Insulin

[Robert A Schisler]

Can you give a cat Regular (R) Insulin.....my cat was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and has been taking 1 unit of Lantus twice a day.....but he went to the vet today and his sugar was still over 500....The vet increased his dose to 2 units of Lantus twice a day....I was just wondering if 1 unit of Regular would help lower his sugar??

 

[tiffmaxee]

Hi and welcome to the FDMB. There’s so much to say that I don’t know where to begin. You have come to the best place for a diabetic cat. We need lots of information from you in order to help you and I’m on my iPad and not able to easily help you collect it. So I am going to ask a favor of you. The folks on the main health forum have all this ready to cut and paste and help you get set up so that we can help you quickly.

A short answer to your question is no. Don’t change a thing until we get you set up and learn what has been done up until now for your cat. What’s your cat’s name? What are you feeding him? How much does he weigh? When in the cycle was that 500 bg, how many hours after injecting? Are you testing at all at home? Does he have any other health conditions? How old is he? What were his symptoms brought you to the vet? These are just a few things we need to know.

So if you don’t mind please start again here.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-welcome-main-forum.28/

I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your cat. Cats have a really good chance of going into remission so let’s get started.

 

[Karen & Charlie]

Can you give a cat Regular (R) Insulin.....my cat was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and has been taking 1 unit of Lantus twice a day.....but he went to the vet today and his sugar was still over 500....The vet increased his dose to 2 units of Lantus twice a day....I was just wondering if 1 unit of Regular would help lower his sugar??

You'll find many of us successfully use Lantus. When diagnosed, Charlie's blood glucose was 527, he's currently on 2.25u BID.

Elise (@tiffmaxee) is an experienced FD parent; hang out here and you'll learn a TON about how to help your cat. Charlie and I are fairly new so I can't offer any advice other than what she's suggesting, read and learn. But, get set up first.

 

[Critter Mom]

Hi Robert,

Your cat has only recently been diagnosed. The process of regulation takes time. At its very simplest the process goes as follows:

- Initial conservative starting dose (based on weight for Lantus).

Then ---

- Hold dose for a certain period of time (usually a week) to let cat's body adjust (unless testing or clinical signs indicate a reduction is due).
- Home test to keep cat safe.
- Run curve to assess dose safety and efficacy.
- Make any necessary moderate dose adjustment based on daily BG check and curve readings.
- Rinse 'n' repeat.

During this process it is normal to see cats running in high numbers for part of the time, especially in the early days of treatment while you're gradually working toward an effective dose. Numbers can't be 'forced' because the cat's body will react by dumping more sugar into the bloodstream, and trying to do so would also put the cat at a much greater risk of potentially life-threatening hypoglycaemic episodes.

Most diabetic cats only need small doses of insulin. There are, however, certain high dose conditions where a cat might eventually require treatment with a bolus insulin in addition to a basal insulin like Lantus. In such cases, R insulin may sometimes be used in addition to the likes of Lantus or Levemir BUT it is a very advanced technique requiring extensive support and guidance from someone highly experienced in this type of treatment. Also there would need to be a lot of data on how the individual cat responds to a particular insulin before attempting such a treatment approach.

R is a very harsh insulin and is more normally used in hospital settings (e.g. when treating diabetic ketoacidosis) where the cat is intensively monitored and is hooked up to receive IV dextrose to prevent it dropping too low.


Mogs
.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

To answer the question, there are a handful of people here who have use R including me, but not as a general tool. Cats with some types of insulin resistance and ketone prone cats are two reasons for using R, and only after using just the basal insulin proves ineffective. You are in early days yet, regulation is a process that takes time. It is also not uncommon for cats to get temporary high numbers, as their body adjusts to the new insulin.

 

[Robert A Schisler]

Hi Robert,

Your cat has only recently been diagnosed. The process of regulation takes time. At its very simplest the process goes as follows:

- Initial conservative starting dose (based on weight for Lantus).

Then ---

- Hold dose for a certain period of time (usually a week) to let cat's body adjust (unless testing or clinical signs indicate a reduction is due).
- Home test to keep cat safe.
- Run curve to assess dose safety and efficacy.
- Make any necessary moderate dose adjustment based on daily BG check and curve readings.
- Rinse 'n' repeat.

During this process it is normal to see cats running in high numbers for part of the time, especially in the early days of treatment while you're gradually working toward an effective dose. Numbers can't be 'forced' because the cat's body will react by dumping more sugar into the bloodstream, and trying to do so would also put the cat at a much greater risk of potentially life-threatening hypoglycaemic episodes.

Most diabetic cats only need small doses of insulin. There are, however, certain high dose conditions where a cat might eventually require treatment with a bolus insulin in addition to a basal insulin like Lantus. In such cases, R insulin may sometimes be used in addition to the likes of Lantus or Levemir BUT it is a very advanced technique requiring extensive support and guidance from someone highly experienced in this type of treatment. Also there would need to be a lot of data on how the individual cat responds to a particular insulin before attempting such a treatment approach.

R is a very harsh insulin and is more normally used in hospital settings (e.g. when treating diabetic ketoacidosis) where the cat is intensively monitored and is hooked up to receive IV dextrose to prevent it dropping too low.


Mogs
.

Thanks

 

[Robert A Schisler]

To answer the question, there are a handful of people here who have use R including me, but not as a general tool. Cats with some types of insulin resistance and ketone prone cats are two reasons for using R, and only after using just the basal insulin proves ineffective. You are in early days yet, regulation is a process that takes time. It is also not uncommon for cats to get temporary high numbers, as their body adjusts to the new insulin.

Thanks

 

[Robert A Schisler]

Hi Robert,

Your cat has only recently been diagnosed. The process of regulation takes time. At its very simplest the process goes as follows:

- Initial conservative starting dose (based on weight for Lantus).

Then ---

- Hold dose for a certain period of time (usually a week) to let cat's body adjust (unless testing or clinical signs indicate a reduction is due).
- Home test to keep cat safe.
- Run curve to assess dose safety and efficacy.
- Make any necessary moderate dose adjustment based on daily BG check and curve readings.
- Rinse 'n' repeat.

During this process it is normal to see cats running in high numbers for part of the time, especially in the early days of treatment while you're gradually working toward an effective dose. Numbers can't be 'forced' because the cat's body will react by dumping more sugar into the bloodstream, and trying to do so would also put the cat at a much greater risk of potentially life-threatening hypoglycaemic episodes.

Most diabetic cats only need small doses of insulin. There are, however, certain high dose conditions where a cat might eventually require treatment with a bolus insulin in addition to a basal insulin like Lantus. In such cases, R insulin may sometimes be used in addition to the likes of Lantus or Levemir BUT it is a very advanced technique requiring extensive support and guidance from someone highly experienced in this type of treatment. Also there would need to be a lot of data on how the individual cat responds to a particular insulin before attempting such a treatment approach.

R is a very harsh insulin and is more normally used in hospital settings (e.g. when treating diabetic ketoacidosis) where the cat is intensively monitored and is hooked up to receive IV dextrose to prevent it dropping too low.


Mogs
.

Thank you!!

 

[Robert A Schisler]

Hi Robert,

Your cat has only recently been diagnosed. The process of regulation takes time. At its very simplest the process goes as follows:

- Initial conservative starting dose (based on weight for Lantus).

Then ---

- Hold dose for a certain period of time (usually a week) to let cat's body adjust (unless testing or clinical signs indicate a reduction is due).
- Home test to keep cat safe.
- Run curve to assess dose safety and efficacy.
- Make any necessary moderate dose adjustment based on daily BG check and curve readings.
- Rinse 'n' repeat.

During this process it is normal to see cats running in high numbers for part of the time, especially in the early days of treatment while you're gradually working toward an effective dose. Numbers can't be 'forced' because the cat's body will react by dumping more sugar into the bloodstream, and trying to do so would also put the cat at a much greater risk of potentially life-threatening hypoglycaemic episodes.

Most diabetic cats only need small doses of insulin. There are, however, certain high dose conditions where a cat might eventually require treatment with a bolus insulin in addition to a basal insulin like Lantus. In such cases, R insulin may sometimes be used in addition to the likes of Lantus or Levemir BUT it is a very advanced technique requiring extensive support and guidance from someone highly experienced in this type of treatment. Also there would need to be a lot of data on how the individual cat responds to a particular insulin before attempting such a treatment approach.

R is a very harsh insulin and is more normally used in hospital settings (e.g. when treating diabetic ketoacidosis) where the cat is intensively monitored and is hooked up to receive IV dextrose to prevent it dropping too low.


Mogs
.

Thank you!!

 

[Robert A Schisler]

Hi and welcome to the FDMB. There’s so much to say that I don’t know where to begin. You have come to the best place for a diabetic cat. We need lots of information from you in order to help you and I’m on my iPad and not able to easily help you collect it. So I am going to ask a favor of you. The folks on the main health forum have all this ready to cut and paste and help you get set up so that we can help you quickly.

A short answer to your question is no. Don’t change a thing until we get you set up and learn what has been done up until now for your cat. What’s your cat’s name? What are you feeding him? How much does he weigh? When in the cycle was that 500 bg, how many hours after injecting? Are you testing at all at home? Does he have any other health conditions? How old is he? What were his symptoms brought you to the vet? These are just a few things we need to know.

So if you don’t mind please start again here.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-welcome-main-forum.28/

I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your cat. Cats have a really good chance of going into remission so let’s get started.

Thanks 4 the info......He is 11 years old and being a Type 1 Diabetic myself I had noticed that he lost alot of weight and was drinking and peeing much more than normal...I took him to the vet 2 weeks ago and told him that I thought he had diabetes....After the blood work came back the vet said I called it right...his blood sugar was 435...he went back to the vet today for this glucose curve and the vet called and told me to come pick him up early his blood sugar was over 500....so he increased his Lantus dose to 2 units bid.....I have 4 cats and they eat both kibble and wet....I am putting Silly on FF Classic Pate......but I need to get him off of the kibble.....He is 13 lbs....the good news is since I'm a diabetic I already have all the insulin and supplies needed....so I guess I am going to try home testing and see how that goes.....Thanks for all of your help

 

[Sue and Luci]

I am putting Silly on FF Classic Pate

Keep an eye on his after removing the kibble. Many cats BG numbers drop significantly with the removal of kibble.

Looking forward to seeing your spreadsheet so we can see the numbers, especially the pre-shot numbers...never shoot without getting a pre-shot.

Thanks

 

[tiffmaxee]

That all sounds good. What kind of a meter do you use? You might want to set up a signature with all the info you just gave us so people won’t keep asking you the same questions over and over.

 

[Robert A Schisler]

That all sounds good. What kind of a meter do you use? You might want to set up a signature with all the info you just gave us so people won’t keep asking you the same questions over and over.

Ultra One Touch