Some questions as we start the insulin

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jack the Cat & Katie

Jack the Cat & Katie

Member Since 2016
Hi all,

Newbie here... I got some very helpful basic information in on the Intro board and I am hoping that someone out there can help clear up a few follow up questions!

We will be starting Lantus insulin tomorrow, and in preparation for that we began testing Jack's BG last night and again this morning. If we feed at 6:30 AM, do we test right before? And then give the insulin right after he eats? So it would look something like:
6:30 AM: Test BG then give food
7:00 AM: Give insulin dose (Do I have to take the food away at this point?)

Then repeat in 12 hours, correct?

Once we found out the diagnosis the first thing we did was to start giving him wet food instead of the dry food we had been feeding him. I've been giving him a 3 oz can of Fancy Feast classic in the morning and another in the evening. But he doesn't eat it all right away, and he is so used to free feeding that he's meowing for food all the time. I've been taking his 'leftovers' and mixing them with a little dry food and a little water, but I will usually be at work so if he is going to get a midday meal I will have to leave something out. Suggestions? Based on his weight (11.5 lbs) it would seem that he should be eating about 3 of those 3 oz cans daily- does that sound right? Could I leave a lower carb dry food out when I go to work? He turns his nose up at dry food now that he gets the wet, but if he's hungry he'll eat it.

Finally, my husband is concerned about "converting" the human ReliOn meter results to the equivalent cat BG reading. From what I've read on here it doesn't seem that there is a way to convert it, but its more about sticking with the same method and discussing that with your vet.

Thanks for any replies and suggestions! This forum has already been so helpful to read.
 
Welcome! If you need to use some dry, there are only 2 options really. One is Evo Cat and Kitten, it's about 8-13 percent carbs (people figure it differently) and while definitely more expensive that most brands, it's more affordable. The other is Young Again,which is about 5% or less I believe, but quite pricey and available only online. They'll send you samples to try before you invest in a larger bag. Some people freeze a portion of food and set it before they leave, as it thaws, the kitty will eat it. :cat:
 
When using Lantus, it's not as important that they eat before each shot since the "onset of action" isn't for a few hours, but generally, we Test/Feed/Shoot...all within about 5-10 minutes. With older insulins like Vetsulin/Novolin/Caninsulin, it was more important that they eat about 30 minutes before the shot because those insulins hit hard and fast and you wanted to make sure there was food on board before it "hit"

We Test to make sure they're high enough to give insulin at all, Feed to see that they're eating fairly "normally" and Shoot...a lot of times while they have their head in the food bowl

If your cat is enjoying the canned food, it's better to avoid any dry foods....even the "lower carb" varieties because one of the main complications of diabetes is kidney disease and the key to healthy kidneys is lots of water! Dry foods pull water out of the body...canned foods add it back in. A lot of us even add water to the canned food to get extra water into our cats

If your cat is a grazer, you might consider getting an autofeeder that will open at set intervals throughout the day or make some "food-sickles" by adding water to canned food and freezing it in ice cube trays or mini-muffin pans. Most cats won't eat frozen food (note the word "most"....lol) and it'll defrost over the day and provide "fresh" food for Jack

We all hope that Jack's time on insulin is brief and he can be added to our OTJ kitty list (Off The Juice) but if he ends up being on lantus for awhile, you might want to consider getting your next script from Canada. A lot of us are buying from them and it's 1/3rd the price (but the exact same thing) You can get all the info on where we're buying from this post in the Insulin from Canadian Pharmacies thread

All our protocols here are written for human meters so don't worry about converting to any specific number. If your vet is concerned, you can always take your meter in to run a side by side comparison to their meter so they have an idea of the difference

If you have any problems with the spreadsheet, let us know! We can help set it up for you if you need us to!

It'll also help for you to fill out you signature box. Just click on your sign on name on the top right and choose "signature". A new box will pop up for you to add information to. If you look below our comments you'll see the info we have there...things like your name/cats name, age, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, type of food, any other health problems....and you'd put the link to your spreadsheet there too (when you have it)...a lot of us also put a general idea of where we live too. By filling out all this info, we don't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again.

Welcome to the FDMB!! The best place you never wanted to be if you have a sugarcat!
 
Wow, thank you Chris! That post was so helpful. Wish I had known about the Canadian Lantus, but is great information to have for the future! We paid $289 for a 10 mL vial at Walmart :(

The overview of the food issue was very helpful, Jack is a grazer and I was concerned that he was supposed to be finishing his food before the insulin and not getting any in between. We began the Lantus today and have already seen a change... his BG was 325 last evening (before starting Lantus at all) and 297 this evening after having 1 dose in the AM.

So glad I found FDMB, I would be completely lost without it!
 
The spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty. To further my knowledge on diabetes, I would make it a habit to read other kitty’s postings and spreadsheets. Even though they are all different and will be different than your kitty, it was still invaluable information.
 
Glad you found it helpful!! Just paying it forward!!

Lantus is a "depot" insulin, so for the first 5-7 days, you're "filling the depot"....in very simple terms, when you first start, only a little of each shot goes to "work"...the rest is stored in the tissues and released slowly over the next 12-15 hours....Once the depot is full, you'll start to see the REAL effect of that dose since the tissues will be releasing the stored insulin at the same rate as the dosage

What dose did you start at? We start most of our cats here at .5 to 1U every 12 hours and then do increases in .25 unit increments. It's important to have syringes with half unit markings so you can measure those small doses better (nobody makes a syringe with .25 unit markings)

It'll be important to start keeping track of your test results on our spreadsheet so we can help you going forward....if you have trouble with getting it set up, feel free to send me a private message (conversation) and I can do it for you and then transfer it to your ownership when you're ready
 
Can I use a solostar glargine pen instead of the 100ml vile? I think I can get it a little cheaper. If I am currently giving 2 units twice a day, are the units the same on the pen? Any info would be helpful!
 
@sjay ....Yes, the pens are actually a better deal because you can use every last drop in each pen instead of throwing away half the vial when it poops out on you

You just pop the top off the pens and there's a rubber stopper inside just like the vial...you insert a regular insulin syringe and pull out the appropriate dose

syringe in pen pic.jpg
syringe in pen close up.jpg
 
Critter Mom said:
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Got a 10ml vial last week for Saoirse at a regular pharmacy over here: $70.90 (GBP 50.00). Crazy that you guys are charged four times the price it is here.


Mogs
.
Click to expand...


I'm so fortunate that our vet sells me ProZinc at cost! :cat: And for some reason, Goof has been needing a little juice now and again...... :(
 
@Mogmom and Goofus -

I'm glad to hear you have such a caring vet, Tammy. :)

On Goofus needing his numbers tamped down, it's good that you have the option to give him insulin. I wasn't as fortunate with Saoirse and her health deteriorated as a consequence. Even now she's back on Lantus the damage her pancreas and kidneys sustained in the absence of the insulin is clear in her clinical signs. Her coat condition makes my heart heavy and sore. :(


Mogs
.
 
Last edited:
Chris & China said:
@sjay ....Yes, the pens are actually a better deal because you can use every last drop in each pen instead of throwing away half the vial when it poops out on you

You just pop the top off the pens and there's a rubber stopper inside just like the vial...you insert a regular insulin syringe and pull out the appropriate dose

View attachment 18306 View attachment 18307
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the detailed info! I couldn't tell if I had even posted accurately!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top