? Switching to Lantus from Vetsulin and have some ???

[Sara and Mr. Kitty]

Hi everyone, Mr. Kitty came out of remission late September due to IBD after switching from YA to Dr. Elsey’s (he’s back on YA) and has been on Vetsulin since October 21st. We’re switching from Vetsulin to Lantus on Wednesday (three cheers!) and would like some guidance on how to transition. Our vet told us to start with .50U of Lantus 2x/day starting in the morning so we can watch and test him throughout the day. We’d also like to change his shot times from 6:30 to 8:30 and wondered if doing this would be okay? We’ve read the Lantus sticky’s and just want to make sure we are prepared. We’re buying one pen from the vet along with 100-U needles (can I buy these at Walmart?) and then we will order from Mark’s Marine going forward. I’m leaning towards SLGS since I work out of the home on Tuesday and Thursday’s and will not be available to test like I want to this week. Am I missing anything? As always, thank you for reading and for your support.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. I did the Caninsulin (Vetsulin is US rebranding) to Lantus switch, and was happy I did.

Since you are feeding dry food, SLGS is your only choice of dosing method. With SLGS and dr6, you can start at 1.0 units, though we take the existing dose into consideration, so you could do 0.5 unit, though I expect you will need an increase sooner or later.

No problem shooting later, if that works better for you. Just keep in mind that a +2 will give you a heads up on what the cycle will look like, and let you know if you need to leave higher carb food out while you are at work.

I would switch when you can monitor for.a few cycles in a row, ie. weekend, cause the cumulative effect of the Lantus depot means you may not see what a dose can do until it a few cycle in at that dose.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Our vet told us to start with .50U of Lantus 2x/day starting in the morning so we can watch and test him throughout the day.

That's good, but don't expect to see any major changes in the first cycle. Some cats do react quickly, but the majority take 5-7 days before you really see what that dose is going to do because the depot has to fill before it can release the amount in relationship to the dose.

can I buy these at Walmart?

Yes...you want U100, 3/10ml, 31 gauge insulin syringes like these: (they have half unit marks no matter what they might tell you)

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Your vet stocks Lantus? I don't know if that's possible. Please make sure that the vet hasn't repackaged the insulin. If so, do not buy it from the vet. I would call around and see what the price is for 1 pen and then compare with what the vet is charging. If the vet is less or doesn't look like the standard pen, do not buy it from the vet. There have been a few members whose vets were repackaging Lantus. Compared to other types of insulin, Lantus is relatively fragile.

This is what it should look like:

 

[Sara and Mr. Kitty]

Hello and welcome. I did the Caninsulin (Vetsulin is US rebranding) to Lantus switch, and was happy I did.

Since you are feeding dry food, SLGS is your only choice of dosing method. With SLGS and dr6, you can start at 1.0 units, though we take the existing dose into consideration, so you could do 0.5 unit, though I expect you will need an increase sooner or later.

No problem shooting later, if that works better for you. Just keep in mind that a +2 will give you a heads up on what the cycle will look like, and let you know if you need to leave higher carb food out while you are at work.

I would switch when you can monitor for.a few cycles in a row, ie. weekend, cause the cumulative effect of the Lantus depot means you may not see what a dose can do until it a few cycle in at that dose.

Thank you for the advice! We also think 1U would be a better starting dose and we will start his Lantus on Friday so I can test without worrying myself to death. he is very picky about his food time and likes to eat around 6:30, so is it possible while using Lantus to feed at 6:30, take the food up for 2 hours, test, then shoot? This is where I’m getting confused because we had to test, feed then shoot on Vetsulin. Thank you

 

[Sara and Mr. Kitty]

Your vet stocks Lantus? I don't know if that's possible. Please make sure that the vet hasn't repackaged the insulin. If so, do not buy it from the vet. I would call around and see what the price is for 1 pen and then compare with what the vet is charging. If the vet is less or doesn't look like the standard pen, do not buy it from the vet. There have been a few members whose vets were repackaging Lantus. Compared to other types of insulin, Lantus is relatively fragile.

This is what it should look like:
View attachment 48906

Your vet stocks Lantus? I don't know if that's possible. Please make sure that the vet hasn't repackaged the insulin. If so, do not buy it from the vet. I would call around and see what the price is for 1 pen and then compare with what the vet is charging. If the vet is less or doesn't look like the standard pen, do not buy it from the vet. There have been a few members whose vets were repackaging Lantus. Compared to other types of insulin, Lantus is relatively fragile.

This is what it should look like:
View attachment 48906

He said he had it in stock and it costs $90/pen. I will definitely make sure it’s not repackaged. I will also call a few pharmacies to check their costs. I’ve had a heck of a time with doctors so I really appreciate the advice!! thank you!

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

My Walmart will sell just one pen of Lantus. Not all will.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

is it possible while using Lantus to feed at 6:30, take the food up for 2 hours, test, then shoot?

Yes, it's possible....on Lantus you test/feed/shoot all within about 5-10 minutes so as long as he hasn't eaten since 6:30, you should be OK

You might want to try moving his "stomach alarm" to 8:30 too....feed him a little later each day until he gets used to the idea

 

[Sandy and Black Kitty]

Good luck with the transition!

One thing I want to mention is that you must be extra vigilant monitoring his urine for the presence of ketones until the dust settles. I recommend a minimum of 1test per cycle.

The transition period from one insulin to another can leave some kitties vulnerable to ketone formation. We have seen it happen. Regular testing is the first line of defense.

Forewarned is Forearmed

 

[Sara and Mr. Kitty]

Your vet stocks Lantus? I don't know if that's possible. Please make sure that the vet hasn't repackaged the insulin. If so, do not buy it from the vet. I would call around and see what the price is for 1 pen and then compare with what the vet is charging. If the vet is less or doesn't look like the standard pen, do not buy it from the vet. There have been a few members whose vets were repackaging Lantus. Compared to other types of insulin, Lantus is relatively fragile.

This is what it should look like:
View attachment 48906

I picked up the pen today and this is what I got....for $165....sigh. Looking forward to ordering it online the next time around.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Well, it looks like the right stuff! Nice that your vet is making a tidy profit on the insulin. A box of pens runs around $500. Shame on your vet!

 

[Sara and Mr. Kitty]

Well, it looks like the right stuff! Nice that your vet is making a tidy profit on the insulin. A box of pens runs around $500. Shame on your vet!

Right??!!! He also charged me $8 for 10 100-U syringes

 

[Crista & Ming]

Right??!!! He also charged me $8 for 10 100-U syringes

Ouch! And also ouch @ the cost of the lantus pen. I wonder if he charged more for the pen device too which you don’t need since you’re using syringes.

At the pharmacy, you’d ask for pen cartridges. They usually come in a pack of 5.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

@Crista & Ming - In the US, we can't get the pen cartridges anymore. They discontinued them here several years ago. We get the pens -- cartridge plus the plastic housing.

Syringes are much, much cheaper online. (I'm guessing your vet is trying to put his doberman through Harvard at those prices!!!)

 

[Crista & Ming]

@Crista & Ming - In the US, we can't get the pen cartridges anymore. They discontinued them here several years ago. We get the pens -- cartridge plus the plastic housing.

Syringes are much, much cheaper online. (I'm guessing your vet is trying to put his doberman through Harvard at those prices!!!)

Oh wow! Thanks for letting me know, Sienne. That’s unfortunate.

 

[Sue and Luci]

In Ohio you can get a box of those Relion syringes for $13.50 (that's 100 syringes).

Also for the Lantus pens, have you checked the For Free/Sale forum on here? There is typically Lantus for sale there as members needs vary from time to time.

I'm sorry your vet had to charge so much for those items rather than just tell you to pick it up at the store. At least he told you to test!

You can change your testing/feed/shoot time to anything you like - as long as the timing for the injections is 12 hours apart. If you've already started you can move the time in 15 minute increments until you get the timing where you'd like for it to be. I put the time of my injections on Luci's SS every day - lately we've had to move her shot time around quite a bit due to travel and the DST - EST time change...and a visit to the vet last week that caused us to be really late getting home to have our 'routine' test/feed/shoot time...so her SS lately is all over the road as for timing...but we're back on track now.

Things will settle down for you soon...