Squeak is back on insulin

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CathyLonghurst

CathyLonghurst

Member Since 2014
I used vetsulin with Squeak earlier in the year, but I want to use Lantus now and ask for any and all guidance you can give.

My weekday schedule is up at 5:30-6am, out at 6:45 am, home between 3:15-4pm. There can be no food during those hours due to other cats and their dietary needs. While I am home he has constant access to wet food with digest powder on it.

I did not give Lantus this morning because I needed to read more and did not want to leave him alone after a dose. Especially not knowing how this insulin will work with him.

I have several of the Lantus pens that have been kept constantly refrigerated and never used. How long do you think those are good before expiring? I got them in May.
 
Re: Squeak's is back on insulin

reading your spreadsheet notes, I am wondering very much if you are in the same boat I was in this summer. Sammy was OTJ in March. Then she went off her food and was hiding, grumpy, etc. The vet did bloodwork and said slight pancreatitus. I was convinced she had a fever because her ears seemed really warm. (A sugar cat's mama knows what kitty's ears should feel like, right?). After 3 vet visits they finally did another temp check and sure enough, she had a fever. A week on antibiotic and she was 100% again. And off the juice. The elevated sugars were due to infection.
 
Linda I am very very unsure of Squeak's exam and how all of this is going.

He was very lethargic and no appetite and not talking at all. He is none of those things this time.
 
I kind of agree with Linda I have to wonder what threw him out of remission which the most likely culprit would be infection. But if you start him back on Lantus since he has been in remission before I would start him at no higher than .5u and work the dose up from there if it is needed.

As far as how long your pens are good for, there should be an expiration date printed on the pens, as long as they are unopened and in the fridge they will be fully effective up to the date printed on the pens themselves. Now they may still be fine even after that date since they haven't been stored outside of the fridge, but testing and numbers will tell you.

Now Lantus is going to work entirely different that the Vetsulin, Vetsulin is an In and Out insulin, while Lantus is a depot insulin. It has to build up a depot under the skin before you see the full effect of the dose that you are giving. It takes about 3-5 days when you first start using Lantus for the depot to form which is why we hold the dose for roughly a week before reassessing it to see if we need to raise the dose or not. Also all dose adjustments are based off the nadir not the preshots. Two key words when working with Lantus are consistency and patience.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Can Someone give me guidance? His number is so low in the morning I don't know if I should give him Lantus or not. I am still new to it.
 
Since he just went back on insulin there isn't a lot of testing data to go on. Right now the only tests that I'm seeing on his spreadsheet are preshots so I have no clue how low he is going between shots. But from reading your notes on his spreadsheet it looks like he might just not be feeling well. I know it says he didn't have a fever or dental problems according to the vet visit but was he checked for infection? Infection could be the culprit that threw him out of remission and he can still have a low grade infection without having a fever.

Right now if he was mine I would only shoot if he is above 150 and also try to get several tests during a cycle to see what exactly his body is doing. Also how is his appetite? Is he still eating and drinking normally? How are his 5Ps?

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
I wholeheartedly agree with Mel. I would not have given Squeak any insulin either. An 86 is a perfect number. No intervention required. Get lots of tests, if you can. I think you are going to find Squeak is over his little "issue" soon, if he isnt already, and be a bonafide OTJ cat again.
 
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