A few questions about Sam

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chuckstables

Member Since 2022
Hi folks!

Happy new year! I really hope everyone and their little fur babies are doing well. I have a couple questions that came up recently with Sam.

1.) Lantus; how long does it last? I paid about 85 CAD for a 10ml vial of it (thank god for Canadian laws on what producers of insulin can charge lol) about 4 months ago now. It's been stored in the fridge (which is at the cold setting, coldest the fridge can get) since I got the vial. There's maybe 1/3rd left now. At the rate that sam is using it (1.25 2x per day, so 2.5 units in total daily) a third of the vial would last 133 days or so. That's about 4 months if you round down to the nearest month. I've seem conflicting information about this. My vet told me I should replace it after 28 days, the first pharmacist said after a month, the second pharmacist said I can use it if it's in the fridge up until the expiry date (March of 2024 I believe).

2.) Vomitting; sam puked up a bunch of food two days ago. First time he's done that recently; I think he might be overeating. I'll start measuring what I'm feeding him and recording it to see if he really is overeating or not. But it was just pure mushed pate cat food; no bile, literally looked like a mushed up pate mixed with water. Smelled (unfortunately I caught a wiff of it when I was cleaning it off of his living room carpet) like the food. I had left it out in the autofeeder for probably like 12 hours with the ice pack, which had mostly cooled, so idk if maybe that's why? But he's eaten from it at night since then with no puking. He had eaten a LOT the day before; maybe that's why? Should I be worried? His stomach has been upset up until about last week when he stopped having horrific mushy diarrhea (it was literal mush, at one point almost like a gel he was pooping out every hour). This started when I started feeding him fish cat food without realizing it is awful for him. I switched to FF Turkey and Giblets at someones advice and he's been fine with his poops since about 5 days after the switch.
 
(1) Trust the second pharmacist. The "28 days" is what the FDA asked the makers of Lantus to test for. And remember, humans carry Lantus around with them at room temperature. You can tell when insulin starts to go bad. If it gets cloudy or you can see small clumps, stop using. If Sam's numbers start to rise and the insulin does not help, post and ask for advice as to whether Sam needs an increase or if you need to buy a new vial. Most people find the 5 pack of vials better in the long run. You always have back-up insulin on hand if you drop a vial (been there, done that).

I don't feel experienced enough to answer your second question.
 
I agree with Red. I was able to use Lantus pens for at least 3 months. As long as you don't see crystals floating around in the insulin, it should be fine.

It sounds like Sam may have a sensitivity to fish. It's actually pretty common. I would just keep an eye on Sam. My kitties have an occasional episode of vomiting especially during hairball season. If it becomes frequent, it's a vet visit. I also would be more cautious about leaving food out for 12 hours if you're concerned about the possibility of it not being fresh.
 
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