NEED HELP FINDING VET WILLING TO PRESCRIBE INSULIN

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Manny Castañeda

Member Since 2022
My 6-year-old cat was diagnosed diabetic with a glucose reading of 474 and fructosamine of 787. He initially referred me to a specialist, but I can't get an appointment for a month and it'll be $160 before I walk in the door. I am a type 2 diabetic myself and I have read the wonderful info here so I think I know a bit about this disease. When I asked the main vet for help, he agreed to help me but would charge me $800 to hospitalize the cat to establish the glucose curve.

I can't afford it. If I can get the insulin, I'm willing to do that myself, but he refuses to prescribe me any unless he does the curve. Does anyone know of a vet in the Miami area or one online who can prescribe insulin so I can try to save my cat? I understand the liability issues and agree to sign whatever needs to be signed to release the vet and the script can ask for the lowest possible dose to ensure there are no issues. My only other option is to just modify the cat's food (already switched to a low-carb one) and hope for the best.
 
In the interim you can ue N/NPH insulin which yu can get w/ o a script. Walmart sells a 10 ml vial for about $30. Other places charge an arm and a leg.
 
I would ring around and see if you can find a vet willing to prescribe the insulin. It is perfectly ok to start the insulin at home as long as you are willing to hometest the blood glucose…..which we all do here. Try and get either Prozinc or Lantus insulin. If Lantus is prescribed you can get a generic version of it called Semglee which is much cheaper. We can help you here with dosing once you get the insulin, but you will need to be hometesting the blood glucose levels.

You can buy a human ReliOn Premier meter at Walmart for $9 and a box of 100 test strips for $17.88. You will also need a box of 26 or 28 gauge lancets to prick the ear. And some cotton rounds to hold behind the ear when you prick.
HOMETESTING HINTS link here

While you are at Walmart, I would buy a bottle of Ketostix so you can test the urine for ketones which can form in diabetic cats if they are not getting enough. insulin. I would also make sure your kitty is eating very well and drinking,

swapping to a low carb diet is great and will help but don’t delay in getting started with insulin as other problems can arise if you do.
I can’t believe the vet won’t let you do the insulin at home.
 
Thank you so much for your replies. I have a meter here and a lot of strips since I am a diabetic. And, I am quite happy to see you have BG values listed calibrated to human meters. I didn't know there was a type of insulin I could get without prescription - is it inferior to the ProZinc or Vetsulin? BTW, my vet is decent, but he sold his practice a year ago to one of the corporate conglomerates and even though he works there, he has to abide by their rules. It's sad when because of perceived liability they'd rather let the cat die than allow the owner to try to help him, but that's corporate risk aversion for ya!
 
Yes Novolin N insulin is not really an insulin for cats. Either is vetsulin. You need Prozinc or Lantus if you can but if all else fails you can use the others with caution but you would need to get advice on dose.
I would try ringing around but don’t leave it too long before starting some insulin.

what insulin do you use?
 
I don't use insulin (yet). I'm on oral meds. But, I have experience with it because of my family. It's too bad there are no oral meds for diabetic cats. I'll try cold-calling vets to ask, although around here it's hard to even speak to one without a $50 - $60 consult. Thanks again for your advice.
 
If you don’t start the insulin within a week I would buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy and test the urine for ketones. If there are ketones present you will need to start the insulin straight away.

while you are waiting you might like to set up the spreadsheet and signature. Directions are in this link HELP US HELP YOU
 
Sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but why won’t the vet that found the high glucose reading write you a script before doing a curve? That makes no sense to me. Diabetic Cats in Need is a great organization that will provide insulin and testing tools, but you would still need a prescription from a vet.
 
Another option is to look on community social media pages - like if your city has a Facebook group, that's how I found my vet when I asked for recommendations
 
Vetsulin is also not a good insulin for cats. Most cats do better on longer acting insulins like Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. Alternatives to Lantus are Semglee and Basaglar - these are all bio-similar insulin glargine.
 
Try this vet. The owner's name is Yuri and he used to live/practice in my hometown of Barstow California. He is really good and very compassionate with pets and their owners. Tell him one of his clients from Barstow referred you (I was a client of his at ISA and ABC). Good luck.

 
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