? New to this

[Sweet Cole]

I'm new to cat diabetes. stumbled upon this site. I took my Cole in last week because of his symptoms of weight loss, coat unhealthy, malaise, eyes dazed and he has diabetes. I am giving him insulin twice a day and bought Hill diabetic diet food. I still need a glucometer. I want to vent that I spent $ at the vet on this new diagnosis, and find myself feeling taken advantage of when I learned I paid $50.00 for 100 insulin syringes with a collection box for the used needles. I can use a milk jug and buy 100 at store for $10.00. I lose respect easily when I feel I have been taken advantage of. I spent almost $300.00 to initially start up caring for my sweet Cole. Am I being too dramatic? I know the cost of health can be expensive but To pay what I did on the box and syringes it too much. Cole is being a sport thru all this.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Welcome.
Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninsulin.
If yu are using a pet insulin like ProZinc or Vetsulin/Caninsulin those are U40 insulin compared to the U100 strength of human insulins. You can use the human U100 syringes with a U40 insulin wit a conversion. Drawing up a U40 insulin tot he 2 1/2 unit mark on a human insulin is only one unit of the U40 insulin. That would be drawing up the U40 insulin to the 1 unit mark on a U40 syringe. The needle caps on U40 syringes is red compared to orange for a U100 syringe.
It is good that you want to home test BG. Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
A popular meter here is the WalMart ReliOn Confirm or Confirm Micro, aka Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini from American Diabetes Warehouse
No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Welcome to the board. So glad you found us. I don't think any one here is going to think you are being too dramatic. I'm sure there are a lot of folks here who have experienced what you have....extra unnecessary costs as a result of vet advice or insistence. It would be helpful if you would tell us what insulin Cole is on. There are both 40u and 100u insulin syringes which are used with different kinds of insulin. Here in Canada, the 40u syringes are not available through regular retailers and must be bought from the vet directly and that may be the case where you are located.

It appears your vet has recommended Hill's prescription diet which is very expensive and not the best choice for treating our diabetic cats. There are a number of regular inexpensive canned foods available including Friskies and Fancy Feast pates that work very well for diabetic cats. Your selection of food may be different depending on where you are located but we have members from all over the world so let us know where you are located and we can direct you to some more economical options.

Your vet may also recommend purchasing a pet glucometer. While this is an option, the pet meters are more expensive to buy initially and the strips are more expensive. The majority of folks here use a human glucometer and the reference material available here is all based on readings taken with human glucometers which read lower than pet meters. Both meters work just fine for monitoring our cats. It is however important to ensure that if your vet uses a pet meter and you use a human meter, that your vet is aware of the differences in the readings.

There are also ways to keep insulin costs down. I'm guessing you are in the US given the price you quoted for the insulin. I am also guessing the insulin might be Lantus and that you purchased a 10ml vial. Lantus can be purchased in smaller vials of 3ml each which are far more economical in the long run although they are a little more expensive up front. The difference being, you will use up most if not all of the insulin in the 3ml vials vs. having a lot of waste from the 10ml vial. If you are in the US, you can order insulin from Canada and save considerably as our insulin prices are much lower.

 

[BJM]

Clarification: Lantus (aka glargine) may be purchased as 3 mL (300 unit) pens in the US. Typically, they are sold as a 5 pack; some pharmacies will sell the pens individually, so you'll want to ask around.
Check our Supply Closet section; sometimes you can get Lantus there.
A pharmacist will say the pen is good for only 30 days, which is what was tested, unrefrigerated, for humans. Refrigerating Lantus on a stationary shelf may extend the life of the insulin up to 6 months.
You use the U-100 syringe to withdraw the insulin from the pen (no air injection needed) as you may need to adjust doses by eyeballing quarter units, which are not marked.