5/20 Kitty +6hrs 43

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That's a really low number.
Can you test again now?

Carl
 
It may or may not be too low since about +6 is where most cats nadir or low point in the insulin cycle is...but that is a hefty starting dose and we don't know yet if he/she is going to continue to drop, you need to be testing about every 15-30 minutes right now and make sure the BGs aren't contining to drop, if on the next test it has dropped any you are going to want to have karo and high food ready to go.

Just a little goes a long ways and we want to make sure kitty will eat if we need them too later.

I normally don't suggest this because I like to stay with folks right now..but I kind of have my own crisis right now going on, so please post either over on Health and put up a 911 icon with Newbie-Lantus 2.5u 1st day kitty +6~43 or the same type of post over on the Lantus TR group...its going to get you a lot more experienced eyes that help get you through this right now than I can be with you right now...and they will take good care of you at either spot..

Mel, Maxwell, Musette, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
i really need to do a full curve but he gets combative if i check his blood more than once a day.
i gave him some food and will try to check again at +8 hours
 
Is he acting okay? No "clinical signs" of hypo? Not that that is foolproof or anything, but my cat went into the 40's a couple times (probably more often, but I only saw it twice with my meter) and he never acted or looked any different.

Carl
 
he seems fine right now.
i didn't expect such a huge drop from 300+ to 43 just by increasing the dose by .5
 
.5 doesn't sound like much, but most adjustments are done in .25 increments. It helps me to look at adjustments in percentages rather than in "units". If you were shooting 5u and jumped up to 5.5u, that would only be a 10% increase, but at 2.0, going up to 2.5 is a 25% increase in insulin per day, and that's pretty significant.

I don't use Lantus, so can't advise you to drop the dose or stay the same, but hopefully someone will drop in and give you some feedback before the next shot. My gut says "go back to 2.0" though. I understand Kitty isn't easy to test, but it would really be a great help if you knew what the number was when you gave him his shot this morning, because then you'd have a much better idea of how far he went down, and whether or not the dose was too high or not.

Carl
 
Hi Laura-
I was just running through the recent posts and saw yours. I know it's been a few hours since you last reported a number (unless I missed it on another forum?). Anyway, when you get a number below 50 it is important to bring your kitties blood sugar up a little. You want to keep it above 50. The +6 could have been her nadir, it could have been earlier, AND it could be later in the cycle.

If I got a 43, I would feed a tsp of High Carb food, or gravy from the food. In 15 minutes I would test again. Repeat with the high carb food if numbers are not going above 50. Test in another 15 minutes. Rinse, Lather, Repeat UNTIL you get at least TWO consecutive rising numbers above 50. Here is a link about dealing with low numbers, which you may find helpful:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147

Your cat has earned a reduction in her dose by going under 50. WIthout any other information on BG trends, it is tough to say if you should go back to the 2u or just reduce by .25. If you are not able to test much, you may want to go back to the 2 units and see if you can get some occasional spot checks and/or a curve. I think I noticed a post about your cat having ketones recently? Have you been able to test for those at home regularly? Here is information from the Tight Regulation forum on when to DECREASE a dose.


Reducing the dose:

If kitty drops below 40 (long term diabetic) or 50 (newly diagnosed diabetic) reduce the dose by 0.25 unit. If kitty has a history of not holding reductions well or if reductions are close together... sneak the dose down by shaving the dose rather than reducing by a full quarter unit. Alternatively, at each newly reduced dose... try to make sure kitty maintains numbers in the normal range for seven days before reducing the dose further.

If an attempted reduction fails, go right back up to the last good dose.
Click to expand...
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581

Finally, you might expect a very high number when you test later tonight. If so, it is because your cat's liver panicked with that lower number and dumped a bunch of sugar! You may see higher numbers for the next few days because of this as well. Don't panic and raise the dose quite yet!!!

Oh...almost forgot. Do you have a 'hypo kit' prepared in the house, in case kitty goes low again?
(extra strips, karo, high carb/gravy food, etc)
This page has some great information on what to put in your kit and signs/symptoms to look out for:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/read.php?8,1661316,1661798#msg-1661798
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/read.php?8,925783,925783#msg-925783
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887

Take care....AND, welcome to FDMB!!! :mrgreen:
 
Ooops! ohmygod_smile I just saw you DO have a ss started. Hurray!!!! :mrgreen:

Are taking BG's before giving the shot?

Somehow the evening columns are missing in the ss. I don't know if I can be much help there. I wonder if a post in health and tech would bring it to someone's attention who can help.

Oh...and you can link the ss to your signature, if you like. This way you won't have to copy/paste all the time. :mrgreen:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887
 
I just tested at +8 hours and he is at 83
using relion micro
he seems ok, so i will lower the next dose to be safe
 
I think that is a wise choice!

Test in the morning and reduce the dose. Be more aggressive with the reduction if you are unable to test (.50 or more). Make sure you are testing for ketones in the urine, though.

Also, call your vet and let them know the numbers you were getting. I did notice you jumped from 1 to 2 units. Kitty could be needing a dose between 1 and 2.

Have you recently switched diet?
 
It's ok, really! In the beginning, we all start over MANY times!

All he (sorry I referred to kitty as a she before :? ) was doing today is telling you he does not need as much insulin.
Usually, with lantus, doses are changed by .25 units every 6-10 cycles (3-5days) or so, depending on nadir.
Nadir is the lowest point a cat has in a 12hr cycle. That is why it is good to get a variety of tests during each cycle, and a curve every week. It makes it easier to figure out what is going on.

Do you have any limitations or difficulties with testing?


Look over that link I gave in a previous post about reducing doses. There are other good nuggets in there which may help you understand things.
 
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