New here and not sure where to start

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Hi. I have 4 cats that I'm going to try and transition over to wet food with a small amount of dry food from free feeding dry food with wet food as treats once a day.

I'm waiting for Lantus to arrive so I can get Rex started. He was diagnosed 3/22/17 with a bg of 537. I practiced the home monitoring yesterday and got 436.

How do I time feeding, time testing, and time the insulin shot? Monday-Thursday I leave by 6:30 in the morning for work. I tend to sleep in until 8 Friday-Sunday. Help!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. Good luck with the food transition, that's a great start. There are lots of tips on transitioning to wet food if you haven't seen that already.

Keep up trying to get tests in - it definitely gets easier with practice. You'll notice that many cats test lower at home than they do at the vet clinic. What type of meter are you using? We all use a common form of spreadsheet for recording our blood sugar values. It's a great tool for helping us figure out how to change the dose if we need to. The instructions for the spreadsheet are here. This document here describes what is in the spreadsheet.

As for timing, Lantus works best given 12 hours apart. Having said that, there is a little bit of wiggle room. You can move the shots 1/2 hour once a day, or 15 minutes a cycle, without changing how it'll impact the blood sugar. What time do you get up in the morning on those days that you work? I'm afraid you may have to learn one of our time honored traditions here called the "back to bed" or btb. Which means getting up, testing/feeding/giving insulin, then falling back into bed for a bit.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

It's not something you'll want to hear but I was up at 5:00 AM for Gabby's shots 7 days/week. I work full time. Giving a shot that early gave me a window to see where her numbers were heading before I left for work. Like Wendy said, on the weekends, I was up to test, feed and shoot at 5:00 and went back to bed. (My other kitty, Gizmo, is so used to the routine that he doesn't let me sleep in on the weekends and we're still on a 5:00 schedule and trust me, he is rather insistent about being fed in the morning.)

Once you get the hang of it, testing, feeding, and shooting took me no more than 10 min. total. Gabby would get her shot when her head was in her bowl. If you're getting Rex used to being tested, remember to give him a treat no matter whether you're successful at getting a test. You'll want to use low carb treats. Most of us rely on freeze dried chicken or boiled chicken. Giving a treat after testing will help to reinforce that this is a reward for the test and help to get Rex used to the process.

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Hi. I'm not too worried about switching over to wet food. All 4 cats love it. I was giving it to them 1x a day in small amounts because I was giving high quality grain free food, ie expensive food. I went ahead and bought many cans of Friskies today.

I have the ReliOn Confirm meter. Rex doesn't mind other than me fussing with his ears so I'm going to play with them all the time.

On the days I work, I'm not downstairs until 20 minutes before I leave. Do I test, feed, give shot in that order? Isn't being fed a treat? That's what I did today after practicing again. Yesterday was 436 and today was 492. Lantus won't be here until Monday. I was hoping it would arrive today.

What do you do if you're gone on vacation or for the weekend? My neighbor already comes over to give my hypothyroid cat his meds, but I don't know if she wants to try testing and shooting for Rex.

Oh and I should start at 1u BID, right? My vet wants me to do 3u.

Thanks!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Yes, we test, then feed, then shoot. I gave my girl a small treat after all of her tests, even the preshot tests. That way she associated good things with testing. I supposed you could wait and reward him with breakfast or dinner. Feeding several smaller meals is easier on a healing pancreas.

As for starting dose, it depends whether you'd like to follow the Tight Regulation Protocol or Start Low Go Slow Method for dosing. TR has a weight based starting formula. SLGS would start Rex on 0.5 units since he's on an all low carb wet food diet.

What do you do if you're gone on vacation or for the weekend? My neighbor already comes over to give my hypothyroid cat his meds, but I don't know if she wants to try testing and shooting for Rex.

Some people try to get a petsitter who is willing to give shots. Some people are OK with shots, but not tests. If there won't be any testing done while you are gone, we'd give a reduced dose for safety. Another option is to see if the local vet has a tech or other staff willing to do the tests and shots on the days you are gone. Truth be told, either my husband or I gave Neko her insulin. Turns out she also was fine with travelling so she often came along for the ride. We've had a number of people here go away and leave kitty in the hands of a petsitter, so that works too.

 

[Sieden]

Gabby would get her shot when her head was in her bowl. If you're getting Rex used to being tested, remember to give him a treat no matter whether you're successful at getting a test. You'll want to use low carb treats. Most of us rely on freeze dried chicken or boiled chicken. Giving a treat after testing will help to reinforce that this is a reward for the test and help to get Rex used to the process.

I laughed so hard, I remember giving Peanut his shot while he was eating. I second the treat idea especially when just starting out, you really want to drive home the idea of this being a good thing for Rex. Freeze dried treats are the easiest and there's also bonito flakes that he should go crazy for which you can order on Amazon.

 

[Gill & George]

Just wanted to stop by and say welcome.

George is another one that got shot with his head in the bowl, I used to still give him one tiny piece of freeze dried chicken after his test even if he was getting his breffs after it.

Sounds like you are well on your way to the transitioning to wet for all your cats it's good that you don't have any that are resisting the change, George was also real easy to move to wet, I just stopped dry overnight with him, I know that for some that can be an issue with delicate stomachs, but BFG has always been robust like that.

The playing with his ears is a great idea, that's what we did in the early days too and it seemed to help when it came to testing.

 

[Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey]

Just wanted to stop by and add my welcome to the others. It's great that you realize your vet's recommended dose is too high for starters. Especially if there is no one to monitor your kitty during the day. Congratulations on learning to home test. That is the best way to keep your kitty safe. Many of us rub a little Neosporin ointment with pain relief on kitty's ear at night after the last test, then wipe it off in the morning. It not only helps the ear to heal, but it causes the blood to bead up better, making it a little easier to get it on the strip.

Here is a post that contains a lot of tips for new members, as well as links to other helpful posts: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/updated-tips-for-new-members.173572/

Please try to read all the stickies at the top of the Lantus & Levemir page when you can. There is so much to learn, it will take you a while to absorb it all, but you will be a better caregiver for your sweet kitty if you are armed with as much knowledge as possible. Ask lots of questions. We love to help.

 

[Judy and Boomer]

Hi and welcome to L&LL!
Happy to hear you're planning on testing at home! I find that if I warm Boomer's ear up beforehand it's easier to test. I took a sock and filled it with rice, tied a knot in it and warm it in the microwave for a few seconds then hold it on Boomer's ear. I never give treats when testing but while I'm holding the warm sock to his ear I give him some lovely neck and cheek rubs so he's pretty happy sitting there and quite often purrs through the ear poke.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

George is another one that got shot with his head in the bowl

This is a very strange statement when taken out of context!

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Yes, we test, then feed, then shoot. I gave my girl a small treat after all of her tests, even the preshot tests. That way she associated good things with testing. I supposed you could wait and reward him with breakfast or dinner. Feeding several smaller meals is easier on a healing pancreas.

As for starting dose, it depends whether you'd like to follow the Tight Regulation Protocol or Start Low Go Slow Method for dosing. TR has a weight based starting formula. SLGS would start Rex on 0.5 units since he's on an all low carb wet food diet.

Some people try to get a petsitter who is willing to give shots. Some people are OK with shots, but not tests. If there won't be any testing done while you are gone, we'd give a reduced dose for safety. Another option is to see if the local vet has a tech or other staff willing to do the tests and shots on the days you are gone. Truth be told, either my husband or I gave Neko her insulin. Turns out she also was fine with travelling so she often came along for the ride. We've had a number of people here go away and leave kitty in the hands of a petsitter, so that works too.

I think I will go with SLGS method. I plan to start the first insulin shot tonight because the Lantus is finally here today! I will do the 0.5u dose. It's amazing how much his bg has gone down after I switched the cats over to all wet food yesterday morning. I had 436 Friday and 492 Saturday. Sunday morning before the cats' first full wet meal, Rex had 462. Sunday afternoon before they got dinner, it was 371. This morning, it was only 293!

I talked to my neighbor/friend. She said she's fine with giving insulin shots. I'll show her how to do that and also show her how to test the bg and see how she feels about that. Unfortunately, with my work schedule, I'm looking at 6 AM and 6 PM dosing schedule. That won't work for her. She is not a morning person. At least I know now so I can find a morning person to come in and she can do the evening doses. My husband said if we need to, we can take Rex with us to our friend's cabin, where we are usually at a couple weekends in the summer. Rex is such a laidback cat he probably wouldn't care as long as he gets his affection.

 

[Gill & George]

Unfortunately, with my work schedule, I'm looking at 6 AM and 6 PM dosing schedule. That won't work for her.

It is possible to change the shot time to suit your sitter, if you are going on vacation, I used to do 6am and 6pm dosing, but when George went to the sitter/friend I changed it to 8am/8pm, you have to alter it by 30 min a day though, so I would start delaying his shots by 30 min per day 4 days before.

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

It is possible to change the shot time to suit your sitter, if you are going on vacation, I used to do 6am and 6pm dosing, but when George went to the sitter/friend I changed it to 8am/8pm, you have to alter it by 30 min a day though, so I would start delaying his shots by 30 min per day 4 days before.

Thank you. I don't know how that would work for me. I'm out of the house before 6:30 AM. When we go to the cabin, that's one day after I work so I wouldn't have the 4 days to push back the dose and then the 4 days to work it back to 6 AM because I'm back to work on Monday.

New question: where are the preferred locations to administer Lantus? My vet mentioned only the scruff.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Thank you. I don't know how that would work for me. I'm out of the house before 6:30 AM. When we go to the cabin, that's one day after I work so I wouldn't have the 4 days to push back the dose and then the 4 days to work it back to 6 AM because I'm back to work on Monday.

New question: where are the preferred locations to administer Lantus? My vet mentioned only the scruff.

I use a variety of locations over a wide area along his side. I started off using the scruff/shoulder area but over time he was getting fluid deposits there.

 

[Gill & George]

Here's a link to shooting and testing tips written by Marje
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/testing-and-shooting-tips.85113/#post-1377750
this pic is taken from there

I used to shoot George in his flank,and side of belly rotating the shoot site. The above link goes into a lot more detail and you may find some of the other info helpful too.

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Thank you!

I just thought of something else. My vet said I need to go back in 7-10 days after starting insulin to do a glucose curve. Is that not something I can do at home? I wouldn't be able to do it until Friday, April 7th (which would be 10 days) because I can stay home all day. 12 hours, testing every 2 hours, right? How often should a curve be done?

 

[Gill & George]

Thank you!

I just thought of something else. My vet said I need to go back in 7-10 days after starting insulin to do a glucose curve. Is that not something I can do at home? I wouldn't be able to do it until Friday, April 7th (which would be 10 days) because I can stay home all day. 12 hours, testing every 2 hours, right? How often should a curve be done?

Absolutely you can do it at home, save your money.

The numbers will also not be stress influenced so they would give a better picture of what her BG is doing.
George's BG went up by almost 90pts when we visit the vet, and that's minor by a lot of kitties standards.

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Hi, just wanted to say welcome!! Is nice to have you around

And to let you know I work full time also so I get it, I won't tell you is easy but I've managed for the past 7 months kind of adapted my schedule to his shooting hours and actually on the weekends what I do is I wake up test, feed ,shoot and go back tu sleep for a while which is easier than you may think and I haven't figure out what to do with vacations yet

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Thank you!

I just thought of something else. My vet said I need to go back in 7-10 days after starting insulin to do a glucose curve. Is that not something I can do at home? I wouldn't be able to do it until Friday, April 7th (which would be 10 days) because I can stay home all day. 12 hours, testing every 2 hours, right? How often should a curve be done?

Try to get spot checks in when you can. Right before you go to bed is an excellent time to get a test in because so often cats' blood sugar will be lowest in the pm cycle (between your night shot and the morning shot.) You'll see that his blood sugar will change a lot.

The SLGS sticky suggests doing a curve once a week. You can either do every 2 hours for 12 hours, or do every 3 hours for 18 hours. Then you look at the lowest number that you've gotten on that dose and compare it to the chart on the sticky to decide what to do with the dose. With Lantus, you're always looking to answer the question "how low can this dose cause my cat's blood sugar to go?" The higher numbers will typically come down on their own if you get the nadirs (lowest numbers) into the correct range, so your dose decisions are based upon the low numbers. If that isn't clear, please do ask questions. We want you to understand so that you can see the reasons and eventually make decisions for yourself.

Take a look at this sticky "Basics, New to the Group?" and do start a spreadsheet as soon as you can. The blood sugar tests need to be seen in context of how long it's been since the last shot to have meaning. The spreadsheet is an essential tool that we use - we're not vets here, so we use data to help people learn what's going on with their cat's blood sugar. Anyone giving advice will want to see the spreadsheet so they can look at the past week or so of blood sugar tests. If you have trouble starting a spreadsheet, just ask for help. We have a couple of people who will start it for you and then turn it over to you to maintain. They are very simple to use.

By the way, if Rex is mellow, do try taking him with you. We dragged Punkin all over the place with us - often it was easier and we worried less if he was just with us. He went to cabins and to hotels with us and was a pretty good rider in the car, once we'd driven long enough that he knew we weren't going to the vet, lol!

Ask as many questions as you have. We've all been in your shoes and remember how overwhelming starting out can be.

 

[Lisa & Nacho]

Welcome!

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Try to get spot checks in when you can. Right before you go to bed is an excellent time to get a test in because so often cats' blood sugar will be lowest in the pm cycle (between your night shot and the morning shot.) You'll see that his blood sugar will change a lot.

The SLGS sticky suggests doing a curve once a week. You can either do every 2 hours for 12 hours, or do every 3 hours for 18 hours. Then you look at the lowest number that you've gotten on that dose and compare it to the chart on the sticky to decide what to do with the dose. With Lantus, you're always looking to answer the question "how low can this dose cause my cat's blood sugar to go?" The higher numbers will typically come down on their own if you get the nadirs (lowest numbers) into the correct range, so your dose decisions are based upon the low numbers. If that isn't clear, please do ask questions. We want you to understand so that you can see the reasons and eventually make decisions for yourself.

Take a look at this sticky "Basics, New to the Group?" and do start a spreadsheet as soon as you can. The blood sugar tests need to be seen in context of how long it's been since the last shot to have meaning. The spreadsheet is an essential tool that we use - we're not vets here, so we use data to help people learn what's going on with their cat's blood sugar. Anyone giving advice will want to see the spreadsheet so they can look at the past week or so of blood sugar tests. If you have trouble starting a spreadsheet, just ask for help. We have a couple of people who will start it for you and then turn it over to you to maintain. They are very simple to use.

Ask as many questions as you have. We've all been in your shoes and remember how overwhelming starting out can be.

Thank you. I did get a spreadsheet started. It took me a few minutes to realize that one line is for the full day and the +numbers were the hours after the insulin was given. LOL My spreadsheet is barren because I've been doing only 2 spot checks - right before the insulin shots. How often do you guys do spot checks? Isn't that a bit much for the cat? Now I understand why everyone recommended getting treats. I thought if it was just at meal times, I didn't need treats.

Why would you want to do a 18 hour curve if you need to give another insulin shot 12 hours into the curve?

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Hoping to get some answers to my previous post.

I did a +3 spot check last night and got 320. How long should I stay at 0.5 units before bumping it up to 1 unit? Rex is staying in the 400's at pre-shot times.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

With SLGS, you hold the dose for 7 days before doing a curve and deciding if you need to increase. Lantus is a depot insulin so it takes several days at a dose to build the depot so that you can see what the dose can do. And you would increase by 0.25 units. Good job on the spot check last night. All data is valuable at this point and those spot checks can be revealing.

Quick question, did you give insulin last night? The units cell is blank. Same for this morning.

A request, could you start a new thread with a link to this one. We have enough cats here that we try to start a new thread each day, and so that new questions don't get buried.

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

With SLGS, you hold the dose for 7 days before doing a curve and deciding if you need to increase. Lantus is a depot insulin so it takes several days at a dose to build the depot so that you can see what the dose can do. And you would increase by 0.25 units. Good job on the spot check last night. All data is valuable at this point and those spot checks can be revealing.

Quick question, did you give insulin last night? The units cell is blank. Same for this morning.

A request, could you start a new thread with a link to this one. We have enough cats here that we try to start a new thread each day, and so that new questions don't get buried.

How do I start a new thread with a link to this one? Thanks for catching my errors on the spreadsheet. It's correct now.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

First thing you do is go to the top of your web browser, and copy the URL address to this post. Then go to the top of this forum, and on the top right hand side is an Post New Thread button. Click on it, and start the new post
T. You would call it something like 3/30 Rex AMPS 416. That title tells us who the post is for, the date and status. Then in the body of the new message, click link icon which is 7 from the left in the toolbar above the edit box. It will pop up a window and you can past your previously saved URL in there.