New member

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

Katykat

New Member
Hi
My cat, Tigger, is a 13 year old male. He has been on insulin for about 3 years. He was getting 8 units of pet insulin. Unfortunately, I lost my job which means that $200 for his insulin which lasts about 6 weeks is more than I can afford. I can get human insulin from Walmart for $25. I just need to be reassured. With the human, I am giving 2 units of the long-lasting insulin. Please offer feedback.
 
What insulin were you using? I'm assuming it's either Prozinc or Vetsulin. I'm guessing that you will be switching to Novolin/Humulin N.

The dosing is less of an issue than the way the insulin works. The human insulin will work more quickly and can drop numbers hard and fast. Also, 8u of insulin is a lot of insulin. What are you feeding Tigger? If he's not eating a low carbohydrate diet, his insulin needs will be considerably greater than if he's eating low carb.
 
What insulin does your vet recommend?

Humulin N is too short acting for many cats so it's not ideal to use.

Other Human insulins that are used in cats and that work very well are Lantus and any of the biosimilars or generics. There's an info thread on how to get a box of five Lantus pens for just $35: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/sourcing-insulin-more-economically.288053/ A box of five pens can last at least a year. I purchased a box last January and I'm on the second to last pen currently which will last another week or two before I start the last pen. Each pen is good to the last drop.

Human insulins are U100 so you will need to purchase U100 insulin syringes if you weren't using them before.

Can you provide more info on your cat? Diet, any other health issues / medications, do you test blood glucose levels at home, etc?
 
Last edited:
O. Thank you for replying. I am using Novolin. Tigger is a big cat. He weights 16 pounds. There are 2 other special needs cats in my home. One had a brain abscess as a kitten. She is blind and deaf on one side. She also has seizures. The other was terribly abused. His tail was broken. He is blind in one eye. He has emotional problems. Right now, every cat eats the same. My income went from 70k annually to 24k annually. I am just doing all I can.
 
squeem3 said:
What insulin does your vet recommend?

Humulin N is too short acting for many cats so it's not ideal to use.

Other Human insulins that are used in cats and that work very well are Lantus and any of the biosimilars or generics. There's an info thread on how to get a box of five Lantus pens for just $35: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/sourcing-insulin-more-economically.288053/

Can you provide more info on your cat? Diet, any other health issues / medications, do you test blood glucose levels at home, etc?
Click to expand...
O. I didn't know there were other options. Tigger has no other health issues. Please tell me more about the pens. How many doses does each pen hold?
 
Some :bighug::bighug: to you. Having multiple special needs cats and a job loss is hard.

A pen has 3 ml of insulin. How long it lasts depends on the cat's dose. Cat doses vary based on regular blood glucose curves so how long each pen will last is hard to predict. You can get at least a month, maybe 2 or 3 from a single pen. And you don't use the pen like a Human diabetic would. Use insulin syringes to draw the insulin out.
 
@Katykat

If you do switch to Lantus or generic Lantus (glargine)
You can read all about Lantus here

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-levemir-biosimilars.9/


You can get 5 pens for 35.00
https://www.goodrx.com/lantus
You will need U-100 syringes with the half unit markings since we adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time

Using the pens
Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen! You will see a small gray rubber stopper, insert the syringe there
syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006
 
Last edited:
You are such a good person to care for all those kitties with special needs.
If you choose to use the Lantus pen make sure the syringes are U100, 3/10 ml, 30 or 31 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top