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Normajean

Normajean

Member Since 2020
Aloha everyone. Im a new member here.
My cat Kai is 3 1/2 years old and has been diagnosed with diabetes in April and he was put on Vetsulin. His numbers were all over the place. My vet at the time was not forth coming with answers for me so I switched my vet to another and he had me come in for curves 4 times at $260 each visit and he finally switched Kai to Lantus at $339 a bottle (ouch). he is only taking 1ui right now. So I feel like we are starting over again trying to find the right dose for him. Visiting the vet a few times a month is getting very costly. I was taking his glucose reading before he ate morning and night but the vet told me to stop that I was stressing my cat out. Do I listen to him or continue to do the testing? He said its more reliable when I bring Kai to his office for curve testing. Im fearful of not knowing what is best for Kai.
 
WELCOME TO FDMB
ALOHA! We're glad you found us. Yeah Vets... sigh. If (and you will you learn to do your own curves...theres no need to pay that bill. We can teach you! Before every shot of insulin you should test your Kia's' blood sugar. All you need is a good ol human blood glucose meter and some strips and youre in business! Course its a learning curve but I believe you are up for the task!
You can find a good meter at any Walmart The RelOn is one MANY here use and the strips are affordable.
Also most of the Lantus (excellent choice if insulin btw) users order their lantus from Marks Pharmacy in Canada. (this pharmacy is well aware of the members at fdmb.)

all that said...
I'm going to direct you here to become acquainted with the way things work around here:

New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:

You've have landed is a safe place for Kai, with a ton of information at your fingertips. We are dedicated to helping any and all that find these pages, with good people to help you navigate this disease.
Again welcome to the best site on this planet, to learn everything you need to know about feline diabetes!
jeanne
 
Thank you so much your warm "welcome" brought tears to my eyes. I do have a meter and strips which I got from cvs. Started using when he was diagnosed in April i started testing him morning and night. His numbers were anywhere from 400+ to low 200"s never consistent. I did curves on him every other week. High at night and evening, lower mid day. My former vet had me do testing at home but if I wasnt sure about a low reading to give a shot or not he would never get back to me. frustrating. so went with another vet and hes insistent I bring him in even tho I said I know how to test and curve, does he just want my money? lol I bring Kai in on Monday again all day for a curve, third time this month..ugh..should I cancel that and do my own testing again with your guidance? Always fearful of not knowing what to do!
 
I hate to say it but if hes insisting on doing the curves hes not getting a true reading of the everyday life of your cat. I think you should be fine doing your own curves especially when you dont have to shove your cat in a carrier and drive him to a strange place. smh. IF you decide to find a different vet theres a list of things you can ask over the phone. If sticking with this vet..just tell him/her you intend to be a HANDS ON advocate for your cat. You intend on testing and tracking his blood glucose numbers. WE have a spread sheet I will link you to . You can print out Kai's curve plot it and give it to your vet. hold on I'll be right back with that link
 
Normajean said:
Aloha everyone. Im a new member here.
My cat Kai is 3 1/2 years old and has been diagnosed with diabetes in April and he was put on Vetsulin. His numbers were all over the place. My vet at the time was not forth coming with answers for me so I switched my vet to another and he had me come in for curves 4 times at $260 each visit and he finally switched Kai to Lantus at $339 a bottle (ouch). he is only taking 1ui right now. So I feel like we are starting over again trying to find the right dose for him. Visiting the vet a few times a month is getting very costly. I was taking his glucose reading before he ate morning and night but the vet told me to stop that I was stressing my cat out. Do I listen to him or continue to do the testing? He said its more reliable when I bring Kai to his office for curve testing. Im fearful of not knowing what is best for Kai.
Click to expand...
Welcome. Where are you getting your Lantus from ? I was given a script for the Lantus pen at CVS pharmacy it cost $62.00 .... Vets will also try to sell you their food such as Hills or science diet. Dont do it ! There are so many better food options . The members here are Friendly So Knowledgeable and will walk you through step by step so don’t worry .
Just ask anything you can think of that is how you will learn and if you just need to talk or vent we are here
 
Normajean said:
he had me come in for curves 4 times at $260 each visit
Click to expand...
Ouch. You can do your own curves at home and show them to the vet. An office curve is not necessarily more reliable. There is such a thing as vet stress and a cat not eating well during the curve. If the vet insists that the curve be done on a pet meter, tell them you cannot afford on a regular basis. Vets used human meters before a company saw the market for a pet-specific meter.

A curve shows only the results for one day. Testing at home on a daily basis will give you a better idea of what is going on.

Normajean said:
Lantus at $339 a bottle (ouch)
Click to expand...
You can order insulin from Canada (waving to you from there) at a greatly reduced cost. You just need a written prescription from your vet to fax to the company. Quite a few people here do this. A box of five pen cartridges would last you over a year.
Some vets are willing to work with the caregiver. Some are not. It is always good to have a sounding board. We are a peer reviewed community that has years of experience and has done the research. We can help you keep your Kai safe.
 
Dusty & Roe said:
Welcome. Where are you getting your Lantus from ? I was given a script for the Lantus pen at CVS pharmacy it cost $62.00 .... Vets will also try to sell you their food such as Hills or science diet. Dont do it ! There are so many better food options . The members here are Friendly So Knowledgeable and will walk you through step by step so don’t worry .
Just ask anything you can think of that is how you will learn and if you just need to talk or vent we are here
Click to expand...
 
Dusty & Roe said:
Welcome. Where are you getting your Lantus from ? I was given a script for the Lantus pen at CVS pharmacy it cost $62.00 .... Vets will also try to sell you their food such as Hills or science diet. Dont do it ! There are so many better food options . The members here are Friendly So Knowledgeable and will walk you through step by step so don’t worry .
Just ask anything you can think of that is how you will learn and if you just need to talk or vent we are here
Click to expand...



Red & Rover (GA) said:
Ouch. You can do your own curves at home and show them to the vet. An office curve is not necessarily more reliable. There is such a thing as vet stress and a cat not eating well during the curve. If the vet insists that the curve be done on a pet meter, tell them you cannot afford on a regular basis. Vets used human meters before a company saw the market for a pet-specific meter.

A curve shows only the results for one day. Testing at home on a daily basis will give you a better idea of what is going on.


You can order insulin from Canada (waving to you from there) at a greatly reduced cost. You just need a written prescription from your vet to fax to the company. Quite a few people here do this. A box of five pen cartridges would last you over a year.
Some vets are willing to work with the caregiver. Some are not. It is always good to have a sounding board. We are a peer reviewed community that has years of experience and has done the research. We can help you keep your Kai safe.
Click to expand...


Thank you so much for the comforting words. Kai means the world to me! I have another cat who is in great health, her name is Kiki. and good to know I can get a less expensive lantus...phew.
 
Normajean said:
I got the Lantus at Costco with a $50 coupon, it was still $300. vet said it would last 7 months
Click to expand...
Did you get the vial or pen? Costco does not have the best price for all insulins. I know they do for Vetsulin but not for Lantus. I checked. Ordering from Canada is your best bet to save money. You can get 5 pens for 1/3 of the cost here. I like the pens better because if you accidentally drop and break one, you still have 4 more unlike the vial. Also the pens last longer since the expiration date doesn’t start counting until you open one
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Did you get the vial or pen? Costco does not have the best price for all insulins. I know they do for Vetsulin but not for Lantus. I checked. Ordering from Canada is your best bet to save money. You can get 5 pens for 1/3 of the cost here. I like the pens better because if you accidentally drop and break one, you still have 4 more unlike the vial. Also the pens last longer since the expiration date doesn’t start counting until you open one
Click to expand...

I got the vial, thats what they gave me.Thats great that they last a long time and the expiration starts as soon as you open...Do I call the vet office to get the prescription? or does the vet fax it? and should I wait till this one is almost gone? So many questions I know...This is all new for me and Im trying not to get too stressed out...lol
 
Normajean said:
I got the vial, thats what they gave me.Thats great that they last a long time and the expiration starts as soon as you open...Do I call the vet office to get the prescription? or does the vet fax it? and should I wait till this one is almost gone? So many questions I know...This is all new for me and Im trying not to get too stressed out...lol
Click to expand...
Mark’s will accept the prescription via email so I got it from my vet and then forwarded it to them. I’d wait, yes. Just give yourself time for shipping so don’t wait till the last minute :)

fyi, another member here got the vial at cvs for $99 with some sort of manufacturer discount. Worth looking into that too. My local cvs wouldn’t accept it for my cat
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Mark’s will accept the prescription via email so I got it from my vet and then forwarded it to them. I’d wait, yes. Just give yourself time for shipping so don’t wait till the last minute :)

fyi, another member here got the vial at cvs for $99 with some sort of manufacturer discount. Worth looking into that too. My local cvs wouldn’t accept it for my cat
Click to expand...

Great! Thank you for the info.
 
Im back to taking Kais glucose reading. He was 223 this morning. Happy it wasnt in the 300-400's like when he was on Vetsulin. He has been on Lantus since last Sunday. I will take it morning and evening before he eats, but when do I do the curves on him? also I want to thank everyone for helping me with Kai, my stress level went down a few notches. So happy there is help out there...<3
 
Ya know? This would be funny if t wast so important...I have looked for a sticky or in helth topics on the proper way to do a curve...If it exists I cant find it!
you can start a new thread asking this question It would probably help a LOT of people. Heck for that matter I can start the thread...Stay tuned ;):p;)
 
jt and trouble (GA) said:
I have looked for a sticky or in helth topics on the proper way to do a curve.
Click to expand...
From The Vetsulin Stickie

A blood glucose curve can give very useful information, especially early on in the cat’s treatment. After the pre-shot test (and insulin shot) tests are typically done every two hours throughout the cycle. With Caninsulin (Vetsulin) it can be helpful to do tests every hour until the cat's BG has passed the lowest point in the cycle (nadir); this is especially useful if there is reason to believe that the cat's BG is dropping too low or too fast.

A curve can help you see the pattern of how the insulin works in the cat’s body. It can help you to identify when the insulin starts working (onset), when the lowest BG of the cycle tends to occur (peak/nadir), and how long the insulin lasts in the cat’s system (duration). Be aware though that a curve is just a snapshot of a given day, and every day will be different -- sometimes a little different, sometimes very different. (See also, ‘Understanding ONSET, PEAK / NADIR and DURATION’ further up the page.)
 
Maybe every 2 weeks at first. In time you will be able to see trends. If something goes wrong like an infection it will change numbers then a curve may be necessary. Hold on for more replies...I'm sure others will expand on that.
 
Normajean said:
Thank you good info, so do I do a curve everyday? every other day? once a week?
Click to expand...
For Lantus, here's the basic standard drill for every 12-hour cycle:

* Remove all food 2 hours before insulin dose is due. (Preshot blood glucose check needs to be a fasted reading.)
* Do the preshot BG test (to check whether it's safe to give the next dose).
* Feed your kitty.
* If BG is high enough and kitty is eating well then administer the insulin dose.
* Take at least one BG reading in the hours between doses (to make sure that the dose is not taking the kitty's BG too low).

It is helpful to get a +2 test - especially before bed on the PM cycle - because that often gives an indication of how BG levels might run for the rest of that cycle. (Note: Many cats run lower at night.)

Testing between +4 and +7 are more likely to help you find the nadir BG (lowest level in the cycle). Tests at other times will help you to learn when Kai's insulin doses are most likely to 'kick in' (dose onset) and also when they are likely to be wearing off (dose duration).

If you were to begin by following the Start Low, Go Slow Lantus dosing method, you would typically hold each dose for 7 days (unless it needs to be reduced sooner), do the daily preshot and mid-cycle tests as outlined above, and then run a full curve on the seventh day. Evaluating the data from the full curve and the daily tests will aid you in evaluating dose safety and efficacy and also inform decisions on dose adjustments.


Mogs
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