I've got a couple of thoughts but I'm not confident of making any suggestions without more recent information on your spreadsheet. I don't think you have anything to lose with starting Lantus.
 
Annie was Kozmo tested for pancreatitis? He would have needed a specific test called a Spec fPL ( which would give a number ) or a Snap fPL(which would have said yes or no). If he had a painful tummy that could be pancreatitis and he may need pain medication and it would be contributing to the nausea. Pancreatitis is very treatable.
If he hasn’t had that test done I think it would be very worth while doing it.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Part of the problem is that some cats get very limited duration with Caninsulin. With Lantus, you get longer duration but it can take a week for the numbers to start to come down. In addition, Kosmo is bouncing. For example, what you're describing yesterday is a bounce and you can see the same pattern on 5/7. Bounces aren't dangerous. The big swings can make your kitty feel crummy, though. So between the bounce and limited duration, you're seeing high numbers.

It would help enormously if you could update your spreadsheet. I've got a couple of thoughts but I'm not confident of making any suggestions without more recent information on your spreadsheet. I don't think you have anything to lose with starting Lantus.
Click to expand...
Thank you for helping, Sienne. I’m not sure what you mean by not updating my SS, I input info the moment we have it. Should we be testing every hour? We’re trying our best xxx
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Annie was Kozmo tested for pancreatitis? He would have needed a specific test called a Spec fPL ( which would give a number ) or a Snap fPL(which would have said yes or no). If he had a painful tummy that could be pancreatitis and he may need pain medication and it would be contributing to the nausea. Pancreatitis is very treatable.
If he hasn’t had that test done I think it would be very worth while doing it.
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Morning Bron, the vet told us they tested Kozmo for pancreatitis and the results were negative. He’s on Gabapentin for arthritic pain.
 
Spreadsheet looks up-to-date to me, just (of course) missing data for the days Kozmo was at the vet. Those gaps may be what Sienne was wondering about.

I see you've made the switch already. Fingers crossed this insulin agrees with Kozmo and gets him feeling better soon!
 
I’ve just seen @Nan & Amber (GA) post and it looks like you have swapped to Lantus. Make sure you test the ketones every chance you get, at least twice a day.
I’m glad Kozmo is eating again. I know I keep saying this but it’s really really important he eats as much as you can get him to eat.
If he will only eat dry food at the moment that is ok. The most important thing is he eats! Hills has MD dry which is about 17% carbs. He might eat that.
When Sheba had Pancreatitis and would not eat I used to give her the hills MD dry as I knew she would usually eat it, she normally never got it. I would put out a portion and keep offering small amounts and it soon added up

Now that you have swapped to Lantus please post every day and keep the SS up to date with the BGs, the amount of food eaten and the ketone results.

There is another antinausea tablet called ondansetron (zofran) which is also very good and works on a different pathway so often works if cerenia doesn’t. It can be given every8 hours and at the same time as cerenia. It is a human drug and your vet would need to write a script for it and you would collect from the pharmacy. My vet hadn’t heard of it but prescribed it for Sheba after researching it. Normal dose is 4 mg of ondansetron.
 
Another thought. I am wondering if the gabapentin is making him drowsy/lethargic. It looks like he is having 25 mg twice a day. Is that correct?
Since he’s been sick and not eating a lot it could possibly be too big a dose at the moment. It’s just a thought but I would consult your vet about it before changing the dose.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Another thought. I am wondering if the gabapentin is making him drowsy/lethargic. It looks like he is having 25 mg twice a day. Is that correct?
Since he’s been sick and not eating a lot it could possibly be too big a dose at the moment. It’s just a thought but I would consult your vet about it before changing the dose.
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Hi Bron, Kozmo woke with an AMPS of 29.3 and while it’s still in the black, it’s most definitely lower than his recent pre shot levels and lower than his PM+8 HI. He’s eating again and drinking, and his urine output appears to be back to normal (he peed way too much yesterday). His breath is no longer fruity and he has no ketones which is an incredible relief after his behaviour over the last two days.

Gabapentin most makes Kozmo drowsy for a period after administration but it’s what we call his ‘gaba snooze’. He stretches out in his favourite position with what looks like a smile on his face, and he snores lightly (he’s currently stretched out on me). We know he’s okay when he sleeps like that. He’s alert and responsive when we wake him up. When the Gabapentin wears off, he becomes fidgety (finds it hard to find a comfortable position - his pelvis is a mess), agitated and jumps at noises. It has increased Kozmo’s interest in food.

When Kozmo’s feeling crappy it’s completely different - it’s hard to explain but we just know. He gets dead eyes and body, like the lights are on but no one’s home.

I’ll keep filling out our SS religiously, tracking levels, food and ketones. I’d be lost without it. We’ve been testing ketones two or more times a day and will keep doing so for as long as needed. We’ll also keep checking his BG four-hourly until someone advises differently.

I’ve looked at the sticky notes on the Lantus forum and am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the rules. Shall I post there from now on? When shall I drop the ‘new member’ from my titles? Do I post every day even if we have no questions? I think I just answered my own question because it sounded like a silly one haha
 
I’m glad to hear he’s eating again and drinking.
What sort of dry food do you have? Don’t be afraid to use it at the moment if it helps him eat more. We had one DKA kitties not long ago who stayed on dry food for several weeks because he wouldn’t eat anything much else and there were the odd ketones popping up. It’s not ideal but eating trumps everything.
Yes you could post over on the Lantus forum now. When you post ... in the subject line you put in the date, cats name and the AMPS. then you could add... 1 week post DKA, just started Lantus.
That will get eyes. And you start a new thread every day and link the previous days thread to it for continuity.
Because he’s just had DKA we often increase the dose quicker than normal if ketones are present or the BG is too high. Because he’s eating some dry food at the moment ( and that’s ok) he can’t do tight regulation but DKA trumps it all so if you can post daily we can take it one day at a time. Don’t stress about knowing everything about Lantus. We can help you and you will pick it up. Your job is to feed, test the BG, give insulin and document everything. Ask as many questions as you like. There are no silly questions!
How often are you offering food?

Are you working from home or do you leave for the day?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I’m glad to hear he’s eating again and drinking.
What sort of dry food do you have? Don’t be afraid to use it at the moment if it helps him eat more. We had one DKA kitties not long ago who stayed on dry food for several weeks because he wouldn’t eat anything much else and there were the odd ketones popping up. It’s not ideal but eating trumps everything.
Yes you could post over on the Lantus forum now. When you post ... in the subject line you put in the date, cats name and the AMPS. then you could add... 1 week post DKA, just started Lantus.
That will get eyes. And you start a new thread every day and link the previous days thread to it for continuity.
Because he’s just had DKA we often increase the dose quicker than normal if ketones are present or the BG is too high. Because he’s eating some dry food at the moment ( and that’s ok) he can’t do tight regulation but DKA trumps it all so if you can post daily we can take it one day at a time. Don’t stress about knowing everything about Lantus. We can help you and you will pick it up. Your job is to feed, test the BG, give insulin and document everything. Ask as many questions as you like. There are no silly questions!
How often are you offering food?

Are you working from home or do you leave for the day?
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Thanks so much Bron - that’s put me at ease about the Lantus forum. Kozmo’s definitely picked up today, he actually groom himself a little for the first time since diagnoses and I’ve noted it on his SS. He’s alert and showing interest in going outside - he’s an indoor cat for the last 2.5 years but is allowed to sit outside when we’re out.

We try to feed Kozmo every time he walks into the kitchen which, on average, is two-hourly. He’s happily eating his pre-diagnoses wet food today (Whiskas 7+ poultry in gravy which shows 7.097% carbs in the CarbCal app - I’ve heard it’s not entirely accurate though but it appears to be relatively okay when compared to carb calculations on the FDMB U.K. recommended food chart). We have 0% carb wet food on hand when he stabilises.

His naughty dry food is Purina One Bifdnsis Senior+ which is an awful 41.5% carbs on the app. We’re only offering that to him when he won’t touch anything else and he’s not interested in it today - wet food is his choice today. We have Ziwi Peak air-dried chicken dry food which is on the FDMB food list but he’s not interested in it and again, we’d only use it as a last resort if wet food and trickery doesn’t work.
 
Annie & Kozmo said:
Thanks so much Bron - that’s put me at ease about the Lantus forum. Kozmo’s definitely picked up today, he actually groom himself a little for the first time since diagnoses and I’ve noted it on his SS. He’s alert and showing interest in going outside - he’s an indoor cat for the last 2.5 years but is allowed to sit outside when we’re out.

We try to feed Kozmo every time he walks into the kitchen which, on average, is two-hourly. He’s happily eating his pre-diagnoses wet food today (Whiskas 7+ poultry in gravy which shows 7.097% carbs in the CarbCal app - I’ve heard it’s not entirely accurate though but it appears to be relatively okay when compared to carb calculations on the FDMB U.K. recommended food chart). We have 0% carb wet food on hand when he stabilises.

His naughty dry food is Purina One Bifdnsis Senior+ which is an awful 41.5% carbs on the app. We’re only offering that to him when he won’t touch anything else and he’s not interested in it today - wet food is his choice today. We have Ziwi Peak air-dried chicken dry food which is on the FDMB food list but he’s not interested in it and again, we’d only use it as a last resort if wet food and trickery doesn’t work.
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I’m so glad he’s feeling better. That’s great news. It’s awful when they are sick!
Everyone in the Lantus forum is lovely. They have rules because so many people post and by starting a new thread every day it means the posts don’t get too long as the helpers need to read all the info. And by linking the previous post it means we can go back and read further if we need to.
You don’t need 0% carbs. Many cats do better in around 5% carbs. Anything under 10% is ok.
 
Ah, so nice to see that Kozmo is already starting to get some action out of the lantus-- good sign!

One thing to keep an eye out for: if the Caninsulin (itself) was making Kozmo feel yucky, it may have been inflating the numbers. The 2.0U was a "good" dose for him then, but as the Lantus depot fills, keep a close eye on him to see if it might not be too much on that insulin.

You are already doing an excellent job testing, so this is just a little heads-up for the future. Only Kozmo knows what will actually happen, but it never hurts to be prepared! Make sure you have plenty of hypo supplies on hand and post here if you start getting numbers that are lower than you are used to. He's nowhere near that territory right now, of course.

How is he feeling today? Still looking perkier and grooming, etc.?
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Ah, so nice to see that Kozmo is already starting to get some action out of the lantus-- good sign!

One thing to keep an eye out for: if the Caninsulin (itself) was making Kozmo feel yucky, it may have been inflating the numbers. The 2.0U was a "good" dose for him then, but as the Lantus depot fills, keep a close eye on him to see if it might not be too much on that insulin.

You are already doing an excellent job testing, so this is just a little heads-up for the future. Only Kozmo knows what will actually happen, but it never hurts to be prepared! Make sure you have plenty of hypo supplies on hand and post here if you start getting numbers that are lower than you are used to. He's nowhere near that territory right now, of course.

How is he feeling today? Still looking perkier and grooming, etc.?
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Nan, that makes total sense and we’ll keep a close watch on his numbers. We’re planning on PM +2, +4 and +6 tonight and more in between if needed and more after that if needed.

Neil’s a worthy husband, I might keep him haha. We both love our pets equally and wouldn’t dream of making just one of us shoulder the responsibility alone. We’ve been doing this together and are thanking our lucky stars that this happened during lockdown when both of us are home. x
 
Annie & Kozmo said:
Neil’s a worthy husband, I might keep him haha. We both love our pets equally and wouldn’t dream of making just one of us shoulder the responsibility alone. We’ve been doing this together and are thanking our lucky stars that this happened during lockdown when both of us are home. x
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The very same in this household.;):bighug::)
 
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