New Lantus user

Status
Not open for further replies.
ewest

ewest

Member Since 2011
My cat was just started on 1u of Lantus. She's 17 and been feeding raw meat diet for years. Trying to read all the info on here and just want to clarify: 1) Is it correct that Lantus does not have curves and keeps the levels consistent? I haven't home tested yet and am hoping to start tomorrow and trying to know where to start and also what the best approach is for my vet as have appointment tomorrow and not sure if they're going to try to adjust dose based on one reading which scares me. Hope ok to post this here. Thanks.
 
Hi and Welcome :-D .

At first, I'm just going to bump you up to the top, so more people can see your post.
 
I'm glad that you are going to home test. It is so important, in order to be able to know how the insulin dose is doing and whether it needs to be increased or decreased. You will get so much help and support, here. Please keep posting, daily, at least. We highly recommend that you test before every shot of insulin, and try to get mid cycle tests whenever possible. Lantus (and Levimir) does have a curve, but it is flatter than the other insulins. Read as much as you can, and ask as many questions as you have...and be patient with your kitty, please. Others will be along shortly, to welcome you, and give you tons of advise.
Also, realize, that when your kitty is at the vet that he may have higher BG than when he is at home where he is comfortable and not stressed. I wish you The Best Of Luck with your kitty. :-D
 
Welcome to Lantus Land!

Getting started with home testing will give you a much greater knowledge base and control over your cat's blood glucose levels. All of us here home test and maintain a spreadsheet. (The instructions are in the Tech Support forum.)

Technically, you're correct in that once a cat is regulated, a Lantus "curve" is flat. The operative word, though, is regulated. Until that time, Lantus can have highs and lows.

Most cats start on approximately 1.0u of Lantus (the formula for initial dose is dose = 0.25 x ideal weight in kilograms). Dose increases and decreases are typically made in 0.25u amounts. If you want to bring a copy of the dosing protocol we use to your vet, the article that I've attached is from one of the leading veterinary journals.

Please let us know how we can help. The people here are very generous with their time and their knowledge. I hope you will post often.

(And we'd love to know the name of your cat and your name, as well.)
 

Attachments

Hello and welcome! You've been given great info so far, and Sienne is definitely right... a cat that is well regulated will be relatively flat, but the journey getting there can be filled with some excitement, and through hometesting, you'll be best equipped to keep your kitty safe and to be the best possible advocate for her care. Even the very best vets can often be behind on FD... there are just so many conditions that they have to treat, it is difficult to be an expert in all of them. Being armed with data from home testing and info on FD will allow you to have informed discussions with your vet (and may provide them a chance to learn valuable info about FD as well!).

Sienne's Gabby and Michelle's Mannie I think sometimes are in competition for the Lantus Diving Gold Medal! I am thankful that my Willie is well regulated at this point, but we had our share of "fun" getting here as well. In our signatures are links to the spreadsheets we use to track our cats' BG#s... reading a couple might give you a sense of the experiences of different cats. As we say around here often, ECID (Every Cat Is Different!).

One question for you... what are the basic components of the raw diet you're currently feeding? I only ask b/c I was feeding Willie a raw diet when he was diagnosed, but it was a kidney support diet that was about 40% carbohydrate, so while it was a very healthy choice in general, it was not a good choice for a cat with diabetes. Even with feeding raw, you still want to make sure the carbohydrate level is under 10% (many of us feed under 5%).

I look forward to hearing more about both of you... hopefully starting with names so we can all give you more proper greeting and hello! :-D :-D :-D
 
Hi Everyone, Thanks for the welcome. I'm Elizabeth and my cat is Munchie. The diet I feed is also CRF support diet and is 1 lb whole ground rabbit (no fur), 1/4 c peeled cooked zucchini, 1/4 c cooked egg white, Vit B complex, Vit E, Benefiber, taurine, salmon oil, water...so very low carb. Munchie has had mild CRF for years and I've been able to keep it at bay with diet and other support such as homeopathy. I did recently hear feeding meat with bone might be hard on diabetic cats because of phosphorus in bone so may look into that more. My other cat (TC, brother of Munchie) has CRF and had something like IBD and this diet specifically with the bone cured him of that so taking that into account as well.

In terms of the home testing I have the OneTouch Ultra2 and the Accuchek Advantage. I tried taking my own BS last night with onetouch lancing device and didn't succeed...33 gauge lancet. Going to try the Advantage one this AM with BDUltra 30 gauge..I heard those work well. Hoping to figure this out. Do cat's ears get sore from repeated tests? 1st nurse at vet mentioned this to said I'd destroy my cats ears if I tested before every shot.

Thanks for all the support.
Elizabeth and Munchie
 
Trust me when I say your cats ears will be fine!!! If you look at Champ's SS (especially last night!!) you'll see he is tested a zillion times (it feels that way) each day and he's been known to sleep through it with just the raise of an eyebrow at me. I use the Accu-Chek multiclix pen lancet that came with my Aviva meter and I've also used the pen lancet that came with the ReliOn meter. Both work well, but I like the Accu-Chek one better. I don't freehand it with just a lancet because I know from checking my own blood sugar that it hurts worse freehanding it than using the pen. Also, I use Neosporin ointment with pain relief on Champ's ears, not all the time, but if I have to poke him every hour I will use the ointment. You would never know by looking at his ears that they are poked all the time. There's no scarring, bruising, nothing. And he's a light cat so you'd be able to see if his ears were looking bruised. The more you test, the better your cat's ears will bleed to. It's like they "learn to bleed." I only use Champ's right ear because it bleeds better than the left. If you can use both ears, even better. Hope this reassures you!!!
 
Hi Elizabeth and Munchie.

I have the best results using a 28 gauge lancet. I can use 30 gauge, but it ofter takes more pokes for me to get enough blood for a test. With the 28 gauge, I can usually get enough blood the first time.

Can't wait to hear about your first successful test :-D
 
Thanks for mentioning the 28 gauge. I tried the 30 and only got a tiny drop. My cat was incredibly patient with me. Feeling lil discouraged. I don't have a microwave so tried warming her ear with warm cloth in plastic baggie and then when that didn't seem to work with mild heating pad making sure not too warm. Maybe ear was warm enough but needle not big enough. Her first check up went well - all of her tests are coming back improved but her blood sugar was 90 after 6 hours from her 1u Lantus dose. Low for vet visit though someone mentioned to me that stress for some causes sugar to go down. She's getting retested tomorrow unless my vet can't make it and then will be Monday. She wants me to give just under 1u in meantime; I only gave half tonight. I'm scared she'll go low and vet said with LANTUS the signs of hypo aren't necessarily as obvious. Hoping I will have better luck with testing. Feel like I've already spent so much on supplies but is ok.

Elizabeth & Munchie
 
Welcome to LL! I use the 33gauge lancets freehand. I test Tess usually at least 8 time a day, more if she is low, and there is no bruising or soreness to her ears. Like Patty said, she has been known to sleep through tests. Give a treat after testing and they often purr through the whole process. Many of us use freeze dried chicken treats.

Vet stress usually raises BG, but i have known time for Tess when her BG goes down when stressed too.

Lantus is dosed differently from other insulins. It is based on the lowest point in the cycle, not the preshot test, which is usually the highest. We test before each shot to make sure the BG isn't too low to shoot and around the middle of the cycle (nadir) to see how low the insulin has dropped the BG. The nadir can be very different for different cats and can even move from day to day, so it is really a range. After you begin to test you will start to see a pattern emerge.

Lantus doses should also not be adjusted frequently. It builds up a shed (a reserve) and each time the dose is adjusted the shed must drain or fill and that takes a few days. When starting it can take a week for the dose to stabilize.
 
Ears take a little time to "learn" to bleed. I suspect with the pokes, the capillary bed builds up.

So, there is some misperceptions that warrant looking at:

  • Like Julie, I test... a lot. Take a look at Gabby's spreadsheet. She pretty much ignores the testing. She associates a test with either a treat or food. Many cats will jump to their testing spot and sit and purr. Their ears are not destroyed or damaged. Vet tech needs to get better educated and stop spreading misinformation.
  • The signs of hypo are the signs of hypo. Frankly, if a cat is having a seizure from low blood glucose (BG) it's pretty obvious. It's not a factor of the insulin. Where Lantus is different is that you don't typically get the big drops in BG they way you can see with the short or intermediate acting types of insulin. We are very careful when managing low numbers. We encourage everyone to have high carb food and some simple sugar (e.g. Karo or maple syrup, honey, etc.) in the house. Once you understand that by testing and learning how to manage a curve with food, you can control BG levels and prevent numbers from going dangerously low.
A blood glucose of 90 is excellent. In fact, it's so good that I'm glad you reduced the dose for the time being. You do not have sufficient data to shoot low numbers yet. (See the sticky note on becoming data ready.) It will be very helpful if you can begin to put all of the test data you're gathering on a spreadsheet. The instructions are on the Tech Support board.
 
I started to write to you, and then dag nabit all of a sudden everything I wrote disappeared. So, I'll try again.

I'm glad you lowered the dose.

My cat will sometimes goes lower at the vet. But, most cats go higher.

J.D. seems to like to be tested. Often, when I am getting the glucometer ready and he sees me or hears me doing it, he will come to me and jump up on the couch (our testing spot) and lay down in front of me for his test. He often purrs, too.
After his test he gets lots of lovings, and sometimes treats or food.

You (and Munchie) will get the hang of testing. It just takes time. We have all been through the learning, and worries, and frustrations of testing. Once you can test Munchie yourself, then you can just relay the numbers to your vet and won't have that added expense.

Again, welcome. And I can't wait to see a picture of your kitty :-D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top