Starting on Lantus- Need dosing advice/What you wish you knew

Crowley

Crowley

Member Since 2026
Hey! My boy Crowley is recently diagnosed and I just picked up his Lantus earlier today. I'm planning on starting him on Wednesday night/Thursday (my day off) so for his first few days of giving him insulin, I won't have anything else to do (besides leave for a very short appt Friday, which will be at the end of his window). I'll be able to WFH from Sunday, then I will need to go into the office on Tuesday, unfortunately, but I may have to skip his PM dose that day because I have to go in off my usual schedule.

The starting dose the vet gave me is 2u, 2x a day. I'm planning on doing it at 2am and 2pm (I work from 3pm-1am in office and 4pm-2am at home, 2x each one)

But! I've read through the introductory things here, and I was wondering what little things not covered in the big docs you wish you knew before you started using Lantus!!

ETA I've been informed 2u 2x is wayyyy too much to start off with a lil man like Crowley (10lbs, very thin), so I was just hoping for some guidance for where to start!
 
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Welcome Liz and Crowley!!

The biggest lesson I learned starting out is that vets’ level of experience with and quality of guidance for feline diabetes varies quite a bit. I really like my vet, but she steered me wrong multiple times regarding Bell’s diabetes. For me, soaking up the guidance and information here allowed me to advocate for Bell when I felt the guidance I was receiving was incorrect.

I’m not experienced enough to give you concrete dosing advice, but I would have some concerns starting out with 2 units, depending on Crowley’s weight.

The guidance for starting dose varies depending on the dosing method you choose:
Dosing Methods

For Tight Regulation:
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For Start Low Go Slow:
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We advocate for home testing here. Are you about to monitor Crowley’s blood glucose levels?
 
Thank you for the guidance! 2u definitely seems too high. He is a small boy so he definitely doesn't need the insulin for a beefier boy. And yes, definitely planning. I've been practicing this week so I'm ready when insulin starts.
 
Hi Liz, Welcome to the forum. Another question in addition to Seth's: What are you currently feeding Crowley? You might want to update your signature with that information so that you aren't asked it repeatedly. Also, if Crowley has had ketones, please add that to your spreadsheet.
 
Switching him to FF pates! I do have some ketone testers but I have not figured out how to test his urine?? He's not pissing on the floor anymore lmao. The puddles would've made it easier.
 
😅

Great on you for being prepared! When I was testing Bell for ketones, I had to kinda stalk her a bit and just snuck up behind her while she was peeing and stuck the strip in the stream. A lot of cats tend to urinate after eating, so that was the time I’d manage to catch Bell.

They do make blood testing meters for ketones, which make thing easier once you’ve got the pokes down
 
Crowley said:
Switching him to FF pates! I do have some ketone testers but I have not figured out how to test his urine?? He's not pissing on the floor anymore lmao. The puddles would've made it easier.
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When Jude was diagnosed, the vet checked his ketones. It's good to do on an ongoing basis, but Crowley's labs should show that number. One other thing to note about catching the urine stream: someone on here mentioned that once a cat begins urinating, it's nearly impossible for them to stop, so waiting until the stream starts before approaching the box can sometimes help. It's worked really well for Jude and I when I have to catch a sample for any bladder issues he has. Once he starts, I slide a flat plate below him, and he doesn't move.

Back to Seth's concern about dosing: if you'll edit your title, select the "?" prefix, and add "need dosing advice" to your title, that will likely flag some of the more experienced folks to stop by with some guidance on a starting dose.
 
Sorry for the late post on your yesterday's thread - had an all day volunteer gig at the T-100 triathalon which wiped me out.

Anyway, welcome to the forum. 0.5 or 1.0 units might be a better starting dose. First thing you have to do is read the Sticky Note at the top of this forum on the two dosing methods we use here. Decide which might be best for you to follow. Seth quoted from the Tight Regulation (TR) protocol, but there is also the Start Low Go Slow method. TR would say starting dose at 1.0 units, SLGS would say 0.5 units if on an all wet food diet. That is, if no ketones present. TR does use a weight based protocol for initial dose, but after that, there isn't really a correlation between size of cat and doses they will eventually need. I've seen small cats on large doses and large cats on small doses.

It's much easier to start on a lower dose and work your way up than being on too high a dose and having to keep on top of lower numbers when you both are just learning about home test. I say both because kitty will eventually figure out home testing = treats, which makes it much easier.

Some tips on urine testing for ketones: Tips to catch and test a urine sample. Some cats get predictable about when they pee. We noticed Neko always liked to use the litter box downstairs when we came in after our morning workout, sort of her way of greeting us. 🤣 Some people notice it happens after a meal.
 
No worries! I'm waiting until my next day off because I knowww I'm gonna be cray cray so I have a few days to figure it out. I was thinking of doing SLGS because the more aggressive one scares me ngl.
 
When is your next day off? We don't want to wait too long with the numbers he is showing so far. Also, because Lantus is a depot style insulin, it can take 5-7 days to see what a dose can really do. Meaning the first couple days can be boring, or not. So being able to test every 3 hours for the first shot is a good idea.
 
Thursday! I was planning on giving the first shot after my wednesday shift. If that's too long, I can work from home this week to be home and monitor and give the first shot tonight.
 
I tried to encourage him to pee but unforch it didn't work. Will try again on my break and on my lunch. But I know he did have a lot of sugar in his urine. And I think he's starting to get some neuropathy in his back legs? He's walking oddly and while he can get up the stairs...it wasn't right. So I think I have to start tonight.
 
The neuropathy is easily treatable with methylcobalamin. It might take at least a few weeks to see improvement. LifeLink Zobaline is one cat-specific product.

A less expensive alternative is to use an unflavored Human methylcobalamin supplement (5000 mcg capsules) and add folic acid (any generic unflavored brand at 200 mcg) to it. Sprinkle the methyl B12 capsule into food or moist treat, crush up a folic acid tablet and add to the food. Most cats won't notice it.
 
Yes, I saw it was pretty reversible with proper management and the supplement. And my understanding is that they'll just pee out any extra so it's fine if Talasseres accidentally eats some and there's no strict dosing needs, correct?
 
Okay, great, thank you! I just wanted to know which things were worth getting worried about (like if I accidentally stuck Talasseres with a needle somehow) vs not actually worth getting worried about (him licking up some of these supplements). I'm stressed enOUGH without stressing about unneeded things lmao
 
Good news! I just caught Crowley heading up towards the litterbox and, happily, the customer I was talking with finished up right on time. So I dashed upstairs, got out a ladle made of foil, and got some pee!! No ketones.

I'm shocked he wasn't phased at all as I shoved my hand up in there, but hey! I'll take it.
 
Only thing I would add is to double check that your syringes are u-100 insulin syringes.

If you want confirmation that you’re drawing to the correct line, you can post a photo and ask.

Good job preparing to start insulin. Take a deep breath, we’re here to support you on this journey.
 
Everyone here has been so great! I feel much more at ease. These are the needles I have.
 

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