Need a quick answer: Insuin...from a newbie

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Mom2Mousie

Member Since 2013
I'll be meeting with two vet clinics tomorrow and I hope you can give me a quick opinion here:

PZI is the insulin the vet hospital is recommending. They can discuss the recent research and why they feel this is a good product for my cat, but are not working toward once a day injections.

The vet I no longer want to use likes the Lantus, and she wanted to get to once a day injections.

I remembered both of these from the site today, thankfully. It seemed that most of you like Lantus better. IF there's someone who uses PZI could chime in here for me quickly, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to hear from a user, too, not just the vet.

Thanks.
Mousie's mom
 
We have a number of people who use ProZinc and have regulated kitties or have gotten them into remission. I used an earlier version of PZI and was happy with it. One of the advantages of it is that you can dose off a 12/12 schedule when necessary. (there are two insulins - ProZinc is one. There is also a compounded insulin usually called PZI. I wonder which your vet is considering)

Lantus and Levemir are popular here. One of the advantages of those insulins is that there is a protocol to follow. PZI is dosed based on your data and how your kitty has reacted to doses in the past.

If I were you, I would go to the Board Index page and check out the Support groups for Lantus and PZI. Read the information and some of the threads. That should give you some background for both insulins.

With any insulin, twice a day dosing is important and best practice.
 
Hi,
Like Sue mentioned, it's important to find out which type of "PZI" your vet is talking about.
There is one (the one I used) which is bovine based and compounded. Your vet would write a prescription, and you can order it directly from the manufacturer by mail.
There is also "Prozinc" which is rDNA insulin which is modified for use on cats. You can get it from other sources, but usually through the vet's office.

There isn't an insulin that works well with only one dose a day. PZI/Prozinc for sure don't. Cats process insulin twice as fast as dogs or humans do. Usually a vet who is looking at "one a day shots" for cats has probably treated diabetic dogs more than cats.

Lantus and Levemir are longer lasting insulin than the "P" insulins. They are called "depot" insulins and work differently.

There isn't a "best" insulin. Every cat reacts in his/her own way to it, so the "best" one is the one that works best for your cat. Unfortunately, there's no way to know that up front.

What I would ask the vet is "which insulin are you most familiar with?" And "what percentage of cats under your care have gone into remission with either PZI or Lantus". It's important that your vet is familiar with how they work, and with the most current dosing protocols for each one.

PZI (compounded) worked great for my cat Bob. He was on it for 10 weeks before going "off the juice". He's now a diet controlled diabetic and hasn't needed insulin for 18 months. But that's Bob. He may well have gone into remission no matter which insulin he was on. There's no way to know that for sure of course.

Carl
 
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