Couple of questions

[Sammie's Mom]

Went to a vet trip yesterday just to check her colon, got her a couple of times getting out of litter box with dropping any poop. There was a fill in vet there and she told me a couple of things I just want to check with the experts here about.

1. She said once open the insulin is only good for 4 to 6 weeks? Mine stay in the fridge all of the time so if true than why can't I buy a smaller bottle.

2. Her kidneys numbers were in the red so now we have kidney issues so any advice on how to deal with both the kidneys and diabetics. They want her on K/D. Do I really need to watch the water intake now, I had been. Sometimes she seems happy with what she gets out of her bowl and other times she wants to drink water out of a cup either drinking directly or pouring like a fountain into her month.

3. Is here a replacement for the ReliOn Confirm are they still be able to find one? I need another one since they want me to test her at home. Or where can I found a Alpha Trek 2?

Thanks

 

[Sarah&Soph]

It might be good to also post this on the main health forum as well!

The vets say insulin is only good for 4-6 weeks because that’s what the manufacturers say. However if you store it properly, it is good for months. If you see anything floating in it or if you’re home testing and your kitty’s numbers seem off, then it’s time for a new vial.

I’m impressed your vet told you to home test, awesome! When I switched from a pet meter to a human meter I tried to get the ReliOn confirm, but I think they’ve been discontinued. I’ve tried to order twice from Walmart.com, but both times after I’ve ordered I’ve gotten an email saying it’s “on backorder”, so I got the ReliOn Prime instead. I like it, but it does take a teensy bit more blood. It is much much cheaper than the AlphaTrak, but if you want one of those, I got mine on Amazon.

I’ve never dealt with kidney issues, so I don’t have any advice there unfortunately!

 

[JanetNJ]

Went to a vet trip yesterday just to check her colon, got her a couple of times getting out of litter box with dropping any poop. There was a fill in vet there and she told me a couple of things I just want to check with the experts here about.

1. She said once open the insulin is only good for 4 to 6 weeks? Mine stay in the fridge all of the time so if true than why can't I buy a smaller bottle.

2. Her kidneys numbers were in the red so now we have kidney issues so any advice on how to deal with both the kidneys and diabetics. They want her on K/D. Do I really need to watch the water intake now, I had been. Sometimes she seems happy with what she gets out of her bowl and other times she wants to drink water out of a cup either drinking directly or pouring like a fountain into her month.

3. Is here a replacement for the ReliOn Confirm are they still be able to find one? I need another one since they want me to test her at home. Or where can I found a Alpha Trek 2?

Thanks

1. Insulin can last several months of stored in the fridge.

2. How bad are the kidneys? Can you post the labs? Kd is high in carbs. My cat is stage 1 ckd... I feed foods low in carb and phosphorus (usually Tiki cat after dark) and add lots of extra water to it.

3. You can get an Alphatrak on amazon or Adwdiabetes.com. A 10% off code for adw is missu10

I often use freestyle insulinx strips in the alpha meter to save money. I get the insulinx strips in eBay or amazon. I do keep a few vials of alpha strips of she's running low or to test new insulinx vials to make sure they are accurate.

 

[Rachel]

Good morning! First off, insulin can definitely last for awhile. We usually see it last up to at least 4 months...often up to 6. After that, I would probably get a new bottle. You'll also get a better understanding of if it seems to lose potency from home testing. If you see numbers start to creep up with no other changes, that might mean it's time for a new bottle...that's how most people decide. One tip. Store it in the fridge, not the door of the fridge. It tends to stay colder if not in the door since it isn't being exposed to outside air as much.

As for CKD, I also don't know much. If you can let us know the stage, that might help, and posting labs as Janet said would be good. There's also Tanya's CKD Site that you might check out. I do know that in lower stages, lots of water and lower phosphorus is good....and in later stages sub Q fluids can be given to help. More folks on Main have dealt with that so you might post there with a title like CKD Diagnosis, Questions to get some eyes on it.