Thank you! And a question

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grapey

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Several days ago I posted about Lily's alarming bg numbers and speculated it might be because of the science diet canned m/d. Well, I took her off that stuff, and her numbers have been improving! We've been in the 100s the past two or three days. Yay!

My question: what numbers should be the goal of regulation? If her numbers seem to be staying below 150, does that mean she's regulated? Is the 110 to 150 range good enough? Or should I aim for lower? Vet says don't shoot if her bg is 150 or lower at shot time.

You guys are great!
 
I think 100 is a beautiful no shoot number. Congratulations. When we got "there" I was still a "testaholic". Maybe others can chime in on just how much testing needs be done.
j.
 
My cat is on Lantus and I don't shoot at all if she is under 100. If she is 100-150 I give a .5 unit (normally she gets 1 unit) because Lantus is designed to be administered on a 12 hour cycle. Some people don't shoot if their cat is less then 200. I think it depends how much testing you've done and how comfortable you are dealing with lower numbers. If in doubt I'd say don't shoot - because once you've given insulin you can't take it back. Jan
 
You don't quite have the data yet to shoot below 150, and haven't been consistently testing prior to insulin. To be sure it is SAFE, you should always test her before giving insulin.

As you get more data, you will be more comfortable with shooting at slightly lower numbers than 150 because you will know how she frequently responds. Lantus dosing is based on the LOWEST number in the 12 hours, usually between 5-7 hours after the insulin.

If you can get 12 hours to do so, and when you've been using the same dose consistently for over 3 days, run a curve. That is, do the morning test, give insulin, then test every 2 hours until the next dose is due. This will show you how the insulin works for her over the 12 hours between shots and will guide you on dosing, following the protocol instructions..

Also, since you are using Lantus, pop over to the Lantus forums and read the sticky notes about how best to use Lantus and the safe way to make doseage adjustments.

Additional monitoring tools include:
* Measure how much water you put down at shot time vs how much is left at the next shot time. As you get control, you should see this reduce. (Be consistent in how much water you add to the canned food too, as that will affect water drinking, as will heat, etc.)
* Note how hungry she is at meal time - a) Ravenous and eats it all at once? b) Eats some, then nibbles throughout the day? c) Nibbles throughout and finishes? d) some left at next feeding? e) not eating at all
(no eating = no shot until proven necessary by testing !!!)
* Any vomiting? Use caution with insulin dosing! You must have food to match the insulin.
* Any diarrhea? Constipation? These may affect food intake, and thus the glucose level and response to insulin
* how big are the urine pools in the litterbox within 12-24 hours (you must scoop daily to check this)? 1/2 cup? 1 cup? more? Unregulated diabetics pee lakes. So do cats with renal disease, so if the glucose levels are good, evaluation of kidney function may be helpful.
* dehydration - if you can gently pull up the scruff of the neck, let to, and it snaps right back down, not as likely to be dehydrated. If it stays pulled up, dehydration may be moderate to severe. If you press a finger on the gum then remove it and it stays whitish ("blanched"), she is mildly - severly dehydrated. Dehydration should be checked with the vet.

The one certainty we have all experienced - Each Cat Is Different (ECID) and things change. You cannot assume everything is going to be consistent. If the cat has any other medical conditions, these can play a part in controlling the diabetes.
 
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