911 new user

[Zappa’s mom]

Hi,

my cat has been on lantus for 3 weeks now. I test 2x per day and give him injections 2x per day.

he had his last injection almost 12 hours ago. His numbers are always in the mid 300’s to low 400’s.

he just ate and I just tested him. He tested 37 but I might have made a mistake. It’s my last test strip. I touched his blood to one side of the strip and got no reading. I tried the other side and got a reading of 37. I can’t retest because I’m out of strips. I gave him some high calorie cat food and he is acting normal.

Can insulin affect him beyond 12 hours?

I don’t know what to do.

 

[Bandit's Mom]

Yes, Lantus is a depot insulin and for some cats the nadir or the lowest point after a shot of Lantus can be as late as 13-14 hours after the shot. It's also possible that the strip was bad or you didn't get enough blood. I would suggest getting more strips right away and testing him to see if that 37 was correct or not.

If you are in the US, a popular meter is the ReliOn Premier Classic from WalMart. The meter is only $9 and the strips are $17.88 for 100.

What is the Insulin Depot?

 

[Zappa’s mom]

Yes, Lantus is a depot insulin and for some cats the nadir or the lowest point after a shot of Lantus can be as late as 13-14 hours after the shot. It's also possible that the strip was bad or you didn't get enough blood. I would suggest getting more strips right away and testing him to see if that 37 was correct or not.

If you are in the US, a popular meter is the ReliOn Premier Classic from WalMart. The meter is only $9 and the strips are $17.88 for 100.

What is the Insulin Depot?

 

[Zappa’s mom]

Thank you. I’m really suspicious about the strip. I tested one side and nothing happened so I then used the second side and got 37.
We have never been anywhere near 37.
I gave a tsp of caro and can of high carb cat food. He seems totally normal. I’m also having my neighbor go pickup test strips from vet so I will be able to retest in an hour.
Nightmare.

 

[Bandit's Mom]

Most welcome!
You can use any human meter to test his blood. Strips are much cheaper than pet meters.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

@Suzanneevents --

We typically ask all new members to post on the Health forum. There are a number of basics (e.g., getting a spreadsheet and your signature set up, checking in with food choices, having a hypo kit set up) that are best handled on Health before you move over to an insulin-specific forum.

If you're someplace where it's not brutally cold and the roads are passable, getting a human meter would be a good idea. Many people here use the Walmart, Relion brand, meter. The strips are very inexpensive. However, any meter will do.

 

[Zappa’s mom]

That’s great information thank you. I was trying to understand the length of time Lantus will be in my cats system.

I will never ever run low on test strips again.

 

[Zappa’s mom]

Just tested and got 331 (emergency test strip’s delivered). I will retest throughout the day and I have been in touch with my vet.

gave caro and high carb cat food. A huge thank you to whoever developed that hypo emergency kit. I downloaded the instructions and got all the supplies once I read it on this website. I’m glad to be prepared, thanks to all of you and this website.

Going forward, I will post on the other page. Thank you all so much.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Just tested and got 331 (emergency test strip’s delivered). I will retest throughout the day and I have been in touch with my vet.

gave caro and high carb cat food. A huge thank you to whoever developed that hypo emergency kit. I downloaded the instructions and got all the supplies once I read it on this website. I’m glad to be prepared, thanks to all of you and this website.

Going forward, I will post on the other page. Thank you all so much.

Looks like a bounce from being low. When a cat isn’t used to normal numbers tge body reacts and the bg can rise quite high.
I used a human meter. My vet never had but was fine with it. It saved me a lot of money. Even if you stick with a pet meter getting a backup meter is a good idea.