Getting ready for first shot

[Boscosmom]

We meet with our vet today to start Lantus. Bosco will get 1 unit of Lantus every 12 hours. I've been pretty consistent with testing around 7p daily, so I'm going with the 7a/7p times.
I do have some questions, as I want to make sure I get this right.
1. Bosco is a grazer, and we need him to eat. He is a mainecoon and has been losing some weight. I read no snacks during the day or grazing on the papers from the vets. Is that correct? I'm concerned he won't eat enough....
2. Can you confirm I understand the testing process now that he will be getting insulin? No food 2 hours before a glucose test, test him, and then if his numbers are not in the 100-199 zone he gets insulin but he needs to eat before he gets his insulin shot. Is that correct?
3. What if I'm late getting home one night by an hour. Does that mean that the next morning, I have to test at the new 12 hour mark? Example normally test at 7p but test at 8p - do I need to now move to the 8a test time?

Nervous to start the process.... Thank you for your guidance.

 

[Angela & Cleo]

Hi Kim and adorable Bosco! Welcome. Nerves are normal and quite typical around here.
We like to link our last post so that others can follow along. Here is yours from the Main Forum New Memeber 8/22/25 Bosco's mom.

Have you read through the stickies located in the forum about dosing methods?

1. Bosco is a grazer, and we need him to eat. He is a mainecoon and has been losing some weight. I read no snacks during the day or grazing on the papers from the vets. Is that correct? I'm concerned he won't eat enough....

We find it best to feed small and frequent meals throughout the cycle. A cycle is the 12 hours from one shot until the next. Feeding frequent smaller meals is easier on them and helps with large drops in BG. We recommend taking the number of calories to maintain a healthy weight be divided into those frequent smaller snacks.

Can you confirm I understand the testing process now that he will be getting insulin? No food 2 hours before a glucose test, test him, and then if his numbers are not in the 100-199 zone he gets insulin but he needs to eat before he gets his insulin shot. Is that correct?

Lantus takes about 2 hours before onset (when the insulin starts working) so you have some time to get some food into him before the insulin starts working. So you get a test in the morning (AMPS), feed, then shoot. About 2 hours after injecting, try and grab a test if you can. If that number is the same or lower than your AMPS, its best to get another test to see if Bosco is having an active cycle (more described in detail here). We don't want to feed after nadir (the lowest point of the cycle) as that could cut down on the duration of the insulin. Some cats need to eat after nadir because of taking other medication or stomach acid. In those cases, it is suggested to give a snack as low in carb as you have. My Cleo enjoys Mama's home made boiled chicken - well sometimes lol.
Whether or not to shoot at 100-199 will depend on a few factors. We don't suggest shooting below 200 WHEN NEW unless you can monitor. PLEASE Post for help anytime you get a BG and are unsure of anything!! Eventually, you will lower this NO SHOOT number to 90 (when following SLGS) or 50 (when following TR). Is there any history of ketones? If so, then we don't recommend skipping any doses. Best to post and ask for help.

What if I'm late getting home one night by an hour. Does that mean that the next morning, I have to test at the new 12 hour mark? Example normally test at 7p but test at 8p - do I need to now move to the 8a test time?

If you shoot an hour late, your options are that you can shoot 15 minutes early each cycle or 30 minutes once a day until you get back to your desired shooting times. Again, if any questions, feel free to post and ask for help.

I hope I made sense - lol - its been a long day.
Will you be shooting tonight or starting tomorrow morning?

 

[Mary & Jude]

Good luck, Kim! You’ve got this. And Angela has given you some excellent advice. Let’s get Bosco’s numbers down!

 

[jud and corv]

Good luck, Kim and Bosco! You guys are gonna do great <3

 

[Boscosmom]

Good morning everyone,
So Bosco was/is dealing with an upper respiratory infection and started on 1/2 Clavamox last night. Welp, it didn't hit him well. Vomiting and diarrhea. So he is feeling pretty crapy right now. I'm watching his fluids to see if he needs a bag today to help him. I'll keep you posted. And no more Clavamox.....

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Good morning everyone,
So Bosco was/is dealing with an upper respiratory infection and started on 1/2 Clavamox last night. Welp, it didn't hit him well. Vomiting and diarrhea. So he is feeling pretty crapy right now. I'm watching his fluids to see if he needs a bag today to help him. I'll keep you posted. And no more Clavamox.....

Hi Kim and Bosco, welcome.
I’m sorry to hear he’s not feeling well from the clavamox. Not unusual they react badly to antibiotics.

It’s very helpful to give a good probiotic to help protect their GI situation while taking antibiotics.
(Not fortiflora, which is really only good as good enticement).

Any chance you could get him some probiotics, something more along the human line like Renew Ultimate with L. acidophilus in it.
Just a thought for what you can get quickly, Visbiome is a good product.
Give the probiotic a couple hours apart from the antibiotic. Start with a low dose and work your way up.

The downside of antibiotics is that it does kill the good flora as well.

I hope he feels much better soon!!

 

[Boscosmom]

Hi Kim and Bosco, welcome.
I’m sorry to hear he’s not feeling well from the clavamox. Not unusual they react badly to antibiotics.

It’s very helpful to give a good probiotic to help protect their GI situation while taking antibiotics.
(Not fortiflora, which is really only good as good enticement).

Any chance you could get him some probiotics, something more along the human line like Renew Ultimate with L. acidophilus in it.
Just a thought for what you can get quickly, Visbiome is a good product.
Give the probiotic a couple hours apart from the antibiotic. Start with a low dose and work your way up.

The downside of antibiotics is that it does kill the good flora as well.

I hope he feels much better soon!!

Oh good to know about the probiotis for cats! The vet said to stop using the clavamox since he reacted so badly. We are going to monitor the URI and if it doesn't pass, we will look for a second option.