Gas Runkey
Member Since 2018
Hello all,
Just writing to see what other thoughts are on this. Brief background: Gas Runkey is newly diagnosed, diabetes was discovered when she got blood work done as part of her annual exam, which coincided with dental extractions and major infection. This was about 3 weeks ago. Her numbers were 387 at that time.
We started her on Lantus 1unit twice a day. All has gone well. Today is day 19 since treatment started. I was initially monitoring with urine, but did my first glucose curve this week (she's too fractious to take into the vet without being anesthetized every single time). I didn't want to keep treating her without checking her glucose levels, etc. It just took us a while to get that down. All that to say, she's been doing great, her health is already much better, and the curve I did this week showed some nice numbers. I am attaching it here. Don't judge me for the fact that it doesn't look like the spreadsheet you all have--this is what works best for me along with writing by hand in a notebook and I am posting as a reference.
I shared the curve with my vet, and he was excited by the numbers and suggested that after another week, we do a curve again and that maybe we go to 1x a week.
Since I did the curve and discovered that my cat WILL let me prick her ears (it took me a few days of trying), I have been checking her numbers before shots. Yesterday morning, her pre-shot numbers were only 144 (keep in mind this is with Alphatrack, so it would be a lower number on a human glucometer). I called the vet and he agreed to hold the shot. He was in surgery, so he was passing on the message through the receptionist. She said he wanted me to not give GR any shots for two days, then check her morning sugar on Sunday and if it was "getting high" again then to start again, but only do 1 unit once a day.
This was a bit vague, but since he was in surgery, I didn't get to ask many questions... I did go all day yesterday without a shot like he said. In the evening, however, I checked her numbers, and it was up to 244. I didn't give the shot thinking he might have some kind of plan. But I checked again this morning, and it was at 242. At that point, I went ahead and gave her the 1 unit this morning, emailed the vet, he agreed she hadn't resolved, and then told me to start on the 1x/day cycle and plan to do a new glucose curve in 7 days.
I have been doing a ton of reading--both here and elsewhere. On the AAHA site and other official vet sites that give protocols as well as pubmed, etc., the guidelines all give 2x a day. I know once a day will work for regulation, but I am wanting to get things as controlled as possible with the hopes she'll go into remission. She IS improving, and I don't want to do anything that will get in the way of that.
Tonight, at the 12-hour mark I took her glucose to see where she was at. She was only at 141. So, again, too low for an injection at 12 hours.
So here's the question. Obviously, the 1 unit of Lantus is working in a way that she isn't ready for another dose at 12 hours, so lowering the dose makes sense. But I am inclined to just divide the dose so she's got that steady stream of insulin without disruption. I am about 90 percent in favor of just doing this starting tomorrow--0.5 2 times a day--without consulting the vet. It's the weekend, and I won't get the chance to talk to him until Monday anyway ...
Thoughts? I am not expecting specific dosing advice, but where do ya'll lean when it comes to the 1/day or 2/day question?
Thanks in advance. Excuse the length here!
Lori Anne (and Gas Runkey)
Just writing to see what other thoughts are on this. Brief background: Gas Runkey is newly diagnosed, diabetes was discovered when she got blood work done as part of her annual exam, which coincided with dental extractions and major infection. This was about 3 weeks ago. Her numbers were 387 at that time.
We started her on Lantus 1unit twice a day. All has gone well. Today is day 19 since treatment started. I was initially monitoring with urine, but did my first glucose curve this week (she's too fractious to take into the vet without being anesthetized every single time). I didn't want to keep treating her without checking her glucose levels, etc. It just took us a while to get that down. All that to say, she's been doing great, her health is already much better, and the curve I did this week showed some nice numbers. I am attaching it here. Don't judge me for the fact that it doesn't look like the spreadsheet you all have--this is what works best for me along with writing by hand in a notebook and I am posting as a reference.
I shared the curve with my vet, and he was excited by the numbers and suggested that after another week, we do a curve again and that maybe we go to 1x a week.
Since I did the curve and discovered that my cat WILL let me prick her ears (it took me a few days of trying), I have been checking her numbers before shots. Yesterday morning, her pre-shot numbers were only 144 (keep in mind this is with Alphatrack, so it would be a lower number on a human glucometer). I called the vet and he agreed to hold the shot. He was in surgery, so he was passing on the message through the receptionist. She said he wanted me to not give GR any shots for two days, then check her morning sugar on Sunday and if it was "getting high" again then to start again, but only do 1 unit once a day.
This was a bit vague, but since he was in surgery, I didn't get to ask many questions... I did go all day yesterday without a shot like he said. In the evening, however, I checked her numbers, and it was up to 244. I didn't give the shot thinking he might have some kind of plan. But I checked again this morning, and it was at 242. At that point, I went ahead and gave her the 1 unit this morning, emailed the vet, he agreed she hadn't resolved, and then told me to start on the 1x/day cycle and plan to do a new glucose curve in 7 days.
I have been doing a ton of reading--both here and elsewhere. On the AAHA site and other official vet sites that give protocols as well as pubmed, etc., the guidelines all give 2x a day. I know once a day will work for regulation, but I am wanting to get things as controlled as possible with the hopes she'll go into remission. She IS improving, and I don't want to do anything that will get in the way of that.
Tonight, at the 12-hour mark I took her glucose to see where she was at. She was only at 141. So, again, too low for an injection at 12 hours.
So here's the question. Obviously, the 1 unit of Lantus is working in a way that she isn't ready for another dose at 12 hours, so lowering the dose makes sense. But I am inclined to just divide the dose so she's got that steady stream of insulin without disruption. I am about 90 percent in favor of just doing this starting tomorrow--0.5 2 times a day--without consulting the vet. It's the weekend, and I won't get the chance to talk to him until Monday anyway ...
Thoughts? I am not expecting specific dosing advice, but where do ya'll lean when it comes to the 1/day or 2/day question?
Thanks in advance. Excuse the length here!
Lori Anne (and Gas Runkey)
But 2 times a day, right? not doing it all in one dose? 
