Glargine (Lantus) friendly vet in UK?

[Lori&Scout]

Ayup from Leicester

I'm struggling with Caninsulin after 12 days. I don't like the numbers I'm getting, and Nipper is not perking up even on 2 units. I want to switch to Glargine ASAP. My vet says I have to try to get Nipper regulated on Caninsulin for 3-4 more weeks and then she will decide whether Caninsulin is working for Nip and whether she is willing to get me glargine. She said her hands are tied until then.

if anyone has had a better experience than I've had, please let me know what happened and where your vet is located. If this is what every vet says, then fair enough, but I would prefer not to wait another month and then hope that I might be able to switch insulin, if my vet agrees.

PS I am aware of the remission trial and I am in touch with them. That's sort of my last resort, as Nip doesn't do well at the vet and they want several hospitalizations over the trial period. Also they can't start her until January.

Thanks in advance,
Lori

 

[KittyMom777]

Hi. I think it's law in UK that they have to use Caninsulin first for a period of time. Gather evidence to show its not working and I'm sure your vet will switch you.

Juliet and Silver

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hi Lori,

I think Bertie was on Caninsulin for a good few weeks before the vet was willing to switch insulins.
By that time I'd gathered quite a bit of data to show how the Caninsulin was (or rather wasn't) working for him.

Common reasons people have used to persuade their vet to prescribe an alternative insulin have included; a) that it drops the blood glucose too steeply, and b) that it does't provide long enough duration.
(In our own case we were mostly seeing high flat (unmoving) numbers interspersed with occasional drops.)

Some people have had more success with Caninsulin if they're able to give 3 shots a day (ie, divide the day's total dose into 3 instead of 2 shots). But this isn't really doable for folks who are out all day. This way of giving insulin can help to even out numbers when using shorter-acting insulins. (I tried this with Bertie, giving shots at 5am, 1pm and 9pm).

Is it possible that Ruth (from the RVC trial) could talk to your own vet about the benefits of getting onto a longer-lasting insulin sooner rather than later...?

Note: For anyone else (especially new Caninsulin users) reading this thread, I just wanted to say that some cats do just fine on Caninsulin, and some cats here have even gone into remission (ie become diet-controlled diabetics) while using it.

Eliz

 

[phlika29]

I was in a similar situation to you. I asked ruth to speak to my vet and that helped me to switch over after a about two weeks on caninsulin. I also sent my vet an email with the spreadsheet attached and explaining my concerns as Elizabeth explained about and also how concerned I was about keeping my cat safe with such steep drops.

 

[Critter Mom]

Record all clinical signs as well as BG data. Caninsulin absolutely hammered Saoirse's system. She was miserable for 9-10 hours out of every cycle. Have a look at her spreadsheet notes to see the problems she had. If your cat experiences similar, you can make a quality of life argument as well as a poor regulation argument. Our vet had a chat with Ruth at the RVC, too, and I think that helped us to get the Lantus Rx.