1/24 Fiefel PMPS 187.2

[Jackie & Fiefel]

Hi all,

First time posting in here. Trying to get Fiefel regulated, his numbers have been all over the place but hoping to get that sorted. We went to the vet this evening to make sure everything was ok - he was sneezing, had a couple sores on his head, and sometimes I thought his breathing was louder than it should be - turns out none of these should be of concern. My vet wasn't happy he wasn't eating dry food however and said he needs it for his teeth. She also wasn't too happy with the addition of Wellness to his diet. She wants to switch from Lantus to Caninsulin, but I just bought a box of syringes so she said we would wait a bit. I'm hoping with your help we may be able to get some regulation with Lantus.

His numbers have been a bit lower lately - but no less confusing! Definitely eager to get some advice on getting him regulated.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to Lantus Land.

No disrespect to your vet, but he seems a little behind the times. With regard to diet, if no one has already directed you to it, I highly recommend a site authored by a vet, Dr. Lisa Pierson, that is a wealth of information on feline nutrition. Dr. Lisa does a yeoman's job of dispelling myths about dry food being good for teeth (would you eat crunchy cookies to help your dental health?) as well as the importance of a canned food diet for a species that is an obligate carnivore. Likewise, Lantus has an admirable track record for getting cats into remission. You might want to share a copy of the Rand/University of Queensland version of the tight regulation protocol with your vet. It can be found in the sticky note on the Tight Regulation Protocols.

One immediate suggestion is that you try to get some tests in during both the AM and PM cycle. Spot checks will help you to know where Fiefel's numbers are during the cycle. Since Lantus dosing is based on the nadir, it's important to have these data. We encourage at least one test during each cycle -- more if possible given your schedule. PM spot checks are particularly important since many cats run lower numbers during the evening cycle. Getting a pre-shot test is also important since you need to know whether it's safe to give a shot.

Since you've been running into low numbers at pre-shot times, you might find this note on handling low pre-shots helpful. If you can, it's even more helpful to post if you run into a low pre-shot and would like some guidance in walking you through what to do. Depending on when your shot time is, there is usually someone on the Board. Lantus Land is a busy place and people are more than willing to lend a hand.

I'd encourage you to take a look at all of the starred, sticky notes at the top of the Board. There is a huge amount of information there and in the various pages that the notes link to. In fact, it's a bit overwhelming!

Please let us know how we can help. I hope you'll post regularly so we can see how Feifel is progressing.

 

[Christie & Willie (GA)]

Welcome to Lantus Land! I think you'll find folks here to be very friendly and helpful! I agree completely with Sienne... several things your vet is saying just aren't what the current research is showing. I'd also echo the need to get more spot checks when you can... If you're finding low pre-shot numbers, I'd recommend trying to get +11 numbers as often as possible... will tell you whether or not that low pre-shot number is heading up or is heading down, which may affect your decision about when to shoot/how much.

We've been on this adventure for 6 weeks now, and I can say without question that I don't know what I'd do without the folks here. I've had terrible advice from a vet as well, and thankfully with the help I've received here, Willie is making good progress.

Best of luck! Look forward to your future posts!!