? Free Lantus, should I?

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majandra

majandra

Member Since 2018
I have access to a few lantus pens from a friend who has been off insulin for a few months and will otherwise be throwing it out.
My vet had said to wait 2 weeks after Rhubarb's dental, then come in and go from there.

What do you guys think- should I start her on Lantus? And if so, should I ask vet by phone after he looks at sheet or bring her in as originally planned in another week from now for fructosamine and checkup first?

Part of why I am asking is cost savings, as well as itch to get her stable. I would prefer prozinc due to the ability to vary dose time a little (my work is variable hours unreliably) and the high remission rates. But free insulin is appealing.

I have sheet updated with her labs from initial visit and her pre anesthesia bloodwork if it's relevant.
 
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I wasnt very clear in my post- I don't mean should I start her on insulin without talking to vet at all (though I thought about it).
Just not sure if I should call vet and suggest lantus, or wait the week and do whatever he says. I'm thinking out loud I guess.
 
I don't give dose advice. I leave that for the experts on the Lantus forum. I can tell you that the majority of people do use Lantus Insulin.(If you can get it Free I would accept it Just in case you will need it. It's so expensive!) I looked at your Kitties SS (spreadsheet) I'm wondering if you feed any dry food at all?
Some kitties Glucose has come down to normal just by stopping ALL dry food. Most Vets have very little training in Cats Diabetes. The people on the Lanus Forum Really do know more than the vets about Insulin & dosing.
I've been here for 9 months & have learned a lot more here than even my vet knew.

Her Bg might have been high from the dental work. Is she drinking a LOT of water & eating like she's starving? Those are usually the signs of diabetes in a cat. A lot of things can raise her BG , Stress ,even a small infection.

If you do get the Lantus Insulin or any other Insulin PLEASE be very careful & get advice before you give her any. Your kitty had a bg of 65 & 76 just a week ago You would NOT give any insulin at that low of a number!
I would advise you to Post on the Lantus forum Put the ? mark & ask for someone to look at The SS Because your cat had such a low bg without insulin you need advice from someone who has been doing this for many years.
Lantus Insulin is started at less than 1 unit even when the Bg is high. It works very slowly & the Kitties body needs to adjust to the insulin.

Because of those Low #, s I'm wondering if she even needs any insulin.

Please be careful & get advice. Insulin is a powerful Hormone, you don't want to hurt your Kitty! If you're home testing her You do not need to Pay the vet for the Fructosamine test. Try to get some tests in at various hours. During the night also
Even if you work it's important to check her Bg at different times She might go low at night. a lot of kitties do.

You're off to a great start. Having her SS set up & testing ! After she calms down (no stress) maybe her bg will come down.

Best of Luck to you :) You can go on anyone's SS & see the dose & how often they test. The more information you get the better.
 
Her numbers were low last week because of the fasting for the dental. I was so hopeful that they would stay down when I had the green and blues, but then they went right back up once she was eating normally.

She has been on wet food only since she was diagnosed. Vet wanted her diet changed and teeth done as well as settling into our new house before prescribing insulin since all those things affect her glucose.

She definitely is diabetic- but much less symptomatic since I got her switched to low carb wet food.
 
Good that you stopped the dry food. I don't think her not eating would get her Bg down that low. In the beginning my cat stopped eating for nearly 24 hrs & his Bg was still in the 200's.

Your Rhubarb is getting blue #'s even now without insulin. It's still soon after all the stress of the Dental it might come down more in a week.
Like I said you need advice from someone on Lantus forum. Try to get some tests in during the night. When someone helps you they will look at the SS first to see what her BG is doing.

There are Yellow Sticky notes about the insulin & 2 different methods TR or SLGS You will need to choose one. Probably SLGS because you work. Read as much as you can. The more you know the easier it will get.

I'll be dropping by once in a while. :)
 
Thank you
I'm going to ask the vet if they'd given her insulin while she was there. It's weird that the only low numbers I have got were immediately after her dental.
 
I see her Glucose has gone up. It's a good idea to ask for some advice on dosage now.
Did you find out if the vet gave her insulin?
 
JoyBee&Ravan said:
I see her Glucose has gone up. It's a good idea to ask for some advice on dosage now.
Did you find out if the vet gave her insulin?
Click to expand...

That was her typical (albeit higher han normal) morning increase. She went back down again 2 hrs from first test.
Vet wasn't open yet when you posted. I'll be calling when I get a break at work.
 
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