Horray for Lantus and the FDMB!

Uno's mom

Uno's mom

Member Since 2018
Hello all! I finally got our vet to give me a prescription for Lantus (I really wanted Levemir but my vet doesn't know what that is) and after 6 days, Uno's numbers are creeping down. The Vetsulin I was initially given didn't seem like it was doing much and his numbers were pretty consistently in the 300 and 400s with an occasional 500 peppered in there. I got back-to-back sunny yellow numbers for the first time since his diagnosis and I feel like I have the tools to get his diabetes under control. I'm doing the SLGS method. So grateful for this group and I'm certain that without the wonderful advice and information here this would never have happened. He also feels better to me - his skin used to feel so thin when I petted him but he feels much plumper now if that makes any sense.

I learned that our vet is not only inexperienced with feline diabetes but also arrogant. When I mentioned that I had been doing research on feline diabetes and found the FDMB she got very cocky and asked if I wanted to trust a group of online people more than the vet standing in front of me and reminded me that she went to vet school for eight whole years. LOL! I'm sure the folks on FDMB have seen more cases of feline diabetes that she will ever see in her entire life. She also seemed to take some joy informing me that a 10ml vial of Lantus was over $350 at RiteAid. I told her I could get 5 3ml pens from Canada for $149 I could see her trying to do the math in her head and then she gave me some grief about getting the Lantus from Canada. I asked for a prescription for Lantus pens but of course she gave me a prescription for 10ml vials. Luckily the kind folks at Marks Marine Pharmacy were able to send me a Lantus pen anyway so ha ha stupid vet. She also said when doing the BG testing I could just pick off one of the scabs to get the blood. Scabs?!? My boy has never had a scab from BG testing. Made me think she was a savage monster when she does her testing. We are looking for a new vet that is a member of the AAHA. My guy deserves better.

Horray for Lantus and the FDMB. You guys rock!
 
Uno's mom said:
I learned that our vet is not only inexperienced with feline diabetes but also arrogant. When I mentioned that I had been doing research on feline diabetes and found the FDMB she got very cocky and asked if I wanted to trust a group of online people more than the vet standing in front of me and reminded me that she went to vet school for eight whole years.
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If I had a dollar for every story like this I've heard since 2008.....;)
 
Congrats on the sunny yellow numbers! Those are always a relief to see after those awful pinks and reds.
Not sure if you saw the Supply Closet forum. You might be able to find someone near you who is looking to see or give away the Lantus pens.

That vet sounds like a real jerk. Good luck in your search for a new vet.
Hopefully, you will find a great new partner in this journey with Uno.
 
Rosie & Bailey said:
Congrats on the sunny yellow numbers! Those are always a relief to see after those awful pinks and reds.
Not sure if you saw the Supply Closet forum. You might be able to find someone near you who is looking to see or give away the Lantus pens.

That vet sounds like a real jerk. Good luck in your search for a new vet.
Hopefully, you will find a great new partner in this journey with Uno.
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Thank you! We will find the right vet; I'm determined to do the best for my Uno and in the meantime I've got the best group of people to go to for advice!
 
I just shake my head when I hear/read stories like this about the vet - my experience was very similar - except my vet said, 'If it were my cat, I'd put her down' - oh thank you very much...

Thank GOD for this group of on-line know nothings (per the vet)...they look at you like you've just told them that you're going to do the absolutely worst thing possible for your cat...even after you SHOW them some of the documentation you can print from here - I did...and my vet sorta snickered at me...yep...and you see this, and you see that? Well...yes I did...however I choose not to listen to YOU. I'm not going to have my cat euthanized because she has a treatable disease - and no I won't be coming here in the future...I sought the advice/help of another vet - by that time I was much more informed and knew what I wanted. An Rx for Lantus which he gladly wrote...told me it was 'expensive' didn't mention how expensive...but told me the 'standard' go home and give her 2 units twice a day...and that was that...nothing about testing, but thankfully I'd gotten that info from this group...and tried not to do more damage than what I did - I stumbled and fumbled along as best I could, made a lot of mistakes but fortunately this group was there to help me learn what I needed to do...

I'm sure before this day is over you'll hear a lot of these kinds of stores...keep up the good work and yep, you're in the best place on the internet to help your kitty :) Welcome!:bighug:
 
Bronx's dad said:
What's scary is the number of folks in our situation who never find their way here, and just go by the vet's recommendation. I really don't think my Bronx would still be here happily laying next to me if I didn't find the FDMB :)
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It is scary to think of the folks who follow the vet's advice and never find their way here. I know I would never have started home testing or switching to a better insulin if I had not found this group. My vet never told me about hypos or what to do if that happens which is disgraceful.
 
I too was started on Caninsulin (which is what Vetsulin is but rebranded so it doesn't sound so much like a dog insulin). I had started lurking here and kept asking why not Lantus. Two months after starting Caninsulin, I saw a locum vet who started us on Lantus and pointed me here. :cool: My vet just didn't have experience with Lantus. We learned together. Of course, I taught her a few other things too - first client to home test, first cat with high dose conditions, first cat treated with stereostatic radiation therapy, etc. My vet didn't think I should do the "exotic tests" to test for high dose conditions. Score another one for caregiver knowing their cat. Then, since I'm in Canada, I could get Levemir without her help. So, I added first cat on Levemir to the list. :p Oh, and eventually the clinic owner (another vet I'd seen) admitted I knew more about acromegaly that he did. :)

Like many others here have said, my kitty would not have lived as long or as well as she did without this forum.

It's great you are seeing progress. One suggestion for you. You need to try getting a few tests in the middle of the cycles if you can. Even one before bed will help. We determine the Lantus dose based on how low it takes the cat, not the preshot numbers. In that way it differs from Vetsulin. Those lows are typically somewhere in the middle of the cycle. A curve will help, but so will spot checks. Many cats go lower at night.
 
Beck and Grandpa said:
Congratulations all around...for the yellow and for your strength in not letting the vet intimidate you.
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Thank you, I'm pretty fiesty and not afraid to fight for what's best for my kitty. Once I got the picture, I just placated my vet (yes we are only feeding 2x a day) just so I could get the Lantus prescription. Pretty sure with the help available on the FDMB I can handle it from here as far as dosing and getting Uno regulated. It would be nice to find a vet that actually knows what they are doing when it comes to feline diabetes though.
 
Uno's mom said:
It would be nice to find a vet that actually knows what they are doing when it comes to feline diabetes though.
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Good luck on that. I shopped around and found one who had rescued a diabetic kitty and put him on Lantus and did some home testing. Then she admitted she came home one day to find him gone and probably hypo'ed. :( So I stayed with my original vet who was willing to learn.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I too was started on Caninsulin (which is what Vetsulin is but rebranded so it doesn't sound so much like a dog insulin). I had started lurking here and kept asking why not Lantus. Two months after starting Caninsulin, I saw a locum vet who started us on Lantus and pointed me here. :cool: My vet just didn't have experience with Lantus. We learned together. Of course, I taught her a few other things too - first client to home test, first cat with high dose conditions, first cat treated with stereostatic radiation therapy, etc. My vet didn't think I should do the "exotic tests" to test for high dose conditions. Score another one for caregiver knowing their cat. Then, since I'm in Canada, I could get Levemir without her help. So, I added first cat on Levemir to the list. :p Oh, and eventually the clinic owner (another vet I'd seen) admitted I knew more about acromegaly that he did. :)

Like many others here have said, my kitty would not have lived as long or as well as she did without this forum.

It's great you are seeing progress. One suggestion for you. You need to try getting a few tests in the middle of the cycles if you can. Even one before bed will help. We determine the Lantus dose based on how low it takes the cat, not the preshot numbers. In that way it differs from Vetsulin. Those lows are typically somewhere in the middle of the cycle. A curve will help, but so will spot checks. Many cats go lower at night.
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So happy you found a vet that knew enough to point you to this group and give you Lantus. I asked for Levemir initially but my vet didn't know what it was and I tried to explain what it was and the difference between Lantus and Levemir to her but I don't think she understood my scientific jargon lol. She also never heard of Basalgar. I have done a few mid cycle tests since starting on Lantus and will do a full curve on Saturday to see how he's doing and make adjustments per the SLGS protocol. Once his numbers get into a more normal range I plan to test every night before bed too. It's a bit of an adjustment mentally - his numbers were always so high on Vetsulin that I didn't have to worry about a hypo and honestly seeing those high numbers every day made me a little callous. I do understand its a new ball game now, maybe one we can win!
 
I went from a vet who'd never heard of Lantus and refused to even look at my spreadsheet to my current vet who's gone to seminars on FD and cheerfully acknowledged I probably know more about it than he does. There are still a lot who don't want clients home testing or making a move without them, but there are also good ones out there who are willing to work with you. If necessary you can do like a lot of people here: nod and smile, get the prescription, and ignore them otherwise.
 
Sue and Luci said:
I just shake my head when I hear/read stories like this about the vet - my experience was very similar - except my vet said, 'If it were my cat, I'd put her down' - oh thank you very much...

Thank GOD for this group of on-line know nothings (per the vet)...they look at you like you've just told them that you're going to do the absolutely worst thing possible for your cat...even after you SHOW them some of the documentation you can print from here - I did...and my vet sorta snickered at me...yep...and you see this, and you see that? Well...yes I did...however I choose not to listen to YOU. I'm not going to have my cat euthanized because she has a treatable disease - and no I won't be coming here in the future...I sought the advice/help of another vet - by that time I was much more informed and knew what I wanted. An Rx for Lantus which he gladly wrote...told me it was 'expensive' didn't mention how expensive...but told me the 'standard' go home and give her 2 units twice a day...and that was that...nothing about testing, but thankfully I'd gotten that info from this group...and tried not to do more damage than what I did - I stumbled and fumbled along as best I could, made a lot of mistakes but fortunately this group was there to help me learn what I needed to do...

I'm sure before this day is over you'll hear a lot of these kinds of stores...keep up the good work and yep, you're in the best place on the internet to help your kitty :) Welcome!:bighug:
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I can't believe your vet told you he would put your kitty down if it were his kitty. Hopefully he doesn't have any cats! I'm not going to bother trying to educate my vet; she's way too arrogant and I just don't have the time or energy. What's that saying - you can lead a horse to water..... And I get it - vet's have to learn about all animals, not just cats so I'm sure they don't get a lot of training in feline diabetes and there is no shame in that. The shame is in the arrogance. My cat also had DKA and she never once mentioned home testing for ketones. I bought some ketone testing strips anyway and now that Uno is on an insulin that actually works, plan to test him once a week.
 
We would all be rich if paid every time we heard something like this. My previous vet wasn't arrogant but willing to learn when I had my first kitty. Now with Olive he seems blazee about everything. I've had to push for everything since I got her. We have a new vet now, seems interested in learning as we are finally starting treatment for the acro.
 
Olive & Paula said:
We would all be rich if paid every time we heard something like this. My previous vet wasn't arrogant but willing to learn when I had my first kitty. Now with Olive he seems blazee about everything. I've had to push for everything since I got her. We have a new vet now, seems interested in learning as we are finally starting treatment for the acro.
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So happy to hear you found a vet willing to work with you and willing to learn.
 
Sue and Luci said:
OMG! I got a laugh out of this one! I had to look it up since I'm not familiar with psych terms - boy that nails it! People who have delusions of their intellectual abilities! ha ha ha ha...:facepalm:
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OMG! I also had to look this up because I'd never heard of it before. So funny :D and so true! :rolleyes: Totally describes most of the vets I've seen this year.
 
So much of this thread has made me giggle. I remember someone being told by a vet student that the spend a some total of 4hrs on Feline Diabetes...........hmmmmmmm.

In your search for a new vet, my two pennies worth, is look for one that is willing to work with you and learn, they are out there.
My vet has directed folk to this site, she gets a FDMB calender every year, even though her initial reaction to me reading about stuff on line was, be cautious with what folk tell you on line, use your common sense.

It is a different ball game with Lantus, since the dosing is based on the nadirs, those midcycle tests are important, by midcycle I mean anything between shots, get those spot checks when you can, not all cats will have a nadir at +6 it can vary day to day too, but if you can get at least one spot check in both cycles, that along with BG curves run periodically you will start to help you see where your kitties BG is at and that in turn will help you with the dosing decisions.
 
I have the most open-minded vet. When Grandpa wa diagnosed, he was just going in for an ear infection so we didn't insist on Dr. M. The dr who diagnosed him gave the old feed prescription food 2x a day, start on 2u Vetsulin, don't home test, no snacks, etc. After he started vomiting, we went to see Dr M and now she studies his FDMB spreadsheet, Facebook messages with me at all hours, asks me what dose he's on, and says he deserves to be on whatever diet works best for him.
 
Beck and Grandpa said:
I have the most open-minded vet. When Grandpa wa diagnosed, he was just going in for an ear infection so we didn't insist on Dr. M. The dr who diagnosed him gave the old feed prescription food 2x a day, start on 2u Vetsulin, don't home test, no snacks, etc. After he started vomiting, we went to see Dr M and now she studies his FDMB spreadsheet, Facebook messages with me at all hours, asks me what dose he's on, and says he deserves to be on whatever diet works best for him.
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Wow!! You're one of the lucky ones!!!

My 2nd vet in Florida was interested in the SS as well...but only made comments about why I reduced the insulin (because she went below 40) or why didn't I stick to 'the dose' that was working (because she needed more/less insulin)...testing proved that...but at least he didn't tell me to put her down - like vet #1.. shudder......
 
Ummmmm..... If your vet was trained in the US, vet school is 4 years. If it took her 8 years to get through vet school, she must not be as smart as she thinks she is.

Like Wendy, I'd encourage you to try to get some spot checks throughout the day. Lantus dosing is based on the lowest number in the cycle and not the pre-shot numbers. With Uno being in the yellow at PMPS yesterday and again at AMPS today, it would be good to know where his numbers were last night.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Good luck on that. I shopped around and found one who had rescued a diabetic kitty and put him on Lantus and did some home testing. Then she admitted she came home one day to find him gone and probably hypo'ed. :( So I stayed with my original vet who was willing to learn.
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I am surprised that she admitted it, but she definitely did you a favor.

I am one of the lucky ones with a vet who is willing to work with me and even directed me to this forum. Her partner vet is the complete opposite. The partner vet always suggests abrupt changes: stop insulin completely while you get a new meter or go from .25 units twice a day to .5 units once a day without even looking at her chart. I've learned to avoid calling when the partner vet is there because I just don't trust her judgement.
 
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