Best way to change times of insulin shots?

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kbean

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Hi there,

My cat has been on Lantus for about 2 weeks now. He was on 2u BID, and as of last night, per the vet's recommendation, he's now started on 1u BID. I'm currently giving him his shots at 10a and 10p but school is starting soon, which means I need to move his shots to an earlier time (about 7:30a and 7:30p). What is the best way for me to do this? How far can I move the shots at one time without it being a problem? Or is it better for me to just skip one dose and then start the next one at the new time?
 
Usually you can roll back shot times 15mins without out a problem.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Per day? Or per shot? As in, could I do tonight's shot at 9:45 instead of 10, and then tomorrow morning's at 9:30?
 
I've always rolled back per shot. So yes, you could do 9:45 tonight and then 9:30 tomorrow morning. At least I have never had any problems rewinding this way, since my husband is a roofer and morning varies according to the season.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Larry and Kitties said:
That is fine. When daylight saving time came, I did not do anything special.
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So you basically did a shot an hour early and it was ok?

I did the math and realized that I won't be able to roll it back enough before tomorrow morning, when I have to be at school earlier than I planned (and no one else is available to inject him either). Should giving it an hour early be ok, or should I skip tonight's dose and give him his next dose tomorrow AM at the new time?
 
I posted/linked in Lantus asking for someone to advise as soon as they can.

Carl
 
Are you currently hometesting and checking numbers before each shot? An early shot is essentially the equivalent of increasing the dose, and we recommend doing dose adjustments of no more than 30 minutes per day (either each shot 15 minutes early, or 1 shot 30 minutes early). Your cat could potentially go into low numbers with a shot of an hour early, and that could happen either in the cycle in which you are shooting early or even a cycle or two later.

I would strongly recommend simply skipping tonight's shot and then starting again tomorrow on the schedule that you'll need to have for school.
 
carlinsc said:
I posted/linked in Lantus asking for someone to advise as soon as they can.

Carl
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Thank you!

Christie & Willie said:
Are you currently hometesting and checking numbers before each shot? An early shot is essentially the equivalent of increasing the dose, and we recommend doing dose adjustments of no more than 30 minutes per day (either each shot 15 minutes early, or 1 shot 30 minutes early). Your cat could potentially go into low numbers with a shot of an hour early, and that could happen either in the cycle in which you are shooting early or even a cycle or two later.
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I'm not checking his numbers before each shot. As of a few days ago, he was on 2U BID, and when he went to the vet for a bloodwork recheck a few days ago, he was in the 40s-50s range (I can't remember exactly) at 6 hours post-shot. At that point his dose was changed to 1U BID, which I started Friday evening.

If it probably won't be a big problem for me to skip tonight's shot and just give him the next one early tomorrow, I'll do that.
 
For real peace of mind, it would be great if you were home testing. With those numbers at the vet I'd be surprised if your kitty isn't heading for remission. Bg numbers are usually higher at the vet due to stress and so testing at home is the best way to be sure how the insulin is working. There are lots of videos showing you how to test his ear - and we all have hints and tips to make it easier. I know it seems like just one more thing, but wouldn't it be marvelous if you found that he was always in the 40 - 50 range? And no more $$ for taking him to the vet to have his bg checked. Most of us use a human glucometre from the pharmacy, with strips and lancets. If you think that you might like to try this, let us know.
 
Home testing - the singlemost important part of the sugarcat dance. What occured to me when I saw that 40-50 number from the vet blood test, and given that it was done at the vet (which adds stress which raises BG) is that kitty was near hypo that day.
I am not sure what your vet charges for bloodwork. I do know what my vet charges. And I can test Bob at home for a whole year and spend less money than one bloodwork lab at my vet.

For your peace of mind, and kitty's safety, please consider home testing.

carl in sc
 
I would love it if he were heading into remission, but he was just diagnosed and I think he was just started on a slightly-too-high dose of the Lantus.

I do actually have a glucometer at home, and I have been doing some testing, but I'm waiting a little bit to do it more regularly because test strips aren't really in my budget right now (this dx came at the worst possible time, the end of part of the year when I don't get paid...yay grad school!). However, he's going to have to go back to the vet to get labs done for a little while anyway, because his liver blood tests were off the charts when he was diagnosed and they're keeping an eye on that. After that's dealt with, I'm happy to test his BG at home (and I'll be getting paid again, so I should be able to afford enough test strips for it).
 
Actually, don't be fooled about being newly diagnosed and possibly going into remission. If you caught the diabetes early enough, going into remission very quickly is not out of the realm of possibility, especially if you've made a change in diet. We've seen newly daignosed kitties going into remission within a few weeks to a month! And, sometimes, the diabetes is "transient", too...there are tons of possibilities. With BGs that low at the vets office, I would keep a close eye on things, too. Those numbers are scary low, if you're not monitoring closely.

Another thing to keep in mind is that hometesting is way cheaper than having the vet run BG tests. I know, for example, to have my vet test Trixie's BG the very same way I do (ear prick, test strips), it costs $35 - for one test!!! That is out and out crazy. Personally, I use a OneTouch Ultra Mini and the strips are a bit pricey, but it's what I'm used to and I don't deal with change very well :lol: ! However, I've heard that the Relion from WalMart is inexpensive - both the meter and strips. And, if I remember correctly, someone in the Lantus forum recently found Relion-compatable strips online for even less.

Even if you don't go with a Relion, there are onlines sources for strips that are much, much cheaper than your local pharmacy...American Diabetic Wholesale and DiabetiCare.com are two, off the top of my head. And they both have free shipping options. I know my test strips are almost half as much when I order them online.

Best wishes!!!

Amy
 
"I know, for example, to have my vet test Trixie's BG the very same way I do (ear prick, test strips), it costs $35 - for one test!!! "

You may have found a new 2nd job. Set up a booth near your vet's office like a lemonade stand, and offer to test kitty BG for $20 a pop. :-D

kbean - if you look at the "newbie kits" stickied thread towards the top of the board, Lori may have some strips available that she could send you for the cost of shipping. What type meter do you use? Other members may have some they can spare.

Carl
 
carlinsc said:
"I know, for example, to have my vet test Trixie's BG the very same way I do (ear prick, test strips), it costs $35 - for one test!!! "

You may have found a new 2nd job. Set up a booth near your vet's office like a lemonade stand, and offer to test kitty BG for $20 a pop. :-D
Carl
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LOL...not a bad idea at all :-D !! Nah...I couldn't do that to other SugarBeans ;-) !
 
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