When to lower dose.

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We need a lot more information in order to be of some help.
  • Which insulin are you using?
  • What is the dose?
  • How long has your cat been diabetic and how long has your kitty been at this dose?
  • What was the pre-shot number?
First, 300 is a very safe number. We would want to see where the numbers are at nadir. Generally, you don't need to reduce the dose unless numbers drop below 90.

We are very numbers driven. It sounds like you're home testing which is a great place to start. It's very hard to offer any guidance unless we can appreciate the bigger picture since our emphasis is to help with dosing but more importantly, to insure your cat is safe. It would help if you could take a look at this link to a post that's about helping us to help you. It will give you instruction on how to set up your signature so we know more about your cat and also provides instructions on how to set up a spreadsheet that will allow you to track your cat's progress and that we can similarly view. I'm tagging one of our members who can help with your spreadsheet should you need a hand. (@Bandit's Mom )
 
Thank you. Will do spread sheet when I am home with computer since the link recommends that. Vader is newly diagnosed. One month on lantus. 2 units twice a day. Until last week we were using the pen tops made for lantus pen but vet recommended a syringe since we had reached 28 days on pen and only 40 units were gone. After 6 days on correct dose it dropped his mid day reading from 430 to 300. Not sure if/ when to adjust dose and vet is closed. Want to make sure he won't drop to low after night dose since we can't monitor him like daytime
 
As Sienne mentioned we need a lot more info and the spreadsheet set up
One Lantus should last at least almost 6 months depending on the dose

28 days refers to humans and don't have to be refrigerated
We all use syringes and draw out the insulin from the pen
Do you have the syringes with half unit markings
The signature is at the end of everyone's post in gray, do you see mine?
Once you have everything set up members will be able to help you

At night time you need to get at least one test in after his PMPS, maybe @+3 and if possible @+6
Depending on his numbers you may have to test more
I will give you the Lantus link so you can read about the 2 dosing methods
you will need to choose one, they will tell you when you should increase or decrease the dose
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom said:
As Sienne mentioned we need a lot more info and the spreadsheet set up
One Lantus should last at least almost 6 months depending on the dose

28 days refers to humans and don't have to be refrigerated
We all use syringes and draw out the insulin from the pen
Do you have the syringes with half unit markings
The signature is at the end of everyone's post in gray, do you see mine?
Once you have everything set up members will be able to help you

At night time you need to get at least one test in after his PMPS, maybe @+3 and if possible @+6
Depending on his numbers you may have to test more
I will give you the Lantus link so you can read about the 2 dosing methods
you will need to choose one, they will tell you when you should increase or decrease the dose
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/
Click to expand...
Am I understanding that I don't have to throw out pen after 28 days? It says on pen and vet said same. This link mentions a human test kit vet had us get a pet one. Alpha trak 2
 
Angel T Cappell said:
Am I understanding that I don't have to throw out pen after 28 days? It says on pen and vet said same. This link mentions a human test kit vet had us get a pet one. Alpha trak 2
Click to expand...
Hi Angel no you don't have to throw away the pen at all.

Glargine/Lantus or any of the biosimilars (generics) last far longer than 28 days. Barring any problems, you should be able to use a pen until you run out of insulin in the pen. I used a pen for almost 6 months . (The pharmaceutical company only ran tests for a 28 day period since they were developing the insulin for humans who use much larger doses than our cats.)

It is only humans who carry their insulin around with them. For cats, insulin is kept in the fridge, taken out twice a day for shots

When you keep them in the fridge put the on the middle shelf never on the door
If you have more than one pen they will be good until the expiration date on them, as long as they are kept in the fridge
 
Angel T Cappell said:
This link mentions a human test kit vet had us get a pet one. Alpha trak 2
Click to expand...
Sure the vet told you to get the Alpha Trak because that's what they use
The strips are crazy expensive as you know
Most of us use human meters

I got one when I first started , then I found out from the members here that you can use a human meter. So I told my vet that I'm switching to a human meter because I couldn't afford the test strips for the Alpha Trak
She had no problem with that
Before they came out with pet meters they used human meters

Since you already have the pet meter and your vet wants to do a curve , tell her you will do it at home.
Some vets don't even understand using a human meter

If you live in the US you can go buy
The Relion Premier Classic Meter from Walmart it's 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...V7waICR13uAoBEAQYASABEgJlffD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

17.88 for 100 test strips
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197

You can use the pet meter if your vet wants a curve done and use the human meter the rest of the time , or just tell her you can't afford the strips
To be honest I don't even take Tyler to my vet anymore , he's in remission now, but after he was diagnosed and I started testing at home I never took him to the get unless he was sick .
I am fortunate I gave a wonderful vet and she always has let me do what I wanted when it came to dosing and testing. If it wasn't for the members here Tyler wouldn't be in remission today , I followed their advice
 
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If you can do your signature and set up your spreadsheet and enter the numbers you already have that would be helpful
If you have trouble with it just ask and I will have one of our members contact you and will do it for you, just ask
 
If you look at Gabby's spreadsheet in my signature, I marked when I started a new pen. A pen would last roughly 3 months. The 28 day issue is what the manufacturer recommends because they never tested out beyond 28 days since it's highly likely that humans use up the insulin in a pen in 28 days or less. Humans are generally needing more insulin than cats!

Many people here use human meters. As Diane noted, the strips for an AlphaTrack cost about $1.00 per strip. The Relion meter is very popular because of the cost. 100 strips run around $17.00. It's far more economical. I used a Bayer Contour and the most I ever paid for strips was $25.00 for 100 strips. The other issue with AlphaTrack strips is that the only way to buy them is on line. If you are running out of strips, there's no brick and mortar store where you can get them in an emergency. The final issue is that the dosing methods that we use here were developed using a human meter. The pet meters have become popular in the last few years.. When I first joined FDMB, the AT meter was not widely used.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Hi Angel no you don't have to throw away the pen at all.

Glargine/Lantus or any of the biosimilars (generics) last far longer than 28 days. Barring any problems, you should be able to use a pen until you run out of insulin in the pen. I used a pen for almost 6 months . (The pharmaceutical company only ran tests for a 28 day period since they were developing the insulin for humans who use much larger doses than our cats.)

It is only humans who carry their insulin around with them. For cats, insulin is kept in the fridge, taken out twice a day for shots

When you keep them in the fridge put the on the middle shelf never on the door
If you have more than one pen they will be good until the expiration date on them, as long as they are kept in the fridge
Click to expand...
Thank you. That will save a lot of money. Ive been keeping it out of fridge after opening like it says. One I'm using has been out of fridge for about three days. Can I start putting it in fridge and use longer or start with next pen that way? Thanks for the advice
 
Angel T Cappell said:
One last question. Do you warm up whole pen before injection or fill syringe and let it get warm?
Click to expand...
I have never warmed it up for Tyler , if you want to you can fill the syringe and wait 5 minutes if you want to. Does it bother him if it's cold?


Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.


If you need help I see that Bhooma @Bandit's Mom offered to set everything up for you
Let us know
 
Angel T Cappell said:
One last question. Do you warm up whole pen before injection or fill syringe and let it get warm?
Click to expand...
Unless you have a high-dose cat (>~5 units), the heat capacity of the syringe will sufficiently warm the insulin. For large does, just let the filled syringe stay at room temperature for 5 minutes or greater.
 
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