First Time DIABETIC CAT- Help?!!

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jenuinetrouble

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Hi
I have a 10 yr old cat who means everything to me just as i know urs do as well. so you know where i am coming from.
i just recently found out he is diabetic however i def cannot afford the medicine he needs to be on so i have yet to go and fill it. i have brought this to my vets attention and done some research myself and asked if there was anything else they can do to help me out. i have printed out those free prescription cards and it only took the meds down by a few dollars.

any suggestions as to where i might find lantus 10ml cheaper, his syringes or even hills science w/d? or i dunno.... something anything?!
 
We have some resources to help you. In our supply closet, there is some free PZI insulin. It is a nice mild, long lasting insulin. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=36544. We have free newbie kits which include a meter and strips so you can home test. viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541

You don't need to feed prescription food. We feed wet lo carb - Friskies is the cheapest.

Hopefully that will some reassurance. Now tell us more about your kitty. How was he diagnosed? What were his symptoms?
 
Hi and welcome to the FDMB family.

We have a supply closet on this board, I haven't checked it in awhile but there maybe someone there that has extra Lantus to help out with that, also I know that some hospital pharmacy will sell you a single cartridge, for like $40, so you might want to call around and see.

There is also DCIN (Diabetic Cats in Need) run by Venita and Maureen of Our Lady of Mercy Catnip Cottage, I will send them a message to check out your post and see if they can help out in any way.

We have a newbie kit program here that provides free or nearly free newbie home testing kits that will get you started with a meter, some test strips etc, depending on what she has in stock, Lori and TomTom run that.

As far as food goes, you don't need the high priced stuff, most of us feed commerical low carb/high protein canned pate flavors, I personally have a diet controlled diabetic kitty Max, I also have 10 other cats so every one eats what my diabetic eats which is just good old fashioned Friskies, I'll hunt you up some links.

We will nag you about testing at home, because of its many benefits, first it gets your precious baby safe from Hypo, it also gives you truer numbers as all kitties are stressed at the vet's, and stress raises blood sugar levels, and lastly it keeps money in your pocket because you don't have to pay a vet to do curves you can do them at home, and we will help you learn how.

Syringes are easy and cheap, since you are on Lantus, which is a human insulin, if you have a Wal-mart near you, you can get syringes for $2 for 10 or $13 for 100.

Just remember to breathe, this is a very easy disease to manage and can be pretty much done at home. Your vet gave you a great insulin to start with. Which sometimes is half the battle.

Others will be jumping in shortly I'm sure. We are more than willing to help you help you fur baby.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
First Welcome.
Next everything will be alright ok.
Your here and that is the important thing.
You might be better off with the pzi as it requires much less testing and testing can become an expense.
See if that bottle of PZI is still available. One bottle can last a very long time.
Next please order a newbie kit.
I can include many syringes.
You are amoungst friends.
You do your part and we will help you at every turn ok.
Tell us more about your kitty and stuff like what your feeding him, his diagnosis number, his symptoms.
Lori
and tomtom too!
 
Tips on to to keep costs down: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/frugal.html


jenuinetrouble said:
any suggestions as to where i might find lantus 10ml cheaper, his syringes or even hills science w/d? or i dunno.... something anything?!
Click to expand...

You don't need the prescription junk, especially NOT the W/D :-Q That saves you a ton of money right there. Buy commercial canned food such as Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, etc instead. Use the food chart: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html Look at the column for carbs and choose foods that have a number 10 or less. These are "low carb" foods that diabetics do well on.

Here's a short list of low carb gluten free Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm

Syringes: If you live in the US, you can buy these online with no prescription. Hocks.com and AmericanDiabetesWholeSale.com are two places. Some brands of insulin syringes cost as little as $13 for a box of 100. Your local Human pharmacy may have a generic brand of inexpensive insulin syringes as well.

Because your cat will be on Lantus, you need to purchase U100 insulin syringes. The most ideal ones to use are 3/10 cc with half unit markings. You can get whole unit marked insulin syringes but it's a little hard to eyeball a half unit dose if your cat needs it. Needle gauge and length is preference. 31 gauge 5/16 inch, 30 gauge 1/2 inch, and 30 gauge 5/16 inch are the common ones.

Lantus: the 10 ml bottle isn't the best to use because it can lose potency after a month or so. Ideally you want to get the Lantus SoloStar pens or Lantus OptiClick cartridges. The initial cost is higher than a bottle ($150 or so vs $110 or so) but the box contains 5 pens or cartridges and is at least a 5 month supply. Some people buy Lantus from online Canadian pharmacies for less than what a US pharmacy charges. Look in the Supply Closet for free Lantus. There's a person right now who is looking to swap 2 lantus pens for Levemir pens but maybe you ask if you could have a pen to at least get started viewtopic.php?f=15&t=36871
 
I am the one with the lantus pens in the supply closet thread. I will hopefully be meeting someone tomorrow that is looking to sell 5 levemir pens for only $20, so we can definitely work something out with the Lantus pens. They were donated to me, so I would only need $$ for shipping since my DH is currently unemployed and we have no income right now.

My best advice on getting Lantus cheaply is craigslist. Even if you don't see a posting in the health and beauty section that someone is selling their leftovers.... I posted once asking to buy extra insulin off people and I got 2 emails from people saying they would donate their extra stuff to me. I got 2 10ml vials and 3 pens out of that. Many human diabetics use the pens or vials longer than a month and most insurance companies refill it once a month anyway. You can also luck up on someone who has had their insulin changed and they want to sell their stock piles of the old stuff.
 
I never thought of Craigslist! I guess one would have to be very trusting of whom they are getting the insulin from, though. Or is there a way to tell for sure? I'm paying about $65/bottle now for PZI :?
 
With the bottles, if it is brand new there will be a little purple disk stuck to the top. If that is popped off, then you know it has been opened/tampered with/used. As for the pens - They work by a vacuum principle - a little stopper moves down the vial as you draw out insulin. There isn't any room to add anything (no air in the vial) so I don't think anyone could add anything to those. Either way, lantus is fairly fragile, so you would probably see floaties or discoloration in the insulin too if something were added. Send me a message if you want to work something out with the 2 pens I have. I'd be glad to send them to you to get you started.
 
heather&giz said:
I never thought of Craigslist! I guess one would have to be very trusting of whom they are getting the insulin from, though. Or is there a way to tell for sure? I'm paying about $65/bottle now :?
Click to expand...

Buying Insulin from CraigsList

Just my suggestions. I welcome comments if someone sees something amiss. You can PM me so as not to derail this thread.
 
Those are great suggestions for purchasing off Craigslist, Venita! And exactly what I plan to be doing tomorrow when I meet the lady that has the levemir pens. We are meeting in the parking lot of a local busy grocery store.

Heather - I just received word that DCIN will cover the shipping costs to get the lantus to you. Just PM me your address.
 
squeem3 said:
Don't forget to check the expiration date printed on the insulin bottle/pen and on the original packaging. You obviously don't want to use insulin that expired like a year ago, even unopened insulin :smile:
Click to expand...

I clarified this in my document with bolding.
 
Dear jenuinetrouble,

I have to ask, is that your name or your sugar cat's name? I just want to know, is all. Okay, having a cat named genuine trouble would pretty much explain the cat! Maybe sometime I'll tell you about Gizmo... But, not now...




I am in financial trouble, too, yet have a diabetic rescue cat named Nikki, who I often call Precious, because she is. And, because my whole family immediately called her that upon meeting her, because she is. Sometime around Easter Eve, she'll will have been with me for two years... She's probably around 10-ish now, since her vet initially guessed her age around 8-ish when he first saw her somewhat way back then. Go Nikki!

At first, I was able to handle her diabetic needs and food and stuff myself. Then, I was laid off after 20 years... Things got pretty scary... Okay, and, then, got really scary...

Nikki's still with me because of a wondrous group on this Board dedicated to helping diabetic cats and their moms and dads when they need help the most...

You have researched and reached out. Please reach out again, okay?



This sugar dance can be done. It is do-able, even though you feel yourself between a rock and a furry extra-sweet cat right now. Trust your love, okay?


And, pardon my French, but screw the W/D. Don't even think about you not eating for a day to buy that, well, particular prescription food, okay? Just go to your grocery store and buy whatever low-carb canned food is on sale. Print out the links for Binky's page -- thank you, dearest Janet! -- and the gluten-free link. Or, just write them down as I did before I found a great deal on a printer...

One thing to remember, however, is if he (see how nicely his name would fit in here...) is used to dry food, do try to introduce the canned food slowly, maybe mix a bit in with his dry, then a bit more canned and a bit less dry, until after a week or so, he's happy with wet (canned) food. Don't want to upset his tummy, do we?



I feel your anguish, dear jenuinetrouble (and, see how nicely your name would fit in here...). And, am sending you many ecouraging hugs. I know how much he means to you. He's like breathing, right?









Welcome to the place you never, ever wanted to be; but, will be blessed for having found.

Much love and countless encouraging hugs for you both!
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...
 
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