Just switched to Lantus, day 4--how long till shed fills?

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When we started with Lantus I was told to hold the first dose for 5-7 days, but he was a newly diagnosed cat. We actually ended up holding it for about 2 weeks I think, and then starting reducing it (he was steroid induced and now is diet controlled, no insulin).

I have no idea, tho, how you would achieve good glucose control w/Lantus w/o using a blood glucometer. Maybe someone else could help with that? The problem with using the pee strips (and PLEASE, someone correct me if I'm wrong!), is that they don't give an actual value, just that there is glucose spilling into the urine or not, right? And Lantus is usually dosed by the lowest blood glucose level during a shot cycle. Without having that data, or even a glucose curve, I don't know how you'd know how much to increase the dose.
 
With regards to the Lantus insulin, and from what I understand of it, you need to adjust the dosage according to the nadir (lowest #), not the AMPS or PMPS #'s. The nadir for cats could range from +4 to +6, or sometimes at +7, depending on the cat. Every cat is different (ECID), though.

(If I'm wrong in saying this, some correct me, please).
 
Thanks for the replies. My direct concern right now is: how long until the shed fills and the insulin starts to work?
 
We just switched from ProZinc at about the same time, and I'm wondering the same thing. I suspect that it depends on how close your dose is to a "good" dose, but that is what I am inferring from what I've read...so I could be completely wrong!

What was his dose on PZI? That might help the people who know Lantus guide you. I know others have switched from PZI, so I'm sure they will be along to help you out.

Welcome to LL!

ps..Libby posted while I was typing, help is on the way! ;-)
 
That would actually be 2.2u.

Personally, I would not go back, you will have wasted 4 days for nothing. I would wait for some help from experienced Lantus users.

I would really encourage you to get a meter and start home testing though. It will make the transition much less stressful for you because you will know exactly where his numbers are. It isn't that hard to do, really! There's lots of help here if you need it. (Not trying to be pushy!)

Does he have a history of ketones? That would certainly make a difference on dosing advice. Are you checking for ketones daily? If not, you should go to the pharmacy and get some ketostix and start testing.

Patience is important, it will take some time to transition. At least you have some company, Angela and I are in the same boat with you! ;-)
 
Do you plan to learn to test?

Reason I ask is that when a cat switches from another insulin, we usually take into consideration the dose on the previous insulin and how they were doing on that dose.

From the Tight Regulation Protocol:

In many cases, the starting dose of Lantus or Levemir has been 0.25 IU per kg of the cat's ideal weight and is always dosed BID (two times a day, 12 hours apart). If the cat received another kind of insulin previously, the starting dose should be raised or lowered by taking this information into account. When selecting a starting dose, it is important to know that while Lantus and Levemir have a longer duration than other insulins, they also have a lower potency in most cats.

If Khatmandu was on 2.2 units of PZI, then probably he needs more than 1 unit of Lantus. Most cats end up needing a higher dose of Lantus than of PZI. It wouldn’t surprise me if he is losing regulation with a Lantus dose that much smaller than his good PZI dose.

However, we’re not vets here and we can only make dosing recommendations based on data. If you can start testing, then we’ll be happy to help you get your kitty back into good numbers. Otherwise, I would talk to your vet about your concerns and maybe he will have a suggestion.
 
hello and welcome!
as you can see, we're a very numbers driven forum. most of us use the tight regulation protocol outlined in the stickies at the top of this forum.
however, some guidelines for adjusting the dose based on urine glucose measurements and water intake can be found here: http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/index.html?page=43391&pid=0. kitty probably won't start feeling better until his blood glucose is better controlled. the easiest method for achieving this goal is testing kitty's blood sugar levels at home.
 
Are you warming his ear up before you poke? You can either use a rice sock to warm it up, or just rub his ear a little until it's warm. If you use a flashlight to shine through his ear, you will be able to see the vein...you don't want to poke the vein, just near it (close to the edge of the ear). You can actually use the flashlight to poke against to save your finger. ;-)

It can be a little frustrating in the beginning, but it will get better! Let us know how it goes, we can help you learn how to test.
 
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