hello and welcome to the group amy and ruby!
you've already been given quite a bit of advice. i wanted to pop in to say hi as well as comment on some of your concerns:
starting dose --- after reviewing ruby's ss, i honestly think starting at 1u bid would be a mistake. with the response she's been getting since the switch to an all wet diet, i'd start out with a lower dose. the dose can always be increased if necessary. it's much easier on the caregiver to go up the dosing ladder than to come careening down. if i were in your shoes i would continue to collect data as you have been and then ask about a starting dose on friday. since lantus is a "depot insulin" meaning the effect is cumulative (one dose builds upon the next), i like dyana's idea to start with lantus on friday night. that'll give you the weekend to keep tabs on her.
feeding schedule --- most of us have found feeding small frequent meals before nadir helps us to regulate our kitties. this can be especially helpful if ruby is super carb sensitive. however, free-feeding is definitely an option many have employed successfully. some cats are grazers... and that's fine. the important thing is to have food available for ruby.
TR or SLGS (relaxed group) --- the difference between practicing TR and SLGS is
not about the ability to shoot 12/12. obviously, shooting 12/12 is better, but life doesn't always afford us the luxury of shooting 12/12 on the dot... every day. we deal with it and make adjustments accordingly. no biggie. we can help you with schedule adjustments.
once kitty is tightly regulated, i've found (with alex) shooting up to an hour late or early hasn't made that much difference in her numbers. however, i have accumulated an awful lot of data on her over the years.
the major difference between SLGS and TR can be found in how often dose increases are made, when to reduce the dose, as well as setting a low shoot number.
TR is fast paced with the possibility/probability of dose adjustments made after 3 days. when following the SLGS method, one would generally hold doses for at least a week (unless kitty were to drop too low on that dose). TR comes with requisites (found in the TR Protocol sticky).
after becoming data ready, we generally shoot on preshot numbers over 50.
SLGS makes concessions for kitties who have not been transitioned to low carb wet food. the dosing guidelines in the SLGS method also tend to run kitty in a little higher range than we do with tight regulation. the SLGS method sets the no shoot number at 150 along with suggestions for when kitty is in that 150 - 200 preshot number range (
FAQ 4.4).
which method is best? we've had kitties go OTJ using both methods. and some kitties will go OTJ no matter what the caregiver does or doesn't do. lol!
i'm one of the few active posters left on the fdmb who has used both TR and SLGS. i can tell you what i've seen. we have had kitties go OTJ using SLGS, but we've had many more go OTJ using TR. the idea behind TR is to bring kitty's numbers down into the normal range as soon as possible after diagnosis. my observation is backed by the research done by Roomp and Rand cited in the TR Protocol sticky, but i would be remiss if i didn't mention not every cat will go OTJ. alex has been on and off insulin over the last six years. her longest honeymoon period was almost 3 years, but she's been back on insulin now for almost 2 years. i've personally chosen to continue practicing TR because alex feels better in normal numbers and i'm trying to prevent possible damage to her other organs with running her in higher numbers. that's what insulin therapy is all about... keeping the cat healthy and happy!
good luck with the switch! if you decide to follow the TR protocol, there are many here to help.
