4/20 Floyd AMPS 579, +2 Hi, PMPS 272

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Janine & Floyd (GA)

Janine & Floyd (GA)

Member Since 2018
Yesterday

Nothing exciting going here except exploration of Mars.

Thanks to @Bronx's dad for the Levemir info thread. It sure sounds like it might help Floyd, and after reading that, I'm thinking about making the switch now.

I've been trying to figure out why he's licking the hair off his caudal 1/2 and now I'm convinced it's the Lantus. At first, it looked like it was just his hind legs, so I thought about arthritis pain - he's certainly lost muscle mass in the rear legs, can't jump as high and I can feel crepitus in his hips. But..... over the past couple weeks, the hair is now being licked off his flanks. I had a fleeting thought about the injections causing it, but not more than that until I was reading about Lantus causing discomfort in so many kitties.

The light bulb came on - although he doesn't resist the injections or petting in that area, it must be bothering him if he's licking there.

Any thoughts? @Bobbie And Bubba @Stacy & Asia @Wendy&Neko
 
Hey Janine, I am not really sure about the excessive licking as I don't have any experience with that. I do know that right before it's time to inject Bubba again, he scratches at his chin about 5 minutes before. His scratching is fleeting and he doesn't cause any bald spots. I have read here that some cats do itch on Lantus. Hope that Wendy or Stacy can give you more definitive information.

Good luck if you switch to Lantus. There are lots here that have made the switch to get a flatter cycle.
 
I didn't think Neko was bothered by Lantus, but she would occasionally walk away during the injections, especially when we got to a higher dose. She stopped that with Levemir, and sometimes even purred through the shots. Lots of kitties (but not all) seem to get better duration on Lev and as a result the cycles are flatter. I definitely think it's worth a try, especially with Floyd's dose getting up there. If you do make the switch, the starting dose is 70% of the Lantus dose at the time. Some kitties have a strong reaction to the insulin change.

Here's hoping today is the high before the break. If not, or you don't see green, I'd increase him back up tomorrow.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I didn't think Neko was bothered by Lantus, but she would occasionally walk away during the injections, especially when we got to a higher dose. She stopped that with Levemir, and sometimes even purred through the shots. Lots of kitties (but not all) seem to get better duration on Lev and as a result the cycles are flatter. I definitely think it's worth a try, especially with Floyd's dose getting up there. If you do make the switch, the starting dose is 70% of the Lantus dose at the time. Some kitties have a strong reaction to the insulin change.

Here's hoping today is the high before the break. If not, or you don't see green, I'd increase him back up tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I'm getting to the end of my current Lantus pen, so the timing is right to try the Levemir as far that goes. But I might wait until Sunday because tomorrow I will be gone from 8:30 am to 11 pm and he'll be home with DH. I don't any drama when I'm not there!!

Thanks for the dosing info.
 
I haven’t personally heard of cats itching and it turned out to be related to Lantus, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. Humans often have irritation at injection sites (stinging, swelling, itching) with Lantus, and other insulins for that matter. No insulin is perfect and each has their pluses and minuses. Lantus is acidic, Levemir is neutral. The Lantus precipitate and how the insulin is released can be influenced by many things such as where it’s injected and what it is injected into (fat or not); Levemir doesn’t have that issue because the way it forms and is broken down is entirely different (in a scientifically advanced way that more closely resembles how endogenous insulin works).

I know for Asia, she was flinching when I gave the shot and it took me a long time to connect the dots, I thought it was my technique, but it turns out it was just stinging her, even though her dose is small. Some cats are on Lantus on more units than Floyd and don’t seem to notice. It would be easy enough to rule it out or in by giving a Levemir a try, in addition with the higher dose, Levemir may be more comfortable and even for Floyd. I much prefer the way Levemir acts in Asia to Lantus, however, I don’t think it lasts as long (for Asia, compared to Lantus). It’s an annoying trade off, but Levemir wins anyway.

I say it’s worth giving it a try, you can always go back if you don’t prefer it. Just know there is an adjustment period and things might be wackier than they were for a bit as you gage his response and titrate the dose to what is needed, doesn’t always go that way, but want you to have that in mind.

From a nerdier perspective, having direct experience using both insulins can only help you in your practice, knowing both are effective and some things that make them similar and different, so there’s that bonus as well. ;)
 
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