first time user... URGENT HELP NEEDED

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kajal.setpal

Member Since 2014
i gave boo her first lantus shot today. started her with 1 unit at 8:30am. Her BG was 580. I checked her in 2 hours and the BG had spiked to "HI" on the machine. I am going to check her in another hour to see if it has come down a bit. I understand she is on a high carb diet and that may have caused her sugar to go up more. Im still trying to find a food solution that is good for her diabetes and CRF. There aren't a lot of options available here for her condition. There is nothing available from all the different food lists i have seen.

My point is, how long should i wait till i start panicking and rush her to the vet. Boo is not showing any signs of hyperglycemic shock yet.

I just checked boo again, reading still says "HI"

Basically 4 hours after her shot and her reading still says "HI"

p.s. I think the machine cannot read beyond 600
 
Hello and welcome here. It is not an emergency if Boo registers "Hi" for her blood sugars. How long have you been testing Boo? It is possible that she has been Hi before. It is much safer for a kitty to be high than low. It will help us help you, if you can set up a spreadsheet to show her values. While Boo is high, it is very important to test regularly for ketones. You can buy something like Ketostix in pharmacies - you dip it in her pee and it will tell you how Boo is doing. As long as the ketones are negative, she will be OK when she is Hi and you don't need to take her to the vet.

Please take the time to read the starred Sticky Notes at the top of this forum. There is a lot of reading but it is all good information. Lantus is a depot type insulin and takes 5-7 days to see how it's going to do. You may or may not see major changes for a few days.

Several people here have kitties with both CRF and diabetes. A low carb, low phosphorus wet food is recommended.
 
Yes boo has been HI before, when she was on humulin 30/70, but that hardly lasted 20-30 min. Its been over 4 hours after her shot and she is still HI.

By when can i see her BG levels drop. What if I'm not sure if i actually injected her with insulin or not, she did move. Im trying to get the ketostix now, what if she is positive for ketones. Ive checked with couple of pharmacies here in Dubai, can't find ketostix.
 
If she is positive for ketones, you need to take her to the vet. If you can't find the test strips in a pharmacy, can you order online?

If you think the insulin did not go in, did you check to see if her fur was wet around the area where you gave the shot? Lantus also had an odor, so if you sniffed the area, you would smell something. If not, it most likely went in. It make take several days for you to see a change in her BG. Do not lose heart. This is a good place to get good info and help and support. Do take the time to read the stickies that Wendy mentioned. It will explain how Lantus works. And keep asking questions!

There are not a lot of people on the board right now, as it is a little too early in the eastern US, and too late in the west, but there will be several of them coming on in a couple of hours, so keep checking back. They will see your 911 and respond.
 
It does sound like she "food spiked" - it's not too uncommon for BGs to go up a couple hours after a shot.

Also, it does take a while for things to "settle out" with Lantus, since it is a "depot style" insulin. The depot (or shed) takes a couple days to fill, so you may not see any REAL response for a few cycles.

People are starting to wake up now, so I'm sure you'll start getting more responses soon!

Welcome to LantusLand!
 
Hi! Welcometo LantusLand! You are in the right place!!

Many of us have dealt with those HI readings before. In fact, Cobb spent months up there. Ugh! It was before we switched him to wet food. You should see a drop in his BG once you switch him to wet. Cobb has had some urinary tract issues in the past so he is on Friskies Special Diet food. Several flavors are lower in phosphorous and low carb - perfect combo for Boo

There is a ton of experience on this board and you will learn a ton. You're going to get a lot of information quickly, so ask lots of questions. Usually someone else can explain the same thing a little differently and it makes perfect sense. The stickies also answer a lot of questions.

Definitely give the Lantus time to work. Let the depot build up and you'll find the right dose with help from people here.

You and Boo are in good hands!

~Suzanne
 
"Ketostix" is a brand name. That may be why you're having difficulty. You want urine test strips that test for ketones. They may also come in a form that tests for both urinary ketones and urinary glucose. (The ones that test both go by the brand name "Ketodiastix" in the US.)

Lantus is very different that Humulin. Lantus is far gentler and, what's very important to realize when you're starting Lantus, is that it's a depot-type of insulin. Every time you shoot, a small amount goes to fill the insulin depot. At the start of using Lantus, there is no depot yet formed. So, you may not see a big drop in numbers. It takes roughly 5 - 7 days for the depot to form.

It will help us to help you if you can get a spreadsheet set up so we can follow along with your test data. You may also want to begin to familiarize yourself with the information in the starred sticky notes at the top of the Board.

If you put a note in your subject line (edit the subject line in your first post -- remove the "urgent help" and ask for CRF help), there are quite a few people here who have cats with kidney issues and diabetes. The difficulty may be what brands are available in Dubai. You may want to look into a phosphorus binder. This will give you a broader choice of foods. Have you found Tanya's site? It's an incredible resource for cats with kidney disease.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land!!!

You're going to find a lot of useful information on here, and a lot of people are here to help you with trying to get Boo regulated. You've definitely come to the right place. Good luck!
 
Hello and Welcome :cool:

I'm linking the thread started on the Health Forum on 02/05 for others here to reference.

You have come to the best place to learn to use Lantus to help Boo.
kajal.setpal said:
What if I'm not sure if i actually injected her with insulin or not, she did move.
Click to expand...
We have all at one time or another experienced a shot that we were not certain was successful. We call this a 'fur shot'.
Since there is no way to know how much, if any insulin made it into your kitty, for safety we recommend that you wait the 12 hours until it's time for the next shot.
Better a day too high than an hour too low.

Keep asking questions and providing updates. Plenty of help is available here.

(edited to add link to post on Health)
 
Good Morning and welcome to LL!

You have found the right place to answer your many questions that will help you help Boo! Ole is also a cat that has had many a day and night at HI, and we are still working at regulating him. You are not alone, especially here. Read the stickys, ask lots of questions and we will be here with you.

So glad you're here.

Rebekah
 
Hi guys and welcome to lantus land! Fortunately for us, mocha never registered HI on her meter, but I know there are kitties here who have, and someone will be able to help walk you guys through it .. just hang in there, this is the best place for diabetic kitties!
 
Good morning!

I too switched last month from humilin N to levemir which is much the same as lantus. It took Scooter 30 days to "come down" like he did temporarily with humilin. It also was a learning curve for me.

Please don't panic the folks here all care about Boo and you. Read the sticky notes up top and like it has been said better a day HI than and hour LOW as long as long as Boo's ketones are negative.

Scooters spreadsheet is below if you would like to read about our switch over. He is doing great today and much happier and less sick.

You are in the right place!

Linda
 
thank you so much guys. I'm looking for a different food option i can give boo. she just won't take wet food.

How soon should i do up a spreadsheet for boo. She's been on lantus for just a few days. And how often should i check for ketones?
 
The sooner you can create a spreadsheet for Boo, the sooner we'll be able to help with suggestions on dosing.

As long as she is in higher numbers (above 300 mg/dl or 16.7 in mmol/L) you should try to test for ketones every day.

The http://www.catinfo.org site has some good Tips for transitioning to wet food. For some cats it takes time and trying many tricks.

Could you uncheck the 911 on your first post? We like to reserve the 911 icon for medical emergencies only. Thanks.
 
Hi.........

I'm new here for the past month and you should start your SS right away since that's the best way for everyone to keep track and watch your numbers. It's easy to set up and the directions were very simple, not to mention many here will help you since they are seasoned LLers...............LOL. You should test for keytones every day if you can or at least when you get the chance to catch the pee. Not easy for me since Davidson sneaks away when I'm never around.
 
kajal.setpal said:
thank you so much guys. I'm looking for a different food option i can give boo. she just won't take wet food.

How soon should i do up a spreadsheet for boo. She's been on lantus for just a few days. And how often should i check for ketones?
Click to expand...

Until you can successfully transition to canned or raw food:
Evo Cat and Kitten - about 8 % calories from carbs; pet supply stores
Young Again 0 Carb - about 5 % calories from carbs; internet only

You might try baking the canned food until crunchy on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. That gets her accustomed to the flavor. Then gradually leave it more and more moist.
 
There are lots of tricks to help transition kitties who are canned food resistant. Some people pulverize the dry food and sprinkle it over the canned food. kinda tricks them into thinking they've got the dry food still!

some other enticing sprinkles include parmesan cheese, oregano (related to catnip), catnip itself, or a little bit of juice from the tuna can (make sure it's tuna in water, no onions or garlic). You can sprinkle fortiflora on top - it's a probiotic that's irresistible to many cats. you can buy that from your vet or off of Amazon.

some people heat up the canned food to make it smell more enticing.

you can also mix a little dry into the canned, gradually increasing the canned and decreasing the dry until you've made the transition.

Ah . . . here is a link with all kinds of suggestions about it. The catinfo.org site is really good. Take a peek at that link, which goes straight to her page on transitioning dry food addicts to canned food. Hopefully something there will make it easier for you. It really is vital to get a diabetic cat onto a low carb canned food diet.

There is a wealth of experience on this insulin support group. Just keep asking questions on whatever topics you need help with. We'll be happy to help.

i would second Wendy's request to uncheck the 911. it gives people a heart attack because we think there's a kitty that's having a hypoglycemic emergency. that's no doubt why there are hundreds of views on your post. Thanks!!
 
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