Insulins Used and Why

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Jessica1995

Jessica1995

Member Since 2015
Hello All,
What Insulin(s) do you guys use on your cats? Is there a Particular reason why you chose to use a particular insulin?
 
The 4 insulins used here the most:
Lantus - may sting at higher doses, has smoother curve due to overlap, got really pricey in the states due to being off patent soon. Many order from Canada.
Levemir - has slightly longer duration/overlap, does not sting at high doses
ProZinc - non-depot, so allows more schedule flexibility, which is why I used it for Gracie
BCP PZI (compounded) - costs the least

From vets who are out of date:
Caninsulin/Vetsulin - The UK requires starting with this, though. Developed for dogs with a slower metabolism. Some cats do OK on it.
Humulin or Novolin NPH - lasts about 6-8 hours or so in the cat. Useful as a bolus insulin in high dose conditions such as acromegaly (see @suki & crystal, for example). I used some when treating Gracie during pancreatitis.
 
Hi Jessica!

Started off with 'Humulin N' - NPH insulin. That insulin hits hard when it starts working, all working at the same time causing steep drops the huge rises. ''Novolin N' is the same thing, just different manufacturer.

Changed to Lantus due to it's gentler curve and longer lasting capabilities. KT did OK with it but, due to his other medical issues, it was causing lots of low numbers and bouncing. I changed to Levemir hoping to control those better but lost him before I really knew if it worked better or not.

Dakota (aka Doc) came to us already on Lantus but he jumped and flinched with each injection, hated shot time. I also couldn't shoot anywhere but scruff without him crying. He was also 'Mr. Grump' a lot of the time. Since I'd already changed KT to levemir, I decided to change Doc to Levemir. It's been a LOT better for him. We have no issues with shot time, he's a much happier cat. His curves are gentler too altho' he still bounces often. It took a while to figure out how to do best for him. Just a drop impacts his cycles a lot - took lots of testing to recognize this.

Just my 2 cents in reply to your question.... :)
 
You use an insulin that works best for your cat. Each cat is different.For some cats it is trial and error
My Patches II gets 1.3 unts Lantus twice daily. Usually I can maintain her BG below 100 all the time.
My MurrFee is on 13 units Levemir and 8 units BCP ZI twice daily. I can maintan his BG below 300 a lot of the time
My Badger is on 3 units N and 3.6 units ProZinc twice daily
 
We use Lantus when we can. It is long lasting, gentle, has a good remission history in newly diagnosed cats and it is what we know. Sly is our 3rd diabetic foster, 4 diabetic cat.
Smokey responded well and went into remission in 3 months. That lasted for about a year and a half when she went back onto insulin. We switched her to Levimir when her dose got high.
Two of the fosters were started on Vetsulin first. Cecil was not doing good on it and in pretty tough shape when we got him switched and took him into foster. Once on Lantus and the last of his hard food removed he was into remission quickly. Chris was also started on Vetsulin before we took him home. We just didn't feel comfortable with the way that was going and switched him to Lantus. He was in remission about 2 months later.
Sly has been on Lantus for around 4 months, we've had him in foster for almost 2 of that. Getting him out of the shelter and onto better food has helped. He maintains good numbers on a very small dose 0.1-0.5U and we are still hopeful for him to attain remission.
 
BJM said:
The 4 insulins used here the most:
Lantus - may sting at higher doses, has smoother curve due to overlap, got really pricey in the states due to being off patent soon. Many order from Canada.
Levemir - has slightly longer duration/overlap, does not sting at high doses
ProZinc - non-depot, so allows more schedule flexibility, which is why I used it for Gracie
BCP PZI (compounded) - costs the least

From vets who are out of date:
Caninsulin/Vetsulin - The UK requires starting with this, though. Developed for dogs with a slower metabolism. Some cats do OK on it.
Humulin or Novolin NPH - lasts about 6-8 hours or so in the cat. Useful as a bolus insulin in high dose conditions such as acromegaly (see @suki & crystal, for example). I used some when treating Gracie during pancreatitis.
Click to expand...

Ok, so what is the difference between "Depot" and "Non-Depot" Insulins?
 
Lantus forms small crystals under the skin and gradually dissolve
Levemir binds to albumin then gradually releases to work.
Other insulins don't do either of those, they just form a small pool under the skin and are absorbed into the body.
 
And today is another day where I learn so much from this board. Thanks for asking the question and thanks to the well-informed for answering!!:)
 
Lori & Lulu said:
And today is another day where I learn so much from this board. Thanks for asking the question and thanks to the well-informed for answering!!:)
Click to expand...

I'm trying to learn as much as I can about Canine and Feline Diabetes so I thought this was a really good question! It seems the insulins used are so different between the two species.
 
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