Vet may switch to Lantus from Prozinc

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mimi4neeyah and Loki

mimi4neeyah and Loki

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Can I tell you how nervous I am about Loki's numbers. The vet did a blood test that gives the numbers for several weeks, he (Loki) was over 700 when my metter was telling me he was around 200 so of course got a new metter right away and since the first of July this is his #:
July 2nd 367 Pre shot 7AM
July 2 369 pre shot 7PM
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July 3rd 340 pre shot 7AM
July 3rd 450 pre shot 7PM
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July 4th 453 pre shot 7AM
July4th 224 7:30 PM- pre shotInsulin held per vet.
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July 5th 446 pre shot 7 AM
July 5th469 pre shot 7PM
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July 6th 420 pre shot 7AM
July 6th396 pre shot 7PM
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July 7th 415 pre shot 7AM
July 7th262 pre shot 7PM Insulin held per vet
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Loki is on 1 1/2 unit per day 2 times per day.
He is a nibbler so I give him usually 1/2 of a 3 oz can of wellness turkey or chicked several times per day. I was only feeding him in the AM and PM for his shot but at 15 he was not doing well with that so the vet said to let him nibbles several times per day, also have another cat who has FUS which presents a challenge at feeding time. :roll:
Spoke to the vet tonight and she is thinking of changing him to Lantus. I am not that familiar with it and will read the forum for that but I am nervous about this change for my boy.
Thanks for reading and if you can advise me on any of this please do. Thanks again.
 
The thing you are missing are mid cycle numbers. There is no way to see how the insulin is working without them. For instance, if he is dipping low at mid cycle, you are giving too much. If he is high and flat, you might need to increase. It is hard to get midcycle numbers if you are working, but you can set the alarm for 6 hours after a pm shot. You can get a number as you walk out the door and as you walk in the door. More numbers will help us see how the insulin is really working.

You can change insulin, but you will need midcycle numbers with it also. Lantus doses are based entirely on midcycle numbers.

If you would like to set up a spreadsheet so we can see the dosages and history and help more, send me a pm. I can set one up for you in a few minutes.
 
Hi,
I just read thru all of your prior threads so I could catch up.
Apparently you recently changed meters and found out the numbers from your old meter were not accurate? What meter were you using, and which one are you using now?

I'm not sure if a switch to Lantus is the right idea at this time. Lantus is a great choice of insulin, but I'm not sure the insulin is the problem. I'm thinking that your vet may be part of it though. At first, they had you shooting Prozinc once a day? Well, no insulin works well for cats if only given once per day, so that was a large part of Loki's troubles at first. And it looks like the vet went from .5u once a day, to .5 twice a day, then up to 1u, and then to 1.5?
What were the increases based upon? Were they based on numbers you got while testing, or on vet checks? If they were solely based upon numbers that were tested at shot times, and not on tests taken between shots, then the vet only had half the picture. Sue mentioned that Lantus dosing is based on the nadir numbers, which are the tests taken at the midpoint, +6 hours after the shots. It is impossible to figure out how Lantus is working without those "in between shots" tests. While Prozinc relies on the preshot tests more than Lantus does, it is also impossible to tell how effective Prozinc is without tests taken between shots as well.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't sound as if your vet is really clear on proper management of diabetes and insulin with cats. If they are advising a switch to Lantus, it is imperative that they really know about how it works on cats. If not, changing insulin isn't going to help Loki.
I think rather than switching, let us help you do this "right". Two shots, 12 hours apart, and tests not only at shot times, but in between as well. Let's see what the Prozinc is really doing, whether the dose is too low or too high. If Prozinc, managed properly, doesn't appear to work well, then a change to Lantus or Levemir might be the best thing.

Carl
 
Hi, just to get back to answer a few ? That were asked.
The tester I was using was the True to GO and the vet and I noticed with her test that the numbers were way off, so I bought the One Touch Ultra Mimi which is the same as the vet uses in her office, along with a blood test that gives you a long range of numbers.
Loki eats Wellness Turkey and once in a while he will eat the Chicken for a change.
I test Loki in the AM and PM now but we did a curve in which we checked his BS numbers every 2 hrs for 24hrs. I can probably post those numbers if you want to see them.
Thanks again so much for helping my boy and me.
 
Definitely do your research before switching to Lantus. Not only read up on it on the board, but do some Internet searching as well. It works completely different than PZI.

One thing I would do is get a SS set up. Sue is really good about helping users get set up with it. She helped me & it was even the night before thanksgiving. She is great.

The meter....I know there is a couple of certain meters out there that have reading problems. I can't remember which one it is. I'm sure someone will read this & if you have the one they will let you know. I use the Relion Confirm. Lots of members use it. The test strips are very inexpensive. The meter itself is too. Like $10.

Go ahead & post your BG curve numbers. You did it yourself? Or the vet? One thing to keep in mind...Loki BG might run a little high at the vet. Cats seem to get stressed & their BG will run higher at the vet. Which I'm sure you already know.
 
If the curve was fairly recent, we'd love to see it. Curves are great once in a while but it is even more valuable to have daily nadir (+6) numbers with the preshot numbers. Even if some are at night and some are in the day, it will really complete the picture. Can you get one today?

Please consider getting a spreadsheet up for us. It is so valuable to be able to see the dosing and bg number history at a glance. Here are the instructions: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

If you need help, just ask.
 
The spreadsheet link is working! Good job. Now, if you go back into it, put the doses in the blue columns labeled "U" for each shot. And if you get any tests between shots, you would put the number in the appropriate column (+2, +4, +7, etc) after her morning or evening shot, how every many hours it has been since her shot time.
We can help you place the link to the spread sheet in your signature at some point, but for now at least it is working so we all can see it.
Carl
 
The link to your ss isn't working in this last post.

Try this. Go back to your original (saved in your bookmarks or favorites). Over on the left side of the page, choose File. Then choose Publish to the Web and the button Start Publishing. The long URL that comes up in that box is the one for your signature. Highlight and Copy it and go back to your signature page in the Control panel area on the board.

Paste it into your signature. Then highlight it again, go up above the box you type in and choose the URL button - up in the line with the Bold and Italics buttons. Hit that button. Then choose submit and you should be set.

I looked at the link that worked. Any way you can get us some other numbers? Any time of the day or night is helpful, but especially around 4-6 hours after the shot.
 
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