First curve after 10 days' Lantus use

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

LRJ

Member Since 2014
I'm sending the results of Tuffy's first curve post-diagnosis to the vet tomorrow.

I've been administering 1 unit (on a 3/10 cc syringe) twice daily (for Tuffy it's been 11 days on insulin - first day was courtesy of the vet). Feeding her a full tin of Merrick (either Beef Wellington or Beef Pate) daily. She had been on low carb wet (EVO Venison) and Fromm's Duck a la Veg dry prior to diagnosis.

To those who are the Lantus experts, would you be able to toss out some suggestions about where to go from here? (I'll use your opinions to be better informed when speaking with my vet.)

(I realize her weight is the unknown at this point in the DM analysis dance: I had gotten her down to 9 lbs (from 11), pre-diagnosis. But I think feeding her a full tin, half in the am, and half in the pm - is more food than she was getting. I will probably head into the vet first thing tomorrow just to get her weighed so that that variable is taken care of.)

Thanks in advance for taking the time to take a peek at her stats.
Lisa
 
Lisa - I'm not a Lantus expert by any means, but I just wanted to say HELLO! and bump this post up a bit so the real experts don't miss it!
You might also consider posting at the Lantus Tight Regulation forum where more experienced eyes will be able to see it.

Hope everything went okay at the vet today!
 
Thanks for the welcomes.

I didn't get the info to the vet today. Wanted to squeeze in one extra BG reading +1 this morning, which meant being late to work. Wanted to make sure BG was on the rise post-breakfast..

I will call them tomorrow. Given the numbers I see posted by others, I'm wondering what Tuffy's BG levels were to begin with, given my readings over the past 2 days. I'm questioning if the insulin was even required: was she borderline diabetic? or is she simply one of the lucky ones...

Although her coat is looking healthier than it has recently... I will update when I hear from the vet.

Lisa
 
Hi Lisa

Got a real quick question for you. What type of meter are you using? I'm curious because I normally don't see decimal points in BG readings. Depending on which type of meter used might change my thoughts on her curve.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Holy @#$%! do not give any insulin in the morning until you post the cat's numbers and get some feedback. No way in the world would I be shooting at a 39.6

I am not certain this cat needs insulin at all. Something wrong with this picture all the way around.

Can you give us some more info on the cat? What else is going on with him/her? were they on prednisone, per chance?
 
I'm in Canada, so my readings are being converted from my meter's mmol/l readings (which are numbers with one decimal), the reason for the decimals...

No, nothing else going on apart from the antibiotics for the UTI diagnosed at the same time as the diabetes coming up on 2 weeks.

I'm using a FreeStyle Lite; purchased last Sunday... and with my most recent test, did 3 of them out of curiosity - readings were 2.4, 3.5 and 2.8 (multiply by 18 to get to mg/dl so: 43.2, 63, and 50.4 respectively). So I think, along with a f/up with the vet, I need a trip to the pharmacy tomorrow to have it tested with their sample solution.

Was considering skipping a dose this am, but opted for a half dose.
 
Ahhhh now the decimal points make sense. Honestly I would not be giving insulin with those readings. The UTI alone could have thrown her into diabetic numbers without being a true diabetic. Both vet stress and infection can inflate BGs.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
I was starting to seriously question the DM diagnosis when I started inputting my numbers yesterday... I will be checking in with vet tomorrow. Tuffy's been getting UTI's about once yearly, so maybe they were comparing BG readings from previous episodes, and found it higher. I will be asking questions, and won't be administering any further insulin.

Thanks for the input.
 
I am in Canada too.. so you are saying that Tuffy was showing you a 2.3 or so this morning and you shot insuiln? wow. glad she is okay, but wow. that is way to low to shoot at.
 
Just so you know 40-120 without insulin is the normal range for a cat on a human meter. Or 2.2-6.6 on insulin you don't ever want to shoot below 50 and then only with months of data. With a newly diagnoised cat we don't shoot below 120

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
LRJ said:
I was starting to seriously question the DM diagnosis when I started inputting my numbers yesterday... I will be checking in with vet tomorrow. Tuffy's been getting UTI's about once yearly, so maybe they were comparing BG readings from previous episodes, and found it higher.
Click to expand...

LRJ - this just popped in my head yesterday when I first read that Tuffy gets frequent UTIs. My cat Buffy had one last fall and the vet recommended Cosequin to me. It's actually sold as a "Joint Health Supplement" but one of the extra benefits is that it helps with urinary tract infections as well (bladder health). It seems to have really helped Buffy. No more UTIs and she's getting around better too (she's 13). I bought the first bottle at the vet, but I can get it much cheaper at Amazon.

Hope everything went well at the vet's office today!
 
An update:

I emailed the spreadsheet to the vet, and she and I spoke today.

No, they weren't smoking some funny stuff when Tuffy was diagnosed, all tests they conducted pointed to DM (she was testing full blown diabetes, apparently), so given BG readings, she's suspecting Tuffy might have had an episode of pancreatitis.

Although being stress free (Tuffy is the one cat I've had that just doesn't get along with any other 4 legged creature, so vet office stress levels are sky high), and having the testing done at home, getting the UTI under control and removing dry from the diet entirely did likely help reduce BG readings... along with way too many doses of Lantus.

So I'll be keeping my eye on BG levels once or twice a day in case of another episode.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding Cosequin, I'll look into it.
 
PS - Just did a quick search on Cosequin. She's already basically on it: Dasuquin is the brand she's been taking for a few months. Didn't see much improvement in her arthritic knee, but will keep her on it for the other benefits, for sure!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top