Intro

[Nimo's mom]

Hi everyone,
I'm not sure what happened but my intro post that I wrote this morning disappeared.
I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.
My biggest concern is regulating my cat. How long does the average cat take?
Our story
Nimo is 12.5 yo and about 13 pounds (he has a large frame but is still overweight)
He was diagnosed last week and started insulin 1 week ago. 3units of lantus 2x a day
I use the alpha track meter. I've randomly checked his levels and they've been between 520 and 617.
He was on c/d due to FLUTD that he was dx with at age 6, but I started switching him to evo.
I've been really concerned because his levels have been so high. I know most pets start at a lower dose but think that my vet probably did right starting higher with my cat because his numbers have remained high.
This morning it was 628 a half hour after eating. Then I checked it every four hours and it continued to go down, 388 then 317 then 301. I thought it was really strange that it continued to go down. This was even despite getting into the cabinet and eating some bread. He really seams to be missing his carbs has anyone else seen a cats reaction like this? He didn't seem to respond at all for 7 days and then suddenly the numbers are decreasing.

Thanks for listening/ reading!

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

So it was 301 twelve hours after this morning's shot?

OK, first thing... you'll read this so much you'll get sick of reading it.... :lol: Every Cat Is Different.

Some cats respond very quickly to Lantus. Other's take a few days before you start to see "better numbers". Lantus is called a "depot type" insulin. It can take several days for a certain level of insulin to be established inside their bodies. You hadn't seen much in the way of improvement in numbers, then all of a sudden today BAM, you have movement! Normally we suggest that you hold the initial dose for 5 days and collect data, then try to make sense out of the numbers, and reevaluate the dosage.

You are right, 3u is a bigger starting dose than usual, and your vet had some sort of logical reason for starting there. Was there anything else, like maybe an infection, or pancreatitis, or was the word "ketones" mentioned at first? Those are factors that may come into play when a cat is first diagnosed.

You mentioned "Evo". Is that dry or canned?

And yes, some cats are carboholics. Bread seems to be a fave with some cats! I have a non-diabetic cat that will eat through the plastic wrapper to get at a hamburger bun, lol. I have to store it in a secure cabinet so he won't leave crumbs for my sugarkitty.

Carl

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

This morning it was 628 a half hour after eating. Then I checked it every four hours and it continued to go down, 388 then 317 then 301.

Did you give a shot tonight on that 301, and if so, was it 3u?

Carl

 

[Nimo's mom]

Yes, right now (about 3.5 hours later) he's at 396. I had to go check his levels after you asked if I gave the 3u
He was in pretty good shape when I brought him in to the vet. Just increased Input despite weight loss, some dehydration, and his coat has became flaky and dull. But thankfully no ketones, etc. I thought maybe she started high because he's a big cat, maybe I'll ask her. Thanks for responding. This is all really overwhelming!

 

[MommaOfMuse]

Okay first off Congrats for testing at home!!!! Give yourself a pat on the back.

Now...what exactly is his diet, because diet plays a HUGE role in managing this disease. When you say Evo is that the canned version or the dry version?

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

[Nimo's mom]

Thanks! I'm in the process of switching him to evo wet, but he is still getting some prescription c/d wet. That was very effective in preventing another blockage. So fingers crossed that the Flutd doesn't act up again

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

It is overwhelming (for me too at first), but it does get easier.

The reason I asked if the dose was 3u wasn't so much that the 301 was low, but that the number had been falling all day long. In that case, I would have advised just what you did....check at +3 to see if it had continued to drop.

Some vets do base starting dose on weight, and it isn't an exact science. To "us", 3u sounds like a lot, just because some cats never even go that high in dose. As things get better, I'm sure you'll be lowering the dose. :smile: But the numbers right now don't scream "lower the dose!!!". They are much better however, which is encouraging to see. Here's a link to the AAHA guidelines for initial dose based on "lean body weight". It's on I think the 4th page down (218), and you'll see that most cats would start at 1u, and the highest they recommend is 2u twice a day, for a "large cat". Your vet should have access to this, but if not, share the link with her.
http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/AAHADiabetesGuidelines.pdf

The fact that you are home-testing is a great thing too. You can know at any time day or night what the BG is. That's a powerful tool in managing feline diabetes. It's also the safe way to do this. If you can continue to test before every shot, and try to get a test or two someplace in the middle of a cycle (4-8 hours after a shot), you should see the point (nadir) where his BG goes lowest for the day. THAT is the number that will tell you if the dose is right, more so than the preshot numbers will.

Carl

 

[Nimo's mom]

Thank you!