1/08 Chaos amps fail +3 68 +6 78 +10 239 pmps 357

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Violet and Chaos

Violet and Chaos

Member Since 2010
Hi everybody,
I'm new here and starting my Chaos on an all-wet low carb diet. I've been testing and I think we had a nice nadir today if I'm reading things correctly. His old dose was 2.5 u with a mix of wet/dry food, so I did the weight calculation and it came out very close to 1.5 u for the starting dose on a wet low carb diet. He's a big cat, ideal weight is 12 lbs. He and my civie have had their last dry food earlier this afternoon and I think Chaos should have a decent night on 1.5 u if today's numbers were anything to go by. He did have some dry food over the course of today, but not a lot. I realize that he may have some in the shed, so I'm worried about him going hypo overnight while I'm asleep if I don't leave out some dry food. Am I worrying too much? He's never had a hypo or even acted remotely weird since starting treatment a year ago.
 
Welcome, Violet & Chaos! i'll give your post a bump so the wise ones can see it.

this is a great place for info and support...sounds like you've got the system down pretty well!

celi & binks
 
I think your concern about overnight is proper and valid, so if you can try and get any PM cycle spot checks (even if it means setting an alarm!) - if just the one then maybe +4 or thereabouts? - or at least, as late as you can before you go to bed? That will eliminate some of the guesswork, maybe pre-empt any trouble, and at least, will give you some valuable information...?

ETA: Oh and WELCOME! You are definitely in the right place! Well done on geting started, hometesting and everything - you have really made a terrific start and have clearly done your homework!!!
 
Definitely test more with the switch to wet food, especially if its low carb. And also for the next few days as the shed drains if Chaos doesn't need as much insulin with the diet change. Welcome to Lantus Land :)
 
After a grueling day of testing, I was hoping to give the tortured ears and psyche a break, but Perry is right.. If I can manage to get a +4 on him, what am I looking for to know if I should put out dry food before I sleep? How long will the typical shed take to empty so I can see what we're truly getting on 1.5 and wet food?

I'm surprised to hear people tell me I'm getting the system down, because I still think I'm feeling my way along. All the info here has given me the confidence to proceed, so thanks for the support. cat_pet_icon
 
Welcome to Lantus Land!

A couple of things...

First and foremost, read the starred sticky notes at the top of the Board. There is a huge amount of information there about caring for Lantus and key concepts, such as the shed, conventions regarding posting here, and most importantly, the dosing protocol we use.

The calculation for initial dose is based on ideal weight. Is 12 lbs. Chaos' ideal weight. If so, the starting dose would be 1.36. Personally, I'd err on the side of lower rather than higher, but that may be splitting hairs.

I'm not sure if I understand how you are conceptualizing the shed. This is our slang for a pharmacological term that refers to a particular type of drug that forms a "shed" or depot under the skin. There are many drugs of this kind, including Lantus and Levemir. It takes roughly 5 - 7 days for a cat to build this reservoir. From your spreadsheet, it looks like Chaos has had 3 shots of Lantus. You'll have a way to go before the shed is full and you'll be seeing how Lantus works.

There's no reason to not put low carb wet food out if your cats are used to grazing. I routinely add water to my cats' food. I also have an automatic feeder that I set so there is food when I'm not home. It's fine to leave the canned stuff out.

I know you felt like you were beating up on Chaos' ears, but with a +3 at 68, I would have encouraged you to get a +4. Because this is all very new, you don't yet know how Chaos responds to Lantus, when the insulin onset is, it's nadir, or what kind of duration you're getting. These are important things to know so you can anticipate how Lantus is effecting Chaos' blood glucose. As others have mentioned, transitioning off of dry food can have a dramatic effect on your cat's numbers so it's important to test. We want to make sure Chaos is safe.

Please ask questions. The members of this Board are very generous with their time and information. Read and post in our condos (it's what we call our cats' threads -- one condo per cat per day) and look at our spreadsheets. It's a great way to learn. And most of all, please post regularly.
 
Welcome to lantus land--seems like you are trying hard to get going and that is great--We all help each other here & you can ask questions, and get answers whenever you need.
I always leave out food & water, 2 crucial things for a diabetic--Leave out the wet food, and 2 hours before meals, remove the food so you can get a clear bg reading. These numbers for Chaos are good! The usual starting dose here is 1.00 Units every 12hours ..We also have dosing helpers here to assist us with appropriate doses.
Read the stickys at the top of the page, ask questions, and open a new condo like this one every day --Lantus needs consistancy & patience..
So again, Welcome to lantus land!
 
Thanks for all the welcomes! I'm sure I'll get to know you bit by bit.

A key thing to note here: Chaos has been on Lantus for 11 months and previous to this he ate a mix of prescription dry and wet foods. I have made a note in my spreadsheet to make it a bit more obvious... at any rate, his shed's full, so to speak, because he's had insulin every day for almost a year. So far tonight he's his usual self, playful and happy. Once I get him dialed in by following the protocol, things will be back to what passes for normal around here, except with the addition of routine BG tests and no more dry food. That's the goal, anyway :)
 
Violet --

Thanks for clarifying Chaos' date of diagnosis. That helps! One thing to note is that we classify a "newly diagnosed" diabetic as having been diagnosed within the first year. The reason for the differentiation is that for a newly diagnosed cat, a dose reduction is earned if BG levels fall below 50. For non-newly diagnosed cats, earning a reduction is harder -- they have to fall below 40.

When you have a chance, you may want to complete a Profile for Chaos. The instructions for completing a Profile are linked. That way we won't keep asking you the same questions.

Since Chaos isn't newly diagnosed, are you going to keep the dose at 1.5u or are you taking it back up to 2.5u? Do you have any other BG data?
 
Hi Violet and Chaos and welcome!
Your comment on your spreadsheet says you were feeding him a combination of "high carb" prescription dry food and "low fat" wet prescription food. Is the "high carb" a typo? I think you must have meant "low carb" dry food and "low carb" wet food, yes?
Anyway, the folks here will advise you to check Janet & Binky's food charts (see the "New to the Group" sticky at the top of this forum) and to concentrate on those wet foods that are below 10% carbs (most of us aim for 5% or lower). Dry food is discouraged even it it is "low carb" because it is an unnatural diet for a cat. You certainly don't have to feed the prescription wet food, since the ingredients in many of the non-prescription foods are much better, and even the more expensive, high-end non-prescription foods will cost less than the prescription foods sold by your vet. Check into the following brands: Wellness, Merricks, EVO, By Nature, and many others. The low-carb Fancy Feast varieties are fed extensively by people here. Also, it is important to stock your "emergency kit" with medium carb and high carb (gravy varieties) of wet food, in case Chaos is going low in blood glucose and you have to bring him back up to safer numbers.
Welcome and we are glad that you found this group!

Ella & Rusty
 
Welcome, Violet and Chaos! We found Lantus Land a month ago today, and all I can say is, you're in the right place! The folks here have been nothing short of angels for us as FD has become our new reality. Great that you've got your spreadsheet set up! As a newbie, don't have a lot to add, but wanted to drop by and say hello!

Hope you guys have a great night!

Christie and Willie
 
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