Insulin Question

[Zhenya Malkina]

Hello! I'm sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place, I'm very new to all this.

I have a couple of questions about insulin, as I've been given conflicting information. My 11-year-old Siamese, Rodney, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. The vet has put him on Lantus. The pharmacist filled it in 3ml bottle, though the vet had prescribed a 10ml bottle. The pharmacist told me that with the dose Rodney was getting, I'd never use it all and have to throw a lot out. She said I'd still be throwing out insulin, even with the 3ml bottle, but it was only $29, so this would save me money. The pharmacist told me not to keep the insulin in the fridge, as it would be cold when I inject my cat and be more uncomfortable for him. She told me it would be good for 28 days, out of the refrigerator, and then I would need to throw it away and get more.

Today, Rodney went in for his first curve. (It didn't go well, he was too frightened to eat.) I told the vet what the pharmacist had told me, and she told me that if I keep it in the fridge, it will last longer then 28-days and that was only a concern for humans, not cats. She indicated I could use this bottle for months, if I keep it in the fridge.

Now I'm concerned about making sure I'm not giving something to my baby that will hurt him. I don't know who's advice to follow, the pharmacist or the vet. I was very much hoping that people who have been doing this for far longer will have some good advice and guidance.

I included a photo of the insulin he was given.

Thank you in advance for any advice. This forum is an amazing resource.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Let's get your question answered first!.....Lantus should be kept in the refrigerator and can last 4-6 months....sometimes longer!! IF your cat seems to protest at shot time, you can pull the insulin into the syringe and wait 5-10 minutes for it to warm up a little.....but most of us shoot straight out of the fridge and our cats never notice.

What your pharmacist gave you was the cartridge "refill" for the Lantus Solostar Pen and that's great! You should be able to use every drop of it!!

Now that that's out of the way, we are big proponents of home testing here instead of having curves done at the vet. Curves done at the vet's office are unreliable at best and dangerous at worst. The stress of being at the vet's office can raise the blood glucose numbers a LOT....then your vet see's those high numbers and tells you to increase the dose of insulin. You take kitty home and kitty relaxes....and then you give the higher dose because that's what your vet told you to do. That's a recipe for a tragedy

It sounds like Rodney really doesn't like being at the vet (smart kitty!!) so one of the best things you can do is learn to test him at home. Not only will you be keeping him safer, you'll start to understand how well he's responding to treatment.

 

[Darnell & Sprocket (GA)]

Hello! I'm sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place, I'm very new to all this.

I have a couple of questions about insulin, as I've been given conflicting information. My 11-year-old Siamese, Rodney, was recently diagnosed with diabetes. The vet has put him on Lantus. The pharmacist filled it in 3ml bottle, though the vet had prescribed a 10ml bottle. The pharmacist told me that with the dose Rodney was getting, I'd never use it all and have to throw a lot out. She said I'd still be throwing out insulin, even with the 3ml bottle, but it was only $29, so this would save me money. The pharmacist told me not to keep the insulin in the fridge, as it would be cold when I inject my cat and be more uncomfortable for him. She told me it would be good for 28 days, out of the refrigerator, and then I would need to throw it away and get more.

Today, Rodney went in for his first curve. (It didn't go well, he was too frightened to eat.) I told the vet what the pharmacist had told me, and she told me that if I keep it in the fridge, it will last longer then 28-days and that was only a concern for humans, not cats. She indicated I could use this bottle for months, if I keep it in the fridge.

Now I'm concerned about making sure I'm not giving something to my baby that will hurt him. I don't know who's advice to follow, the pharmacist or the vet. I was very much hoping that people who have been doing this for far longer will have some good advice and guidance.

I included a photo of the insulin he was given.

Thank you in advance for any advice. This forum is an amazing resource.

Hi There,
I love your boys name.....I had a furry boy named Rodney too!!
He was a sweet love, snuggly, smart, beautiful & talkative. He lived to be 18 yrs old.

The insulin....the vet is right.
We all use it till it stops working or bottle is empty. Yes, keep it in the fridge.
Then when you need it. Test cat, feed him, prepare the syringe with insulin. Let the syringe sit for like 10 mins to warm to room temp then inject kitty.
Ok. just noticed the curve was at the vets office.
What were the bgs?

Are you going to learn to test?
We all do it here and its not that scary. Once ya get the hang of it you can do it while half asleep like its nothing.

 

[Zhenya Malkina]

Thank you so much for the replies! I put the insulin in the fridge, and I gave Rodney his shot cold today and he didn't even flinch. It's been out of the fridge for a while, though, since I'd been told not to keep it in there. Will it still be okay now that it's in there?

I am going to learn to home test, yes. The vet actually recommended that I test at home for better results, and send her the numbers so she can make any adjustments needed to his dose. We're going in on Friday to have a tech teach us how to take blood from his ear and how to use the monitor. I think that will work much better for Rodney. He's an indoor cat and isn't used to leaving the house.

How often do you test? Every day? Every few weeks for the curve?

Thank you again for the replies and the information!

 

[Zhenya Malkina]

Ok. just noticed the curve was at the vets office.
What were the bgs?

I attached a picture of the info the vet gave me. I don't know if the numbers are good or bad. I'm still learning a lot!

Oh, just to note, our schedule is odd, due to work, so Rodney gets his shots at 12PM and 12AM.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

How often do you test?

I was a testaholic and tested China (on average) about 8 times a day....some days more! You will want to test at least 3-4 times a day though.

You always test before the shot...the routine is Test/Feed/Shoot....all within about 5-10 minutes. You don't want him to eat for the 2 hours immediately before the "Pre-shot" tests.

If possible, you need to get a mid-cycle test on the AM cycle (somewhere 5-7 hours after the shot) and a "before bed" on the PM cycle (with your schedule, you'll have to figure out which cycle will be the AM and PM) Most cats do go lower at night, so it's important to get that "before bed" check to make sure he stays safe

I don't know if the numbers are good or bad.

That 3.8 is a wonderful number, but makes me really worry about the 1U dose possibly being too high since that was an "under stress" number. PLEASE get yourself a meter and start testing ASAP. (just FYI...most of us are in the US and use a different system, so to convert your numbers to ours, just multiply by 18 and if you read some of the other posts here and wonder about the numbers, just divide by 18 so you'll get a number you're more used to seeing)

There are lots of video's on YouTube to show you how to test. Here's one made by one of our members

 

[Darnell & Sprocket (GA)]

I attached a picture of the info the vet gave me. I don't know if the numbers are good or bad. I'm still learning a lot!

Oh, just to note, our schedule is odd, due to work, so Rodney gets his shots at 12PM and 12AM.

Wow. those are great numbers!
Definitely learn to test asap.
Whatever time works for you works.
Good vet to teach you.
But also know that the meters have different blood sample sizes so maybe research the meters a little unless you already have one.
The fav meter just got discontinued so many are trying to figure out the next best affordable meter.
You on your way though. Oh, And make sure you have a hypo kit ready since you got lower bgs. Dont worry thats not completely scary. Its scary the first few times but after that you know what to do & its not as scary.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Unless your cat is on a very large dose, like >10 units, the heat capacity of the syringe will warm the mall volume of insulin so it is not cold. That is unless you also store the syringes in the fridge.

 

[Zhenya Malkina]

I watched the video a few times and then tried it myself. My gosh, it's so hard to make him bleed. And then I didn't get enough blood, and then I stabbed myself with lancet when trying to set it up. I hope this is something the practice makes perfect! I'm thinking I need to wait until Friday, for the vet tech to teach me properly. On the plus side, Rodney lay in my lap and let me do this for a while, before he got cross and tried to leave, so at least he's tolerant!

 

[Jasper Blue and Jay]

I watched the video a few times and then tried it myself. My gosh, it's so hard to make him bleed. And then I didn't get enough blood, and then I stabbed myself with lancet when trying to set it up. I hope this is something the practice makes perfect! I'm thinking I need to wait until Friday, for the vet tech to teach me properly. On the plus side, Rodney lay in my lap and let me do this for a while, before he got cross and tried to leave, so at least he's tolerant!

We were really struggling with that until we consistently used a warm rice sock. If you warm it up and get the right area it should be easier. Our vet demonstrated testing his blood in the middle of his ear it didn't work and she had to squeeze and squeeze his folded ear... I'm trying to figure out what to bring to the next visit that will stay warm enough on the drive/wait to warm his ear up before she tries to test him..lol

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

. I'm trying to figure out what to bring to the next visit that will stay warm enough on the drive/wait to warm his ear up before she tries to test him..lol

I use a pill bottle, filled with hot water, to warm Jack's ear. The last time I was at my vets, I had my pill bottle with me so I could test him there. As long as they have a sink in the room, you're good to go. You just sort of wrap the inside of his ear around the pill bottle. I have to keep it upright, otherwise I'll spill water all over him! He really enjoys having his ears warmed like this. He usually purrs during that part.

 

[Jasper Blue and Jay]

I use a pill bottle, filled with hot water, to warm Jack's ear. The last time I was at my vets, I had my pill bottle with me so I could test him there. As long as they have a sink in the room, you're good to go. You just sort of wrap the inside of his ear around the pill bottle. I have to keep it upright, otherwise I'll spill water all over him! He really enjoys having his ears warmed like this. He usually purrs during that part.

Oh that's a good idea! Thanks!

And that's so sweet...I can't imagine Jasper purring during testing..lol...maybe soon we've been testing a LOT and he's been SO good but has tried to hide a couple times as soon as he hears any of the stuff being taken out poor little dude. But we're testing less now and he's very forgiving lol

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

I can't imagine Jasper purring during testing.

The only part he purrs for is while I warm his ears. He loves that! But he didn't purr in the very beginning, not for that part either. Once his ear started bleeding more easily, and once I was calmer myself, he started to relax too. But in the beginning, that certainly was not the case! I poked and he wouldn't bleed, and he'd get frustrated and run away and scratch my legs in the process. I never thought that he would be this calm while I do it.

 

[Jasper Blue and Jay]

The only part he purrs for is while I warm his ears. He loves that! But he didn't purr in the very beginning, not for that part either. Once his ear started bleeding more easily, and once I was calmer myself, he started to relax too. But in the beginning, that certainly was not the case! I poked and he wouldn't bleed, and he'd get frustrated and run away and scratch my legs in the process. I never thought that he would be this calm while I do it.

aww. Yeah, I noticed last night I have a bruise with a slight puncture on my chest from one of his fast getaways lol I am always so focused on him and by the time its over I am just so relieved I don't even register the scratches lol so I'm not sure when he got me but I'm just glad he doesn't try to bite or scratch on purpose.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

I hope this is something the practice makes perfect!

It definitely gets better (and so much easier and quicker) with practice. And the ears really will learn to bleed. One member here said that she's so good at testing now, she can test with one hand and talk on the phone with the other!

 

[KelticAngel]

It's definitely easier to get a good blood sample is you can hit the vein directly, too! The lab tech who taught me was kind enough to shave my boy's ears for the first while so I could see the vein clearly enough to hit it.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

It's definitely easier to get a good blood sample is you can hit the vein directly, too! The lab tech who taught me was kind enough to shave my boy's ears for the first while so I could see the vein clearly enough to hit it.

Although that's absolutely true, it isn't necessary to hit the vein. In fact, hitting the vein hurts them more than it has to and draws more blood than you need. That sweet spot is actually along the edge of the ear, directly next to the vein.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

It's definitely easier to get a good blood sample is you can hit the vein directly, too! The lab tech who taught me was kind enough to shave my boy's ears for the first while so I could see the vein clearly enough to hit it.

And that sweet spot really does learn how to bleed. More capillaries grow the more you poke it, and it just gets easier.

 

[Erin & Scott]

I watched the video a few times and then tried it myself. My gosh, it's so hard to make him bleed. And then I didn't get enough blood, and then I stabbed myself with lancet when trying to set it up. I hope this is something the practice makes perfect! I'm thinking I need to wait until Friday, for the vet tech to teach me properly. On the plus side, Rodney lay in my lap and let me do this for a while, before he got cross and tried to leave, so at least he's tolerant!

Sounds about par for the course! It does get easier, and you're lucky to have a cooperative kitty! Benny has always been pretty good about it, so we're lucky, too, while many caregivers struggle with less-than-eager testing subjects. Still, our first several tries were met with very mixed results. Finally we got the hang of it, so I can even test Benny while he's sleeping and it doesn't bother him a bit.

 

[Zhenya Malkina]

I tried again after supper tonight, and managed to get blood and test it. It was 3.0, so that's good. =)

I wanted to ask, do test strips expire? A friend gave us a meter and strips, but she wasn't sure how old they were. Can you use them for some time?