8/28 Tisha AMPS 147; PMPS 321 - dosing suggestions?

[Tisha's_Person]

Tisha has been on Lantus for about a month. She started at 1 unit. First BG curve (which is the start of the spreadsheet) showed she was not well controlled, so the vet increased her dose. Thanks for advice from here (Thank you!), we switched her to an all canned diet. Over the next week, she kept getting low numbers, so the vet kept decreasing her dose. We did another BG curve that Saturday and discovered that her lowest reading was at the time her next shot was due. The vet suggested we decrease the dose again, so we've been at 1 unit for the last 2 weeks, but her numbers are all over the map. (All are current in the SS in my signature.) She can't seem to get more than 2 shots in a row without getting a reading that is too low for a shot. Any suggestions? If it makes a difference, she does seem a little off tonight. She hasn't eaten much today, but did eat enough for her evening shot. She also looked like she was favoring one of her back legs earlier.

Tisha and I thank you for any advice!

 

[MommaOfMuse]

Very easy answer, reduce her dose again. If she was one of my two I'd cut her dose in half and give her .5u and see if that improves her numbers and smooths her out some. That might be slightly less than what she truly needs but it's easier to dial in the dose by under ideal and adding more if not enough. Do your syringes have half unit marks? Because you're gonna need them!

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

[Tisha's_Person]

Thanks! That's sort of what I was thinking, but since I'm new to all of this, I'm not really comfortable with trusting my instincts just yet. It seems like we're CLOSE to having good regulation, but the dose just seems to do too much. The vet is somewhat resistant to half unit changes, but I can usually talk her into it if I remind her that we have half unit markings and I promise to be very careful. I have to admit, the continuing decreases do make me hopeful that she might go into remission eventually!

Any idea on why her numbers seem to be at their lowest before the next shot? Is there something I should be doing to address that?

 

[MommaOfMuse]

Its because the dose is too high and Lantus is a depot insulin. Each shot builds upon the next one so she's getting too much carry-over. She actually looks like she has a very good chance at remission. I've got a guy here that will celebrate 4 years OTJ this November 1st that all it took was a short time on Lantus and a diet change.

Mel and The Fur Gang