Kuzzie five yrs old diagnosed last a little less thsm a week ago

[Kuzzies mama]

Hi. My little Kuzzie was diagnosed a little less than a week ago. I was shocked!! He did weigh 9.5 lbs now down to 7.5. We are using 2 units of Vetsalin twice a day. Vet wanted him on Lantus but the cost was over 400.
My poor boy seems starved to death. After four to six hours he is sooo hungry. I do give him a few green beans or peas or a few nibbles of chicken.
My friend is giving me 8 levimir pens but vet has never used it so i dont know what to do. I want him on a longer lasting kind. I dont check his blood sugar as this is all so new. Im trying to get him n me used to his 630a and 630p shots. With my work i can only do the 12 hour shots.
I need to figure out levimir dosing compared to vetsulin. The vet really needs to help me n not send me to someone else. I cant keep missing work. My lil boy has stopped drinking so much water. And has normal stool now so it must be working.
Thanks for adding me. Ill have many many questions.

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB.
You will need to be home testing the blood glucose to safely manage your cat's diabetes and to change insulin. Please pick up an inexpensive human glucometer such as the Target Up and Up or the Walmart ReliOn Confirm or Confirm Micro, matching test strips, and lancets labelled for alternate site testing (26-28 gauge and more likely to get a blood drop from the ear.)
While you work on home blood glucose testing, check my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some other assessments you may find helpful.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

My friend is giving me 8 levimir pens but vet has never used it so i dont know what to do.

Levemir is very very similar to Lantus for how it work and how a cat is treated. Thus, go for the Levemir.

 

[Critter Mom]

Welcome, Kuzzie and Mama!

We have a very active support groups for Levemir users. You'll be able to get lots of help from them.


Mogs
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[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I had a similar issue years ago when I wanted to switch from Lantus to PZI. Fortunately, my vet supported hometesting and my ability to recognize when an insulin was not working for my cat. I provided info on my insulin choice to my vet and we agreed to make the change. I was the test case for their clinic. The benefit was that because I was using something new, they were able to learn from my experience.

My suggestion is to provide as much information as possible to your vet about Levemir. Even though you are able to get several pens, eventually you will need a prescription if it works well for your cat. With any insulin, the best suggestion is to "Start low and go slow". This means starting at a low dose, such as 1 unit twice a day. Testing before every shot and doing your own curves (don't worry, we can help you learn this), you will learn to determine if a dose increase is needed. The "go slow", means only increasing by small increments, 1/2 unit at a time, and waiting at least a week before determining if another increase is needed. It usually takes several days before a cat's body adjusts to the new dose.

If you keep track of your BG readings, you can provide these to your vet for support of prescribing Levemir. That is what I did with my vet and now PZI is one of the insulins they prescribe.

If your vet tries to discourage hometesting, just remember you do not need his permission to test. Kuzzie is your cat and you are responsible for giving him the best care possible. You can always ask your vet, "If your child needed insulin, would you give it to him/her without testing first to make sure it is needed?". Then politely agree to disagree.

 

[Kuzzies mama]

We are having a tough time with his shots. Stillon vetsulin. The levimir was sent to me thru mail from CA to PA but it was not kept cool. Shipped sunday n received wednesday so im not even sure if the levimir is any good.
I use the 40u needles and they are sooo much bigger than the 100 needles. Is there anyway to switch to the smaller needles. My boy hates getting the shots n i feel awful.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Shipped sunday n received wednesday so im not even sure if the levimir is any good.

It will be fine. The manufacturer says it will last at least 42 days unrefrigerated. It just may not last 6 months refrigerated.

I use the 40u needles and they are sooo much bigger than the 100 needles. Is there anyway to switch to the smaller needles.

What do you mean by bigger? If you dray up the Levemir to the one unit marking on a U40 syringe that equal 2 1/2 units of Levemir.

 

[Critter Mom]

What do you mean by bigger?

I think Kuzzie's Mama may be referring to the difference between needle lengths, Larry. I posted the link to the conversion chart on her new thread in FH.


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