Hi Celia....Welcome to the Lantus boat and the FDMB. You'll find a wealth of information here and people who care about you and Loki. This is a very busy place, as you can see, so make sure you have all the information in your signature and your thread so the more experienced members here can tell what's going on at a glance. You'll want to put the date, Cat Name at least an amps # and, in this case, your question. (i.e.: 8/19/Nova-amps 254--question about yada yada...) Use the prefix of a question mark too.
I'm not an expert, but I can say it is very hard to tell if lantus is the right insulin for your cat because, quite frankly, you really do not have enough data to tell yet. From what I see on the spreadsheet, you've only been dosing for 3 days? It takes time for the lantus depot to fully form, and it takes even longer for your cat to adjust to receiving insulin, hence the bouncy #s.
Lantus works best when given at the same dose, at the same time every day, until an increase or deduction is needed based on Loki's lowest reading throughout the cycle in a period of time. To use a sliding scale based on any given shot, especially before giving insulin is not the way to go. I do want to give you many kudos for testing Loki.....you are keeping him safe.
Please read the stickies at the top of the lantus forum, especially the dosing methods, and the Basics. And read any and everything else you can when you have time.
I'm sure someone else will chime in when they can. Hang in there and remember...dealing with Feline Diabetes is a journey....for some it's a short one, and for most others there is a long road ahead with many forks in the road.
Hi Celia....Welcome to the Lantus boat and the FDMB. You'll find a wealth of information here and people who care about you and Loki. This is a very busy place, as you can see, so make sure you have all the information in your signature and your thread so the more experienced members here can tell what's going on at a glance. You'll want to put the date, Cat Name at least an amps # and, in this case, your question. (i.e.: 8/19/Nova-amps 254--question about yada yada...) Use the prefix of a question mark too.
I'm not an expert, but I can say it is very hard to tell if lantus is the right insulin for your cat because, quite frankly, you really do not have enough data to tell yet. From what I see on the spreadsheet, you've only been dosing for 3 days? It takes time for the lantus depot to fully form, and it takes even longer for your cat to adjust to receiving insulin, hence the bouncy #s.
Lantus works best when given at the same dose, at the same time every day, until an increase or deduction is needed based on Loki's lowest reading throughout the cycle in a period of time. To use a sliding scale based on any given shot, especially before giving insulin is not the way to go. I do want to give you many kudos for testing Loki.....you are keeping him safe.
Please read the stickies at the top of the lantus forum, especially the dosing methods, and the Basics. And read any and everything else you can when you have time.
I'm sure someone else will chime in when they can. Hang in there and remember...dealing with Feline Diabetes is a journey....for some it's a short one, and for most others there is a long road ahead with many forks in the road.
You are so very kind & generous....Loki is incredibly lucky to have you care for him!! I'm sure the information you received here in the past will serve you well this time around. Four years must seem like 4 days when the anniversary rolls around.
Yes - it feels all too close - I miss her terribly. But glad she trained me well.You are so very kind & generous....Loki is incredibly lucky to have you care for him!! I'm sure the information you received here in the past will serve you well this time around. Four years must seem like 4 days when the anniversary rolls around.
I'm sure other will come along and offer their thoughts.
Thank you!! I will remove the dry from his food. Lucky wouldn't eat dry - Loki will but he eats wet just as well.Welcome Back!! Great job getting that signature set up. And wonderful job testing. Since you had a sweet one before you know how critical testing is. Don't have to convince you to do that
One thing I noticed from your signature is you're using a mix of wet and dry for Loki? When following the TR dosing guidelines kitties can only be on a diet of LC canned food or a raw diet. If kitty has dry food in their diet, which can't be removed, SLGS is the dosing method recommended. There's just not enough known about feeding dry food and attempting TR. The study that TR is based from was using a LC canned food diet. I'm thinking immediate carb availability would be the primary reason. Unfortunately if you want to try TR with Loki, he's going to have to give up the dry food. Hope that made sense. And Loki may just decide he's not having it. Dry food junkie
Linda has made you aware that Lantus likes consistency. Consistent doses and times. Adjustments are made based on nadir(low point in the cycle). Dose adjustments are also based on the doing guidelines you follow.
Just some things for you to think over.
Thank you - I will look to stay awake later tomorrow. - I work with east coast firms so usually go to bed very early since day starts very early here on the west coast.It takes a while to see how an insulin will work in a cat. It's a hormone, not a drug, so the cats body has to learn to work with it. We are talking in terms of months, not days, before deciding if Lantus is not a good fit. Lantus will truly teach you patience.
As others have said, on this message board, with the dosing methods we use, we find it better to give consistent dosing with Lantus. I'd also recommend getting some tests in at night. A test just before bed is a good one. We decide how to dose Lantus based on how low it takes the cat, and many cats go lower at night.