Need some advise

[matahari]

Hello all,

I am new to this site and my cat is newly diagnosed in Jan 2013. Nino, my 11-13 year old male cat has been on Lantus since january. He has been doing really well on it, and started getting really low numbers. So I cut back from 2 units twice a day to 1 unit. Still low. So I went OTJ for 2 weeks he managed to stay under 200. BUt then I started to notice increased water consumption and large clumps of sticky urine. I have not gotten the ketos test stips yet due to financial reasons. He is off all dry food and eating FF classics and some fresh cooked chicken or beef.

So I have started him back on Lantus again last night with 1 unit. Perhaps it was too soon to come off lantus? Perhaps once a day may be better for him?

Ive included his spread sheet in my signature.. I cant afford to goto the vet right now so any help would be greatly welcome!

Thank you

 

[MommaOfMuse]

While he was getting beautiful numbers you are correct it was too soon to take him completely off insulin...anything over 120 is still diabetic. Starting him back on 1u is a good starting point, but you are not going to want to go once a day dosing because of the nature of Lantus.

With those numbers he probably will go OTJ for you but you are just going to have to support his pancreas a little longer with insulin. Basically the way most of us get them there is slowly weaning them off as their BGs warrant. With a newly dxed cat anytime they fall below 50 in the cycle they earn a .25u reduction in dose, for someone like my Autumn (long term diabetic) anytime she goes below 40 in the cycle she earns a .25u reduction.

You want to reduce or raise the dose slowly and by no more than .5u at a time, adjusting by full units is often too much of a raise or lower for the cat to hold onto. The easiest way to do the smaller reductions is to use 3/10 cc insulin syringes with half unit marks on them, so when you do a .25 reduction you just kinda eyeball inbetween the .5u mark and the next 1u mark.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

[matahari]

Thank you for this advise! I do believe I can get him into remission! At what point does one know to go OTJ? how many days , weeks at what number range?

When he was getting the low numbers like 50 or so he would seem a bit off. Wobbly and very lethargic. I was worried he was getting hypoglycemic.

ITs hard with those syringes to give anything under 1.U

thank you for this valuable info!

Matahari

 

[MommaOfMuse]

I have one guy here that has been OTJ now for 2+ years, so been down that road once and about to head down it again with my newly adopted diabetic Autumn.

We consider a cat OTJ when they can maintain between 40-120 on their own without insulin for 14 days. My guy is OTJ maintains right around 60-80 depending on when I test him.

Are you using a vial or the Solostar pens for his insulin?..if it is the pens you don't want to use the needles that go with them, but use them like a vial instead and draw the insulin out of the pen with an regular syringe, the pens are handly because you can use them down to just about the last drop, but they only dose in whole units which is why we use a regular syringe to draw up the dose.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

[matahari]

thanx...

I am using a vial of the Gargline...Ive had it for 3 1/2 months and its still full and still works. What should I get the next time around?

 

[morrieb1]

thanx...

I am using a vial of the Gargline...Ive had it for 3 1/2 months and its still full and still works. What should I get the next time around?

The Glargine seems to be working well for your and your cat - so you might as well stay with it...and I've been told that it can last six months you've kept it refrigerated (I can't speak from first hand experience because I've only had mine for 3 months but so far so good).

So you might not need to get another vial - it does look like your kitty is trying very hard to get OTJ for you...

And if your syringes don't have half unit markings it is hard to judge - Walmart does sell 1/2 unit syringes- Mel will tell you what to ask for - or you can order them through American Diabetes Wholesale. They really make a difference when you are trying to get those smaller increment doses.