Libby and Lucy
Member Since 2009
I agree that Oliver is doing great, but before you stop insulin altogether, may I point out some things we have learned here over the years?
The 96 today after no shot is great, but by itself it doesn't necessarily mean that Oliver is ready to do this on his own. Lantus is what is called a "Depot drug." Basically that means that Lantus works on a cumulative basis, with each dose influencing the next several cycles. So while this is a wonderful sign, today's 96 does still have some insulin behind it. For most cats, we find that the insulin depot can be 2-3 days to completely clear out. The great thing is that this depot is exactly the thing that makes Lantus have such beautiful flat cycles for our cats, and those beautiful flat cycles are the thing that gives the cat's pancreas the support it needs to heal. Here is a link to our sticky on the insulin depot: What is the Insulin Depot?
We have also found that to give a cat the best chance at a strong remission is to keep giving small amounts of insulin for longer than some think they should. We encourage people to drop the dose gradually to 0.25 units and then to 0.1 units before stopping insulin completely. The longer we can provide support to that newly healing pancreas, the better the chance that it will be able to handle the job when we do remove the training wheels.
What I see on Oliver's spreadsheet is a cat that is beautifully regulated. His cycle last night was nearly perfect. You've done so well! With a little tweaking, you can improve his chances of going into remission and staying there. If not remission, then he can definitely be tightly regulated and should feel great.
For what it's worth, I do not see signs that he has been dropping too low, but of course you do need to keep your eyes open for that. When I say that we see pancreas healing happening, what I mean is that often when they hit this range where they are under 100 almost 24/7, we see things "snap" into place and their body just gets it. Then often their insulin needs will drop fairly quickly. So I think you're doing great with Oliver, but stay with us and post in the Lantus & Levemir forum if you can.
The 96 today after no shot is great, but by itself it doesn't necessarily mean that Oliver is ready to do this on his own. Lantus is what is called a "Depot drug." Basically that means that Lantus works on a cumulative basis, with each dose influencing the next several cycles. So while this is a wonderful sign, today's 96 does still have some insulin behind it. For most cats, we find that the insulin depot can be 2-3 days to completely clear out. The great thing is that this depot is exactly the thing that makes Lantus have such beautiful flat cycles for our cats, and those beautiful flat cycles are the thing that gives the cat's pancreas the support it needs to heal. Here is a link to our sticky on the insulin depot: What is the Insulin Depot?
We have also found that to give a cat the best chance at a strong remission is to keep giving small amounts of insulin for longer than some think they should. We encourage people to drop the dose gradually to 0.25 units and then to 0.1 units before stopping insulin completely. The longer we can provide support to that newly healing pancreas, the better the chance that it will be able to handle the job when we do remove the training wheels.
What I see on Oliver's spreadsheet is a cat that is beautifully regulated. His cycle last night was nearly perfect. You've done so well! With a little tweaking, you can improve his chances of going into remission and staying there. If not remission, then he can definitely be tightly regulated and should feel great.
For what it's worth, I do not see signs that he has been dropping too low, but of course you do need to keep your eyes open for that. When I say that we see pancreas healing happening, what I mean is that often when they hit this range where they are under 100 almost 24/7, we see things "snap" into place and their body just gets it. Then often their insulin needs will drop fairly quickly. So I think you're doing great with Oliver, but stay with us and post in the Lantus & Levemir forum if you can.
