Mowgli - an intro, and a switch from Caninsulin to Lantus

AmandaE

AmandaE

Member Since 2019
A Big HELLO!! to the Glargine / Detemir Group,

I am a VERY recent caregiver to a recently diagnosed handsome boy, Mowgli. He moved all the way from Nova Scotia to join my family in Alberta so that I could take care of him.

Mowgli is a family pet from my teenage years, he was taken to the vet when he was having issues making it to the litterbox before he would pee, and left sticky pee stains on the floor. It was an easy diagnosis for the vet since he had basically textbook signs of feline diabetes. I couldn't bear the thought of having him put down just because he couldn't create enough insulin of his own, so I had my sister fly out with him so that I could take over ownership and try to get him into remission. Upon arrival I could see that he had lost a lot of weight and was showing signs of neuropathy in his front paws, it was such a sin, and so concerning.

Mowgli was started on Caninsulin by his vet in Nova Scotia, but it became apparent that due to my work schedule it wasn't a very good option for him since it is so hard hitting and fast acting and I couldn't be there to ensure he was eating properly enough to manage the insulin. On the advice of this forum and Mowgli's new vet here in town, we made the switch to Lantus and are currently using Pen style injections at 1u BID.

As of right now, I am relying a lot on this forum for support, I'm so glad it exists and I am learning fast. I am doing home blood glucose testing and now that Mowgli seems to be settling into his new home, I plan to start the slow change from dry kibble to wet cat food. My biggest goal here is obviously to get poor Mowg OTJ and into remission! My biggest struggles are: slowly introducing Mowgli to my cat Nyx (such a cutie girl, 7yo, hates new things, never lived with another animal); getting blood samples without piercing Mowgli's ear; and properly administering insulin using the pen (Vet said pharmacist would show me, pharmacist said vet should show me). I think I have the use of the pen down now (thanks to youtube) but I would be open to any and all advice / tips that you could offer.

I have included all of my previous threads in case anyone wants a further history of our journey so far.

Anyway.... HELLOOOOO! :cat::cat:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/posts/2350827/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/looking-to-air-concerns-and-receive-advice.212095/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/where-to-start.212134/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/mowgli-is-here-advice-needed.212187/
 
AmandaE said:
A Big HELLO!! to the Glargine / Detemir Group,

I am a VERY recent caregiver to a recently diagnosed handsome boy, Mowgli. He moved all the way from Nova Scotia to join my family in Alberta so that I could take care of him.

Mowgli is a family pet from my teenage years, he was taken to the vet when he was having issues making it to the litterbox before he would pee, and left sticky pee stains on the floor. It was an easy diagnosis for the vet since he had basically textbook signs of feline diabetes. I couldn't bear the thought of having him put down just because he couldn't create enough insulin of his own, so I had my sister fly out with him so that I could take over ownership and try to get him into remission. Upon arrival I could see that he had lost a lot of weight and was showing signs of neuropathy in his front paws, it was such a sin, and so concerning.

Mowgli was started on Caninsulin by his vet in Nova Scotia, but it became apparent that due to my work schedule it wasn't a very good option for him since it is so hard hitting and fast acting and I couldn't be there to ensure he was eating properly enough to manage the insulin. On the advice of this forum and Mowgli's new vet here in town, we made the switch to Lantus and are currently using Pen style injections at 1u BID.

As of right now, I am relying a lot on this forum for support, I'm so glad it exists and I am learning fast. I am doing home blood glucose testing and now that Mowgli seems to be settling into his new home, I plan to start the slow change from dry kibble to wet cat food. My biggest goal here is obviously to get poor Mowg OTJ and into remission! My biggest struggles are: slowly introducing Mowgli to my cat Nyx (such a cutie girl, 7yo, hates new things, never lived with another animal); getting blood samples without piercing Mowgli's ear; and properly administering insulin using the pen (Vet said pharmacist would show me, pharmacist said vet should show me). I think I have the use of the pen down now (thanks to youtube) but I would be open to any and all advice / tips that you could offer.

I have included all of my previous threads in case anyone wants a further history of our journey so far.

Anyway.... HELLOOOOO! :cat::cat:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/posts/2350827/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/looking-to-air-concerns-and-receive-advice.212095/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/where-to-start.212134/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/mowgli-is-here-advice-needed.212187/
Click to expand...
Welcome:)
 
AmandaE said:
getting blood samples without piercing Mowgli's ear
Click to expand...

Don't worry about this! When China was new to the sugardance, I pierced her ears so many times I thought about buying her a pair of diamond stud earrings! You'll get better...it just takes time and practice!

AmandaE said:
properly administering insulin using the pen (Vet said pharmacist would show me, pharmacist said vet should show me)
Click to expand...

We actually don't recommend using the pen needles at all.....we prefer to use regular U100 insulin syringes (with half unit markings if at all possible) and pull the insulin out of the pen. The pens only allow dose changes in whole units and that's too much of an increase for a cat. We do increases in .25 unit increments. Also, if you use the pen needles, you are supposed to "waste" the first 2 units each time you use it to make sure it gives the right dose that you have the "dial-a-dose" set at. That's a big waste of expensive insulin!

AmandaE said:
I would be open to any and all advice / tips that you could offer.
Click to expand...

One thing I see on your spreadsheet is a big change in shot times....from 8 to 6....If you need to change shot times, it's better to do it slowly....15 minutes per cycle or one 30 minute change per day. If you give a shot early, it can act like a dose increase so it's not good to shoot 2 hours early.

Hang in there though! It takes 5-7 days for the depot that Lantus builds to fill up so you won't see how well he's really doing until the depot is full.

Have you read the sticky's on dosing methods? At some point you'll need to decide which dosing method you want to start with. Tight Regulation or Start Low, Go Slow. The advice we give you will depend on which one you want to use (you can always change later if you want so you're not "locked in" )
 
Thanks @Chris & China (GA) I feel the same way about poor Mowgli’s ears. He would look extra handsome with a little ice on his ear.

I have the pen needles now. So if I need to change the dosage I will obtain some 100u syringes and carry on that way.

Thanks for the info on the Lantus depot. I knew I’d have to wait but I didn’t realize it could take 5-7 days. I can see how people would mistakenly up dosage when they don’t see a quick response to treatment. I think I will see a marked improvement when I start phasing Mowgli into a wet food diet.

I haven’t read the stickies yet but I do believe Tight regulation will be for me. If I understand it right it’s steady doses on strict timelines. Now that Mowgli is here I should be able to get him on a good dose timing. The 6/8 switches has to do with a combination of challenges in my house while mowgli is settling in and I’m removing them one by one. It might make you feel sliiiiiightly better to know that I was using the pen wrong the first couple days because I didn’t know you had to prime the pen so Mowgli basically only just had his first true lantus dose last night.

I will do more homework on dosing methods and get a grip on what is best for Mowg and me.
 
Well as long as he's eating dry food, the only choice is Start Low, Go Slow, so I hope you can get him off it as soon as possible.

TR gives the best chance at remission but requires a little more testing. Reductions are earned when they drop below 50 (on a human meter). Doses can be increased as often as every 6 cycles if they're not getting where we want them to be.

On SLGS, they earn reductions when they drop below 90 but doses are only increased after a week (and doing a curve) which can mean leaving them in higher than we'd like numbers longer....but if you're limited on how much you can test (or feeding any form of kibble), it's the choice to make.
 
Welcome to you and Mowgli! Sounds like you’re off to a good start with testing and changing to wet food. You will get lots of great help here!
 
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