My vet lied to me! NEW MEMBER

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Lori Whitmore

Lori Whitmore

Member Since 2022
Puddy weighed 25 lbs. one night he started moving his head side to side and panting, and then was walking in circles! I took him to the ER and was told he had a stroke. I was heartbroken and was sure he was going to die. He didn’t, and went on like nothing ever happened. Fast forward a couple months….Puddy started loosing weight. Took him back to the vet and was told he has diabetes and was prescribed Vetsulin 5 units 2 x a day, along with prescribed food. And told also to NOT feed human food (chicken), no treats, and no wet food. The insulin does was way too much and Puddy was in a coma like state and wouldn’t move. I was also told NOT to take his BS and come in every 3 months for them to do it.
Fast forward again to today. I have been reading and consulting with another friend who’s cat has diabetes. I found that the “stroke” he had wasn’t a stroke, as my friends cat had the same thing and read it was an inner ear issue, I learned from here about the food, and now am more confused than ever. Puddy now weighs 13 lbs and looks sickly. His bones show, he’s ravenous all the time, and his insulin has been cut to 2 1/2 units twice a day. I am confused if he needs less insulin or more. I am currently looking for a new vet and what to do about his weight. He is so skinny! I feel like a horrible mommy to him and only want him to be ok. I currently feed wet FF 2x a day and shoot after that. Am I giving too much? And is this why he’s loosing weight? I need all the help I can get here. Thanks in advance! I’m so happy I found this place! Just wonderful info!
 
Welcome Lori I can give you some information but not about how much insulin you should give. I will tag a member that's familiar with Vetsulin but without any home testing I'm not sure she'll be able to give you any advice

That vet is crazy starting him on 5 units of Vetsulin
The member I will tag may even tell you to give less than what you are giving now
You definitely need to start home testing to be sure Puddys BG is safe enough to give insulin

First off if you live in the US go to Walmart and pick up a human meter The Relion Premier Classic it's 9 dollars and 17.88 for 100 test strips
26 or 28 gauge lancets
Some cotton rounds
Testing is the only way to keep Puddy safe
Most of us use human meters that's what our numbers are based on.
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
She is using a pet meter ,with a human you don't need to put a code in
 
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Vetsulin isn't the best insulin for cats ,it's used mainly for dogs
I'll give you the link to read about it
It's a harsh insulin that hits hard and fast
Make sure you are feeding Puddy first then wait 30 minutes then give insulin, you need food on board
If you find a new vet you can stuck with Vetsulin if you want to ,but most of us use Lantus or Prozinc
I like Lantus ,it is/expensive in the US but most members will buy the generic ,much cheaper. That we can talk about later if you switch to Lantus

We feed our cats more than twice a day
Bigger meals first thing in the morning after you test, feed and then give insulin
Then 2 or 3 smaller meals after that
Such as @+2 ( this means 2 hours after giving insulin)
@+4 ( 4 hours after giving insulin )
and so on
Same with the night cycle
Whatever Puddy's ideal weight is a general guideline is
20x ideal weight
So let's say his ideal weight is 15 lbs
20 x 15= 300 calories a day

As a snack you can give boiled chicken or freeze dried treats , they are low in carbs and come in handy when you start home testing ,you can get Puddy used to getting a great before and after home testing

Tap on this blue link
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...on-getting-lc-dry-kibble.268301/#post-2999341
Look at post #6 ( post numbers are to the right of everyone's post ) and you will fund some suggestions about freeze dried treats
 
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Here is the info about Vetsulin. Read everything :cat:
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/



If you can set up what we call our signature that would be helpful
Information about Puddy

To set up your signature which you will see is at the end of everyone's post in gray, click on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.


When you start to home test
We also use a spreadsheet to track our cat's BG numbers once you start testing to see how the insulin is working and how low it's dropping and in case you need any advice , if you are interested in setting one up just ask , we have a member who will be happy to do it for you


The spreadsheet is easier than it looks
Just some info about it look at mine at the end of my signature it says Tyler's spreadsheet to get a look at it, you can look at anyone's spreadsheet

About the spreadsheet
AMPS - means AM Pre Shot the first test you take in the AM ,you need to withhold food 2 hours before testing so it's not food influenced

Units is where you would put how much insulin you gave
+1 is one hour after giving insulin if you were to test then that's where you enter his _BG number
+2 two hours after giving insulin. ditto
+3 and so on until you get to PMPS - PM pre shot withhold food 2 hours before testing

+1 same as you do for AM cycle

We don't give times because we are all in different time zones that's why we use the + numbers


If you want to try and set it up here the link, if you need help just ask we have amember who will be glad to set it up for you
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
this post on helping us to help you. The post is considerably more concise and haseverything in one place making it a bit easier if you need to bookmark the information.
 
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Make sure you have a hypo kit set up in case Puddy drops too low and you need to bring his BG up
Hypo kit honey or karo syrup and med and high carb foods , good idea to mark the cans with a marker

Low carb is generally considered under 10%.

Between 11% and 17% is medium carbs.

18% and over is high carb.

Such as

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med and high carb foods

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-
 
Lori --

I'm so sorry for what you've been through. My guess is that your vet didn't "lie." Your vet is just very poorly informed about feline diabetes and needs to do a lot of homework. Honestly, I'm not sure what's worse.

So, a few basics. As Diane noted, Vetsulin (or its other name, Caninsulin), is not a great insulin for cats. The American Animal Hospital Assn publishes guidelines for the treatment of feline and canine diabetes on a regular basis. I've attached a link to the guidelines. The AAHA recommends either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc for cats. Vetsulin is fast acting -- it can drop blood glucose (BG) numbers fast and hard -- and it doesn't last 12 hours. Lantus and Prozinc are far more gentle and have a longer duration. They are more appropriate for a cat's fast metabolism.

If your vet started Puddy at 5.0u twice a day, that is a whopping dose of insulin. We typically start a cat at 0.5u if the kitty is on a low carb diet and 1.0u if the cat is not on a low carb diet. I don't think I've ever seen a cat on a 5.0u initial dose of any insulin, let alone Vetsulin and I've been a member here for 13 years. It is quite likely that the reason Puddy survived that amount of insulin is that the prescription dry food is very high in carbohydrates. Most prescription food for diabetes is of very poor quality and that's especially the case for the dry food. It sounds like you've been doing your homework regarding food so I won't say anything other than I'm glad you changed Puddy's diet. This is a link to our beginner's guide to Vetsulin. Telling you to not test and come back in 3 months is crazy. I can't imagine an MD giving a human patient those instructions. What you described with Puddy being in a coma-like state sounds like symptomatic hypoglycemia. You are very lucky your cat survived. It's situations like this that make home testing so important.

There is no reason your cat has to be fed in the way your vet suggested. The one thing your vet neglected to mention is that Puddy should be fed 20-30 min prior to giving an insulin injection. Because Vetsulin is fast acting, it's important to have fed your cat in advance of administering insulin. (This is not the case with Lantus or Prozinc.) It is also fine to give Puddy more food if he's hungry. Diabetics who are not yet regulated are ravenous all the time. This is because insulin allows glucose (the end product of food being metabolized) to get into the cells and until you find a dose that gets Puddy's numbers into a better range, it's likely he'll be starving -- literally and figuratively. One of the symptoms of unregulated diabetes is weight loss.

I would strongly encourage the following:
  • Learn how to home test. This is the only way to keep Puddy safe and for you to know if the insulin is working. This is a link to information on home testing. Many members use human meters to test their cat's blood. The least expensive meter/strips is the Walmart Relion brand. The strips are the most expensive part of the process.
  • There are a ton of "basics" -- Diana mentioned them. The information is consolidated in this post on helping us to help you. Having your spreadsheet and signature set up will help us to follow along with Puddy's progress. If you need help with the spreadsheet, we have members who can lend a hand.
  • When you find a new vet, please ask about Lantus (the generic is glargine) or Prozinc. These are far better insulins for cats. You may also want to see if there's a feline specialty practice in your area. This is a link to the search engine for cat-friendly practices.
I've just swamped you with information. Please let us know if you have questions. The members here are very generous with their time and knowledge. We're here to help.
 
Thank you thank you for all the information. I feel horrible about giving him the Vetsulin now. I cried and held poor Puddy. He has been through so much. I do have a meter already so I will start taking his BG and really be more on top of all this. I have been feeding him more today and he seems more sated. Also I plan on getting a different insulin now. I do have a question…..the Lantus, is it specifically for cats or can you use people insulin? The reason I ask is because my vet also offered another insulin, I’m thinking it was Lantus, but it was for humans. I am in the process of reading everything you suggested and also going to do a signature and chart for the BG readings. Thank you again for being so helpful! I am very thankful to have found this group and all this information!
 
Don't feel so bad about starting your cat on Vetsulin. My vet started us on the same (it's called Caninsulin elsewhere in the world) because "that's what they did". Who was I to know - I don't have a vet degree. I eventually got into a locum vet who got me started on Lantus right away. Yes it's a human insulin, but it works on cats too! If you are in the US, there are generic biosimilars called insulin glargine that is a lot cheaper than Lantus brand is.
 
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If you do switch to lantus get the glargine like Wendy said

Lantus is fine, many members use the generic
Check this out also
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1
The 5 pens will last about a year
Its generic lantus

Or this one
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1

Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens

You will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings for lantus , just insert the syringe into the pen and draw out the insulin.
13.47 for a box of 100 Here is the link to buy them from
If they say you need a script from you vet they will call the vet to fax it over 'ask for refills and give your vets office a heads up . I know that some member didn't need a script at all ,I did I live in N.J. So I guess it depends on where you live

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1316/surecomfort-u100-syringes-half-unit-31g-3-10cc-5-16in-100ct



We use the pens just like a vial , just stick the syringe in the gray rubber stopper and draw out your insulin
Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen!
syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006


Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

The reason we don't use the needles that would go in the pens is because you can only dial the pens by whole units
With the U-100 syringes with half unit markings we can adjust by 0.25 units at a time

30-unit-insulin-syringe-markings.jpg


Here's a coupon for ordering from ADW Diabetes the ones I listed above

DIA10
adw-coupon-dia10.jpg

10% off your next order!
 
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I’m so overwhelmed at this point. How do I know how much lantus? Is it the same as the Vetsulin? I’m sure this is all wrote down somewhere and I don’t want anyone to tell me an amount specifically, just an idea….right now I give 2 1/2 of the little lines on the orange capped syringes. They say 3/10 cc/mL,and go to 30 and have the lines between the 5-30 numbers on the syringe. I hope that makes sense.
Also writing my signature, what does acro usa or Cushing s mean?
I’m sorry for all the questions I just want this to be correct.
 
Lori Whitmore said:
I’m so overwhelmed at this point. How do I know how much lantus? Is it the same as the Vetsulin? I’m sure this is all wrote down somewhere and I don’t want anyone to tell me an amount specifically, just an idea….right now I give 2 1/2 of the little lines on the orange capped syringes. They say 3/10 cc/mL,and go to 30 and have the lines between the 5-30 numbers on the syringe. I hope that makes sense.
Also writing my signature, what does acro usa or Cushing s mean?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you that ,I don't know if a member can give you advise yet because you don't have any data on how she's reacting to the Vetsulin
But I'll tag Wendy for you again and Sienne
@Wendy&Neko

@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
 
Lori Whitmore said:
. I do have a meter already so I will start taking his BG and really be more on top of all this
Click to expand...
What meter do you have?
Can you fill out your signature when you have a chance and set up the spreadsheet since you will be now testing . If you need any help setting up the spreadsheet let me know and I will tag a member here who will do it for you :cat:

Edit I gave you the instructions on post #4 ( post numbers are to the right of each post ) :cat:
 
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Lori Whitmore said:
How do I know how much lantus? Is it the same as the Vetsulin?
Click to expand...
As a rule of thumb, usually the same. But if you could gather some data by home testing with the Vetsulin, we'll first figure out if the Vetsulin dose is a good one. Or at leat how your kitty is doing on that dose. Then we can use that information to figure out a good starting Lantus dose. Also, Vetsulin uses U-40 syringes, Lantus used U-100 syringes, so by volume Lantus is actually less insulin, just more concentrated.

Can you post a picture of your syringes? or at least the brand name? To post a picture, drag and drop it onto the text box.

Don't worry about the acro/iaa/Cushings for the moment. My girl had two of those, but they are secondary endocrine conditions that impact insulin use.
 
Lantus is a human insulin. Prozinc is for animals. Either one is fine. IMHO, the big advantage of Lantus/glargine is that should the unthinkable happen -- you drop your insulin and the glass breaks (and of course, this will happen on a holiday weekend), you can get the insulin at a pharmacy. You can't get a pet-specific insulin anywhere except your vet and Chewy's. There are lots of prescription drugs that humans and our pets use in common.

The biosimilars for glargine are far less expensive than Lantus. Your best advised to call around to see which of your local pharmacies carry one of the biosimilars and what the price is. A number of our members here will purchase Lantus from Marks Marine Pharmacy which is in Vancouver, Canada. The price is about 1/3 of the cost of Lantus in the US.

Theoretically, you can make a unit-to-unit switch from Vetsulin to Lantus. If you are currently giving your cat 2.5u of Vetsulin, you would dose 2.5u of Lantus. I would want to see how your cat is responding to Vetsulin before giving any dosing advice, though.

HOWEVER, Vetsulin is a U40 insulin and you are using U40 syringes. (The U40 refers to the concentration of the insulin and the syringes are calibrated for the insulin concentration so you want a U40 syringe with a U40 insulin.) Lantus/glargine is a U100 insulin so you will need a prescription for U100 syringes. (FYI, make a copy of the prescription for the syringes. If you want to buy syringes online, you will need to fax/e-mail a copy of the prescription.)

If you want to become more familiar with Lantus, there are sticky notes at the top of the Lantus board. There is information on how to best use the board, how to get started with Lantus, dosing methods, etc. (I know, sorry for giving you more homework!!)

Re. acro (acromegaly), Cushings, etc. -- Acromegaly, insulin resistance, and Cushing's are what we categorize as "high dose conditions." The causes for these conditions differ. For example, acromegaly is the result of a pituitary tumor that waxes and wanes vs. insulin resistance which is a self-limiting condition whereby insulin works for a bit and then insulin autoantibodies cause the insulin to be ineffective at the current dose. (It's almost like you cat becomes "allergic" to the insulin and it stops working.) I wouldn't be concerned about these conditions.
 
You’ve already gotten great comprehensive info and I 100% second the switch to Lantus. It’s the better insulin for cats. I’m sorry your vet was so clueless and it’s scary how many more like him are out there and how many lives their ignorance may have cost.

I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed but as far as food, feed him as much as he wants right now so he can gain some weight back. Diabetic cats can’t process the nutrients in food efficiently so they eat and are still hungry and still lose weight. There’s also sugar in their urine so they burn calories just by peeing. Smaller meals throughout the day are fine and actually better for his already compromised pancreas. Just make sure it’s low carb, so freeze dried treats and even regular baked chicken are fine. The rule of thumb for daily calorie intake is 20 x ideal weight. If his ideal weight is 16, for example, he should be eating at least 220 calories a day, and more even since he needs to gain.
 
I forgot

If you have a Walmart by you this was posted by one of our members , but you need to go into the store to buy them , they are not sold on their site

As for syringes, if you have a Walmart near you, you can get U100, 3/10ml, 30 or 31 gauge insulin syringes (the 3/10ml syringes ALL have half unit marks no matter what they might tell you). They should hold a maximum of 30 units. Either one of these is fine (and can be 30 gauge or 31) They are $12.58/100
Either box if fine





upload_2022-7-12_20-33-38-jpeg.64779
 
Thank you again, all, for such great information and help. Im sorry if I asked questions that you may have already answered im just completely overwhelmed by all of this new information I have come across and been provided with.
I am posting pictures of the syringes I have and the meters I have. I appreciate each and every one of you who took time to answer me, and I will be back to let you know how Puddy improves and I improve with my know how for all of this. I have a ton more to read tonite, and I will be switching to the lantus. I am going to start taking Puddys BG in the morning. I may take one tonite just to see where hes at (he last ate at 7 pm and had insulin 15 mins. later)
Thank you all again!!!
 

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Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Theoretically, you can make a unit-to-unit switch from Vetsulin to Lantus. If you are currently giving your cat 2.5u of Vetsulin, you would dose 2.5u of Lantus.......HOWEVER, Vetsulin is a U40 insulin and you are using U40 syringes. (The U40 refers to the concentration of the insulin and the syringes are calibrated for the insulin concentration so you want a U40 syringe with a U40 insulin.)
Click to expand...
Looks like picture & description are U100 syringes.
3/10 cc/ml syringe that goes to 30 units would be a U100 syringe
3/10 cc/ml U40 syringe holds 12 units and usually has a red cap.
Lori Whitmore said:
They say 3/10 cc/mL,and go to 30 and have the lines between the 5-30 numbers on the syringe.
Click to expand...
Lori Whitmore said:
I am posting pictures of the syringes I have
Click to expand...
@Lori Whitmore are the pictures of the U100 syringes you posted the ones you are using for Vetsulin?

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You just caught me - I was just about to log off for the night!
Lori Whitmore said:
Yes these are the ones I use, why? Is something wrong?
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Yes and no - nothing to panic about, it's easily sorted out, we just need to know going forward.

Lori Whitmore said:
right now I give 2 1/2 of the little lines on the orange capped syringes
Click to expand...
Do you mean 2 1/2 units? If you're not sure post a pic of where you draw "2 1/2 little lines"

Don't change the amount of insulin or the line you are drawing the insulin to - I'll explain a more in a bit.
 
Do you mean 2 1/2 units? If you're not sure post a pic of where you draw "2 1/2 little lines"

Don't change the amount of insulin or the line you are drawing the insulin to - I'll explain a more in a bit.[/QUOTE]

I won’t change the amount. I draw to the first 2 little lines and then 1/2 the way to the third line. I will show more in the morning. Or if I can figure this out how to do it on here somehow.
 
@Lori Whitmore
So, when you gave 5.0 units of Vetsulin using a U100 syringe you were actually giving 2.0 units of Vetsulin. And what you are calling 2.5 units is really 1.0 units of Vetsulin - so again, don't change the way you are measuring the insulin in the U100 syringes.


Insulin Conversions: U-40 and U-100
I'm copying directly from the link above to explain the difference between U40 insulin and U100 insulin - if it's still confusing, let us know!

A vial of insulin is a combination of insulin hormone and a sterile liquid, called the diluent. The concentration of the insulin to the diluent determines its strength.

Though U-100 insulin is the most common, insulin may be ordered in a variety of strengths, such as U-40. The "U" value of insulin indicates its strength - the number reflects the number of active insulin units in each mL of liquid. You could think of 100 "units" as 100 tiny pieces of insulin floating in each mL of diluent.

U-100 will have 100 units per mL, and U-40 has 40 units per mL. This means that U-100 has 2.5 times the amount of active insulin per mL, therefore 2.5 times as strong.

Appropriate syringes are made for use with the respective insulin, marked with the correct measure for dosage. We strongly recommend that you use matching insulin and syringes.

However, it is possible to use the below conversion chart to convert from U-40 to U-100 or U-100 to U-40 effortlessly. Simply find the amount that you need to use and find the appropriate conversion in the adjacent column.

Before deciding to use non-matching equipment, make sure you understand the concepts of dilution and units per volume - it is very important for understanding the actual amount of insulin your cat receives. When talking to your vet, make sure you're telling him the actual amount insulin you're giving. As an example, let us say you use U-40 insulin in a U-100 syringe and administer shots at the 10 unit mark. Don't get confused and tell your vet you're dosing at 10 units - because of the dilution, you're really only giving 4 units of insulin.


http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm
 
Lori Whitmore said:
I am posting pictures of the syringes I have and the meters I
Click to expand...
You need to add the meter you will be using all the time to your signature
I'm not familiar with the Dario Meter
I would use the True Metrix
I looked up the price for the tests strips on Amazon 30.00 bucks for 100

It's up to you , but I would get The Relion Premier Classic from Walmart for 9 bucks
17.88 for 100 test strips , you are going to go through a lot of them
I think I told you about this meter above
But like I said it's up to you what you want to use :cat:
@Lori Whitmore
 
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Wendy&Neko said:
Can you post a picture of your syringes? or at least the brand name? To post a picture, drag and drop it onto the text box.
Click to expand...
Hi Wendy just wanted to let you and @Sienne and Gabby (GA) know since both of you replied back to Lori that she is using U-100 syringes with Vetsulin, but she doesn't know it yet
What happened tonight she did post a pic like you asked her to of the syringe and Shelley caught that it was a U-100 syringe she was using
Lori gave us the link of where she bought it from amazon
You can read these post numbers 18-34
The posts are not long at all
@Wendy&Neko
 
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Shelley & Jess said:
so again, don't change the way you are measuring the insulin in the U100 syringes.
Click to expand...
What will change and is very important - if you switch to U40 syringes to give Vetsulin U40 insulin - you'll need to draw to the 1 unit mark on the U40 syringe to administer 1 unit of U40 Vetsulin. If you were to draw to the 2.5 unit mark on the U40 syringe you'd be giving 2.5x as much insulin as you're giving now.

And where it further matters, if you decide to switch to Lantus U100 insulin, as Wendy & Sienne noted above, we take in to consideration the actual dose of Vetsulin which is currently 1.0 unit (not 2.5u) to determine the starting dose for Lantus.

Lori Whitmore said:
Again this is everything my vet gave to me
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You could look at it as a 'good mistake' - you were really started at a lower dose/closer to the recommended starting dose and I can tell you it makes all of us around here feel a bit better :)

FD is confusing and it's normal to be overwhelmed at the start - deep breath, keep asking questions and one step at a time, you'll get there.
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Thanks for explaining all of this because I couldn't , I understand it, I hope Lori does.
I hope she switches to Lantus soon, she said she was going to .
You would think her vet would have given her some U-40 syringes
but then again who starts a cat on 5 units of Vetsulin.
I'm so glad you were around
@Shelley & Jess
Click to expand...
I’m glad you were around too. I’m trying hard to wrap my head around the insulin and syringe thing. So if I have 100 U syringes and using 40 U insulin I’m going to have to do some math. My vet did do the math, in front of me and I had no clue what she was doing, I’m horrible when it comes to any math other than money or simple add subtract. but I could convert it online?
but what I am understanding is that it is not 2.5 units it’s actually 1 unit.
I am going to have to take a crash course in this. I appreciate your concern and care on this and so does Puddy!
 
@Lori Whitmore
Hi Lori when and if you do switch to generic lantus
Please get these U-100 syringes with half unit markings
The ones you are using look like whole unit increments
The ones with the half unit markings make it easier when you have to adjust the dose by 0.25 units
Even though the half unit markings are adjust by 0.5 units they are much easier when you have to adjust by 0.25 units

I posted these above


https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1316/surecomfort-u100-syringes-half-unit-31g-3-10cc-5-16in-100ct
Coupon above

Or you can get The Relion Syringes I showed you the boxes in post #16
But like Shelley said
Don't change the amount of insulin or the line you are drawing the insulin to -

Did you decide which meter you will be staying with yet ?
Did you happen to do any tests yet?

If the vet would have given you the correct syringes ( U-40} that are used for Vetsulin
You wouldn't have had to look at the conversion chart.
At least you know now what's going on

See the difference with the U-100 syringes
with half unit markings we can adjust by 0.25 units at a time

30-unit-insulin-syringe-markings.jpg
 
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