Buddy going on the juice - first week advice?

[Kim&Buddy]

Well the glipizide era ends Thursday afternoon when Buddy officially becomes a Lantus kitty!

He'll receive his first dose at the vet and I'm on from there. My plan is to work from home Friday and not budge Saturday or Sunday. My question is this: how often should I check his BG Thursday night and during the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

If I understand what I'm reading throughout the forum, Buddy's dose should be based on nadir and not pre-shot levels. I don't have a real baseline because all my tests have been on the glipizide (see his spreadsheet). Well, on 4/15 I didn't give any glip to him in the morning because his AMPS number was low, but I learned when I switched out strips that it wasn't as low as I thought. The +9 read on 4/15 (3:00 pm) marks the use of the new strips. I do believe them to be accurate after multiple tests on me. Calling for a control solution tomorrow.

Besides the concern of learning the mechanics of the injection itself, I'm concerned about dosage and his low levels at the outset. He's holding steady around 150 on a reduced dose of the glipizide. I can do a BG test Thursday afternoon before I leave and see where he's at seeing as he will not have been given anything that morning. Should I ask my vet to start him out at .5u seeing as his numbers aren't high to begin with? What if his PMPS ends up being significantly less than 200? The last thing I want is to induce hypo on his first night.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice you can give.

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

.5 is an excellent starting dose. We always suggest start low and go slow. So 1 unit or less is perfect. And .5 just fine to start.

As far as testing, always get pre-shot and if you are going to be home, you could get tests in every 2-3 hours during the cycle. If you aren't home, then as often as you can during the time you are home.

What kind of food are you using? as food has a huge impact on bg's. Low carb wet/canned food is the recommendation. And to give you an example, fancy feast classics (pate style) are good affordable choices.

How about going to the lantus forum and reading the starred information, which will tell you everything you need to know. Also, you may want to introduce yourself on that board and the folks there, can offer specific advice.

 

[BJM]

As you start insulin, set a "no shoot" level at which you don't give insulin. We often suggest 200, until you've got some data under your belt to know how he handles the insulin. Then it may be set at a lower level as the data dictates.

Always remember - you can't get the insulin out once you get it in. Please be cautious and read over the Lantus protocol carefully to be sure you understand it.

 

[Kim&Buddy]

Thanks for the feedback!

I didn't think I could move over to the Lantus forum because we haven't made the switch to it yet. I did read some posts and they were very informative. I'll head over there now.