Cotton; making Lantus switch advice

CB Terri

CB Terri

Member Since 2020
Copied from Feline Health Forum
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/cotton-making-lantus-switch-advice.238829/#post-2683043

Cotton has been on only wet food for about 2 weeks, (FF pates/classic & a couple other flavours with high protein) 3 cans per day. His night and morning preshot BGs are just too high (generally over 500). Sometimes he does manage get a couple bites of one of the other 5 cats' leftovers before I can pick them up.
On the 12 hour curve test I did, he got a decent nadir of 165 at +5 with 3.5 units, but I understand the Lantus should get that flatter curve and escape the extremes of >500 area.
Question - will I reduce the dosage? I thought I had read that if they are already on a controlled wet diet and on insulin, that the dosage should remain the same?
Or should I drop it to 2?
Thank you for any advice.
 
With the blue a few days ago with the2.5 and 3.5u dose of Caninsulin, I'd probably suggest starting the Lantus at 2.5

Test before every shot and then at least once somewhere mid-cycle (5-7 hours after the AM shot) and then at least a "before bed" shot on the PM cycle.

If you can get more tests, that's even better. Maybe one cycle do +3,+6,+9 and another cycle +2, +5, +8, another cycle +4, +7, +11....just "sprinkle" them around at different points in the cycle.

There's no such thing as too much data!
 
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Hi from the BC coast. :) Good luck with the switch. I switched from Caninsulin to Lantus, and it was much better for Neko. I unfortunately listened to the vet and dropped the dose way too much and it took a while to get back to where I needed to be. We do look at the numbers your current insulin is getting you and take that into consideration with dose. However, we don't have very much data on how Cotton reacts to Caninsulin yet. We essentially just have two cycles worth of data, and on different doses, so it's really hard to say how he's doing on a particular Caninsulin dose. You will also need to get into the habit of grabbing a test before bed. Many cats to lower at night and we decide how to change the dose based on how low the dose is taking the cat. I think I'd go more conservative and start at 2.5 units, as he did hit blue there, and be willing to step it up quicker if need be.

When you start out, we suggest testing at +3, +6 and +9 to start, but please post here the first day. We can help you decide if there are better times to test as we see how he reacts to Lantus.

One other thing, any history of ketones or DKA in his past? That would change my dosing suggestion.
 
I will start with 2.5 dosage and stsy on for at least 5 days, testing at AMPS, +2 +5 +8 and PMPS today, then tomorrow AMPS, +3.+6 +9 and PMPS tomorrow.

I have been testing before each shot since the DX Nov 5, the exception being 1 night this week when mom was hospitalized with suspected hesrt attack.

A little history on me - I've had a kidney transplantt, had a stroke earlier this year and have been off on disability since February so money is tight. My father passed away last month and mom is a bad diabetic with dementia in a nursing home - she is back at her nursing home now and it's a fight with them to feed her properly (no chocolate bars/cookies/ peanut butter sandwiches because she wont eat proper meals and they dont want to deal with her tantrums about food. She had been running at 27-30 BG and for humans that is a catastrophe in waiting.

In no way am I complaining!

However it has been a lot in a short time. With some physical & thinking deficits I am recovering from, I have been pretty overwhelmed and exhsusted all the time.

I do not have local vet support ( reasons why are in my introductory thread) and am in a very rural area.

I will say a HUGE THANKYOU for everybody's help and the FANTASTIC resources here at FDMB, or I would have no hope.

I will have to order keto stix in and isolate Cotton in the only room in our house with a door and clean litterbox to see if there's DKA. I dont think there was but honestly dont know.

I will do my very best for Kitty Cotton and all of your contributions are keeping me sane.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hi from the BC coast. :) Good luck with the switch. I switched from Caninsulin to Lantus, and it was much better for Neko. I unfortunately listened to the vet and dropped the dose way too much and it took a while to get back to where I needed to be. We do look at the numbers your current insulin is getting you and take that into consideration with dose. However, we don't have very much data on how Cotton reacts to Caninsulin yet. We essentially just have two cycles worth of data, and on different doses, so it's really hard to say how he's doing on a particular Caninsulin dose. You will also need to get into the habit of grabbing a test before bed. Many cats to lower at night and we decide how to change the dose based on how low the dose is taking the cat. I think I'd go more conservative and start at 2.5 units, as he did hit blue there, and be willing to step it up quicker if need be.

When you start out, we suggest testing at +3, +6 and +9 to start, but please post here the first day. We can help you decide if there are better times to test as we see how he reacts to Lantus.

One other thing, any history of ketones or DKA in his past? That would change my dosing suggestion.
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Hi Wendy&Neko!
Thank you for your reply, that sounds great. I gave him his first 2.5 of Lantus this AM, time and preshot BG on my spreadsheet and a big black dividing line placed to highlight Lantus switch.

Will I start a new thread or change the title of this one when I post numbers later this afternoon after a couple of tests?
 
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