Started Lantus today & breathing easier today!

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Jenner & Felix

Jenner & Felix

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1st off....Felix & I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the great suggestions and support yesterday. All of your suggestions have helped me find a little more strength through all these transition stages.

Update on Felix..vet visit this a.m. to test Alpha Trak vs. our Walgreen True Test. our's was about 100 points lower than theres. That means when I thought Felix was reading at 176 or 185, he has actually been 100 higher UGHHHHH! ( we bought a Relion Confirm after the appt. and are now using that to test with)

The tech showed us how to inject and I had her do the first shot. BUTTTTT, I gave a saline solution shot right afterwards to make sure I could do it. YOU WERE ALL RIGHT! Felix didn't even feel me poke his belly- even after the tech had given him his shot! I can do this! :>)

We started with 1/2 unit this morning, his +6 BG was 311 (relion meter), but pmps was 385. He did graze two hours before on kibble. How long should we give 1/2 u before trying the 1u prescribed?

Question on the feeding schedule: if we're trying to feed wet in a.m. and in p.m. after BG's; what 's the rec. amt. of dry kibble we can leave out for grazing? (he's still on kibble cuz that's what he eats more of.) He doesn't eat alot of wet at the a.m. feeding-can I offer it again to him later in the morning or at lunch without risking higher BG's? how long can it sit out before going bad? (or will I have to test BG's everytime i want to get him to eat the wet?) I JUST DON'T WANT TO STARVE HIM. I'm looking for a healthy balance & I know a lot of you have chimed in on food content-which has been helpful. I could use a little more detail on the "how to's"

Thanking the FDMB for saving my sanity....:>)
 
Lantus 'likes' to have some time to fill the shed and a regular dose and shot schedule - I'm sure that you have read the information in the stickies on the Lantus ISG so you know about the shed. Generally one holds the dose constant for 3 full 24 hour periods - 6 shots. At the end of 3 days you will have enough data to allow a dose change decision. For example you will have every pre-shot number, as well as (for example) tests at +3, +6, and + 9 the second day and +2, +5, and +8 the third day. The nadir or lowest bg number is what you will base your dose change on. With Lantus, it usually occurs +7 to +9. However, because every cat is diffierent (ECID) you really need the test data to be sure when the insulin has the maximum effect on your cat.

Regarding food, I seem to recall the kitty should not have food for about a half hour before your pre-shot test. Some people feed two large meals a day while others feed several small meals. If you are not home, there are autofeeders that dispense food several times during the day. The other things you can do are to freeze portions and set them out for the cat to eat as they thaw or simply add water to the wet food so that it doesn't dry out during the day. The more wet food and less dry he eats, the better he will feel b/c he will be better hydrated. Have you read Dr' Lisa's site about the benefits of wet food? It is www.catinfo.org and is a wealth of information about all sorts of things 'cat'.

So, in summary, .5 u for 6 shots, test, test, test, frequent wet food - as much as he will eat (up to say 3 cans).
 
I haven't actually been to the Lantus ISG yet...will visit tomorrow. I've been reading threads and posting questions here.

Thanks for the quick reply. Reading through the ISG will hopefully clarify alot!
 
My cat is a total grazer too and we feed him every 12 hours, so the wet food is usually left out for 12 hours and we've never had any problems with him getting sick. I've read lots of different "safe times" to leave out wet food and it really varies (one article said not to leave it out longer than 20 minutes, I think that's crazy!). I usually 'fluff' the food several times throughout the day (stir it up with a spoon so the top doesn't dry out). Freezing half and letting it thaw throughout the day/night is a good idea too.

I think I mentioned this yesterday too, but you may want to look into getting some Ketostix or Dia-ketostix to test urine for ketones. I got a bottle of 50 for about $16 at CVS. You just dip the strip in fresh urine (there's many different methods for collecting the urine) and see if it changes color (there's a color chart on the bottle). Ketones are nasty little buggers that can make your cat really sick really fast, testing for them at home can be another way to ease your mind.

And congrats on your first shot! See, we told ya it would be easy. :)
 
How wonderful to hear that yesteday went better than you had thought. I am glad giving the shot was so easy.

Now for homework. We have to find something he will eat besides kibble. (Even a few bites can raise bg levels.) Have you seen these ideas: Getting your cat to eat Some people swear by FortiFlora. It is a probiotic that has the flavoring they put on dry food that makes cats want to eat it. You get it from your vet, online or I have heard you can get it from the vets at PetSmart. If you can find a treat he loves like the dried fish flakes (Bonito flakes) or other freeze dried stuff, you can crumble that up on top or in the food.

When you read the stickies on the Lantus forum, you will see they want you to withhold food for 2 hours before the test. That is so the number you get is not artificially high because of his eating. If you base your dose on a number that has been raised by food, you can be giving more than he needs.

The .5 unit sounds fine for a while unless you get really high numbers. You need to let the Lantus build up its shed (http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... ?f=9&t=150) and if you change to the wet food, you want to see what impact that has on a downward trend in numbers.

I don't know about the difference between the ReliOn and the AlphaTrak. Usually the difference is pretty minimal. You definitely took the test with the same sample of blood at the same time?

You are doing a great job for Felix. Keep on going on and keep asking questions.
 
I leave canned food out 24 hours per day in my house -- and have never had problems with it spoiling.

My hubby ("DH"=dear husband) and I have allergies, so we keep the house closed up most of the time -- temperature doesn't go higher than ~78F in the summer.

The "fluffing" is a good idea, and sometimes I'll add a bit of tuna juice to food that has been out for a few hours
 
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