Help Lantus users: switch to lantus before trip?

[Cynthia and Sara]

Hello everyone,
well, Sara's been doing better : PS 250-300, nadir 130-150.

The problem: On nov 19th, we leave for 2 weeks. No one can home test while we are gone;
We might be able to pay a vet tech to give shots BID.
otherwise given her numbers, we might not shoot while gone. I dont know what else to do. Family reunion in the US, tickets bought, can't bring her along.

Question: I want to switch to Lantus from the Caninsulin, but do we have enough time to work it out before we leave? to Get the dose right?
If the person who shoots her while gone can't deal with Lantus protocol or hometesting, is it worth switching now? or keep going on Caninsulin and wait till we get back?

It seems from reading that there is less of a chance of hypo on Lantus than caninsulin, so maybe she'd be safer while we're gone?

and because of her CRF, have to feed some Royal canin Renal with about 15% carbs: does that change the Lantus protocol?

My vet doesnt know what to do and I have to see her tommorrow...

I'd appreciate any advice from lantus users--no one has experience with this in France....

thanks!

 

[Hope + (((Baby)))GA]

I've never used Lantus but if I had to leave for 2 weeks there is no way I would start a new insulin. If the nadir is only 130-150, I would continue to use caninsulin until you were back home and able to do the switch to Lantus and hometest. Not worth the risk.

 

[Cynthia and Sara]

well, the hope was that she could get regulated, even perhaps remission, in a month before we leave with Lantus.....

and Im much more nervous about possibly incompetent sitters shooting caninsulin into her than lantus....
???

 

[Jana+BK+Chester(GA)+Wilbur]

Cynthia, B.K. was using Vetsulin before I changed him to Lantus, so I understand your concern. In B.K.'s case, Vetsulin was just not a good insulin for him and if he wasn't hyper, he was hypo - it was just too harsh of an insulin for him.

However, Lantus works very differently from other insulins in that it takes several days for it to form its "shed." Also, Lantus requires that you stick with a speciic dose at least a few days before you consider changing the dose. Given all that and the fact you don't know what Sara's optimal Lantus dose is/would be, and home testing isn't going to be available while you are gone, I wouldn't change Sara's insulin before your trip.

If it were my cat, discontinuing treatment for two weeks wouldn't be an option. Leaving a diabetic kitty without treatment for that length of time, particularly with numbers like Sara's, would cause me to be concerned about ketones and all the other problems that come with extended periods of high BG levels. Can you board Sara with her vet?