GA Dosing advice needed

[Valerie Halland]

Hi I've managed to upload Wilberforce's file. Not sure if i'm in the right place though? He's been on Lantus since 21 January - starting on 1.00 unit 2 x day. He is up to 2 units 2 x day but for the past 5 days or so we have seen really good numbers especially in the morning. We reduced to 1.75 2 x day but then his numbers went up again so back to 2.00. Last night we tested 3 times before his shot. He was 7.4 + 10 hours, 6.6 + 11 and 6.4 after that. So we decided to reduce his dose to .50 as we were nervous about hypo. This morning he was 15.3 pre shot. We upped his dose again to 2.00. Are we doing the right thing here. Is 2.00 a safe number to shoot if he is in the 6's and 7's? Thanks for any advice.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I hate to do this to you!

First, can you remove the "GA" from your subject line? The abbreviation indicates your kitty has died ("gone ahead" or "guardian angel").

It would be much more helpful if you could use the Google spreadsheet that we all use. Not everyone has Excel so it limits who can see Wilberforce's progress or offer input. The Google SS will automatically convert your numbers to US format if you download the World version. Not all of the numbers are transferring. We also attach the spreadsheet to your signature so you don't have to keep uploading it. This is the link to the spreadsheet instructions. If you need help, I'm tagging @Marje and Gracie.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome.
First of all it is great you are testing the blood sugars.
I am finding your spreadsheet very hard to read. It would be better if you could upload our spreadsheet and use that. Actually it looks like our SS but it hasn’t been uploaded properly.
I have noticed that you have not been testing before all the Preshots. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you always test before every shot to make sure it is safe to give the insulin.
Lantus likes the same dose so chopping and changing is not good. ... unless you are decreasing the dose or increasing the dose .... but you keep that new dose for at least three days unless kitty drops low, in which case you decrease. Only increase or decrease in 0.25 unit increments.
I also noticed you are not testing at all in the pm cycle. Cats often drop lower at night so always try and get a before bed test to make sure kitty is not dropping too low.
Has your kitty had DKA at all? That is a serious illness often found at diabetic diagnosis and requires hospitalisation.
Because you are new to this and haven’t got much data yet I would not give insulin if the blood sugar level is below 200 (11.1) initially. Stall, don’t feed and Post and ask for help. We are very happy to help and guide you through it. As you get more data you can shoot lower numbers.
If there is no DKA in the picture I would go back to 1.75 units and stick to that for three days unless kitty drops low. Try and get inbetween tests for am and pm cycles.
Are you feeding a low carb wet diet?
Ask lots of questions as it is a steep learning curve in the beginning.
Bron
ETA can you tell us what type of glucose meter you are using please ...human or pet?

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Welcome to the forum

We don’t use Excel SSs here but I’ll be happy to do the correct SS for you if you will send me a private message as I will need some info from you. If you click on “Marje and Gracie” to the left and then “start a conversation”, I can get it set up for you.

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Hi and welcome!

Congratulations on testing at home that's a great start and will help you a lot

All this diabetic stuff can be pretty confusing at first, but be patient you'll get the hang of it, ask all you want

Give the stickers regarding Lantus and the dosing protocols a read, that will give you a pretty good idea of how Lantus works and what the protocols are so that you can decide which protocol to use ( both are good you just need to pick the one that suits you and your cat better) , for one thing Lantus works better if you are consistent with the dose that is same dose AM and PM and one thing to consider is that you do not decrease the dose because you are getting good numbers that's actually your goal, he has to "earn" the reduction that is you will reduce the dose by 0.25 units if he goes under 90 (5) on a human meter at any time during the cycle on your next shoot, other wishe you hold the dose

Are you withdrawing food 2 hours prior to your preshoot test?

Regarding what is a safe dose to shoot is different for every cat for some 2 units it won't make a difference but for others can be a huge dose (Babu could hypo on 1 unit) you will need to gather more data so that you can you see what is a safe dose to shoot so for the moment as they mentioned if he's under 200 at preshoot don't feed, and ask for help

And do please take the GA away it makes everyone's heart suffer