insulin info needed

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Lucca

Lucca

Member Since 2015
Hey guys.. Before my question, i just wanted to thank you all again for the help and support you give to us newbies that are totally freaked out. You have all been so kind and patient with me while im in a panic.. I also apologize for not posting more of Lucca's info/history as I have trouble navigating thru this site, I think maybe because Im using only a phone and not a computer. I often get stuck when im trying to type something or i just cant access an area.. not to mention my complete lack of understanding a lot of the terms you guys use and what exactly im supposed to be doing. Im trying so hard to take care of my boy and mostly feel like im failing him :( So please know how grateful I am for everyones input and advice and support thru this journey. My question right now is regarding Lucca's insulin. He has been on Humulin since his diagnosis
 
sorry, got stuck... to continue he was diagnosed on 3-30-15
We have stuggled since than to get his bg under control. He is usually very high and will drop very low at times. My question is how do I and should i change him to a different insulin that he might do better on? And which one? Maybe Lantus? Please, any advice with this is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys, Traci
 
I havent talked to my vet about changing insulin yet. She initially put him on the humulin which was so expensive! When I showed her how much it cost ($135) she said after i used it up, we could switch to novolin which is like $30 at walmart and from what i was told novolin is like a generic or synthetic form of humulin? So im not sure it would be much better than the humulin.. i was just thinking id try to educate myself before discussing it with my vet. if you guys all or mostly use a certain type of insulin I can ask her about possibly changing him to that.. Idk Im just trying to get my baby feelin better. He never purrs anymore and it breaks my heart into a million pieces :(
 
You'll get there in time don't worry. I don't know anything about humulin but typically Lantus is considered 'the good stuff' as far as insulin is concerned, though I think it's the most expensive.

Some notes re: diabetes though, you don't need to buy ANYTHING at the vet. You can get test strips on Amazon/eBay/Wal-Mart for way cheaper, and the same for inulin, syringes, lancets, etc. My pharmacy charges $400 for a vial of Lantus, and i just ordered the same vial form an online Canadian pharmacy for $150. Shopping around will literally save you thousands a year in regards to a diabetic cat. On Amazon I pay $60 for 300 test strips and at the store you're probably looking at $150 for 300 test strips. Shopping around + buying in bulk will absolutely save you a lot of $.

I recommend you dedicate the next day off you have to reading all of the FAQ's/stickies on the forum, especially the home page felinediabetes.com, you'll learn more then you ever wanted to know.

What kind of food is Lucca eating? Are you home testing her blood glucose levels?
 
I do test at home and keep a journal of everything.. all his bg readings and injections, etc. I looked at that link for a ss and I will definitely need a computer for that and unfortunately I dont have access to a computer right now. Thats why I'm struggling with this site but still desperately need and want the help.
 
As for the spreadsheet is there any way you could make a trip to the library or somewhere with computers to make one? Can you post on here what her last week has looked like regarding the #'s?

Also what is Lucca eating? Thanks.
 
Holy moly! I had no idea Lantus was so expensive! I've got some home work to do I think. I will read up on that forum you suggested about insulin. I do buy his syringes at walmart and fortunately I'm able to use one of my moms glucometers that she doesn't need so I didn't have to invest in one. I did take it up with us to one of his appts and my vet tested his bg with it and compared to hers and they were pretty close although she didn't even want me to test at home.. I decided to anyway because I could see Luke was not doing well and I had to know where his bg was at. I watched several videos on YouTube and figured it out. But I'm still not able to stabilize his dang numbers! He eats Sheba or Fancy Feast wet food, btw. My vet never told me to change to anything special. She just continued to increase his insulin because he was testing so high.
 
Novolin N is essentially the same as Humulin N. Both Novolin and Humulin are manufactures trade name for a family of insulins, not one specific insulin type. You can also get the R type and mixture of N and R
 
Lucca said:
Holy moly! I had no idea Lantus was so expensive! I've got some home work to do I think. I will read up on that forum you suggested about insulin. I do buy his syringes at walmart and fortunately I'm able to use one of my moms glucometers that she doesn't need so I didn't have to invest in one. I did take it up with us to one of his appts and my vet tested his bg with it and compared to hers and they were pretty close although she didn't even want me to test at home.. I decided to anyway because I could see Luke was not doing well and I had to know where his bg was at. I watched several videos on YouTube and figured it out. But I'm still not able to stabilize his dang numbers! He eats Sheba or Fancy Feast wet food, btw. My vet never told me to change to anything special. She just continued to increase his insulin because he was testing so high.
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You absolutely have to test at home to manage FD. My vet told me not to also, I think that's common.

Yeah Lantus is expensive. I make my wife work an extra 20 hours a week to pay for it! Lol. he better with FD. Perhaps novalin will work for you - I'm really not sure. Lantus isn't too bad if your cat is low dose, Luna's on like 12 units a day right now so I'm spending $150 every 6-8 weeks from the online pharmacy on insulin alone.

But yeah great job with home testing, it's really the hardest and most important part to accomplish.

The food is probably good. With FD you don't want to feed dry food, or wet food higher then 10% carbs.

Check this site to see your specific brand/flavors are UNDER 10% carbs. Some Fancy Feasts are way more then 10%, and I'm not sure about Sheba. If your Fancy Feast IS way more you might try buying the Fancy Feast CLASSICS which are generally under 10%, and Friskies Pate is extremely cheap and pretty good stuff and is what I use.
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm
 
Critter Mom said:
@Sue and Oliver (GA) - Is there any way someone who helps out with spreadsheets might be able to plug numbers into @Lucca's spreadsheet if she PM'd the numbers to them regularly? I don't know who to ask for help with this.
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I could, but unfortunately I am away from my home computer for a month and my IPad won't support Goggle docs. Maybe BJM?

You could ask your vet about ordering BCP PZI. It is similar to ProZinc. It's usually about $60 a vial. Sometimes your vet can get a free sample, though I think that takes a couple weeks.
 
Thank you all so much for the info.. I actually never would have even thought that different flavors of the same brand of food could differ in carb content! Lol but I guess that makes sense. I use to feed him friskies but switched to fancy feast and/or Sheba because he was eating such tiny portions at a time and I guess I thought they were better food anyway. I have 3 cats now, all neutered males, all about the same age and they all prefer dry food most of the time but do eat wet at dinner.. I've had to put the dry food up where Luke can't get to it although he doesnt really seem to want it much anymore, like he knows he shouldn't cuz it will make him feel icky. I guess I should ask my vet about the insulin now that this vial of humulin is almost gone. Thank you again for all the great info.
 
Welcome back! You can get Lantus cheaply from Mark's Pharmacy. Your vet would need to fax in an RX. Most who use Lantus use the pens. In the long run, you'll be getting smoother numbers for your cat and less bouncing than on Humulin. While the upfront cost seems a little high, you're getting a good value overall and a longer lasting insulin.

Mark's Pharmacy: (just type in Lantus in the "Enter Product Name Here" box) https://rxcanada4less.com/shoppingcart.php

Alternatively, you can check the For Sale forum in the message board. There are often members selling Lantus pens and vials.
 
Shiloh & Rhonda said:
I also know that if you have the Google Sheets app on the iphone, you can update, once the SS is created.
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That's right, Rhonda, she should be able to update if you can get it set up and make her the owner. I have tried with goggle chrome and sheets and can't get an original set up on my IPad. It's all I have access to until Sept
 
I got Prozinc from ValleyVet.com: $95 for a vial that lasts about 3 months. They ship it (free) overnight in a styrofoam box with cold packs. Your vet will have to phone or fax in a scrip for it. You would need U30 syringes to use with Prozinc but I think those are available online cheaply too.
 
Lucca said:
I havent talked to my vet about changing insulin yet. She initially put him on the humulin which was so expensive! When I showed her how much it cost ($135) she said after i used it up, we could switch to novolin which is like $30 at walmart and from what i was told novolin is like a generic or synthetic form of humulin? So im not sure it would be much better than the humulin.. i was just thinking id try to educate myself before discussing it with my vet. if you guys all or mostly use a certain type of insulin I can ask her about possibly changing him to that.. Idk Im just trying to get my baby feelin better. He never purrs anymore and it breaks my heart into a million pieces :(
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No loin isn't any better than humulin. And both are too short acting for cats. They make sugars drop steeply so they get too low often them jump back up too high before the next shot. I am using lantus and Dewey doesn't get lows or highs. But levemir and the compounded bovine PZI are excellent choices too.
The protocol for adjusting lantus here in the forum is especially good.
 
Yo
granadilla said:
I got Prozinc from ValleyVet.com: $95 for a vial that lasts about 3 months. They ship it (free) overnight in a styrofoam box with cold packs. Your vet will have to phone or fax in a scrip for it. You would need U30 syringes to use with Prozinc but I think those are available online cheaply too.
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You can use U40 or U100 needles with ProZinc (U100 if you use our conversion chart)
 
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