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Jswick8991

Jswick8991

Member Since 2026
Hi everybody, I have a bit of a genetic anomaly of a cat. She is just over 2 and a half and she was diagnosed at 10 weeks old.
She was on vetsulin up until a week and a half ago.
It wasn’t bringing her low enough or lasting long enough. My new vet switched her to lantus. Since day 1 of lantus this has been a complete stressful whirlwind of a time.
I’m not sure where to post about her numbers and what not so starting here and waiting for guidance.
Thank you everyone for keeping this page going!
 
Welcome to FDMB
Yu are in the right place it is good you changed insulins, Lantus and ProZinc are the best insulin for a cats they are a 12-hour insulin and easy on the cats system, I will tag several members that can assist you with Lantus
@Wendy&Neko
@Staci & Ivy
 
I am interested in possibly switching to the human meter at least until shes regulated. AT strips are killing my pocket lol. Any advice with that would be appreciated!
 
Most of all of our members use the ReliOn Premier human monitor and strips, purchased at Walmart the meter is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100 is always good to have extra strips. we mostly base our umbers on this meter, or any other human meter
 
CORKY said:
Most of all of our members use the ReliOn Premier human monitor and strips, purchased at Walmart the meter is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100 is always good to have extra strips. we mostly base our umbers on this meter, or any other human meter
Click to expand...
Is there a variation in accuracy vs the alpha trak?
 
Actually the Alpha reads a bit higher,,we base our numbers on human teets most of all our members have used or switched
 
CORKY said:
Actually the Alpha reads a bit higher,,we base our numbers on human teets most of all our members have used or switched
Click to expand...
Interesting... i think im going to pick one up tomorrow and see how it goes. im almost out of AT strips now.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Hello and welcome. Holley has beautiful eyes!!

You're going to like Lantus! It's much better at getting them regulated. On your spreadsheet, please add under "Insulin," that she is currently on Lantus as of (date); previously on Vetsulin.

With Lantus, most of us follow one of two dosing methods, which are outlined here, in case you haven't read them yet: Sticky - Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)
Click to expand...
I fixed the spreadsheet. Im really hoping she regulates soon, this no sleep is killing me! But shes worth it. Shes bouncing so much its getting discouraging :(
 
Regarding the night time cycles, you are testing her adequately until she begins to go up in the cycle. She is having some big drops from the preshot. When they have big drops from the PS, are you feeding her a LC/MC food to flatten out the drop? Here's a good sticky that explains using food to manipulate the curve: 8/10 TASHIE pmps=HIGH! +Questions***
 
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Mary & Jude said:
Regarding the night time cycles, you are testing her adequately until she begins to go up in the cycle. She is having some big drops from the preshot. When they have big drops from the PS, are you feeding her a LC/MC food to flatten out the drop? Here a good sticky that explains using food to manipulate the curve: 8/10 TASHIE pmps=HIGH! +Questions***
Click to expand...
Yes, im feeding her a little food at each test. The one night i ended up giving her a high carb food after 3 times of LC food. Then she finally started to come back up.
 
Those numbers on 1/9 might seem low to you if you aren't used to them. Were it Jude, I don't know that I would have given higher carb food to bump him out of the upper 70s/80s. I would have certainly continued monitoring him to ensure he didn't fall lower. For Jude (and every cat is different) when he falls into the mid-upper 60s, I begin monitoring more closely and decide if I need to carb manipulate to boost him a bit. As you move along, you'll gather more data to see how she responds to the insulin, and you can always post on the board if you are concerned about lower numbers. I think you already have a grasp on how food is used to boost numbers when/if they start falling low.

What likely did happen to Holley when she fell into the greens on 1/9 is that her body reacted to those unfamiliar lower numbers and she bounced, as you noted earlier. And then you took a dose reduction. So, the net effect of that is that you're seeing higher numbers now (though she still saw some nice blues last nigh, but that is likely because the .50U depot is still in play Sticky - What is the Insulin Depot?)).

Again, think about which dosing method you think you might want to follow as these methods guide us in knowing when to take reductions and increases. If you are considering TR, she cannot be receiving dry kibble--only wet food.

Also, at the risk of overly inundating you with information (sorry!), here is some information on what regulation looks like so you'll know the numbers you're aiming for: What is Regulation?
Jswick8991 said:
Is the Relion premier Bluetooth the same accuracy as the premier classic do you know?
Click to expand...
I use the premier classic, the cheapest one, and it works fine. And the test strips are much cheaper than the AT (I started out with the AT). I think all of the Relions have about the same level of accuracy.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Those numbers on 1/9 might seem low to you if you aren't used to them. Were it Jude, I don't know that I would have given higher carb food to bump him out of the upper 70s/80s. I would have certainly continued monitoring him to ensure he didn't fall lower. For Jude (and every cat is different) when he falls into the mid-upper 60s, I begin monitoring more closely and decide if I need to carb manipulate to boost him a bit. As you move along, you'll gather more data to see how she responds to the insulin, and you can always post on the board if you are concerned about lower numbers. I think you already have a grasp on how food is used to boost numbers when/if they start falling low.

What likely did happen to Holley when she fell into the greens on 1/9 is that her body reacted to those unfamiliar lower numbers and she bounced, as you noted earlier. And then you took a dose reduction. So, the net effect of that is that you're seeing higher numbers now (though she still saw some nice blues last nigh, but that is likely because the .50U depot is still in play Sticky - What is the Insulin Depot?)).

Again, think about which dosing method you think you might want to follow as these methods guide us in knowing when to take reductions and increases. If you are considering TR, she cannot be receiving dry kibble--only wet food.

Also, at the risk of overly inundating you with information (sorry!), here is some information on what regulation looks like so you'll know the numbers you're aiming for: What is Regulation?

I use the premier classic, the cheapest one, and it works fine. And the test strips are much cheaper than the AT (I started out with the AT). I think all of the Relions have about the same level of accuracy.
Click to expand...
Thank you for all that info. So should I go back to the 0.5?
She does not get any kibble at all, only wet food.
I’ll go through the link and see what works best. My schedule is rough. So I just have to see what works for that. I appreciate all of you so much! The last week or so I’ve been so on edge. I just have to learn what numbers are ok so I don’t panic.
When she was on the vetsulin she never got below like 110.
 
I don’t see any data for yesterday pm, but I think it would be worth holding onto 0.25u for a few more cycles. She is likely bouncing.

From the basics sticky:

Bouncing - is simply a reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BG in the 200s, 300s or higher for a long time, then even a BG of 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the BG drops too low and/or too fast. The pancreas, then the liver release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream. *Usually* bounces clear within 3 days (6 cycles).

You are currently testing enough to follow TR, so perhaps give it some thought in the meantime.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
I don’t see any data for yesterday pm, but I think it would be worth holding onto 0.25u for a few more cycles. She is likely bouncing.

From the basics sticky:

Bouncing - is simply a reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BG in the 200s, 300s or higher for a long time, then even a BG of 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the BG drops too low and/or too fast. The pancreas, then the liver release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream. *Usually* bounces clear within 3 days (6 cycles).

You are currently testing enough to follow TR, so perhaps give it some thought in the meantime.
Click to expand...
I haven’t had chance to update it yet but she was 335 preshot last night. And 326 preshot today.
I’ve been testing as much as I have since I’m worried about her going too low.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Those numbers on 1/9 might seem low to you if you aren't used to them. Were it Jude, I don't know that I would have given higher carb food to bump him out of the upper 70s/80s. I would have certainly continued monitoring him to ensure he didn't fall lower. For Jude (and every cat is different) when he falls into the mid-upper 60s, I begin monitoring more closely and decide if I need to carb manipulate to boost him a bit. As you move along, you'll gather more data to see how she responds to the insulin, and you can always post on the board if you are concerned about lower numbers. I think you already have a grasp on how food is used to boost numbers when/if they start falling low.

What likely did happen to Holley when she fell into the greens on 1/9 is that her body reacted to those unfamiliar lower numbers and she bounced, as you noted earlier. And then you took a dose reduction. So, the net effect of that is that you're seeing higher numbers now (though she still saw some nice blues last nigh, but that is likely because the .50U depot is still in play Sticky - What is the Insulin Depot?)).

Again, think about which dosing method you think you might want to follow as these methods guide us in knowing when to take reductions and increases. If you are considering TR, she cannot be receiving dry kibble--only wet food.

Also, at the risk of overly inundating you with information (sorry!), here is some information on what regulation looks like so you'll know the numbers you're aiming for: What is Regulation?

I use the premier classic, the cheapest one, and it works fine. And the test strips are much cheaper than the AT (I started out with the AT). I think all of the Relions have about the same level of accuracy.
Click to expand...
I picked up the relion premier this morning. I tested on both devices and her am preshots were
AT-326
Relion-280
 
Would you please add your name or what you would like for us to call you to your signature?

Since you have Holley's spreadsheet set up and your signature completed, I think it's okay for you to start posting in the Lantus forum, if you would like. Here are the guidelines for posting there. It's a really busy forum, so they have some guidelines in place to keep things organized. Info - POSTING GUIDELINES PLEASE READ. You'll want to create a new post for each day to keep post lengths from getting too long.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Would you please add your name or what you would like for us to call you to your signature?

Since you have Holley's spreadsheet set up and your signature completed, I think it's okay for you to start posting in the Lantus forum, if you would like. Here are the guidelines for posting there. It's a really busy forum, so they have some guidelines in place to keep things organized. Info - POSTING GUIDELINES PLEASE READ. You'll want to create a new post for each day to keep post lengths from getting too long.
Click to expand...
Ok I’ll look into the guidelines for that. Also is there somewhere I can get schooled on using human glucometer since the numbers will be different than I’m used to with the AT3?
 
Jswick8991 said:
Will the panic numbers be different now? or still the same? Sorry im super lost with the human meter.
Click to expand...
The numbers are different. If you'll look at Jude's sheet from 2025, you'll see where I switched from the Alpha Trak to a Relion earlier in the year. When I switched over, I copied the new numbers into my spreadsheet, and then I made changes to the conditional formatting so that the numbers would have the correct colors in the boxes. If you're familiar with Google sheets, you can try to make those changes as well. Or if that seems too difficult, you can wait and see if one of the folks I tagged earlier can help.
 
Mary & Jude said:
The numbers are different. If you'll look at Jude's sheet from 2025, you'll see where I switched from the Alpha Trak to a Relion earlier in the year. When I switched over, I copied the new numbers into my spreadsheet, and then I made changes to the conditional formatting so that the numbers would have the correct colors in the boxes. If you're familiar with Google sheets, you can try to make those changes as well. Or if that seems too difficult, you can wait and see if one of the folks I tagged earlier can help.
Click to expand...
i just made a new SS. Copied my old info over. Hopefully it worked.
 
Jswick8991 said:
Im so used to the AT numbers, and i know the human meters run lower. I just dont like change 🤣 but change is good. I was so nervous just switching to lantus, hence the OCD testing.
Click to expand...
When I switched, I found it be pretty easy. The change is really in the lower numbers. But I know that change is change, and it can be difficult sometimes. And there is always so much to think about with feline diabetes! You're doing SUCH a good job getting Holley situated with the new insulin and all the other changes. Give yourself a pat on the back or at least accept my virtual back-pat and cudos for all your hard work.
 
Mary & Jude said:
When I switched, I found it be pretty easy. The change is really in the lower numbers. But I know that change is change, and it can be difficult sometimes. And there is always so much to think about with feline diabetes! You're doing SUCH a good job getting Holley situated with the new insulin and all the other changes. Give yourself a pat on the back or at least accept my virtual back-pat and cudos for all your hard work.
Click to expand...
Thank you, im trying my best to not stress so the encouragement is appreciated! She gets her doses at 12p/12a so ill make my way there when i get to work around 3pm and can update everything.
 
Jswick8991 said:
Thank you, im trying my best to not stress so the encouragement is appreciated! She gets her doses at 12p/12a so ill make my way there when i get to work around 3pm and can update everything.
Click to expand...
Great! And no pressure! We just want you to know that you're welcome over there if you want to plug into the community.
 
Jswick8991 said:
Awesome, i gave up trying to convert the old one lol so i caved and just made a whole new one. Hopefully i can make this switch without being toooo paranoid 😩
Click to expand...
Sorry to be late to the conversation but I’ve been traveling.

That’s not the way it should be done because now your old data from the AT is not properly presented.

I’d like to go back to your AT SS and modify it. I’ll send you a PM.
 
Good morning . for +2 & +3 yesterday, on right top of the SS there's a paint bucket, click on it a down drop window will appear,, place your pointer on the cell go back to the colors and paint the cell you can put as many BGs as you wish on the same cell and the time as well for example +2 -92@1.5/ 67@10:30
You can get an idea with Corky's SS, doing better, did you gave carbs or syrup at +4? you should put that in remarks like you did with the Lc feedings, you're doing a great job
 
CORKY said:
Good morning . for +2 & +3 yesterday, on right top of the SS there's a paint bucket, click on it a down drop window will appear,, place your pointer on the cell go back to the colors and paint the cell you can put as many BGs as you wish on the same cell and the time as well for example +2 -92@1.5/ 67@10:30
You can get an idea with Corky's SS, doing better, did you gave carbs or syrup at +4? you should put that in remarks like you did with the Lc feedings, you're doing a great job
Click to expand...
I did try and color them. But from my phone it doesn’t give me the full color range.
She only got LC food.
 
CORKY said:
Yea with the phone is not feasible I do on my laptop
Click to expand...
I don’t have one. All I have is my PC at work. I’m not home right now, but I checked her before I left and she was 385 an hour ago I think that would be nine hours post shot.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
Sorry to be late to the conversation but I’ve been traveling.

That’s not the way it should be done because now your old data from the AT is not properly presented.

I’d like to go back to your AT SS and modify it. I’ll send you a PM.
Click to expand...
I thought I had everything transferred over and the number is still matched with the colors. I was pretty confident that I had it properly presented.
 
CORKY said:
it looks good, I will tag a couple of members to help you with that high BG, so when you get home you know what to do ;)
@Wendy&Neko
@squeem3
Click to expand...
Im home now, i fed and gave her 0.25u. Will get a 1.5 + bg before i leave for work. I think the high number may have been stress induced. She was back down to 316 2 hours later when i got home.
Also i managed to dig my laptop out and get it working again so i have better access when im home.
 
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