Lantus Solostar Pen and Purina DM Wet Food

[scorpi]

Good morning!

My oldest cat Chunkybutt just got diagnosed with diabetes but my vet said he could go into remission as long as he follows diet and takes his insulin shot. I have the 3ml lantus solostar pen but i dont understand how to give him 1/100ML based on the clicks. He has to take it twice daily.

I also need to put him on the Purina DM wet food. How do I know if it's sold locally? I live in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Also is there an alternative brand or cat food that is less expensive than the Purina DM wet food?

Thank you

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

Welcome!

You can take the cap off of the pen and you will see a little area that you can insert a syringe into to insulin syringes, they will be much more accurate at dosing than trying to use the clicking and tips that can be attached to the solar pen.

Because Purina DM is a prescription food it is mostly sold at vet offices. You can feed your cat any low carb wet food and very common ones used by board members are Fancy Feast, Wellness, Merrick, Proplan, Special Kitty, EVO, pretty much any of the low carb over the counter foods will work. We usually target below 10% and Janet and Binky charts are a good guide. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

There is a lot of other good information in the FAQs that can help get you started. viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2501

 

[squeem3]

Good morning!

My oldest cat Chunkybutt just got diagnosed with diabetes but my vet said he could go into remission as long as he follows diet and takes his insulin shot. I have the 3ml lantus solostar pen but i dont understand how to give him 1/100ML based on the clicks. He has to take it twice daily.

Like this:

You don't use the SoloStar like a Human diabetic would (pen needle, dial the dose, etc). You can stick an insulin syringe needle right into the rubber stopper. If you don't already have insulin syringes, you'll need to get some from the pharmacy. You want U100 3/10 cc with half unit markings. The half unit markings makes it really easy to measure tiny half and evern quarter unit doses which some cats do need. A prescription to buy insulin syringes may be required in your state. Call the pharmacy and ask. Your vet can write a prescription. If you do buy from the local pharmacy, check the box before you pay for it. Look for the works "half unit markings" or "1/2 unit markings" on the box. On this board some people have bought what the pharmacist said were half unit marked insulin syringes but it turns out that they were 1/2 cc insulin syringes instead.

You can also buy online from places like Hocks.com and AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com Product descriptions will say "half unit markings" or "1/2 unit markings".

So your cat is on 1 unit twice a day? That is a good starting dose :smile:

I also need to put him on the Purina DM wet food. How do I know if it's sold locally? I live in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Also is there an alternative brand or cat food that is less expensive than the Purina DM wet food?

Purina DM and other prescription foods are sold only by vets. Did your vet not try to push the product on you?

But you don't need it anyways :smile: There are many low carb canned foods you can feed your cat, like Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, and Nature's Variety. Melanie has already given you the link to Binky's food charts. Here is another one that lists many premium brands of food: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B8...kxOGM4NThk&sort=name&layout=list&num=50&pli=1

Feed foods that have under 10% carbs. Gravy based foods and pouched foods are generally too high in carbs to be fed to a diabetic so avoid those. But do keep a few cans or pouches on hand to use if your cat becomes hypoglycemic. Seafood should be limited to once in awhile meals or treats.

Diet and insulin can result in remission but you also need to test your cat's blood glucose levels daily. Managing a diabetic cat isn't much different than how a Human diabetic manages his or her own diabetes. Blindly giving insulin can be dangerous. Blood glucose level testing allows you to see and understand how well the insulin is working and, along with the advice of your vet and help from members of this board, what dose adjustments may be needed.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'm going to ask a more basic question. Do you have U100 syringes that are in half unit increments? It sounds like you have the needle tips for the pen. Syringes, especially at the small doses that are typically used, are far more accurate than dispensing directly from the pen. With Lantus, dose changes are made in 0.25u and the pen will not accommodate that kind of dosing. You can get syringes at Walmart.

Also, there are way better alternatives to DM. DM is expensive -- as you found out -- and the ingredients are primarily animal by-products. Fancy Feast, the Classic varieties, are what a lot of people here use. For what you'd spend on DM, you could be buying a human grade, premium brand food like Wellness. You want a low carb (usually less than 10% carb) food. Janet & Binky's list has many alternatives. Canned is a much better choice than dry and most of us feed around 5% carb or less.

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

Hi
The Purina DM canned is 7% carbs. You can find many that are lower in carbs for a lot less money. A lot of kitties are prescribed food you can only get from the vet. And a lot of them will eat it, at least at first, then they seem to get burned out on it because it only comes in one flavor (usually heavy on the "liver" flavors). My kitty, Bob was prescribed Hills m/d, and he ate it for two days and then wouldn't touch it. Luckily, my vet took it back.

Sienne gave you the link to Binky's canned food page. There are two links there for the "new" list and the "old" list. The Purina DM and the classic Fancy Feast varieties are both on the "old" list. In my sig, there are separate links to each chart. You'll see lots of brands you recognize that can be found at the local grocery store, and others that you would need to go to a pet food store to find. Just look at the carbs column on the charts and look at all the choices you have that are 5% or less. Plenty to keep kitty happy!

Carl