Switching to Lantus - dosage seems to high !

Ti-Mousse (GA) Pepe (GA)

Ti-Mousse (GA) Pepe (GA)

Member Since 2018
My Ti-Mousse was RX on November 27 when going for dental treatment. Vet suggested Caninsulin 2units bid with DM Proplan kibbles, which I did not take, as I intended to go w/low carb wet food which I did. Vet did not mention any testing except for curb after 7 days which I did (hardly any part of ears showing veins, a real nightmare but results were: AMPS: 32; +2: 28; +4: 22 +6: 23; +8: 22; +10: 20; PMPS: 32; +14: 24). Vet wanted to increase dose, I suggested changing to Lantus instead and sent her Roomp&Rand study. She was skeptical but finally said OK and left this prescription for me at the front desk without seeing me…

Vet’s prescription

RX Lantus 3units bid (which I find maybe VERY HIGH to start, what do you think ?? )
He is off Caninsulin since 5 days to flush system before starting the new insulin as per vet’s instructions. Since he is off Caninsulin, he is more playful and alive. Even though I was getting a bit worried and took his BG; his numbers were in the mid-twenties all day (it’s high but lower than with Caninsulin at 32 !)

RX Syringes 1.00ml or 0.5ml U100
I bought the 0.3ml syringes with half units in case of smaller doses as it was suggested in the Forum.

DO YOU THINK I SHOULD START WITH A LOWER DOSE to be on the safe side, until I read about SLGS and TR and choose the one that suits us best ?

IF SO, WHAT SHOULD BE THE STARTING DOSAGE ?

Thanks so much for being there!
 
[NB to anyone reading this: When I wrote my original post I didn't realize that the Ti-Mousse's numbers were given in the "World" system: mmol/L. (late night; foggy brain). Please disregard my original post if you happened to read it!]

In my opinion the dose your vet suggests is way too high! [here most of the original post has been deleted].
Can you start a spreadsheet for Ti-mousse? That way people here will be able to see how and what he is doing and be able to make recommendations. There are instructions for the spreadsheet in the Tech forum.

Welcome Lyane and Ti-Mousse! And do read the "Stickies" at the top of the forum. Lots of information there (too much at first, but you don't have to learn everything at once).
 
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Bonjour from BC. I am glad you are switching to Lantus, it's a much nicer insulin that Caninsulin. My vet also started us on Caninsulin.

How much does Ti-Mousse weigh? Normally we take the dose of the existing insulin into consideration, but it's only been a few weeks on Caninsulin so far. Do you have any other test data? Most of us here have put our test data into spreadsheet that we are used to using. Instructions for the spreadsheet are here. A large number of the people here are from the US, so the common language for talking about spreadsheets is mg/dl instead of mmol/L. @Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) Different measuring system, the numbers quoted are mostly 300's to you. He does need insulin from those numbers.

You don't need to "flush the system" of the Caninsulin, that's rubbish. Sorry the vet is uninformed. He's probably used to being in higher numbers, which is why he's playful.
 
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Thanks to both of you for helping me with Ti-Mousse! You're right about my vet Wendy, that's why I'm here. Now I know, no need to flush the system; and because of that, he is out of insulin since almost a week!!! From now on, I'll use the mg/dl numbers instead of mmol/L in my posts. As soon as Ti-Mousse is back on insulin, I'll start filling in my spreadsheet.

Now, my question is THE DOSAGE ? Who can help me with this ? Should I start him on low and increase slowly ?
 
There is a weight-based formula for the beginning dosage of Lantus. The formula if you are using the Tight Regulation (TR) protocol, is: 0.25 of a unit BID per kg of the cat's ideal weight. The previous dosage of whatever insulin was used should be taken into account. But since Ti-Mousse was not on Caninsulin for very long, you can probably begin from "scratch". For important details, be sure to read the "Sticky" on the TR protocol. Since Ti-Mousse is now on a completely wet-food diet, you can follow the TR protocol, which is the more aggressive protocol for getting a cat into remission.
Otherwise, even if the only kibble he eats are treats, you would have to follow the SLGS protocol (start Low go Slow). See the "Sticky" describing SLGS.

Hope this helps. Good luck as you go forward. Remember to ask as many questions as you need. We have all been there!

Sorry I gave you erroneous information last night!
 
So nice of you! So I'll start from "scratch" as you said and read the "Sticky" to understand where I'm going. Ti-Mousse is on a wet food diet only except that this morning I caught him having a few kibbles from Pepe's plate (my other cat who only eats kibbles); I had forgotten to put the cover on the kibbles :-) I have to find a bullet proof solution to this !!! If I start him of SLGS, can I switch him to TR as soon as we are ready? You're helping me so much, I can start now!
 
Yes, you can start with one dosing method and switch to the other when you are ready to do so. Good luck!
 
I started using SLGS and Rhubarb ran down the dose so fast that I switched to TR.
You are definitely not locked into anything!
 
Thanks Wendy and Majandra. So, I'll start SLGS and see how he reacts to Lantus. If OK I'll try switching to TR, hopefully I'll be able to do all those testings!!
 
Ti-Mousse said:
You're helping me so much, I can start now!
Click to expand...
Be sure to set up a spreadsheet for Ti-Mousse. The folks here will need to see what is happening in order to help you. I can't open the link @Wendy&Neko gave you (see above). I get a message that the page's address isn't valid. Try this one: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Good luck! It can all seem overwhelming at first, but it improves with age (like a good wine).
 
Yes Ella, I will set up my spreadsheet soon; when entering my numbers, I'll probably convert them from mmol/L to mg/dl, so it will be easier to read for all of you.
If you're right and it improves with age like a good wine, I must be a very good bottle!!
 
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