New Member. Can I use an injection pen?

Oliver was diagnosed with diabetes last week and his vet prescribed Lantus (glargine). My father is a type 2 diabetic who uses Lantus (along with a short-acting insulin). Rather than use a bottle and a syringe, he uses the injection pens where you can just dial the units and push a button to inject. Can I also use that for my cat? or is there some reason that I should use a syringe instead. Thanks!

 

Hi Jacquie and Oliver Welcome
The reason we do not use the pens is because with the pens you can only dial full units
We use U-100 syringes with half unit markings ,we increase or decrease by 0.25 units at a time so it's easier using the syringes.


I hope you are planning to home test, it's the only way to keep Oliver safe
If you can please fill out your signature I will give you the link


Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.

Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classic Pate or Friskies, try and stay atv5% carbs or less
Most FF Pates are 2 or 3%
I will give you the link to the food chart
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/

 

You can get syringes with half unit markings at a Walmart. Their ReliOn Brand syringes of 0.3 cc (30 unit) capacity come with half unit markings. Cost $12.58 for a box of 100
This is what the packaging looks like:


You can also buy them online at www.adwdiabetes.com

 

Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

Here is the link to read all about Lantus and the two dosing methods, pick one, they will tell you when to increase or decrease
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-basaglar-glargine-and-levemir-detemir.9/
Ask as many questions as you want to ,we have many experienced and knowledgeable members here , they have helped me get Tyler into remission

 

I think you might be talking past each other?

You can use the pens, we just don't use the needles that go with them.we just put syringe straight into pen, in the little mesh looking area. Just be sure not to push any air into it.

 

Partway down this post is an explanation

 

Ah thank you lol I can't paste pictures from my phone

 

Got it. Thanks for the information. I am planning to home monitor just haven't gotten the glucometer yet. Does anyone feed tiki cat? It's very low carb tho a bit expensive. Oliver won't eat pate so a lot of the cheaper low carb options don't work for him

 

I have fed tiki cat, but opposite problem lol loves pates, won't touch tiki cat (I think because I fed it when he was really sick). I see lots of people here feeding it

Have you seen this list?

 

You can get everything you need from WalMart.
1. Relion Premier Classic $9
2. Premier strips $17.88/100
3. Lancets--Relion "THIN" (not Ultra Thin or Micro Thin) $2
4. Lancet device (optional) $6
5. Cotton cosmetic pads (optional but nice to have....use behind ear so you don't poke your own finger and then to apply pressure after getting sample to prevent bruising) $3

You might try the Chunky chicken or Chunky turkey Fancy Feast....also, BFF (Best Feline Friend) brand has low carb, non-pate options that are usually cheaper than Tiki Cat. Weruva is another option but about the same price as Tiki.