Lantus Solo star pen needles?

Madalina & Mishu

Madalina & Mishu

Member Since 2020
Guys i have great news! Finally found a vet that is up to date with feline diabetes, and now we are on 1ui/2 shots a day (Lantus) for the moment untill the results from the labs comes back. He said it could take a few days and will get back to me. I am so happy i feel like i'm gonna explode!

Today is our first day we're gonna do 2shots! Excited and scared at the same time.

Now, i have 2 things that i want to ask you:
1. When should i get scared and not give insulin? Under 200? Under 150? Under 100? Didn't get the chance to ask the vet this but will do when he calls me, this one slipped my mind.
2. The new vet said that i could use the solo star pen with specials needles for now, because it can shoot 1ui. This sound so great for me and it could possibly make my life soooo much easier, for now i work from home but i will have to go back to face to face eventually and if i use the pen with it's special needles i could get my mom to help me out when i have to leave at 5:00. It's such a difficult schedule for me to find the right time to shoot 12 apart because my work schedule is chaotic. Neither of us see too well and for now we use 1 big mangifying glass and a flash light but it's still hard to see. He said he has had pacients use Lantus Solo star pen with needles from the frigde and never had a problem with the mecanism not working.
What do you think? Should i give it a go? Please say yes! Kidding, would really love yo hear about your experiences with this.

Thank you!
 
Good job finding a vet you can talk to! Good luck with the two shots a day.

As far as dosing, first thing is to decide which of our two dosing methods you'd like to follow. Check out our Sticky Note on Dosing Methods. The initial "no shoot" numbers vary between the two dosing methods we use here. Eventually (but not for a while), you'll get the data you need to shoot lower numbers.

If you are going to use the Lantus pen needles, the pen has to be kept out of the fridge or the pen needle mechanism can stop working if kept in the fridge. However, Lantus will not last more than 28 days if kept out of the fridge. Which is one of the reasons we all use syringes. The other reason for using syringes is that we make changes by 0.25 units at a time, so we use syringes with 1/2 unit marking and eyeball the smaller changes. Cats are sensitive to very small changes. We've also heard people say that cat seem to get hurt more by the pen mechanism than the syringes. From our Sticky Note on Insulin Care and Syringe Info on the top of this forum:
  • When dosing cats, there can be more negatives to using pen needles with an insulin pen than positives:
    • Inability to administer doses in increments of 0.25 - 0.50 units with pens.
    • Forgetting to "prime" the pen prior to each use will result in a smaller dose than intended. Priming the pen involves wasting 2 units of insulin for every shot.
    • One must keep the pen needle in for 5 - 10 seconds after the shot or you'll run the risk of not administering a full dose (can be tough with some cats).
    • Manufacturers do not recommend refrigerating an in-use pen. Therefore, shelf life may be shortened to 28 days (Lantus & Basaglar) and 42 days (Levemir).
    • Some FDMB members have reported shots administered from insulin pens are more uncomfortable than from a syringe (?)
 
Hi Madalina

I am continuing this conversation from our Facebook page. Is this the same vet who want to switch Mishu to Caninsulin from Lantus?

From your SS, I see that you are feeding Mishu food with 12%-15% carbs. That is too much carbohydrate for a diabetic cat. Is there some other health condition that requires him to eat a higher carb diet? He is seeing higher numbers because he is on a higher carb diet and not getting enough insulin. The problem is not with Lantus.

Just switching him to a low carbohydrate diet will make a big change to his numbers. However, you want to do that very gradually and with close monitoring because 2U of insulin might then be too much for him.

Please do post here and I am sure we can help you with getting Mishu to a good dose on Lantus
 
It's the same vet, doing tuesday to another, talked to her, said to do 2ui but i asked to do 1.5 and changed my mind last minute and did 1ui, will keep it for a few days. I give 12-15% because it's the lowest carb food available here in Romania. I have 6 cats, with different needs, porta is the only food i found rhat is ok for everyone. Can't transition to wet, i will not be at home for the morning shots and my mom can't help with the syringes, they are alone most part of the day of the week.. I don't know how i'm gonna do this ....i rather keep him a bit high than really low and who knows, get a hypo when he is alone
 
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