Sunday Is The Day...

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Cherish Gallagher

Cherish Gallagher

Member Since 2017
Sunday we are starting Lantus. I couldn't be more nervous/worried. Angel has done so well (physically) on Vetsulin. She's had no weird side effects, but her numbers have sucked pre-shot most of our 6 month since diagnosis so it's time for a change.

We received our Lantus pen yesterday and I bought the 1/2u Relion syringes from Walmart last night. We are stocked up on test strips, high carb food, etc. She will still be getting her shots at 5am and 5pm. I took off work Sunday and Monday to monitor her the first few days. I also changed my schedule for 10 days after my days off to work 11am-7pm instead of 6am-2pm so I'm able to better monitor her in the morning after her shot, and hopefully catch her nadir before I have to leave for work. The first few weeks we plan to test a whole lot and get as much data as possible. So far all day today I've been studying the stickies. So far, no questions.

I'm also going to be more consistent with the wet food I feed her. Each week I'm choosing 2 flavors and she will get one flavor for breakfast and one for dinner. It will be easier to see patterns if what I'm feeding her is messing anything up. For now we are using fancy feast medleys white meat chicken primavera which is 5.5% and shredded white meat chicken fare which is 4.5%. I'm also giving her a fancy feast broth packet each day at #6 to hopefully cut down on the amount of kibble she eats - these have no carbs in them. We will have EVO down for her and our non-diabetic at all times until we can get him switched over to wet food. We haven't had luck these last 6 months. He has been sick with megacolon and a motility disorder but is doing SO WELL so it's time to try again. I bought some fortiflora on Amazon today that should be here before Sunday. I'm very aware that the EVO is probably not doing Angel any favors, but we can't feed our non-diabetic separately, so we need to have something down that is at least somewhat acceptable for her, and something he will actually eat which has been a battle in itself.

I'm thinking based on her current dose we should start her at 2u of Lantus. We will be doing the SLGS approach because of her still eating some dry food. Hopefully we will be able to change to the right regulation protocol in the near future.

Any advice or comments would be great. :)
 
Wow, it looks like you have done your homework and are ready to go! :) Your plan seems like a good one.

You're right, feeding dry isn't ideal, but at least EVO is lower carb, so it's better than most. Have you been to Dr. Lisa's site, catinfo.org? She has some great tips on transitioning from dry to all wet.

Here is a link to your most recent post, even though it's from another forum. It's helpful to always link your last post each day so people can go back and see what has already been discussed.

Not sure if I already gave you this link, but here's a post we put together for new members, to help make your introduction to L&L Land a little easier: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/updated-tips-for-new-members.173572/
 
How exciting! Welcome to the early bird club.

I shoot 4:30a-4:30p and I think we are the same time zone. I usually will check out the forum between 4:45-5:15a (after I finish getting ready for work) so I will be around in the AM for moral support. :) Carla @carfurby shoots early too and posts about the same time too. She has more experience than I do.
 
I do have 1 questions. How much food does everyone feed their kitties? I've only been giving 2 of those 3oz cans a day plus leaving out dry food. I'm thinking of increasing to 3 cans.
 
Cherish Gallagher said:
I do have 1 questions. How much food does everyone feed their kitties? I've only been giving 2 of those 3oz cans a day plus leaving out dry food. I'm thinking of increasing to 3 cans.
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I think it depends on the cat. I have started weighing my cats weekly since switching to wet food just because I really wasn't sure how much to feed them. Gizmo will eat everything in sight. He weighs about 13-14 pounds and eats two 5.5 oz cans a day (177 cal each). He would eat more if I would let him, but he is still unregulated and might have hyperthyroidism also. Daisy, my civie, weighs around 11-12 pounds and eats almost 1 can daily. So it not only depends on the cat, but also the calories in the type of food you are feeding.
 
Here is the formula I was given. I miss foods to try and get enough calories. Gizmo also needs to gain a bit so I have increased the quantity he is getting too. He went on a hunger strike and had list a bit but his appy is back in full force so I am getting as much in him as I can right now (within reason)

The cat's weight times 13 and add 70. So a 12 lb cat X 13=149.5 +70=226 calories/day

This is to maintain weight.
 
Using a baby scale to weigh them is handy and fun to see just how long they sit still so you grab the number. ;)

I use the 2-3 percent scale. If you want to maintain weight and depending on how active she is you could start at 2.5%. So 2.5% of 11.5 is .28 x 16 (which is 1 lb in ounces) is 4.6 oz per day. Of course this could be tweaked depending on the level calorie of food and as you track her weight and some days they have hungry days and some days they don't.
 
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