Hello everyone!

[Wendy and Boo (GA)]

My name is Wendy and my cat's name is Boo Radley. We are old timers but used PZI.

After being in remission for three years, Boo is going to need insulin again. His BG's are running in the high 400's and he's drinking copious amounts of water :cry:

I took him to the vet today to get him checked out. He called me at work to let me know Boo was going to need insulin and asked me if I 'd like to use Detemir. I nearly fell out of my chair. I was expecting Lantus or ProZinc. Apparently, he attended a recent conference and they praised Levemir.

He wants me to start Boo on 1 unit tomorrow. That's fine with me, except I won't be home all day . DH will be home at +6 or +7 to check on him.

Since I won't be home to watch him, should I err on the side of caution and shoot .5 or just give him the 1 unit? I can leave canned food out for him.

Thanks, and I look forward to getting to know you all!

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

Hi Wendy,
Very exiting to hear that a practitioner is recommending Levemir. It's about time.

If hubby can be home around +7 to test, and you have food out, 1U should be fine. It's a gentle insulin and although we've seen one member's cat, Sheila's Beau, drop to the 30s on his third day of Lev. , 1U should be safe enough, especially with BGs running in the 400s. Beau went OTJ within 3 months of starting Lev.

How rusty are your testing skills? Generally it's a later peaking insulin and the optimum dose doesn't really produce a defined peak, but the testing is necessary to find that optimum dose.

What other questions do you have?

 

[Wendy and Boo (GA)]

Hi Vicky-

I've been testing Boo every couple of weeks for the past three years during his remission. Imagine my dismay when a few weeks ago he was sneaking up into the 150's, but still able to drop himself down into the 90's. Vet felt 150 is too low to give insulin, especially with some pancreatic activity. Then everything went haywire and his pancreas quit working altogether.

I did TID dosing with Boo on PZI, with good results (BID, not so good). But I realize Lev is totally different.

I have lots to learn

 

[Terri and Lucy]

Hi Wendy--good to see you, but sorry it's because Boo came out of remission. I think you'll love Levemir. It tends to have a flatter profile than PZI so I wouldn't worry about the 1.0 unit. I don't remember whether Boo was a food spiker, but with Lev there's no need to adjust your feeding schedule.

Did the vet check him for UTI? Has he been behaving himself and using the box?

Lucy's on the downhill, but at age 20 that's to be expected. Over the past 6 weeks, we've gone through 2 episodes where I thought she wouldn't be coming home with me. But she's a tough old broad and has pulled through with shining colors.

Terri

 

[Melissa&Paul-Kyle]

Hi Wendy,

Welcome to the Lev forum! Sorry you are coming outof remission...3 years is a LONG time! My Paul-Kyle ( PK ) was OTJ for 6 months and I thought that was pretty lucky...

I think your 1u is decently safe if you can get some spot checks later in the cycle or leave food out just in case.

It seems odd to come out of remission like that, not that I have any scientific basis other than a hunch...I just wonder if there is an underlying issue as mentioned by Terri like a UTI or what about need for a dental or thyroid or ?

In any case, Levemir has been pretty succesful getting cats OTJ so watch the BG's as you progress in case they plummet and your sweetness is able to go back off of insulin.

Just checking on the food, too...any changes recently or possible changes on the manufacturing end that maybe he is getting more carbs now that could have "triggered" the higher numbers?

let us know if we can answer any questions or help further!

(((Wendy and Boo))) ( my new neighbor cat is named Boo!)

 

[Blue]

Hi Wendy,
I was wondering how come you don't just wait till the weekend or when you will be home for a couple days to monitor?
I don't expect much to happen the first few days because it will take a few days for the shed to build up, but to put your mind at ease, just wait to start when you will be home. That way, you will be able to get all prepared, and read all the stickys on Lantus/Lev.

 

[Wendy and Boo (GA)]

Hi Terri and Melissa-

Terri-so good to "see" you! I can't believe Miss Lucy is 20!

To answer your questions, the vet doesn't see any sign of infection, and his teeth are good. He isn't having any IE issues either-he's been making it to his litterbox. However, if he continues to drink as much as he has the past few days, I see some accidents happening. I have no idea why he's become diabetic again. His health is not good-HCM and heart failure have taken a toll on him. I don't see problems with his heart having a direct affect on his pancreas though. But what do I know

I have confidence the Lev is a good choice for him.

 

[Ilkka and Tom]

Apparently, he attended a recent conference and they praised Levemir.

He wants me to start Boo on 1 unit tomorrow. That's fine with me, except I won't be home all day . DH will be home at +6 or +7 to check on him.

It's an interesting question.. what is the right dose for a cat coming out of remission? One unit is the standard starting dose in general, and I think that is ok, although I would start on something like .5 and then monitor. Why? because 1 unit is a LOT after ZERO. There is very little info on what to do after insulin-remission-relapse. The issue really revolves around what the cat needs, not what is right in the abstract. My own cat Tom, who has been in remission 16 months, is causing me some worry, and if I have to put him back on insulin I would start on .5 of Levemir and then double up if I had to, after a week or so.

Best wishes for Boo..

 

[Michele&Molly]

Just wanted to hop in and say Hi Wendy. I am a fellow old timer of PZI and remember you and Boo. I mean this with absolute kindness when i say i'm sorry to see you here.

Lev is a great insulin and hopefully Boo has great success with it. You are correct that it's very different from PZI -the learning curve was hard for me - but being the great mommy that you are, you'll figure it out in no time. And in the meantime, we're all here for you :smile: Heck, even after you figure it out, we'll all still be here for you and Boo.

-Michele & Molly