Really needing advice, no vet to rely on

kurikitty

kurikitty

Member Since 2019
Hi everyone, thank you all so much for your help so far, it has helped me a lot, but I am starting to struggle a bit again trying to figure out what to do with lower than normal preshot numbers.

I've been trying to follow the SLGS method for Lantus. If you check my cat's spreadsheet, he has kinda been all over the place. Whenever his PS is below 200, I have decided not to give him a shot, but then he ends up in the 300's or more the next few days. Then today, he was even at a whopping 528 (could be from eating something he wasn't supposed to), so I feel like skipping the shots when he is below 200 is not working out. The SLGS instructions say I could also give him a reduced dose, 10-25% of the 0.75u that I do, but is 0.19u possible to measure on a syringe?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
A 200 preshot is not low for a cat. And remember, the last dose of insulin will wear off at the end of each cycle and his sugar will continue to rise throughout the day, especially with food of any kind. The point of insulin is to regulate each cycle. One shot a day is not going to regulate two cycles. It'll regulate one, but the second will run unchecked. You need that second dose on board to keep the second cycle under control for the next 12 hours.

Of course, I'm still pretty new to this whole thing, but I've definitely learned a lot from these guys. Every cat is different of course, but from what you're saying it seems clear to me that you shouldn't be skipping shots right now.
 
Hey there. It looks like you are able to test enough to keep Grey safe. I think you could lower the pre shot number to 150 . If it's lower than that, try stalling without feeding to see if he will start to rise so that you can get the insulin shot in. Lantus does best when you can dose every 12 hours.

Do you have some higher carb wet food to use if you need to give him a little to steer him up when he starts dropping? With having a hypo kit on board, higher carb food, lots of test strips and your ability to monitor, you are in control. When you have a cycle that is starting off lower than you are comfortable with, post and put a HELP with Dosing alert in your title to get some eyes on it and get some peeps to help advise you.

Oh, and Welcome! I don't think I have ever posted on your thread before!
 
There are two sections to the SLGS instructions when you see a lower preshot. The first starts “in the beginning” and says no shot under 200. You are probably fine to graduate to the second part that starts “with experience” now, as long as you are home to monitor if between 150 and 200. Eventually, with more experience and data, you will gradually be able to lower that no shoot number to 90.

You have been on this dose for over seven days now. Do you have a curve planned?
 
Thank you very much for the replies! :) Ok, I will stop skipping doses when he is between 150-200. I do have a hypo kit and I also did a curve three days ago, but I also read to take more time between increasing/decreasing doses as you go. Should I wait to give him less/more? He has been on his new dose of 0.75 for a little over a week.
 
With SLGS, we hold the dose a week, do a curve, then evaluate the dose. However, a curve is best done when the depot is full, so after six cycles of shots. If you do it soon after a skip, the curve might not be a true test of what the dose can do.
 
Ya, that makes sense. I'll do another week of this dose without missing shots and then do another curve.
 
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