03/29 Skipper: AMPS 396

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi guys .. great job last night, team work is everything when dealing with FD! Of course skipper didn't get stressed last night .. it's always us, the beanz, running around stressing out :lol: have a great day guys!
 
I just talked to the nurse at the vet and she confirmed that I did the right thing in reducing the dose and said not to go any lower than 1 unit. She recommended that if his BG is low again (60 or under) to wait about 1/2 hour after he's finished eating to give his shot. I have always given it while he's eating. Is this what you all do?
 
Please add a question mark icon to your original post to get eyes on. This sounds like pretty dodgy advice to me, it sounds like your vet does not understand how lantus works (or the nurse is giving advice without consulting the vet), this advice sounds more appropriate for a kitty on canninsulin or another fast hitting insulin. The reason we don't feed in the two hours prior to giving the shot time is so as not to shoot a food induced number that looks safe but is not, i.e. you get a 50, you feed and then get a higher number that you're happy to shoot but the food wears off in a couple of hours and kitty could be in big trouble when the lantus onsets. I believe that the advice you have received will put Skipper in danger of hypo. If we find a number we are not happy to shoot at PS the protocol when stalling is to NOT FEED but keep testing every half hour until you get a number you are happy to shoot (that you know is not food induced) or decide to skip.

With lantus it is not even necessary that kitty eats at shot time (Vyktor is free fed and often does not) as long as they are not off their food for some reason and you are confident that they will eat later.

And of course you will go lower than 1U if Skipper earns another reduction, I don't understand what the thinking is there at all, I suspect there is a distinct lack of thinking!
 
our vet didn't know about the half unit markings on syringes, and was amazed at the protocol on microdosing...
but we were fortunate in the fact that she was young and willing to learn by studying sites like FDMB :-D

celi & binks
 
Unfortunately, a lot of vets just don't seem to know that much about diabetes. They are general practioners and learn about all the different species and treating them for parasites and injuries and deceases, do surgeries and what not. But most do not specialize in diabetes and don't know that much about it. And a lot or most vets are used to the shorting acting insulins, and not the way Lantus and Levemir work.
We normally, stall, by not feeding the cat, and then testing in 30 minutes or so, hoping that the BGs have started to rise. Then we know it is safe to shoot. If you feed your cat first, you will see a rise in BGs (normally) because of the food spike, when you test again. Because you don't have that much data yet, it is best if we see a true non food influenced rise in BG before you shoot.
I'm sorry, if I am not making sense. I am tired. I will try to get others eyes on your question.
 
Thanks, all. This vet is not a GP, but an internal medicine specialist. Our regular vet reached her limit because all of Skipper's issues were so complicated and we weren't getting anywhere, so she sent us to the specialist. I will talk to her Monday and see what she thinks. This is all new to me (after 3 months of no improvement on ProZinc), so please bear with me as I learn.
Thanks!
 
you're doing fine beth. there is a lot to learn and it's a change from how PZI works.

most vets don't go under 1 unit, or perhaps they'll drop to .5u sometimes. i don't think that's uncommon advice. but we've seen that one can give several doses under 1 unit. you can look at the sticky "new to the group?" at the top of the Lantus TR forum and see pictures of those doses.

the important thing is always to balance the amount of the insulin with what the cat needs. consider if a person isn't home-testing, the information on what's going on the cat's body is not as complete as for a person who is testing at home. the testing at home is an essential part of following the Rand/Roomp (TR) protocol because we're committed to keeping the cat safe.

if you're testing, you can see when an insulin dose needs adjusting, and you can give the right amount. we don't have any rules about how much insulin to give the cat - we are data-based and we analyze the data and give the insulin dose to fit. that's why we pretty much require spreadsheets. there is so much experience here, we've seen some cats need a single drop of insulin. that is the craziest thing ever, and yet, the data shows that's what that cat needs. take a look at cini mini's spreadsheet for one example of that.

the correct dose for any particular cat is the one which keeps a cat's blood sugar below renal threshold (somewhere 200-250) and above hypoglycemia (somewhere under 40-50ish). Every cat is different (ECID) isn't just a slogan, it's true. we try to give advice specific to what each cat needs.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top