New Member

C

ConfusedGuava

Member Since 2026
Hi!
My cat (9 years old) was diagnosed with diabetes around 2/3 weeks ago, and we just started lantus today! 2u in the morning, and 2u in the evening. He weights 5.54 kg.
His glucose level (I use human meter Counter Next) was 17.8 pre-shot for both morning and evening. 2 hours post-shot in the evening was 17.1 mmol/g.

I was around 1 hour late for the shot because I had to go to a vet appointment (6 am for morning shot, 6:55 for evening shot).

I was wondering if 2u was okay to start with? How much of a dip should I see post lantus? Should I be worried about hypo (and what exactly is it? Also, is it okay I was late for the shot?

Can I also ask what a "curve" is and how to do it?

Thank you
 
Welcome to the forum! 2u is high starting dose! (It's what my vet recommended and I was quickly told no) We've got two methods we use on the forum: Tight Regulation and SLGS. You can see info here.

A hypo is when your cats number drop low and it is dangerous. You should get a hypo toolkit consisting of karo syrup, high carb food, etc. More info on signs, symptoms, and handling here.

If you think you'll stick around, I recommend setting up a spreadsheet! You can see an example in my sig. It shows all of Crowley's numbers, and people won't give advice if they can't see the full picture (for safety's sake!)

And welcome to the community! It's very friendly and welcoming! It's late for most members right now, but you'll see more people through during the day. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about any of the many, many sticky threads in the forum.
 
2 units twice a day is too high for most cats to start with. This board recommends no more than 1 unit twice a day to start. You can safely reduce the dose right now if you want. If the vet asks, just say you didn't feel comfortable with 2 units. Much safer to start at a dose that won't do anything than to start too high and risk a hypo.

Lantus needs at least a week to build up the depot and for you to see an effect on blood glucose levels. There's info here: Sticky - What is the Insulin Depot?

Nadir, the lowest blood glucose level in a cycle, can vary among cats. It can be 6 hours after insulin but it may be earlier or later in some cats. You'll have to track your cat's numbers to see where nadir is.

Hypo is hypoglcemia, when the blood glucose levels get dangerously too low. It's generally any number under 60 mg/dl or 3 mmol. Sometimes a cat will show symptoms, sometimes not. Hypo can happen at any time in a cycle. There's info here that you should print out:

Sticky - How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!!
Sticky - jojo and bunny's HYPO TOOL BOX

Lantus needs to be dosed consistently. If you're off by half an hour or so it's not a big deal. If you know ahead of time that you will have to dose early or late, you can adjust the timing over a period of a few days. There's info here on how to move shot times: Daylight Savings Time Ends - Nov. 2nd - Adjusting shot time

A curve is testing the blood glucose levels approximately every 2 hours for a period of 12 hours. For most people this means testing from the morning insulin shot time to the evening insulin shot time. You will need to keep track of the blood glucose level readings in some way and share it with your vet. This board uses a Google based spreadsheet that is easily shareable. https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/ Paper and pencil works in a pinch but will make it harder for you to get advice here on FDMB.

Most people like to do a few spot tests during the day or evening to see how their cat is responding to the insulin and dose.

Always test blood glucose levels before giving insulin. No insulin should be given if the cat tests under 150 mg/dl (8 mmol).

What are you feeding your cat? Diet is an impotant part of managing the diabetes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top