Hello everyone and thank God for this site. The amount of information I have obtained is phenomenal. My boy was diagnosed 8/13/25 and it rattled me. I was unsure if I could handle the challenge but so far a week later, I feel like I am doing okay. Mr. Leo may disagree. LOL. I am in the process of transitioning him to twice a day feedings which means training my other cats as well. He has fully transitioned to wet food (Fancy Feast and Friskies Pate) which it seems he enjoys much more than the kibble. The vet started him on 2 units of Lantus and his numbers barely were coming down. On Wednesday she upped it to 3 and after everything I have read on here, I am super nervous about it. I have my Karo Syrup on hand and ready to use it if need be but so far the numbers haven't went below 250. I just made my spreadsheet today and started filling it in for this evening. I'm going to try and test every 2 hours and see how things look. I bought a Relion Platinum monitor and it seems to be working fine. I just hope and pray that my boy knows I am trying to make him feel better and not harm him. Anyway, thank you all again for this site. I was completely in the dark until I came across it. I also just ordered him some Vital Essentials freeze dried treats to reward him every so often for letting me poke him. In the meantime, I'm going to boil him some chicken breast. If anyone has any suggestions or anything on what else I need to be doing, please let me know.
New Here/Leo/Diag. 8/13/25
- Thread starter TresaM
- Start date
CORKY
Very Active Member
squeem3
Very Active Member
Welcome!
All the Lantus info you need are here: Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars The info stickies at the top have info on how Lantus works, the two different dosing methods, handling info, etc.
Most members here are of the opinion that 2 units is too high to start a diabetic cat on. There are some exceptions. Insulin can pack a punch. 3 units of insulin 9 days after being diagnosed is a bit much especially since you've removed the dry food. Has your cat ever had ketones in the urine?
PMPS 397 is high but one number doesn't tell much. Is the bg really that high or is your cat bouncing from being too low earlier and the body is trying to protect itself by dumping glucose into the system?
It's only been 3 days on 3 units BID, too early to do a full curve. A few random spot checks is fine.
A dose of Lantus needs at least a week to build up the depot if you're following the Start Low, Go Slow Method. You can read the info sticky about what the depot is. This board recommends adjusting insulin by quarter units at a time, not whole units. Do your insulin syringes have half unit markings? If not, you'll want to get those so you can easily measure half unit doses and more easily eyeball a quarter unit dose.
It's ok to disagree with the vet about dosing and most things about managing the diabetes
Many members have at one point or another went against their vet's recommendations, especially on testing and diet.
All the Lantus info you need are here: Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars The info stickies at the top have info on how Lantus works, the two different dosing methods, handling info, etc.
Most members here are of the opinion that 2 units is too high to start a diabetic cat on. There are some exceptions. Insulin can pack a punch. 3 units of insulin 9 days after being diagnosed is a bit much especially since you've removed the dry food. Has your cat ever had ketones in the urine?
PMPS 397 is high but one number doesn't tell much. Is the bg really that high or is your cat bouncing from being too low earlier and the body is trying to protect itself by dumping glucose into the system?
It's only been 3 days on 3 units BID, too early to do a full curve. A few random spot checks is fine.
A dose of Lantus needs at least a week to build up the depot if you're following the Start Low, Go Slow Method. You can read the info sticky about what the depot is. This board recommends adjusting insulin by quarter units at a time, not whole units. Do your insulin syringes have half unit markings? If not, you'll want to get those so you can easily measure half unit doses and more easily eyeball a quarter unit dose.
It's ok to disagree with the vet about dosing and most things about managing the diabetes
Many members have at one point or another went against their vet's recommendations, especially on testing and diet.
Mary & Jude
Very Active Member
Hi TresaM, Welcome to the forum; it sounds like you've already done a lot to get up the learning curve.
When you get a chance, please fill in your signature (profile + signature). Here is a sticky that provides directions for getting things started over here: Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!. Once you get the spreadsheet set up, just link it in the last line of your signature.
You should definitely be testing before Mr. Leo's insulin shots, as well as grabbing some tests through the cycle, especially early on in his treatment, so that you can get a good idea of how he is responding to insulin.
Ask lots of questions--we'll do our best to help you and your little fella!
When you get a chance, please fill in your signature (profile + signature). Here is a sticky that provides directions for getting things started over here: Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!. Once you get the spreadsheet set up, just link it in the last line of your signature.
You should definitely be testing before Mr. Leo's insulin shots, as well as grabbing some tests through the cycle, especially early on in his treatment, so that you can get a good idea of how he is responding to insulin.
Ask lots of questions--we'll do our best to help you and your little fella!
Hello and welcome. You are already home testing, feeding low carb, and using a good insulin for cats. That's a great start.
You don't need to feed your kitty just two times a day. Most people here give multiple small meals, with most of the food in the first half of the cycle (times between shots), so first 6ish hours.
Keep asking questions, there is a lot to learn in the beginning. And as you can see, we have all been there and eager to help.
You don't need to feed your kitty just two times a day. Most people here give multiple small meals, with most of the food in the first half of the cycle (times between shots), so first 6ish hours.
Keep asking questions, there is a lot to learn in the beginning. And as you can see, we have all been there and eager to help.
Mary & Jude
Very Active Member
Also, please disregard my request to fill in your signature--I somehow had turned off my option in my preferences that allowed me to view signatures.
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I just checked him again and it's down to 310.
Thank you! Im about to give him some boiled chicken for being a good sport.
3 units does sound like a lot. And no ketones in his urine. I will get the syringes with the half unit markings. Do I have to get those through the vet or can I order them?Welcome!
All the Lantus info you need are here: Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars The info stickies at the top have info on how Lantus works, the two different dosing methods, handling info, etc.
Most members here are of the opinion that 2 units is too high to start a diabetic cat on. There are some exceptions. Insulin can pack a punch. 3 units of insulin 9 days after being diagnosed is a bit much especially since you've removed the dry food. Has your cat ever had ketones in the urine?
PMPS 397 is high but one number doesn't tell much. Is the bg really that high or is your cat bouncing from being too low earlier and the body is trying to protect itself by dumping glucose into the system?
It's only been 3 days on 3 units BID, too early to do a full curve. A few random spot checks is fine.
A dose of Lantus needs at least a week to build up the depot if you're following the Start Low, Go Slow Method. You can read the info sticky about what the depot is. This board recommends adjusting insulin by quarter units at a time, not whole units. Do your insulin syringes have half unit markings? If not, you'll want to get those so you can easily measure half unit doses and more easily eyeball a quarter unit dose.
It's ok to disagree with the vet about dosing and most things about managing the diabetes
The answer to that is somewhat dependent on state. For a lot of states, at a minimum you might need the vet to write a prescription for syringes that you can then get either on line (ADW is a good source) or at any human pharmacy. Walmart has a pretty good price on syringes. About half way down on this Sticky Note in the Lantus forum, is a list with links to some of the 1/2 unit marked syringes: Insulin Care & Syringe Info: Proper Handling, Drawing, Fine Dosing
I just ordered some from ADW. Gave them my vets info so they can confirm. Thank you for your help and guidance
squeem3
Very Active Member
I order all the diabetic supplies from ADW I don't need a prescription or provide a vet's phone number but it depends on state. I buy the expensive BD ones because Leroy 
There are lesser expensive brands available. I use my HSA funds to buy the diabetic supplies.
Amazon is another popular place but watch out for third party sellers who are just buying syringes (and many other items) elsewhere and re-selling them at a marked up price. Who knows if you're getting expired syringes or damaged ones.
Store pharmacies obviously sell syringes and a prescription is required. I thought I saw something on FDMB some time ago where someone said Wal Mart will sell 10 syringes with no prescription required.
I don't need a prescription or provide a vet's phone number but it depends on state. I buy the expensive BD ones because Leroy There are lesser expensive brands available. I use my HSA funds to buy the diabetic supplies.Amazon is another popular place but watch out for third party sellers who are just buying syringes (and many other items) elsewhere and re-selling them at a marked up price. Who knows if you're getting expired syringes or damaged ones.
Store pharmacies obviously sell syringes and a prescription is required. I thought I saw something on FDMB some time ago where someone said Wal Mart will sell 10 syringes with no prescription required.
Like others noted, there's a wealth of information in the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus forum. One item to be aware of when using Lantus. When first starting out, it takes about a 5 - 7 days to see much of an effect of the insulin on blood glucose levels. Once the insulin depot is established, any change in dose can take roughly 3 days to have an effect on numbers. This is a long acting, gentle insulin. There are other, shorter insulins that are harsh, act quickly, and can slam numbers down. They are typically not great insulin for a cat.
Did you start insulin when Leo was diagnosed or did you wait? (I'm asking given when you started filling in your spreadsheet.)
Please let us know if you have questions. We're here to help.
Did you start insulin when Leo was diagnosed or did you wait? (I'm asking given when you started filling in your spreadsheet.)
Please let us know if you have questions. We're here to help.
I started him on insulin when he was diagnosed. He was diagnosed on the 13th. I just now made my spreadsheet yesterday due to work and such.
My hunch is that Leo may need more insulin but I'd want to see more test data before making any suggestion regarding dose. You're doing a great job with testing and treats will help to convince your kitty that testing = treats and is therefore a good thing. Cats actually do respond to positive reinforcement!!
Given that you just started logging your test data, what we don't know is whether Leo's numbers have dropped lower than what you've seen. When numbers drop into a range your cat may no longer be used to, drop fast, or drop low there's a phenomenon we refer to as a "bounce" that sometimes occurs. As a result of the drop in numbers, the liver and pancreas release a stored form of glucose along with counterregulatory hormones which cause numbers to spike back to higher ranges. If you miss catching the drop in numbers, it may appear that your cat is stuck in high numbers. At this point, I'd encourage you to tuck this information away since we don't know if Leo is experiencing a bounce. We also don't know if he needs more insulin.
If the vet suggests another increase, I would encourage you to go a bit more slowly and make dose changes in 0.25u increments. (You will need to eyeball the dose since the syringes are marked in 0.5u amounts.) We titrate doses in small amounts so you don't go flying past what would be a good dose for your cat. You may want to take a look at our post on dosing methods. You really don't need to rely on your vet for for dose changes if you don't believe it's necessary.
Given that you just started logging your test data, what we don't know is whether Leo's numbers have dropped lower than what you've seen. When numbers drop into a range your cat may no longer be used to, drop fast, or drop low there's a phenomenon we refer to as a "bounce" that sometimes occurs. As a result of the drop in numbers, the liver and pancreas release a stored form of glucose along with counterregulatory hormones which cause numbers to spike back to higher ranges. If you miss catching the drop in numbers, it may appear that your cat is stuck in high numbers. At this point, I'd encourage you to tuck this information away since we don't know if Leo is experiencing a bounce. We also don't know if he needs more insulin.
If the vet suggests another increase, I would encourage you to go a bit more slowly and make dose changes in 0.25u increments. (You will need to eyeball the dose since the syringes are marked in 0.5u amounts.) We titrate doses in small amounts so you don't go flying past what would be a good dose for your cat. You may want to take a look at our post on dosing methods. You really don't need to rely on your vet for for dose changes if you don't believe it's necessary.