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Becky Combs

Becky Combs

Member Since 2022
Hello -

My cat's name is Chester. When he was adopted he had a broken rear leg and for those of your old enough to remember "Gunsmoke", he was given the name Chester.

I live in a rural area of Virginia. All my cats are indoor/outdoor, he happens to like it outdoors more. He was diagnoised with diabetes on 8/12. His BG was 299 and he was spilling into his urine. He was started on Vetsulin @ 2u twice daily because the Lantus (glargine) was $365 a vial at Walmart per their website. He was doing great, chowing down on his Fancy Feast to the tune of 4-6 cans a day and BGs were high 100s to low 200s. Then he one day he wasnt interested in eating. He seemed painful, more irritable and was lying in spots further and further away from the house. I am a retired emergency LVT, and I did not like the sign of him moving further away from the house. So I decided to take him to the ER as I knew something wasn't right and I felt he now had pancreatitis, which can go hand-in-hand with diabetes. The ER did bloodwork and it did show that his amylase was elevated and his BG was over 200. They discharged him on pain meds. At this point he had not eaten in 48 hours so to keep him from getting hepatic lipadosis I started syringe feeding him baby food. I also was giving him SQ fluids.

Monday arrived and I was not able to get him in to see the vet EVEN THOUGH he had been seen at the ER on Saturday night. I contacted a vet I used to go to and she took us right in. She ran complete BW, did an ultrasound and we made the decision to hospitalize him and start him on an insulin constrant rate infusion. He looked like death and I wasn't sure he would pull through. Since she knows I am a retired LVT, I was lucky enough that she allowed me to bring him home at night with IV's and fluid pumps and monitor him over night. This happened for 3 nights with him going back to her during the day. She sent off his fPL (feline pancreatic enzyme) test is it was off the charts. Even the specialist she consulted with said they had never seen one that high and felt this was an acute onset of pancreatitis. He was discharged on 8/25 and had been started on anti-nasuea, 2 antibiotics and a esophagostamy tube was placed for feedings and meds. Lantus was also started. Apparently you can buy just the pen refills which are a lot less expensive, yet my other vet said nothing about this.

After several days he started eating on his own and is now more bright and alert, but still confined to his room until additonal bloodwork and fPL is done. Because of his weight loss, I have been feeding him several times a day. He likes the Delectables Bisque, so he has been getting that. Tonight, his BG on an AlphaTrak2) spiked. He had a 702, 604 & 656 BGs. I called his vet and I will be doing a BG curve here at home starting tomorrow morning. I am also going to take him off the Delectables only because I wonder if they may have contributed to the spike.

Anyway, that is our sad story, and it continues. Although I have been an emergency LVT, all things change and everything I ever knew, just flew out the window when it became my pet.
 
Welcome Becky and Chester
I'm glad you were able to get Lantus ,I don't know where you live but I can give you suggestions on where you can get the generic Lantus, many members use it and have not seen any difference between the generic and lantus
The treats you are feeding are low carb I found this posted on the Chewy site
Someone asked this question
I can tag a few members for you to read your story
Meantime can you fill out what we call our signature

To set up your signature which you will see is at the end of everyone's post in gray, click on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.
You might want to set up our spreadsheet where we track our cats BG so we can follow along and give you advice about the dose if needed
We can also have someone set it up for you just ask
Take a look at mine
The spreadsheet is easier than it looks
Just some info about it look at mine at the end of my signature it says Tyler's spreadsheet to get a look at it, you can look at anyone's spreadsheet

About the spreadsheet
AMPS - means AM Pre Shot the first test you take in the AM ,you need to withhold food 2 hours before testing so it's not food influenced

Units is where you would put how much insulin you gave
+1 is one hour after giving insulin if you were to test then that's where you enter his _BG number
+2 two hours after giving insulin. ditto
+3 and so on until you get to PMPS - PM pre shot withhold food 2 hours before testing

+1 same as you do for AM cycle

We don't give times because we are all in different time zones that's why we use the + numbers

In case you want to look at our food chart we like to stay around 6% carbs preferably less
I feed Tyler 2 and 3 % carbs

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/
 
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You probably know most of this but this is what information I give to new members
Lantus is fine, many members use the generic
Check this out also
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1
The 5 pens will last about a year
Its generic lantus

Or this one
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1

Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens

You will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings for lantus , just insert the syringe into the pen and draw out the insulin.
13.47 for a box of 100 Here is the link to buy them from
If they say you need a script from you vet they will call the vet to fax it over 'ask for refills and give your vets office a heads up . I know that some member didn't need a script at all ,I did I live in N.J. So I guess it depends on where you live

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1316/surecomfort-u100-syringes-half-unit-31g-3-10cc-5-16in-100ct



We use the pens just like a vial , just stick the syringe in the gray rubber stopper and draw out your insulin
Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen!
syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006


Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

The reason we don't use the needles that would go in the pens is because you can only dial the pens by whole units
With the U-100 syringes with half unit markings we can adjust by 0.25 units at a time

You can even order Basaglar genetic Lantus from Marks Marine in Canada call them and ask the price for 5 pens, they are very nice to deal with.
https://canshipmeds.com/search-3/?drugName=basaglar

Some members buy the pens from Marks Marine from Canada

https://canshipmeds.com/medication/lantus/
 
Last edited:
Becky Combs said:
Hello -

My cat's name is Chester. When he was adopted he had a broken rear leg and for those of your old enough to remember "Gunsmoke", he was given the name Chester.

I live in a rural area of Virginia. All my cats are indoor/outdoor, he happens to like it outdoors more. He was diagnoised with diabetes on 8/12. His BG was 299 and he was spilling into his urine. He was started on Vetsulin @ 2u twice daily because the Lantus (glargine) was $365 a vial at Walmart per their website. He was doing great, chowing down on his Fancy Feast to the tune of 4-6 cans a day and BGs were high 100s to low 200s. Then he one day he wasnt interested in eating. He seemed painful, more irritable and was lying in spots further and further away from the house. I am a retired emergency LVT, and I did not like the sign of him moving further away from the house. So I decided to take him to the ER as I knew something wasn't right and I felt he now had pancreatitis, which can go hand-in-hand with diabetes. The ER did bloodwork and it did show that his amylase was elevated and his BG was over 200. They discharged him on pain meds. At this point he had not eaten in 48 hours so to keep him from getting hepatic lipadosis I started syringe feeding him baby food. I also was giving him SQ fluids.

Monday arrived and I was not able to get him in to see the vet EVEN THOUGH he had been seen at the ER on Saturday night. I contacted a vet I used to go to and she took us right in. She ran complete BW, did an ultrasound and we made the decision to hospitalize him and start him on an insulin constrant rate infusion. He looked like death and I wasn't sure he would pull through. Since she knows I am a retired LVT, I was lucky enough that she allowed me to bring him home at night with IV's and fluid pumps and monitor him over night. This happened for 3 nights with him going back to her during the day. She sent off his fPL (feline pancreatic enzyme) test is it was off the charts. Even the specialist she consulted with said they had never seen one that high and felt this was an acute onset of pancreatitis. He was discharged on 8/25 and had been started on anti-nasuea, 2 antibiotics and a esophagostamy tube was placed for feedings and meds. Lantus was also started. Apparently you can buy just the pen refills which are a lot less expensive, yet my other vet said nothing about this.

After several days he started eating on his own and is now more bright and alert, but still confined to his room until additonal bloodwork and fPL is done. Because of his weight loss, I have been feeding him several times a day. He likes the Delectables Bisque, so he has been getting that. Tonight, his BG on an AlphaTrak2) spiked. He had a 702, 604 & 656 BGs. I called his vet and I will be doing a BG curve here at home starting tomorrow morning. I am also going to take him off the Delectables only because I wonder if they may have contributed to the spike.

Anyway, that is our sad story, and it continues. Although I have been an emergency LVT, all things change and everything I ever knew, just flew out the window when it became my pet.
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)

@Bandit's Mom

@Suzanne & Darcy

@tiffmaxee
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
You probably know most of this but this is what information I give to new members
Lantus is fine, many members use the generic
Check this out also
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1
The 5 pens will last about a year
Its generic lantus

Or this one
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1

Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens

You will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings for lantus , just insert the syringe into the pen and draw out the insulin.
13.47 for a box of 100 Here is the link to buy them from
If they say you need a script from you vet they will call the vet to fax it over 'ask for refills and give your vets office a heads up . I know that some member didn't need a script at all ,I did I live in N.J. So I guess it depends on where you live

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1316/surecomfort-u100-syringes-half-unit-31g-3-10cc-5-16in-100ct



We use the pens just like a vial , just stick the syringe in the gray rubber stopper and draw out your insulin
Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen!
syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006


Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

The reason we don't use the needles that would go in the pens is because you can only dial the pens by whole units
With the U-100 syringes with half unit markings we can adjust by 0.25 units at a time

You can even order Basaglar genetic Lantus from Marks Marine in Canada call them and ask the price for 5 pens, they are very nice to deal with.
https://canshipmeds.com/search-3/?drugName=basaglar

Some members buy the pens from Marks Marine from Canada

https://canshipmeds.com/medication/lantus/
Click to expand...
Thanks. When I followed the computing of cat food for carbs found in catinfo.org, i come up with 20% carbs. Maybe I did something wrong. Here is link...https://catinfo.org/
 
Becky Combs said:
Thanks. When I followed the computing of cat food for carbs found in catinfo.org, i come up with 20% carbs. Maybe I did something wrong. Here is link...https://catinfo.org/
Click to expand...
What food are you talking about ? I have never used a carb calculator
Tyler eats Fancy Feast Pates
I've only gone by the food chart

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/

Becky can you please add the DX date when he was diagnosed and the DKA date please
 
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It is found on the link I sent in last message. Goes through how to figure the approximate carbs in food.

And. i have been feeding him Hartz delectables stew - 2 pouches several times a day. I could not find the Delectables on the chart.
 
Welcome Becky. My cat had chronic pancreatitis for a couple years before he became diabetic. His SpecfPL often was over 50 so it’s not all that unusual. A high number does not always mean they feel sicker than when it’s in the teens. The first sign of him about to have an attack was inappetence, a sign of nausea. I used ondansetron for nausea and buprenorphine for pain.antibiotics are not usually used. If not eating well I gave him sub-q fluids. We have a pancreatitis handbook which I will link for you.
Low carb foods are under10%, middle 10-15 and over that high carb. You will want some of each but feed mostly lc. Feeding small amounts often is best for pancreatitis because f they eat too much at once they tend to not feel good.

I bought my lantus from Canada but with the generic now you might do just as well. Vetsulin is really for dogs and too harsh for cats.
 
When you get a chance it's important to add to your signature
Becky can you please add the DX date when he was diagnosed and the DKA date please
You might want to read about the 2 dosing methods for Lantus
They will let you know when an increase or decrease is needed
You can also add that to your signature when you decide so members know
We have many experienced members here who have given me advice and if it wasn't for them Tyler would not be in remission today
 
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Hi Becky
When did Chester have DKA?
Are you giving him extra food to eat following the DKA? He needs 1 and a half times as much food as he normally eats if the DKA was fairly recently. Multiple small meals during the day and evening.
Also don’t skip any doses of insulin. If needed, stall, don’t feed and test in 20 mins to see if the BG is rising. You can post and ask for help.
Also are you testing daily for ketones in the urine?
Also extra fluids
 
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