susan k rupel
Member
my precious is on novilin n insulin and takes 2 units twice a day.has anybody ever heard of that type?precious is on the right.dottie is on the left and she is fine.
my cat takes novilin n insulin
- Thread starter susan k rupel
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my precious is on novilin n insulin and takes 2 units twice a day.has anybody ever heard of that type?precious is on the right.dottie is on the left and she is fine.
Sue and Oliver (GA)
Very Active Member
Hi Susan,
This forum is not active. We have very few kitties on N. There is one: Cathie and Shaak Ti. She is posting regularly on Health. If you search for her and choose postings, you can see her posts and see the advice she has received and how she is doing.
This forum is not active. We have very few kitties on N. There is one: Cathie and Shaak Ti. She is posting regularly on Health. If you search for her and choose postings, you can see her posts and see the advice she has received and how she is doing.
ja9390
Active Member
Mine was just put on Novolin. So far so good but he's only been on it for two weeks and I don't have anything else to compare it to. I noticed an immediate and much needed decrease in the amount of water he was drinking, the amount of urine he was producing, and a healthy increase in the amount of food he is eating. Also noticing a huge increase in his alertness. He's 12 but only within the last couple of months did he start to act like a tired old man almost overnight. Back to his sweet and funny old self.
BJM
Very Active Member
@ja9390 - if you post over in Feline Health, you'll get more eyes on your posts and more feedback.
We strongly advocate home blood glucose testing to keep your cat safe, and while you work on that, monitoring the urine for glucose and ketones (see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for tips, and other assessments).
We strongly advocate home blood glucose testing to keep your cat safe, and while you work on that, monitoring the urine for glucose and ketones (see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for tips, and other assessments).
zzyzzx
Member
I use it and it works just fine. $25 at WalMart and no prescription. Even cheaper if you have a FSA or HSA!!! My guy is doing great on it. He's 16.5lbs and gets around 9 units a day (from 2 shots). There are naysayers who say not to use this, but from what I can tell, none of them have actually used it. I got tired of paying $125 for the vial at the vet that IMO did not work as good (worked great for the first week, then good for the next week, then seemed to taper off in effectiveness, I have not seen that with Humilin N bought at Walmart).
ja9390
Active Member
My boy is on 2 units a day but he is 8lb. It's also like my vet said...this may not be a feline-specific insulin, but it's insulin. As long as the baby can be regulated satisfactorily on it, then great! She starts all of her cats out on this insulin and most of them take to it very well and haven't had any problems but every cat is different and you have your cats who just don't respond to one insulin but do great on another. Regardless of anyone's opinion on this drug, the end goal is to be able to treat and manage your pets disease LONG TERM. I've seen a good bit of aggression regarding this issue (not on this site...which is why I stick around) and it reminds me of the pro-breastfeeding movement where women are being shamed for feeding formula vs breastmilk but everyone is missing the point that the whole goal of child-rearing is to keep your kid alive and healthy the very best that you are able. There is no sense in slamming down all this guilt upon newly diagnosed owners of diabetic cats to buy the "good" insulin that "works"...sung to the tune of $150+ per vial. For most people this isn't doable, period. There's a reason that a lot of vets start the kitties out on an affordable form of insulin and it's so as not to scare and guilt the owner into making a decision between coming up with the money or putting their pet down simply due to lack of funds. I will let my cat's body decide for itself whether this form of insulin is any good at the long-term management of this disease, and I'll make corrections and revisions to his treatment plan when the time comes. At the end of the day, my cat is feeling MUCH better than he did just three weeks ago. Thanks to Novolin N.
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BJM
Very Active Member
If it works for your cat, great. For many cats, it doesn't last a full 12 hours, which you can discover by testing during the last few hours before the next shot. When that happens, you may need to test and shoot every 8 hours, which can be hell on your schedule.
If you need to use more that 2-3 units per shot, we become concerned that the vet has raised the dose too high, too fast, or that your cat may have an insulin resistant condition, unless you are unable to feed low carb food.
NPH works more abruptly in cats, often dropping the glucose like a rock. This may result in frequent bouncing, where the cat's body responds to the abrupt drop by releaasing hormones that raise the glucose right back up again, and may keep it elevated for up to 3 days or so. bounicng can happen on any insulin.
If you need to use more that 2-3 units per shot, we become concerned that the vet has raised the dose too high, too fast, or that your cat may have an insulin resistant condition, unless you are unable to feed low carb food.
NPH works more abruptly in cats, often dropping the glucose like a rock. This may result in frequent bouncing, where the cat's body responds to the abrupt drop by releaasing hormones that raise the glucose right back up again, and may keep it elevated for up to 3 days or so. bounicng can happen on any insulin.
Jeanne & Dottie
Active Member
OMG, Susan! Your dottie and my Dottie are almost TWINS! My Dottie has three dots on her side, that look like the Mickey Mouse Logo..(Don't tell the Disney People, they might sue us for copyright infringement!
)
I notice a mention that these insulins frequently don't last 12 hours..but I thought that no insulin was as yet perfect for all kitties?
I hope you all don't mind my dropping into this forum. Hubby and I are possibly going to take a serious income hit soon..and I have been very nervous that we might not be able to afford insulin for Dottie. I may decide to use the insulin sold at my own Walmart..Novilin. It'll take a wee bit more work, but what the hey, right? 
The whole point of doing this is so my Dottie stays alive, not ashes in an urn, on my mantle.
I will watch this sub-forum regardless of what insulin I use, just like I'm beginning to lurk in other forums. The more I know about all available options, the better. I encourage those few members who use these less-frequently used insulins to post in here, as well as on the main forum. Trade tips. Perhaps get used to adding copies of your posts made in the Main forum, if necessary..so that users of the less popular insulins on this website, will see more threads in here, and feel they have a special place to go, too..even if they decide to use one of the other insulins later on. You can tag each other by using the @ symbol before the desired members' username, and they will be alerted to a post put in here. That's the easiest way to get their attention.
"If you build it, they will come"
)I notice a mention that these insulins frequently don't last 12 hours..but I thought that no insulin was as yet perfect for all kitties?I hope you all don't mind my dropping into this forum. Hubby and I are possibly going to take a serious income hit soon..and I have been very nervous that we might not be able to afford insulin for Dottie. I may decide to use the insulin sold at my own Walmart..Novilin. It'll take a wee bit more work, but what the hey, right? The whole point of doing this is so my Dottie stays alive, not ashes in an urn, on my mantle.I will watch this sub-forum regardless of what insulin I use, just like I'm beginning to lurk in other forums. The more I know about all available options, the better. I encourage those few members who use these less-frequently used insulins to post in here, as well as on the main forum. Trade tips. Perhaps get used to adding copies of your posts made in the Main forum, if necessary..so that users of the less popular insulins on this website, will see more threads in here, and feel they have a special place to go, too..even if they decide to use one of the other insulins later on. You can tag each other by using the @ symbol before the desired members' username, and they will be alerted to a post put in here. That's the easiest way to get their attention.
"If you build it, they will come"
Jeanne & Dottie
Active Member
Thanks for posting that, zzyzzx. I wonder how many people put their animals to sleep because they don't know about ReliOn's insulin? Ack, vets should be more up front about all options. And there's no shame in admitting they don't know everything. If vets could set up a mentor program within their practice, volunteers who have sick animals could coach other owners after they get their own cats stabilized..
BJM
Very Active Member
And what are your test numbers at +8, to pre-shot?
If the NPH is wearing off before 12 hours, how are you handling it? (There are options to manage this.)
Leaving the glucose high for a couple hours every shot may result in ketones, possibly diabetic ketoacidosis, hepatic lipidosis from fat breakdown for calories when the glucose cannot be used, and potential organ damage.
If the NPH is wearing off before 12 hours, how are you handling it? (There are options to manage this.)
Leaving the glucose high for a couple hours every shot may result in ketones, possibly diabetic ketoacidosis, hepatic lipidosis from fat breakdown for calories when the glucose cannot be used, and potential organ damage.
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