is it getting worse??

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katlady1974

katlady1974

Member Since 2013
So, Timber has been on Lantus since sunday night (3 days) and I swear he's drinking and peeing more! i don't have a meter yet to test his bg, we're getting one from a vet friend who lives out of town- hopefully getting it this weekend. I've also noticed that he seems to really like the DM dry food that i get from out vet- he' now eating more than the wet fancy feast! i'm afraid to pull the dry right now because i'm not home during the day to monitor any bad reactions if his bg drops too low!! any thoughts/suggestions??
 
Hello and welcome to the board!

There could be many things going on.. He might not be getting enough insulin, or he could be getting too much and his blood glucose could be bouncing up and down. So the sooner you start testing the better and we will get a better idea of what's going on, and you can stop the dry at that point.

Meanwhile you could pick up some keto-diastix that test for urine glucose and ketones, will tell you what's going on in the meantime and allow you to keep an eye on him for ketones which is also very important generally.

Wendy
 
another thing to bear in mind is that lantus needs time to build up a shed - there is a sticky about how the shed works in the tight regulation insulin support board.
 
It takes a good 5 days on the initial dose to evaluate how it is doing by collect tests of the nadirs - the lowest levels between shots.
This is because of the build-up effect, aka depot or shed.

While you are working on home blood glucose testing, please look at my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for information on urine ketone monitoring. You pick up the urine test strips from most large pharmacies, usually in the diabetic supply area or by asking the pharmacist. KetoDiastix is one brand which tests for both ketones and glucose in the urine. That'll give you a very rough idea if the insulin dose is high enough (no glucose in urine) or not (ketones in urine). Ketones are a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal, expensive to treat (hospitalization required), complication of diabetes. It most often ocurrs when the cat isn't eating enough, is ill, and there isn't enough insulin to use the food.
 
thanks for the info!! i've read the talk about using the strips to test the urine- how exactly to i do that?? i seriously doubt i can get him to pee on a strip! ;)

today is day 5 and he's still drinking lots, eating lots, and peeing lots. suppose to be doing the curve next wednesday. the vet did say she started conservatively and expects he'll likely need an increase dose.
 
katlady1974 said:
thanks for the info!! i've read the talk about using the strips to test the urine- how exactly to i do that?? i seriously doubt i can get him to pee on a strip! ;)

today is day 5 and he's still drinking lots, eating lots, and peeing lots. suppose to be doing the curve next wednesday. the vet did say she started conservatively and expects he'll likely need an increase dose.
Click to expand...

My cat is super picky about the litter pan and I was convinced I would never get urine, but I just laid a plastic bag over the pan and twice he has peed on it. Then I just dip the strip in and toss the bag away.
 
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