New member, cat's BG 500, need help

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Liana

Member Since 2022
Hello everyone.
My BARBA was stray cat, 1 year ago i found him with 500bg, since then I have been trying to get it down with caninsoulin 0.4ml morning and night, syringe 100, and royal canin diabetic dry food. All this with vet's instructions. But it has no effect unfortunately. I don't know what to do. At the last vet visit we changed the insulin to lantus. He hasn't started it yet, as of Monday. Please help
 
Hi Liana and Barb and welcome to the forum.
I am very glad you are swapping to Lantus, it is a much better insulin than Caninsulin.
Can you tell us how much Lantus you are going to be giving each time please?
The normal starting dose is 1/2 to 1 unit twice a day. But if the cat has been on another insulin, than the dose would most likely be close to the dose of the other insulin.
0.4 ml is not a dose we use for insulin….can you show me on a syringe how much of the caninsulin you have been giving please? you will need to copy and paste the photo into here.
If you could set up a spreadsheet for us and enter as much data as you can, that will help us to be able to help you.
HELP US HELP YOU has the instructions for the spreadsheet and also other useful information including the hypo kit.
I will tag @Bandit's Mom in case you have trouble with the spread as she can help you with it.
It sounds as if you are hometesting the BG yourself… Is that correct?

Dry food is not the best food for diabetic cats…a low carb canned food is much better. I will give you more information about that later. I think we need to get you sorted out with the Lantus and the correct dose first
and establish if you are hometesting the blood glucose yourself.
Are the syringes you are using the u100, 30 or 32 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes with the 1/2 unit markings on them?
 
Liana -

You had 2 identical threads going -- I deleted the other one.

Like Bron said, Lantus is a far, far better insulin for your cat than Caninsulin. I suspect. you are not giving your cat 0.4u of insulin. You can make a unit-to-unit switch from Caninsulin to Lantus or you can use a weight based formula to make the switch. A lot depends on how BARBA has been responding to Caninsulin.

I want to underscore Bron's note about syringes. The concentration of the insulin needs to match the syringe. Caninsulin is a U40 insulin and you use U40 syringes -- they have a red cap. Lantus is a U100 insulin so you need a U100 syringe. They have an orange cap.
 
Dry food is also generally not the best food for diabetic cats. They need to eat low carb foods so wet canned food or raw is best. You don’t need expensive prescription food like Royal Canin. Most of us here feed our diabetic cats fancy feast or Friskies pate
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi Liana and Barb and welcome to the forum.
I am very glad you are swapping to Lantus, it is a much better insulin than Caninsulin.
Can you tell us how much Lantus you are going to be giving each time please?
The normal starting dose is 1/2 to 1 unit twice a day. But if the cat has been on another insulin, than the dose would most likely be close to the dose of the other insulin.
0.4 ml is not a dose we use for insulin….can you show me on a syringe how much of the caninsulin you have been giving please? you will need to copy and paste the photo into here.
If you could set up a spreadsheet for us and enter as much data as you can, that will help us to be able to help you.
HELP US HELP YOU has the instructions for the spreadsheet and also other useful information including the hypo kit.
I will tag @Bandit's Mom in case you have trouble with the spread as she can help you with it.
It sounds as if you are hometesting the BG yourself… Is that correct?

Dry food is not the best food for diabetic cats…a low carb canned food is much better. I will give you more information about that later. I think we need to get you sorted out with the Lantus and the correct dose first
and establish if you are hometesting the blood glucose yourself.
Are the syringes you are using the u100, 30 or 32 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes with the 1/2 unit markings on them?
Click to expand...
Yes we are hometesting BG.
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Liana -

You had 2 identical threads going -- I deleted the other one.

Like Bron said, Lantus is a far, far better insulin for your cat than Caninsulin. I suspect. you are not giving your cat 0.4u of insulin. You can make a unit-to-unit switch from Caninsulin to Lantus or you can use a weight based formula to make the switch. A lot depends on how BARBA has been responding to Caninsulin.

I want to underscore Bron's note about syringes. The concentration of the insulin needs to match the syringe. Caninsulin is a U40 insulin and you use U40 syringes -- they have a red cap. Lantus is a U100 insulin so you need a U100 syringe. They have an orange cap.
Click to expand...

He had no responding to caninsoulin, when I found him it was 500BG a year ago and his last measurement last week 475
 
Liana said:
Yes we are hometesting BG.


He had no responding to caninsoulin, when I found him it was 500BG a year ago and his last measurement last week 475
Click to expand...
Liana said:
Yes we are hometesting BG.


He had no responding to caninsoulin, when I found him it was 500BG a year ago and his last measurement last week 475
Click to expand...
And another problem is that Barba is an old cat and the most times I can't measure him because there's no blood(ear, tail another points) , so our best is once a week
 
Liana said:
Yes we are hometesting BG.


He had no responding to caninsoulin, when I found him it was 500BG a year ago and his last measurement last week 475
Click to expand...
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
Dry food is also generally not the best food for diabetic cats. They need to eat low carb foods so wet canned food or raw is best. You don’t need expensive prescription food like Royal Canin. Most of us here feed our diabetic cats fancy feast or Friskies pate
Click to expand...
Yes I saw that dry food is not the best. I always was thinking about homemade food for him or raw, what could I give him and what quantity, he is 5kg
 
How old is Barba? Being an old cat should not make any difference to getting blood out of the ear.
What size lancet are you using? Sipped 26 or 28 is the best foe you.
Are you warming the ear first before the young to get any blood? You can warm it with some rice in the toe of a sock…just make sure it isn’t too hot.
Then you can milk the ear to bring the blood to the area toy won’t to poke.
HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS has some good ideas for you.

I would not change the diet or swap to a raw diet until you are hometesting a lot more as a low carb diet can drop the blood glucose considerably and you don’t want a hypo on your hands

I would concentrate on trying to get the hometesting of the blood glucose more consistent first.
 
Hi!
I'm helping Liana to upload the photos of the syringe she's using.

It's a U 100 syringe with no 1/2 markings and she gives 0.4 ml of caninsulin per vet.
I know it's not the correct syringe and the dose should be in units.

Hope you can see the pictures

messenger_media

messenger_media
 
Thanks for posting the photos Naomi.
They look like they are the U 100 100 unit syringes which are not idea for cats, instead of the U100 3/10 ml (30 units) syringes.
It is almost impossible to draw up the smaller doses needed for cats with the syringes that have 100units.
The U 100 syringes come in 3 sizes…30 units, 50units and 100 units
What is needed is the U100 3/10 ml, 30 or 31 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes …ideally with the 1/2 unit markings.
These syringes are U100 syringes but only take 30 units and it is easier to draw up the 1/2 and the 1/4 units that are needed for cats.
Are you able get these syringes for the Lantus insulin?

What syringes are you using for the caninsulin? Are you saying you are using the U100 syringes for the caninsulin?
If so, are you using a conversion chart to get the correct dose?
The photo looks like it is 4 units not 0.4 ml…is that correct?
I hope I haven’t confused you …does it all make sense?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
What is needed is the U100 3/10 ml, 30 or 31 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes …ideally with the 1/2 unit markings.
These syringes are U100 syringes but only take 30 units and it is easier to draw up the 1/2 and the 1/4 units that are needed for cats.
Are you able get these syringes for the Lantus insulin?
Click to expand...

Yes, these syringes are available. I'm sure Liana can get them.

Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
What syringes are you using for the caninsulin? Are you saying you are using the U100 syringes for the caninsulin?
If so, are you using a conversion chart to get the correct dose?
The photo looks like it is 4 units not 0.4 ml…is that correct?
I hope I haven’t confused you …does it all make sense?
Click to expand...

It makes perfect sense, you haven't confused me at all.

Liana uses U100 syringes for caninsulin. I know it's not right but she followed vet's instructions. I don't know if she or her vet used a conversion chart.
In the photo it looks like 4 units, but Liana says it is 0.4 ml.

Liana , could you clarify, please?


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Last edited:
The first inage show ~4 units of a U100 insulin. The volume is 0.04ml. For Vetsulin/Caninsulin which is U40 that would be 1.6 units of the Vetsulin/Caninsulin. If you inject 0.4ml that would be 16 units.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
How old is Barba? Being an old cat should not make any difference to getting blood out of the ear.
What size lancet are you using? Sipped 26 or 28 is the best foe you.
Are you warming the ear first before the young to get any blood? You can warm it with some rice in the toe of a sock…just make sure it isn’t too hot.
Then you can milk the ear to bring the blood to the area toy won’t to poke.
HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS has some good ideas for you.

I would not change the diet or swap to a raw diet until you are hometesting a lot more as a low carb diet can drop the blood glucose considerably and you don’t want a hypo on your hands

I would concentrate on trying to get the hometesting of the blood glucose more consistent first.
Click to expand...
We don't know how old he is, he was stray, he doesn't have any teeth, but I am sure he is 10+... His head was rather fatty, cheeks, ears was very thick, maybe this is the reason. I warm the ears yes. But I don't use lancet, I use needle
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Thanks for posting the photos Naomi.
They look like they are the U 100 100 unit syringes which are not idea for cats, instead of the U100 3/10 ml (30 units) syringes.
It is almost impossible to draw up the smaller doses needed for cats with the syringes that have 100units.
The U 100 syringes come in 3 sizes…30 units, 50units and 100 units
What is needed is the U100 3/10 ml, 30 or 31 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes …ideally with the 1/2 unit markings.
These syringes are U100 syringes but only take 30 units and it is easier to draw up the 1/2 and the 1/4 units that are needed for cats.
Are you able get these syringes for the Lantus insulin?

What syringes are you using for the caninsulin? Are you saying you are using the U100 syringes for the caninsulin?
If so, are you using a conversion chart to get the correct dose?
The photo looks like it is 4 units not 0.4 ml…is that correct?
I hope I haven’t confused you …does it all make sense?
Click to expand...
As said our vet that is 0,04ml, not 0,4 I just wrote wrong , but he never used the word "unit"
 
Yanna said:
Yes, these syringes are available. I'm sure Liana can get them.



It makes perfect sense, you haven't confused me at all.

Liana uses U100 syringes for caninsulin. I know it's not right but she followed vet's instructions. I don't know if she or her vet used a conversion chart.
In the photo it looks like 4 units, but Liana says it is 0.4 ml.

Liana , could you clarify, please?


View attachment 65596

View attachment 65597
Click to expand...
Our vet said 0,04ml not 0,4ml I just wrote wrong, the first 4 small lines
 
Hi everyone!

I'm writing on behalf of Liana.

Her cat, Barbas, has at last dropped his BG after switching to Lantus and low carb.
After one year with BG around 500, he dropped to as low as 50 within a couple of weeks on Lantus.

Liana needs some help with the spreadsheet.
I've set up a spreadsheet for her, I logged in using her username and password. I did it from my computer and she can't have access to update it.

Could someone help her ?
 
Yanna said:
Liana needs some help with the spreadsheet.
I've set up a spreadsheet for her, I logged in using her username and password. I did it from my computer and she can't have access to update it.

Could someone help her ?
Click to expand...
How is she trying to update the SS? With a smartphone or a computer? Is she logged in to her google/gmail account?
 
She tried both with computer and smartphone.
I initially was the owner of the ss, then I invited her through email to be the owner
 
Yanna said:
She tried both with computer and smartphone.
I initially was the owner of the ss, then I invited her through email to be the owner
Click to expand...
Liana said:
Someone please help me with my Barba's spreadsheet
Click to expand...
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
@Bandit's Mom can you help with the SS please?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I didn't get the previous tag. @Yanna could you please share the link you use to edit the SS? You could share it here or send me a PM. @Liana will be able to edit the SS only if she is signed in with the Google ID that has editor/owner privileges. Did she accept ownership? Does she show on the SS as Owner?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Sorry, I didn't get the previous tag. @Yanna could you please share the link you use to edit the SS? You could share it here or send me a PM. @Liana will be able to edit the SS only if she is signed in with the Google ID that has editor/owner privileges. Did she accept ownership? Does she show on the SS as Owner?
Click to expand...

It's OK Bhooma!
She signed in with a google account. I suppose it has owner privileges. I changed the ss status. A mail was sent to her to accept ownership. She accepted. It shows ownership on the ss.

We have obviously missed sth. What I could do is delete this ss from her signature and guide her through the phone how to create a new ss from her own computer this time. I have done this in the past with other members and it worked.

We could try again this weekend if Liana is available. We work different hours and communication even between us is difficult.
We did something wrong in the process and we can't see it.
 
Yanna said:
She signed in with a google account. I suppose it has owner privileges. I changed the ss status. A mail was sent to her to accept ownership. She accepted. It shows ownership on the ss.
Click to expand...
Then there is no reason she cannot input numbers in the SS. Just check if she using the link you sent me and not the pubhtml link which is in her Signature.
 
view
Bandit's Mom said:
Then there is no reason she cannot input numbers in the SS. Just check if she using the link you sent me and not the pubhtml link which is in her Signature.
Click to expand...
Hi Bhooma!

We are OK with the ss now. Liana used a different google account to open the ss. That's why she could not imput numbers.

The sad part is that Liana has been giving her cat 5U (sometimes 6U) of Lantus every 12 hours for a month or so, instead of 0.5.
I realized it last night when I asked her to send me a picture of the syringe because I couldn't understand how she drew 0.6U
It turns out it was 6 u , not 0,6 u as she thought it was.

I advised her to visit the forum so I'm expecting her to come back with questions

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sd7b6H3cdEMdWAY4ag6fg4yMnyLvbgRI/view?usp=sharing

view
 
Last edited:
Hello everyone, I am here again, so we made the Barba's ss with Yanna. And as she said, I gave him wrong dosage for a month (because of the pharmacest, they showed me wrong number on the syringe). The vet said we will start 2,5U, but when I asked in the pharmacy the showed me 25. But the good news is that I always start the new medicines with low dosage. So I started with 5U, but yesterday as said Yanna it's too much also.

But Barba's measurements are high even with this dosage, 200,300,400. Few times is normal and 4 times it was only 45,50..

We stopped the royal canin diabetic dry food, now he eats cat chow Purina dry and
canned food without sugar and without cereals
 
Hi everyone!

Could you please advise Liana about insulin dosage?
She's been giving Barbas 5 u or 6u Lantus for a month!
She went down to 2.5 u after she realised the mistake and now she increased again to 3 u

She works long hours, has not a steady schedule, insulin times are + - 1 hour and can't do spot checks

Barba eats Purina cat chow dry

@Bandit's Mom
@tiffmaxee
 
Hi. You need to follow SLGS since you are feeding dry food and can’t test much. It’s important to do a 12 hour curve every 7 days or as close to that as possible, especially since you can’t get any mid cycle tests as dosing for lantus is based upon how low a cat goes. Hold the dose until you can get a curve or at least a mid cycle test. It’s not possible to ever test at any point after preshot? When do you get days off?
 
tiffmaxee said:
Hi. You need to follow SLGS since you are feeding dry food and can’t test much. It’s important to do a 12 hour curve every 7 days or as close to that as possible, especially since you can’t get any mid cycle tests as dosing for lantus is based upon how low a cat goes. Hold the dose until you can get a curve or at least a mid cycle test. It’s not possible to ever test at any point after preshot? When do you get days off?
Click to expand...
Thanks Elise for answering.

should she stick to 2.5 u or 3 u for 7 days? Isn't it too much considering she's not testing in between?
 
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