Newbie! Dosages?

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Louieorangetabby

Louieorangetabby

Member Since 2011
I'm one week into this, and learning so much every day! The kind folks who welcomed me and sent me my newbie kit, AND helped me set up Louie's spreadsheet suggested I introduce myself here. As you can see from the spreadsheet, the vet started him on 3 units of Lantus, and I was urged to question the large amounts of insulin prescribed. The vet became annoyed when I questioned this~ so I'm feeling that this community may be the better source of knowledge about cats taking Lantus. Today was my first +6 testing day, and the first day I lowered Louie's dose to 1 unit (suggested by several people)
I have not yet read the stickies on Lantus, but plan to this evening~ so I feel that this is my first day without calling the vet for the proper dosage for Louie, and would love some help about tonight's dosage. I'll take the PMPS at this evening and post on Louie's SS.
Any help and advice welcome~
I know I'm new at this and have lots of homework ahead of me! I've already felt awful about Louie's large doses....but was ignorant, and trusted the vet to know~
thank you!!
 
aw, you're not ignorant...you are just like the rest of us who expected the vet to know best-
and obviously smart enough to investigate the disease...so pat yourself on the back for that.

welcome to you and Louie!!

what can we call you? (if you're comfortable sharing your name :-D )

louie is gorgeous!

celi & binks
 
Thanks for the welcome! I'm Tracy~ living in Taos NM~ an artist, mom to two young men (20 & 23), grandmother and furmom to 5 beautiful kitties~
I need to get over feeling so bad for not knowing more about what Louie needed~ better only one week into this to make a change, than going longer with these dosages!
Tracy
 
Hi Tracy,

I'm pretty new to this dance too, so I can't give any dosing advice, but others will be along any time . You did the research that led you here, so congrats on taking the initiative on getting Louie the help he needs. There is so much to learn! It can seem overwhelming, but the good folks here will always be willing to share their knowledge and help you through. You will never be alone on this journey. Welcome!
 
Welcome Tracy & Louie! We have all been where you are. You are taking a big step in the right direction. Unfortunately many vets don't know a lot about Lantus. This board is invaluable with many experienced Lantus and feline diabetes members. I definitely think you did the right thing by starting at 1 U. You will see that when you read the stickies. Start low, go slow.

It sounds like you are home testing and that is a huge step. Lantus is based on nadir, or lowest point in the cycle. Many cats have nadir around +6, but ECID (every cat is different). You will need to figure out when Louie's nadir is. Nadir can also move around. So you will want to test every preshot and get as many +2, +4, +6, +8, etc as you can.

What kind of food is Louie eating?

You will get a lotof questions at first and it may seem overwhelming, but everyone here just wants to help.

Welcome again!
 
Hi Tracy and Louie! I don't want to overwhelm you with any more new info at this point, but I wanted to stop by and say Welcome to Lantus Land! You are doing a great job in taking control of Louie's diabetes. Just ask as many questions as you need to...you will find boundless support and knowledge here!

Amy & Trixie
 
Welcome, Tracy and Louie,
You are doing all the right things. Most people start with 1 unit twice a day (every 12 hours), so that is probably a good starting dose for Louie unless he has other health issues, or weighs a great deal. Be sure to read the Sticky on the "Tight Regulation Protocol" (especially the section on "'General' Guidelines") and the Sticky "New to the Group". Lots of info. there.
The experienced and knowledgeable people here will want to know what you are feeding Louie, as diet is very important for a diabetic kitty.
We all want to help you and Louie.
Welcome again,

Ella & Rusty
 
Welcome, Tracy!

We've all been newbies so don't get all caught up in the woulda, coulda, shoulda thing. You're here now and have made a pro-active decision about Louie's care.

Getting spot checks at various points during both the AM and PM cycles is important. As Amy noted, Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point in the cycle. The initial dose of Lantus can be based on your cat's ideal weight (initial dose = ideal weight in kilograms x 0.25). If your cat is average weight, this usually computes out to approx. 1.0u.

Reading the stickies will help to get you oriented. There's a huge amount of information in them and you're likely to feel a bit overwhelmed. We all did (and sometimes, still do). Just ask questions. The people here are very generous with their time and information. We all want you to learn and feel comfortable managing Louie's diabetes.

I hope you'll continue to post on a regular basis.
 
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