Welcome to FDMB!!
The beginning of this journey is completely overwhelming. There are a lot of people here who are very willing to provide information to guide you along in this process and to offer more support than you could possibly imagine.
You're right, Lantus is expensive. However, it's well researched in cats and it's stats in terms of getting a newly diagnosed cat into remission are impressive if you follow the Tight Regulation protocol. Research published in some of the leading veterinary journals has shown that
"...significantly higher remission rates are observed if good glycaemic control was achieved soon after diagnosis: 84% for cats started on the protocol within 6 months of diagnosis went into remission, and only 35% for cats that began more than 6 months after diagnosis". Not all kitties will reach remission. However, a tight regulation protocol can help towards controlling kitty's diabetes. You and your vet made a good choice of insulin!
There are a couple of ways to help reduce the costs of Lantus. Most of us purchase Lantus in the Solostar pens rather than in the vials. Chances are good that you will end up discarding Lantus if you purchase in a 10 ml vial. Due to the small amounts that most people are dosing, it's unlikely that you will finish a vial by the time the potency of your insulin has run out. As a result, a pack of 5 pens (each 5 ml) ends up being more economical even if the initial outlay is more. You may be able to find a pharmacy that will sell individual pens. Alternatively, you can purchase insulin on-line from Canada. It will cut your cost in half.
In all likihood, your cat is experiencing peripheral neuropathy. This condition is not unusual in cats that have been unregulated for a while. A vitamin supplement, methyl B-12, is very effective in helping to correct this problem. There is a formulation of methyl B-12 called
Zobaline that is developed for cats and contains no sugar or flavorings.
Most of us home test with regularity. We test before giving an insulin injection. In addition, because Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point of the cycle (i.e., the nadir), it's important to get at least one spot check during both the AM and the PM insulin cycle.
There is a great deal of information available about using Lantus on the Lantus Insulin Support Group in the starred sticky notes at the top of the Board. The following is an overview of that information.
- Tight Regulation Protocol: This sticky contains the dosing protocol that we use here. There are also links to the more formal versions -- the Tilly Protocol developed by the counterpart of this group in Germany and the Queensland/Rand protocol developed by Jacqui Rand, DVM and published in one of the top vet journals.
- New to the Group: Everything you wanted to know about the Tight Regulation forum and more. Info on our slang, FAQs, links to sites on feline nutrition and to food charts containing carb counts, how to do a curve and the components to look for, important aspects of diabetes such as ketones, DKA, and neuropathy, and most important, info on hypoglycemia.
- Handling Lantus: how to get the maximum use from your insulin and what to not do with it!
- Lantus depot/shed: This is an important concept for understanding how Lantus works.
- Lantus & Levemir: Shooting & Handling Low Numbers: What data you need in order to be able to work toward remission or tight regulation as well as information if you have a low pre-shot number or a drop into low numbers during the cycle.
Please let us know how we can help!
