First Day on Lantus - Need Help with Dosing

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charliesmom

charliesmom

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone from Jill and Charlie in Amsterdam (The Netherlands):

Last night we switched from Caninsulin to Lantus. We have given 2 shots so far (1 unit last night and .5 this morning). It would be helpful to have some experienced eyes on Charlie's numbers.

In 30 minutes, we will do her PMPS. As our morning dose was at 8:30am this morning, we may even do the pre-test shot at 7:30 (20 minutes from now) just to get an idea if it's possible to move the shot a bit sooner to get back on our old schedule again (7am and 7pm).

It would be very helpful if some of you can give feedback to confirm the amount we should dose for this evening. Our vet thinks .5 is OK.
Thanks in advance.

Also: We have been told Charlie has pancreatitis but we're still not sure yet. Probably this is the case.

If anyone wants to read Charlie's history in depth see the attached thread:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=74148
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hello and welcome to the group... from one Jill to another! :mrgreen:

sorry there weren't any replies before your PM shot tonight. it looks like you went ahead with 0.5u again. lantus does likes consist dosing (doses are adjusted based on nadirs rather than preshot numbers) and because of that, i would suggest sticking with the same dose for now. i suspect the dose will need increasing given her dosing requirements on caninsulin, but it sounds like some of charlie's issues have subsided. if she's feeling better, she may not require as much lantus as caninsulin. so, let's see how things go for a few cycles. we can always suggest fast-tracking her up the dosing scale if it looks like 0.5u is not enough. in the meantime, please check her urine for ketones during this transition.

we generally recommend testing at shot times as well as at +3, +6, and +9 for the first few days when starting lantus. it's true, it does take several days to see the full effects of a lantus dose, but we've seen some kitties have a marked response (low numbers) to lantus within the first several cycles. it's happened enough for us to notice.

i read that you want to give charlie a testing break, but will you at least consider getting a before bed spot check tonight... just in case she's one of those kitties who dives within those first few days?

please read thru the stickies ("starred" posts) near the top of the forum when you get a chance. there's a lot of info... too much to absorb in one sitting, but a great place to start.

ask any questions you may have. hope to see you posting often...
 
Hi Jill,
Charlie's numbers are looking great!
I read in your "comments" on the spreadsheet that you shot at 8PM tonight? I think someone might have already let you know how to adjust the timing backwards to get to your preferred 7am/7pm timing, but just in case -

You can either move each shot back 15 minutes over the next 4 cycles to get there.
Or you can do what you did tonight, and move it once per day by 30 minutes.
Either way, in 2 full days, you'll be where you want to be.

I think I would stick with the .5u dose and continue to get spot checks during the cycles for the next two days at least (that presumes you don't get really low numbers during the cycle, or at shot time.)
Other people a lot more experienced that I am can tell you best, however.

If you have any questions at all about how much to dose, all you have to do is post the questions here (make sure that in your subject line you include something like "Dose Advice Needed!" so that people will know you need help.

I am very happy that you were able to switch Charlie from that caninsulin!
Carl
 
Welcome, Jill and Charlie!

Jill/Alex provided the basics. If you have questions, please let us know. People are very responsive and willing to help.

One housekeeping note -- the board is a little quirky. If you want to link a post, you have to click on the URL button above the text box. It inserts a code, . You paste the link to the thread in between the two sets of brackets. It will look like this: link goes here.
 
WELCOME, Jill and Charlie!

You've already met several of my 'go-to people' who have started you well on your way, so I'll just say keep reading and asking LOTS of questions. And, while you may want to give Charlie a break on testing, those mid-cycle tests can be soooo important. When you're reading, check out some Spread Sheets (SS) linked at the bottom of signatures. You'll see how quickly situations can change.

I look forward to getting to know you -

Libby (& Hershey, too!)
 
Thanks for the warm welcome guys. AMPS was higher this morning. Still gave .5 and my partner will TRY to do some blood tests alone, but if that's not possible, we'll do it together tonight. We are both so tired since this thing began. Early morning blood tests, worrying during the night, thank God for strong coffee and the support of people like you guys. We'll keep you posted. Back at work now and will try to concentrate! :shock:
 
We had a real bad day again. Can anyone look at our numbers on the other board and advise how much ro give (since charlie is new to lantus, has higher numbers today, has had diarrhea, blood in her diarrhea, etc? I am thinking stay with .5 to not introduce more variables/ risk but maybe .75 is better to bring her blood sugar to a more normal place so she feels better. I really don't know. We will do our pmps in 1 hour.
 
Hi, Jill.

I'd love to lend a hand but none of your links are working. I get a "server error" notice when I try to open your spreadsheet. Also, the link to your update doesn't work. You need to put the location information between --> put the [url=http://info]http://info between these brackets[/url]. If you click on the URL button above the text box, it will insert the set of brackets.

I'm no sure which "other board" you are referring to. I'll see if I can track down your info but, having the spreadsheet working will help a lot.
 
(((((Jill))))) I'm sorry Charlie is having bloody diarrhea and poor you. That is really hard. Sienne will give you good advice and lots of others are here to support you.
Liz
 
Hi Jill & Charlie!

I just wanted to say hi and welcome. I'm sorry Charlie isn't feeling well.

As Sienne said water would be of great benefit to him now since he has diarhea and is probably dehydrated. I would also offer water several times a day in addition to adding it to the food. I've found that cold water from the fridge is very tempting to Racci and works when I want her to drink more.

I hope he feels better soon.

Melanie & Racci
 
I know you're getting tons of great advice over on Health, but I wanted to say Welcome to LantusLand, and I hope Charile is feeling better ASAP. AND...Oh. My. Goodness. Is she adorable, or what???
 
Things are looking good so far. A couple of items, though.

With Lantus, you will want to get at least one spot check during the PM cycle. Lantus dosing is based on the nadir, not on the pre-shot numbers. If you can get a before bed test, at minimum, that would be great. Many cats experience lower numbers at night so you don't want to miss a dose reduction. In addition, if you don't test, you're missing half of your data.

You'll want to start a new condo (that's Lantus slang for a thread) every day -- one condo, per cat, per day. We use a particular format for subject lines:
date Cat's name AMPS-#, +time-#​

When you have a chance, can you complete a Profile for Charlie? This will give us background information so we don't keep bugging you with the same questions. The instructions for making a Profile are linked.

From the notes on your SS, it sounds like Charlie is feeling better. That's great news.
 
Hi Jill,

I'm pretty new to all this, so please don't bank on my input! I read through your comments (thank you for putting so much info in, it's so helpful!) on Charlie's spreadsheet. From what I know, it looks like your new vet is giving more sound advice. It's good to see the switch from Caninsulin to Lantus, and also from dry food to a low carb raw/wet food diet.

I have no experience with transitioning cats from one insulin to another and how that impacts their numbers, but I know if you're starting Lantus "fresh" that it can take a few days to build up enough in the cat for the dose to have consistent effects.

I'm glad to see Charlie's feeling better this morning. Hopefully the improving trend continues!

Best,

Kathy (and Cleo sends her purrs to your Charlie, a fellow tuxedo cat!)
 
I saw Charlie's SS just now, and yep, she's looking great! Don't worry about any red #s as they'll become less, or non-existent over time. I hope that Charlie doesn't have a urinary tract infection. One of my civvies had it, and had to have 2 rounds of antibiotics, plus a hospital stay to clear it up. Now, he's on a very low magnesium food, and it hasn't returned. (thank goodness)
 
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