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J

Janine

Member Since 2013
My cat was diagnosed today and I begin giving
Injections tommarrow. Glad to have this MB
For support
 
Welcome Janine,

I am fairly new here myself, my kitty was diagnosed on 4/5. This is the best place to find. Ask all your questions, the experienced people will jump in with help. If you have the time, read the stickys posted at the top of the forums. There is so much info in them.

Jane & Cleo
 
Hi Janine,

Welcome! We use a very successful protocol with our diabetic kitties : wet low carb food, a mild long lasting insulin and testing at home. We can help you through the process. Keep reading and ask questions.
 
Welcome Janine,
I'm sorry your kitty has diabetes. If you have to do this sugar dance, this is the best place to do it. Oliver and I have been here almost 7 months and are thankful everyday we found this board. You'll be amazed at how much these people know about FD (way more than my vet by the way) and how incredibly helpful and friendly everyone is.
What's your sweet kitty's name?? Are you home testing? What kind of insulin are you using? What dose did your vet prescribe?
Looking forward to hearing from you! mary and ollie
 
Hello,
Thanks for your Kindness. My cats name is King Tut.
He is an 11 yrs old Flame Pointe with blue eyes that weighs 17 pounds.
I rushed out and bought Novolin R insulin $26 and 3/10 ml, 8 mm, 31 gauge
syringes. From reading the message board I'm
gathering its not the right kind of insulin. My Vetrinarian
advised me about better ones that cost more.
I'm broke for the rest of this month and had to use a
family members credit to have my cat examined.
Haven't started home testing yet, expecting that when
Tut and I get used to our new routine.
 
Hi again,
I'm certainly not an expert here and i don't give advice. I'm going to see if there's someone i get get to chat with you for a bit. Giving a cat insulin without testing isn't very safe and isn't recommended. What kind of food are you feeding King Tut? Dry or wet food? If you're feeding dry, you might want to transition to low carb wet food before starting insulin. That one change alone can lower the amount of insulin King Tut might need. What was his blood glucose reading when he was diagnosed. Are you going to be up for awhile? i'll see if i can get someone from the west coast who's still up?

Do you have to give King Tut a shot tomorrow morning? such a regal name for a flame pointe!!!!
hold on OK?
be right back.
mary
 
Janine, please do not use that R insulin. It is usually only used by veterinarians for a cat that may have DKA and needs a short acting insulin to bring numbers down. None of us use R except in extremely rare situations and only by people who have dealt with the diabetes in their own cats and understand how fast and potent it is. It is never used as a daily insulin for diabetic cats. It is dangerous to use, please do not use R.
 
Hi Janine

I also have to agree with Hope that you don't want to use R. It is a very, very harsh insulin that is in and out in four hours. So as soon as it leaves the system, his numbers will pop back up.

I'm not sure where you are but if you are in the US, you will need a prescription for lantus, levemir, or Prozinc insulin. The first two are the gold standard and they are long duration insulins that give the best glucose control. If you live in Canada, you don't need a prescription for either of those insulins. Most of us who use them buy the Solostar pen (lantus) or Flexpen (levemir) because it is cheaper in the long run. They normally come as five 3-ml pens in a box. You might be able to find a pharmacy that will sell you one pen for around $45. They are more cost effective than the vials. These insulins are dosed primarily on the nadir or peak action of the insulin.

I've never used Prozinc but it is a medium action insulin. I don't know what the costs are for Prozinc. PZ is dosed on the preshot number.

So it is very, very important that you test before you shoot. I don't know if you have human children but would you give your child insulin without first knowing if you were shooting a high number or a number that was low enough to be considered hypoglycemic?

We can help you learn how to hometest. We use human glucometers and you can buy inexpensive ones at Walmart along with the strips. Once you get started, you can order the strips even cheaper online.

Please let us know your questions.
 
With the pen, there is also a Lantus Savings card available online through the manufacturer's website. The only qualifications are that the prescription (not the patient so it doesn't matter if it's a cat) is not covered by any insurance or program (which, unless your kitty has pet insurance, is also the case). This savings card guarantees you pay only $25 per pen up to 6 pens, regardless of original price.

My local Walmart sells the pens individually and when I bought mine, after forgetting the Savings Card, I was able to bring the card and receipt back in within 30 days and they gave me back around $28 in savings.
 
I agree with everyone else. R is not an insulin to use with a new diabetic; it is often used by ER vets to bring down a high number fast and temporarily. It is not a mild long lasting insulin that is likely to get your sweet kitty to regulation.

If money is tight, you can get a free testing kit from us. The insulin is the most expensive part of this process, but if you start with a good one, you have the best and safest chance for regulation and maybe remission.
 
First...I have found out how expensive all this treatment can be. Just since Wednesday (17th) when my kitty was diagnosed, I have spent $638 on tests, office visit and supplies. I really can't afford spending this much, but what can you do?
I trust my vet to prescribe the best treatment, but reading some of these posts, I'm not sure now.
I was "given" a vial of ProZinc insulin that I was told should last for quite awhile. Cost $126. Is this reasonable? I also have insulin syringes (100) for $26.75.
The food is expensive too. However, during these first two weeks, I really want to try to do whatever my vet says in order to have the best results. He isn't too happy with the food change, but if changing his diet could possibly lean towards not having to take insulin, then it's worth the cost.
I am also using Glucotest chips in the litter box for testing ($11.50).
I have no idea if I can continue to afford all of these supplies or not! I can well understand how you feel about that.
 
You're absolutely correct, you want a different insulin than R. Prozinc is OK.

Since you've not got that yet, hold off on the shots and first make sure you are feeding a low carb, over-the-counter food, preferably canned. This can reduce the glucose levels 100 points.One of the least expensive foods is Friskies pate in the 13 oz cans. For 1 cat, about 1/4 to 1/3 can per meal would be about right - roughly 3 to 4 oz per meal.

Make food transitions slowly to reduce the risk of digestive upset. Change about 1/4 of the food per day, if it goes well.

Since diabetic cats can't use all the calories the eat due to lack of insulin, they are very hungry. Until regulated, you may feed up to 50% more and it may help to spread the food out across the day in smaller meals so the cat doesn't get too hungry. It cuts down on scarf 'n' barf issues. Adding a tablespoon or 2 of water further increases the volume and offsets the extra urination in diabetics. If you're not home much of the day, freezing some of the food and putting out both fresh and frozen at the same time allows the cat to nibble on the thawing piece gradually.
 
Pteacher, I am glad you started your own thread. Janine is definitely using an insulin we do not recommend. Pteacher, ProZinc is a fine insulin. We can help you with a free testing kit: Click on the picture at the top of this page.

Pteacher: check your thread for responses that pertain to your situation.
 
The glucotest will turn color if the urine has glucose in it. This will happen when the blood glucose is running about 240 mg/dL or higher. Since urine collects over a few hours, it is not as precise as actually measuring the blood glucose. Also, optimal glucose levels are between 50-120 for a diabetic cat. In a non-diabetic cat, they may go a bit lower, safely, as there is no external insulin given.

See my signature link for more details about Secondary Monitoring Tools. In particular, monitoring for ketones. These ocurr as a result of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, an expensive to treat, potentially fatal complication of diabetes. I'd be inclined to take the Glucotest back and spend the money on generic ketostix (tests for urine ketones) or ketodiastx (tests for both ketones and glucose in urine.

Note 1: infection can raise glucose levels, so look for signs of bladder, respiratory, and dental infections, and if found treat promptly.

Note 2: Steroid medications may raise glucose levels. If your cat needs to be on steroids, you will adjust the insulin doses around that.
 
I agree with BJ. You could get the hometesting kit from us and start testing while you change to a wet low carb diet, without insulin. This will give you a quick idea about whether the low carb diet might bring his numbers down to a regulated range or whether he will definitely need insulin.

How was he diagnosed? Did he get a fructosamine test at the vet? What was his blood glucose level there?
 
Thank you all for your feed back! I'm a bit overwhelmed
by the responses. King Tuts blood level was 450 I had him
examined because he has been saturating the litter box for
almost a month. He has been eating canned food every morning
for years and dry food though out the day. My Vet recommend giving
him his shot a 1/2 hour after he eats canned food twice a day.
After reading all the comments, I feel scared and confused.
I've been feeding him the best food I can afford on sale which is currently
Nutro Max dry and blue buffalo canned.
BTW going to order testing stuff from upper corner on this page.
We live in Utah.
 
As soon as you are comfortable testing, you could try eliminating the dry completely and see what his numbers are. Lots of members here struggle with finances; many of us feed pâté Fancy Feast and Friskies.

If you want to give us the nearest city in Utah, we might have someone near you .

Sorry to overwhelm you, but we were very worried about R insulin. We don't think it is a safe alternative for you.
 
Yes...we didn't mean to overwhelm you but using R is not to be taken lightly.

My kitty is on levemir and I "occasionally" use R as a bolus just to bring down a high number and if I give her .1u (that is one tenth of a unit), it brings her numbers down. I'd be afraid a vet would tell you to give more and a tiny bit of R goes a really long way but it will not keep your kitty
in the numbers needs to be in to avoid glucose toxicity. Either the Prozinc or one of the L insulins is a much, much better choice combined with a totally canned or raw low carb diet.
 
I can get Lantus at SAMs Club with a prescription.
Just need to do some fund raising at Pets Mart
to get the money when it stops raining. Also, requested
a free home test kit from the upper corner on
this page. Thank you all so much for you guidance
and feed back!
 
What state is that? ( I could Google search & come up with several candidates!)
 
OK - a bit far for me to road trip from Ohio!

FYI
R insulins last about 3-4 hours in cats
N type insulins last 6-8 hours in the cat
PZI type insulins last 10-12 hours
Lantus 12-14 hours
Levemir 12-14 or more

And each cat is different (ECID), so you can't always predict what will happen with yours. Its very much experiential learning as you go to find what works for yours!
 
King Tut is doing so much better with his Novolin R
Insulin injections twice a day! (Dose is 5). Litter box
Is getting back to normal and Tutley is more focused and getting
back to his old self!
I just got a free blood glucose monitoring system
FreeStyle Freedom Lite with 10 samples from a local independent
Pharmacy. Also, printed off the Lantus SoloStar prescription card.
I showed these items to my Vetrinarian. His concern with Lantus is after I
fill the 6 prescriptions, the price goes way up. The insulin I'm using now
is only $26 at Walmart and its working. When I take King Tut back
in a couple weeks for blood work we are going to use the FreeStyle home test
kit at the same time to check it's accuracy. Now I need to get some urine
test supplies. Looking forward to starting a chart!
 
Are you really using Novolin R insulin and not Novolin N or NPH insulin??
And 5 units of it???
It is Russian Roulette doing that. You've been lucky so far.

I hope you are testing before you give a shot!

Regular or R type insulins last about 4 hours in the cat. Thus, if you are shooting twice a day, there are 8 hours without coverage. Take some tests at +8 hours after the shot and see what is happening, or run a curve where you test from pre-shot to pre-shot, every 2 hours.

Please print out and read the AAHA Guidelines, then share them with your vet and discuss them with him. If he is prescribing R insulin, he is seriously out of date in the treatment of feline diabetes.
 
I too am very very interested to see what type of BG curve you get with the R insulin. If money of very tight I would opt for N insulin over R anytime.
 
Hello there

I know Lantus and levemir are expensive but in the long run they are safer for your kitty. And one vial will last you six months if you keep it in the fridge so its not as costly as you might think - 6 prescriptions will last you 3 years and if you are lucky with those insulins king Tut may be in remission by then!

If you do decide to keep using the Novolin the you should make sure you test more to keep him safe - you dont want a hypo. You might want to switch to a walmart relion meter if you do this to save yourself some $ since the freestyle strips can be expensive.

Wendy
 
I too am very concerned. I hope you are not giving 5 units of R. I really hope you are not giving 5 units of R.

I can give right at the zero line of R to my cat, and he will come diving down 200 points in 2 hours. I don't know what 5 units would do :shock: . I would seriously consider getting some Lantus or Levemir. Have you tried Craigslist? I bought some Levemir from Craigslist for $40 for 5 cartridges and they were fine.

Please, Please test often. Please print this out SYMPTOMS OF & HOW TO TREAT HYPOGLYCEMIA and watch your cat very carefully. Here is the HYPO TOOL BOX, What to have in case of emergency. Please be cautious with R. It is so powerful and can be so dangerous.
 
What is the best way to test King Tuts ear without
Poking myself? Paw pad testing has been going well.
 
To poke Tut's ear and not yourself, use something between your hand and his ear.

For example, a cotton ball, piece of facial tissue folded to make a pad, makeup pads, pill bottle to poke against. Any of these items would work.
 
I use the flat makeup pads, which works out perfectly because after I get my sample, I can just fold it around his ear and hold pressure on it that way, then toss the pad when done. If you are unclear on how/where to poke, I highly recommend Youtube.com, there are lots of videos where you can see what/how to do it.
 
So I'm going to buy new testing supplies and
I know Relion is recommended just curios what
You all think about Walgreens Brand or Kroger Brand
from Smiths.
 
Here is a link to a Consumer Reports article on glucometers. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=70140

No sure what country you are in because you have not updated your user control panel, profile, edit profile and added location. If you would do that please, we could give you more country specfic information.

eta: Yes, buried way up towards the top of the post is the fact you live in Utah. Unfortunately, my little 'old pea brain' did not remember that info and did not think to look thru all the posts in this condo.

If you update the user control panel, I won't have to keep asking and annoying you. :o The information will appear over on the right side of the post, over where some other useful information appears.
 
Thank you for helping me update profile. Having
issues uploading picture, any advice?
Thanks for the spread sheet. Relion it is!
 
There is a size limit on the images. If you have Windows, under Accessories is Paint, which should let you resize the image smaller.

Are you still using R or have you gotten a longer-lasting insulin???
 
To shrink a picture to avatar size, I like this link http://www.shrinkpictures.com/create-avatar/

Good, the Relion meter is a good one. Relion Confirm test strips, .36 each, Relion Prime test strips, .18 each. You can easily go through 200 test strips in the first month so if cost is a big factor, go for the Prime.

That R insulin is very harsh and dangerous. Your kitty must be bouncing up and down constantly in only a few hours. People on this board advise to never use R as the primary insulin.

We'd really like you to see about a different insulin. If cost is a factor, the Lantus Solostar pen can be had for $25 each on up to 6 prescriptions using this savings card from the manufacturor: http://www.lantus.com/sign-up/offers.aspx

Using our techniques of storing the pen in the fridge, using an insulin syringe to draw out the insulin to avoid contaminating the insulin and other techniques can really make a lantus pen last for months. Just something to consider.

Now that you have added your state to your user control panel, profile would you be willing to add some more information for us?

If you go to user control panel, profile, edit signature you can add some tidbits of information that will give us a quick 'snapshot' of you and your cat. Information that people put in there include your name and your cats name, the type of insulin you are using, what meter you are using, date of diagnosis for the diabetes, any other health issues your cat has, what food you are feeding, things like that.

When you are ready to set up a spreadsheet to track the BG numbers, this is where you put the link to the google doc. Setting up that spreadsheet sooner instead of later, would be helpful for not only you, but for those of us advising you. Here is the how to link: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

This document is in the Tech Support forum, at the top of the announcements section and is called "how to get an SS and link in your signature updated 2/13/12". This document is a standard format and after a while you will learn to look at in and see trends over a course of time.

Thank you. Let us know what supplies you picked up and if you have any questions on that meter.
 
The R lasts about 4 hours. Please test about 2 hours after the shot to see how low he is going.
 
Yes, I've got the Relion Prime Meter and I test
before I shoot. His numbers are still high.
When I get to a computer I will upload his photo
and download the BG Spread Sheet.
 
Great photo - what a regal looking boy - he really suits his name!

Hows the SS coming along? I would like to see how he is doing. Any plans to get rid of that dry? It will bring his blood down more.
 
Janine said:
Yes, I've got the Relion Prime Meter and I test
before I shoot. His numbers are still high.
When I get to a computer I will upload his photo
and download the BG Spread Sheet.
Click to expand...

Of couse they are. The R wears off after 4 hours.. All pre-shots will be high. Any tests done about 2 hours after the injection will show you how low he is going.
 
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