Should I give the shot?

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Patti A

Patti A

Member Since 2021
@admin Buffy was diagnosed recently and at the time I was sure my vet said give insulin if BG is 13 or over. When she was in the hospital for pancreatitis, the ER bet said the notes from my bet said at 15 to give Insulin. Now I am confused and Buffy is reading 13.9 today. Do I give the .5 units?

Thanks
 
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Patti -

We use a different convention for whether to shoot or not. We would suggest shooting if numbers are over 11 and yes, 0.5u would be a safe dose. It looks like you're following Start Low Go Slow for dosing. The information is in this link.

A couple of other observations...
  • Are you giving a dose of Lantus twice a day? Your spreadsheet suggests you are not giving a PM shot. Cats require an injection every 12 hours. Even Lantus, which is a long-acting insulin, needs to be dosed twice a day given that a cat's metabolism is twice as fast as a human's.
  • You also need to be getting at least one test in addition to your AMPS and PMPS during each cycle. Lantus dosing is based on the nadir (i.e., the lowest point in the cycle) which for many cats is somewhere close to mid-cycle.
  • I'm tagging @Bandit's Mom to give you a hand with the spreadsheet. I'm not sure where you found the template. There should be another tab for US values. If you enter your information on the World tab, it will automatically convert the numbers to US format on that tab. Most of us are in the US and it's easier to follow along if those numbers are easily accessible.
  • The RC Aging formula you're giving Buffy is very high in carbohydrates. We recommend keeping a cat's carbs under 10% and most of the members here use food that are much less. The Aging formula is 20% carbs.
Please let us kneow how we can help.

FYI - the tag @admin isn't a valid tag.
 
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) , thanks for your response. I gave her the .5 units.
I have been told about the twice a day shots for Lantus but my vet specifically said only once a day. Buffy is going to be back to see her specialist on Wednesday when I hope
to clarify the level to shoot at and about your questions about the twice a day.
For the spreadsheet, I can rectify the issue. I hid the US as it was in the front when I opened it and I had originally started using it. I will unhide the US sheet. I never thought of others needing to see it. Still learning.
I will stop the RC Aging. Did not know that carb value. I do have her on FF turkey and giblets as well although she doesn't like the FF all the time so I give her FF for one meal and the RC for another.

Thanks so much
 
You can move the US tab to be the 2nd tab so it's easer for you. You'll want to enter the data on the World tab.

Unfortunately, your vet is basing information on Lantus dosing for humans. This is a link to the American Animal Hospital Association's Guide for the Treatment of Diabetes. They specify giving insulin every 12-hours. If either your vet or the specialist say something different, ask them about the Guidelines since it's their professional organization. The 2 recommended insulins for cats, Lantus (glargine) and Prozinc, are both long acting insulins. They require twice a day dosing despite being long acting

I'm going to guess that your cat's numbers are dropping toward the 6 hour point. By the time you get to your AM shot, the numbers are higher. You may want to start getting some mid-cycle tests.

Just a word of caution. Most vets, even internal medicine specialists, get a limited amount of training in feline diabetes. I know it can be hard to trust all of the crazy cat ladies here when you have a vet you've relied on. We have gotten hundreds of cats into remission. FDMB has been around for a lot of years!! The members here eat, live, and breathe feline diabetes and we share our resources -- including research articles. We may not always agree with the information that a vet provides but we will let you know your options and explain why our thoughts are different.
 
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