We started the Lantus!

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MaryB & Chester

MaryB & Chester

Member Since 2012
Yesterday was Chester's first day of shots. So far he's being a really good boy. He's not a fan of the ear stick/blood test, but he's handling it OK. Probably better when we get some healthy treats for him.

His numbers are still really high. I imagine we'll have to adjust the dose up after a while, but I want to see if he starts to come down with regular injections. Should I be worried (any more than I already am) or does this sort of thing work itself down with ongoing treatment?

We took the dry food up last night for the first time. During the day, he doesn't bother it because he gets his Friskies regularly, but I don't want him getting into it at night while we're asleep and not feeding him. This could be a challenge...everyone else is used to having food down all the time, and they were not happy with the overnight "diet". I know they'll all get used to it, and eventually we'll get the dry food phased out, but right now it's a bit tense in the house. My husband loves Chester and agrees that we'll do whatever he needs, but he doesn't seem to quite "get" how significant a lifestyle change this will be for EVERYONE.

Did starting insulin give anyone else's cat gas? cat(2)_steam Chester had some bad pootin' last night! But everything seems to be "coming out" OK...

Let me know if the links in my signature are working, too. They work for me, but that may not mean anything.
Thanks for all the help and support.
 
You can leave canned food out all night. Couple of ideas:

1) add water to the food to keep it moist
2) take this mix, freeze it and at night, serve fresh canned/water food and also put out the frozen food. It will take a few hours for the food to thaw and be ready for early morning/late night snacking.

You can put the food into ice cube trays or ziploc baggies and freeze. They will easily pop out and easy to serve.

Gas issues, could be a result of the diet change. Removing the dry food and feeding strictly canned/wet food could be the reason for the gas.

Don't be in a rush to change the insulin dose. You may find that after a couple days of no dry food and giving insulin that his numbers drop and not rise and you may need to reduce the dose rather than increase it.

It's why your testing to be able to see the pattern and how everything is working.
 
I wish I could leave canned food out all night, but i have a couple of "hoovers" who would gobble it all up - and they're not the diabetic. Other than locking everyone in a separate room overnight, I have no way to ensure that everyone gets only their portion and no more. I don't even have that many rooms with doors...
Those of you with multiple cats - how do you feed them overnight? Or don't you (and then deal with the crankiness of unfed cats while you try to sleep)? If I were just me, I'd make all the changes I want, but I'm not the only person in the house and others have to deal with the reactions as well. I don't care (much) if someone pees on my sweatpants, but my husband sure does.
 
How spry is Chester? My diabetic is elderly and can't jump or climb very high, so everyone else is fed on a table in the basement while George is fed on the floor. I also segregate George from the others at night so he's not howling for their food and they aren't trying to beat him up.
 
I think I'm just in a negative mood. So many changes need to be made but we can't seem to make them all at once. So many excuses...So many cats...
Chester is as spry as everyone else in the house. I don't want anyone getting used to jumping up on the kitchen table (bad cat manners under other circumstances). I suppose I could shut Chester in the big bathroom overnight (I think the little bathroom is too small) but that would require another litterbox and I'm not sure where we would put it.

I really appreciate everyone's help and support - even when my head is in a bad space.
 
MbMinx said:
I wish I could leave canned food out all night, but i have a couple of "hoovers" who would gobble it all up - and they're not the diabetic. Other than locking everyone in a separate room overnight, I have no way to ensure that everyone gets only their portion and no more. I don't even have that many rooms with doors...
Those of you with multiple cats - how do you feed them overnight? Or don't you (and then deal with the crankiness of unfed cats while you try to sleep)? If I were just me, I'd make all the changes I want, but I'm not the only person in the house and others have to deal with the reactions as well. I don't care (much) if someone pees on my sweatpants, but my husband sure does.
Click to expand...

Couple chunks of frozen food in different dishes. They can't be in two places at once (fortunately). :lol:

And I hear ya on the jumping up on the tables/counter thing. I don't like it personally, I mean, they step in their urine and feces and then go walking across our food preparing surfaces :shock:... but to each their own. Scooter JUST learned how to jump on the counter about 2 weeks ago, after a year of never knowing where the food was hidden... now I can't get him to stop jumping up there and knocking cans of food on the floor! I am going to try strips of lint roller tape placed on the counter with the sticky side up... cats hate things stuck to them! :lol:
 
In addition to the "catsickles" that Hillary described, many of us use a timed feeder. I leave mine set for during the day when I'm at work. As for overnight, my kitties don't get food while I'm sleeping! For most diabetic cats, small, frequent meals are good. However, if they are eating past the lowest point in the cycle (the nadir), there's less insulin available to offset the influence of the food. In addition, you don't want to feed your cat during the 2 hours prior to when you're giving a shot. The food can raise BG levels and numbers may be inflated over what they would be without the effect of food.

You may want to take a look at the starred, sticky notes at the top of the Lantus board. They will help you to better understand how Lantus works, how to handle dosing, etc. Below are links and brief descriptions of those posts.
  • Tight Regulation Protocol: This sticky contains the dosing protocol that we use here. There are also links to the more formal version -- the “Tilly” Protocol developed by the counterpart of this group in Germany, which was also published by Kirsten Roomp & Jacqui Rand, DVM in one of the top vet journals.
  • New to the Group: Everything you wanted to know about this forum and more. Info on our slang, FAQs, links to sites on feline nutrition and to food charts containing carb counts, how to do a curve and the components to look for, important aspects of diabetes such as ketones, DKA, and neuropathy, and most important, info on hypoglycemia.
  • Handling Lantus: how to get the maximum use from your insulin and what to not do with it!
  • Lantus depot: This is an important concept for understanding how Lantus works.
  • Lantus & Levemir: Shooting & Handling Low Numbers: What data you need in order to be able to work toward remission or tight regulation as well as information if you have a low pre-shot number or a drop into low numbers during the cycle.

You are welcome to post on the Lantus board. There is a great deal of experience there about how to get the most out of this insulin for your kitty.
 
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