Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice needed!

[Snickers15]

Hello,

My 15-year old Siamese, Snickers, was diagnosed on Tuesday with Diabetes. She was going in for her annual blood work, as well as xrays, urinalysis, fecal, etc... Except a day or so before I noticed a sudden that when cleaning her litter box, there was a LOT of urine from her. I immediately thought the worst, but at least she was going into the vet already...

While I've studied and cared for animals with diabetes, but I've never imagined that my own would suffer from it. She has always been exceptionally healthy for being 15 and I am constantly vigilant on her health. She has had her problems here and there but nothing big.

So I'm looking for advice on treating diabetes in an older cat from others' experiences and not just from what the vets, vet techs, and the books say. First of all what I worry about is the price of insulin... My vet got me that lantus pen cause they say it is easy as well as cheap. Honestly, I can deal with syringes, etc, so looking for best price and if any of you prefer a different type. The vet suggested Lantus because they say most cats in remission were on this insulin. I also get it from some pharmacy strictly dealing with pet meds, etc and located here. The vet said it was the cheapest and I've been under so much stress that I went with it. I have a feeling there is definitely cheaper... The pen went for $95.95 for 50 Units, and she is on 2 U twice a day (4 in total) to start with, but recently I heard this is high for Lantus? Regardless, it's still obviously this is less than a month's worth and I can already start summing up how much this is going to be costing. Is it cheaper at Walmart? Somewhere else? Another insulin? Vials and syringes? Or all pretty much the same?

Second question is a big one... Diet. I understand diet is important. I bought her a small bag of M/D the low carb, high protein diet but I worry as I recall senior cats should take less protein in to avoid kidney disease? Maybe I'm remembering it wrong. To add on to the confusion... I have a 4 month old kitten I recently got, which I would NOT have gotten if I knew my cat had diabetes -.- I have free fed my 15 year old dry food her entire life, and in fact she has little interest in the canned M/D I bought so trying to get her to eat before the insulin is hard these last 3 times (just started it). I have taken the food away so she does beg for food when it's time, but I would still rather free fed if possible... Anyway, an important question is... is it alright to switch both cats to M/D even though one is a kitten? I want to feed them the same thing, to make it easier, in case the kitten eats Snickers' food or Snickers gets to the kitten's. Also, about free feeding... My old girl isn't that overweight. 12 lbs and pretty muscular but some chubbiness (okay, mostly some chubbiness). I mean, I've seen worse. Do you suggest it is very important to schedule feed? I was told it's easier to just do it because of needing to feed with the insulin. Except the vet also mentioned having small meals throughout the day is important... which is how she eats when I free feed. She has never just sat there and finished her bowl. I've never seen it clean except when the dog gets to it.

Can't think of anything else right now... But any help is appreciated. I've been such a mess and having my best friend sick now is not what I needed. I cannot begin to ever imagine losing her especially now.

I also did order an AlphaTrak Glucometer and it should be in by mid-week next week. I will be testing her every 2 hours for one day, from my understand. If anyone can give me tips on doing this, it'll be appreciated, but I'll poke the doctors/techs where I volunteer to ask as well next week. Since it won't be for awhile, do you recommend lowering the insulin myself since I can't check her blood glucose yet down to 1 U? Or stick with 2 U? Is it bad to just change it like that?

... Alright, so more questions. Sorry for the spammy intro! ^^;

 

[Dyana]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Welcome

We can help you with your Snickers.

I'm glad you are planning to home test. You can buy a human glucometer from WalMart for something like $9 and the test strips are $20 for 50 strips, which is way less expensive than the alphatrak.

Once you start home testing, we're going to recommend that you start to transition her to an all wet low carb diet.
Can you feed your kitten her kitten food in a location where Snickers can't get to it?

Insulin: I just bought 5 x 3ml pens from CanadaDrugsOnline. Each 3ml pen would be equal to 300 units.

I would go over to the Lantus forum and read the starred sticky posts at the top. There is a lot to learn so take your time.

15 isn't that old.

 

[Sheri & Spyder (GA)]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Take a deep breath......welcome to the best place to be!!

There's tons of info and help here, so take some time and start doing some reading.
Ask all the questions you need/want to.....we'll help you through this.

 

[hmjohnston]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

A deep breath in, hold it, and let it out!

My cat , Sneakers, was DX at age 16 so we got you beat . She is now 17 and doing quite well. A few things...

So I'm looking for advice on treating diabetes in an older cat from others' experiences and not just from what the vets, vet techs, and the books say. First of all what I worry about is the price of insulin... My vet got me that lantus pen cause they say it is easy as well as cheap. The vet suggested Lantus because they say most cats in remission were on this insulin. I also get it from some pharmacy strictly dealing with pet meds, etc and located here. The vet said it was the cheapest and I've been under so much stress that I went with it. I have a feeling there is definitely cheaper... The pen went for $95.95 for 50 Units, and she is on 2 U twice a day (4 in total) to start with, but recently I heard this is high for Lantus? Regardless, it's still obviously this is less than a month's worth and I can already start summing up how much this is going to be costing. Is it cheaper at Walmart? Somewhere else? Another insulin? Vials and syringes? Or all pretty much the same? [\quote]

Lantus- it is a GREAT insulin for cats. My question is you are calling it a pen but it sounds like you got half a vial. I think pens are 3ml and vials are 10ml. So you getting something with 50 UNITS (???) means he probably repackaged it into something else.

The cost is, I think, what a full vial would cost. The pens are more economical and you can get them at the pharmacy. Most people call around to find the cheapest or order it from Canada. You WANT to get the pens as the vials (it becomes open when you stick in the first needle) can poop out before you are finished with it, the vial can become contaminated, dropped, shaken, ect... and you could be out the whole vial. The pens, however, are smaller, have the same 'expiration' time as the vial (when you first stick the needle in it) and is subject to the same dangers as the vial- BUT IS SMALLER. Instead of 10ml you may have only have to throw out 3ml. Then next pen is the same- it is considered open when you first use it. Short of it, they last longer but have a higher price b/c you are buying 15ml instead of 10ml.

The syringes are (mostly) all the same- you just want to get the ones with 1/2u markings on them as it helps to dose. Speaking of DOSE- Snickers is most likely on too high a dose right now. I would just start with 1u and start home testing. I would by some ketostix and check for ketones daily, but the shed should have drained in 2 or 3 days and be better for Snickers.

(Heavily paraphrased)
Second question is a big one... Diet. I understand diet is important... I have a 4 month old kitten I recently got... I have free fed my 15 year old dry food her entire life... I have taken the food away so she does beg for food when it's time, but I would still rather free fed if possible... is it alright to switch both cats to M/D even though one is a kitten? Do you suggest it is very important to schedule feed? I was told it's easier to just do it because of needing to feed with the insulin. Except the vet also mentioned having small meals throughout the day is important... She has never just sat there and finished her bowl. [\quote]

Free feeding is a good thing to do. Most people on here free-fed unless the cat is one who scarfs n' barfs. We even have timers that rotate on schedule. Continue to free-fed. I don't believe protein is a problem for an older cat- it is the phosphorous in the food that is the problem. If you take out the protein they loose muscle and that isn't good and leads to other problems. Older cats have a higher chance to get into CRF because of age and dry food all their lives can lead to problems. Just get both cats onto the same canned food. If you feel the kitten needs a bit of extra kitten food serve it to her individually and take it up after she finishes with it. Snickers can get canned kitten food as well, as long as it is low carbed, but it does have extra fat so not too much :lol: .

Right now Snickers is starving. yes, she is eating all she can but without the insulin to help her body get the nutrients out of her food she is literally starving to death- so let her eat all she wants right now. My girl was eating 18-20 oz/day at the beginning and stealing food from my plate as well. Currently she is down to 8-10 oz/day (But she's getting picky!)

I also did order an AlphaTrak Glucometer and it should be in by mid-week next week. I will be testing her every 2 hours for one day, from my understand. [\quote]

Getting a human meter will be cheaper. I've calculated it out for me-

Upfront expenses:
Alpha track meter- $100+ to buy
strips- I think they are $1 EACH (found out the are $2 EACH unless on sale- so double it!!!!)
vs
Relion Micro- $15 (they just went up- I bought mine in January for $9- honest!)
strips- store- 100/$36 ($.36 EACH) and ADW 250/$72 ($.29 EACH)
I test, on average, 7 times a day.
Alpha- 7*1.00=7.00/day, 49.00/wk, 196.00/4 wk month.
Relion- 7*.29= 2.03/day, 14.21/wk, 56.84/4 wk month.
I save $139 a month by using a human meter, on average (DOUBLE THE SAVINGS). Sure, every 45 days my auto-ship order comes from ADW ($73 because of the auto ship discount covers most of the shipping cost) but I've built that into my budget.
But lets say you only test 3 times a day because of time constraints (both PS shots and one mid-cycle)-
Alpha- 3*1.00=3.00/day, 21.00/wk, 84.00/4 wk month.
Relion- 3*.29= .87/day, 6.09/wk, 24.36/4 wk month.
Comes to a $56 savings. That's a lot of cat food (or people food, utility bill, car payment...)
Plus, consider this- Walmart is easier to get to in the middle of the night (for at least half of us)- your vet isn't open at midnight if you need extra strips NOW!!! I've had many a teller say they can open those plastic little boxes for me if the pharmacy is closed. Yes, the pet meter will give you (almost) exact BG level than the human one will- but the human one is lower that the pet one in most cases by 20 points. We build that into the advice we give you- everything is based on human meter numbers. We really just need consistency in the numbers we get- not what they are exactly at any given point.

Sorry so long. I hope it answers the questions you had. if not, just ask them again.

heather

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Welcome! You have a lot of questions, and I'm going to try and answer them the best I can, so sorry for the length of this post...

Lantus is an excellent insulin, and while there are cheaper insulins, you really do not want to use them because they do not work well in cats. Basically you'd be wasting your money on something that would most likely cause your cat's health to deteriorate. Your vet is right that most cats go into remission on Lantus if they are eating a low carb, canned diet and you are following the Lantus dosing protocol. I'm confused at you paying that much money for one pen--did you get a pen or a vial or insulin? Pens come in a pack of 5 3ml pens (we use them as mini-vials, each pen is 30 units), and the vial is 10 ml (100 units). The pens are far more economical than the vial, because you use nearly all the insulin in a pen before it goes bad. One pack of pens in the US is about $240 (you may need to call around to pharmacies to get the best price; $240 is how much it is at Walmart, which usually has the cheapest price around), but that pack of pens will last you at least 6 months, and more likely a year if you handle them properly. A vial is about $130, but you waste the majority of the insulin in it and end up replacing it every 2-4 months if you're lucky. You can also order Lantus from Canada, where it's way cheaper: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1FCnrPxpYD02Gp5hWtEIbhLXm0VOyaZlAT_qeCjlx-Js. If you compare what you're paying per month for Lantus as opposed to the initial cost, Lantus ends up less expensive overall than "cheaper" insulins. Plus, when you follow the right diet and testing/dosing recommendations for Lantus, your cat has an very high chance of going into remission, and no insulin is cheapest of all.

she is on 2 U twice a day (4 in total) to start with, but recently I heard this is high for Lantus

2u is the maximum starting dose for a cat, and this is usually only given to very large framed cats like Bengals or Maine Coons. The starting formula for Lantus is .25u per kg of ideal weight. (See the dosing protocol: http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link4.pdf) For most cats, this ends up being about 1u twice a day. Most cats on a low carb, canned diet only never need much more than 1u, so starting at 2u is not recommended because you could be overdosing from the start. Cats getting too much insulin will have BG just as high as cats getting too little insulin, because their bodies respond to low numbers by dumping glucose into their bloodstream. Unless you're home testing daily (which is strongly recommended), you can't determine if high numbers are from too much insulin, or too little. If Snickers is supposed to weigh 10-11 lbs (you mentioned she's chubby), then her starting dose should be 1u of insulin twice a day, according to the formula.

I bought her a small bag of M/D the low carb, high protein diet but I worry as I recall senior cats should take less protein in to avoid kidney disease? Maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

Because Snickers is older, you're right that you probably want to feed a kidney-friendly diet as a precaution, since CKD is so common among senior cats, and doesn't show up in bloodwork until 65-75% of their kidney function is gone. However, low protein diets for CKD is an outdated recommendation, and unfortunately one that many vets still make. Low protein diets should ONLY be considered for cats in end stage renal failure, and is completely inappropriate for an early stage cat because it causes muscle wasting. In a senior cat, muscle wasting can be far more devastating to its health than early stage CKD. Given that you are also considering your cat's diabetes with diet, you certainly do NOT want to feed one of these high-carb, low protein foods.

The good news is that there are several foods that are good for both CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) and diabetes. To manage diabetes, you want to feed a low carb (less than 10%) canned food, and to manage the kidney disease, you want to feed a high quality, low phosphorus canned food. Many vets simply recommend low protein diets for cats with CKD, because they are by default low in phosphorus. However, it's the quality of protein and phosphorus levels that matter, not the protein values.

Here's an updated food list with the values for several premium foods: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B8...MzhkYTkxOGM4NThk&sort=name&layout=list&num=50. You're looking for something with less than 10% carbs (for the diabetes) and less than 250 mg/kcal of phosphorus (for the kidneys). The foods I would suggest are Merrick's Before Grain Beef, Merrick's Before Grain Turkey, Merricks' Cowboy Cookout, Merrick's Surf & Turf, Wellness Turkey, EVO 95% Chicken & Turkey, or Blue Wilderness Duck.

If those are out of your price range the next best thing to feed are the low carb Friskie's Special Diet Turkey & Giblets and Salmon flavors. However, I would strongly urge a food without byproducts, and keep in mind that they're still cheaper than the prescription foods and usually about the same as many grocery store brands if bought in large cans or in cases. Studies have shown that the quality of the protein source does make a difference in controlling the disease, and that needs to be considered along side phosphorus content.

Another big issue in promoting renal health is making sure that your cat is properly hydrated. Cats evolved in the desert, so they have very low thirst drives, and they never make up for the lost moisture in dry food at their water dish. The chronic dehydration caused by dry food is thought to be a contributing factor towards kidney disease in senior cats, so absolutely NO dry food. You can add a little water to your cat's canned food to increase moisture intake, and/or get a pet fountain--they encourage cats to drink even when they aren't thirsty.

is it alright to switch both cats to M/D even though one is a kitten? I want to feed them the same thing, to make it easier, in case the kitten eats Snickers' food or Snickers gets to the kitten's. Also, about free feeding... My old girl isn't that overweight. 12 lbs and pretty muscular but some chubbiness (okay, mostly some chubbiness). I mean, I've seen worse. Do you suggest it is very important to schedule feed? I was told it's easier to just do it because of needing to feed with the insulin. Except the vet also mentioned having small meals throughout the day is important... which is how she eats when I free feed.

I would get rid of ALL the dry food in your house. Both dry AND canned M/D are too high in carbs for a diabetic cat and will keep your cat's blood sugar high. You can feed the kitten the same thing you choose for Snickers (EVO and Wellness both come in large, 12-13 oz cans that makes it way cheaper to feed--also check out the store finders on their web sites to find a locally owned store that sells them, because it will be much less expensive there than at chain stores like Petsmart). Your kitten's health will benefit from the canned diet as well, because you'll be preventing nutrition related illnesses like kidney disease, diabetes, and urinary tract disease that are all caused by dry diets once the cat gets older.

You can free feed canned food. You just add some water to it and leave it out like you would dry. You can also freeze portions and leave them out to thaw. My Bandit will sit and over eat until he pukes, or lick at the frozen food for hours, so I freeze his portion of food and put it in an auto feeder, and it releases the food at his meal time. However, if you're having trouble transitioning your cat to canned, scheduled feedings are ideal. Here's a guide to help you transition: http://catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_. Once you get rid of the dry food, make sure you're testing and lowering your insulin dose because changing to a low carb, canned diet can cause drops of 100-300 points in blood glucose and some cats even go into spontaneous remission an no longer need insulin.

Your vet is right that diabetics need to eat smaller, more frequent meals. I feed Bandit 4 times a day--every 6 hours. When he was on insulin (he is in remission now), his feeding schedule was exactly the same. If you decide to free feed canned food, just make sure you're pulling it 2 hours before the shot, so that your pre-shot test number is not influenced by food.

Once you get Snicker's diabetes regulated to some extent, you'll also want to work on getting her to a healthy weight. Even an extra lb or two can cause increased BG levels, as I learned with Bandit. Here's a guide on how to do that safely: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity#Implementing_a_Safe_Weight-Loss_Program.

Speaking of testing, do you have a home glucose meter yet (a human meter is fine, you don't need a pet meter)? This will be your most important tool in getting your cat's blood sugar under control. 86% of newly diagnosed cats go into remission with Lantus, a low carb, canned diet, and when the dosing protocol is followed using daily home monitoring, so it's very important that you test your cat at home. The Relion meters from Walmart are very popular here because they are reliable and their strips are some of the most inexpensive you can get.

 

[Snickers15]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Thank you for the replies!

Looking closer at my pen, I noticed it says "3mL Prefilled Pen" on it. It's the only place it says any sort of measurement to how many mL there may be in it. I honestly have no clue anymore or where they got 50 from. So it is definitely a pen... I guess my hopes is it will last longer than I thought it was going to last. But it is only one pen, not a pack of more than that...

I'll see if I can even return the AlphaTrak... I am worried about where to get those strips and the cost of them, over the initial cost of the glucometer itself :/ That is a hundred plus dollars I did not need to spend right now. I wanted to buy Walmart's Relion glucometer the same day she was diagnosed but encouraged not to.

Thank you for all the tips as well as the pages! I have a lot of reading to do... At the moment I'm really worried about when I'm giving the insulin. This morning I just gave her 1 U and I hope it is alright to just change it like that! ^^; But when I give it to her, she hadn't had food all night but I call her over and bring her food and let her pick at it. She might take a bite or two (ignores the wet food) and then walks away... How much should she be eating when I give her the insulin? Or is free feeding all day alright? I wouldn't call her starving at all... She has begun to beg for table scraps a bit more often, but she rarely ever even finished the half-cup or so of food I'd give her daily in her bowl. I always just checked at night and filled when necessary, but she never eats all that much.

I know most people recommend wet food, but so far she completely ignores the canned M/D I bought. It's been dry food her whole life... x.x I will try these other brands, especially if they're cheaper, but I always figured canned food is more expensive as well... And that it is just more fattening than dry food, as well as dry food being better on the teeth. I'm starting to get so confused by all the different things I've been taught. Thankfully the kitten will eat anything right now. Unfortunately I want to put the kitten's food somewhere my old cat can't get it, but for now the kitten can't get up to high places either so they both need easily accessible food. I can't imagine old wet food sitting around is even appetizing for my old girl that doesn't even want the fresh wet food. Would a combination work at all?

I'll need to put a hypo kit together soon. So far her activity is the same, if a bit grumpier around the kitten. She still urinates a lot and I still see her drinking a lot too.

Thank you all and the long responses are fine. The more information the better. I'll be spending the day reading on the page here.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Looking closer at my pen, I noticed it says "3mL Prefilled Pen" on it. It's the only place it says any sort of measurement to how many mL there may be in it. I honestly have no clue anymore or where they got 50 from. So it is definitely a pen... I guess my hopes is it will last longer than I thought it was going to last. But it is only one pen, not a pack of more than that...

You were definitely way over charged for one pen. Get a script for the pens from your vet, and then go to a human pharmacy and get a pack of 5. Here's a link to a $25 off coupon, so it should only come to $219 for five pens if you go to Walmart: https://mprsetrial.mckesson.com/lantus5670/appSecLantus5670CouponReq.jsp. This is the cheapest you'll be able to get Lantus in the US. But you can also order pens from Canada for about half that price. Handling Lantus properly will also extend the life: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151. One thing that made my first vial go bad right away was that I was injecting insulin back into the vial after it had been in the syringe--this is a big no no with Lantus because the syringe lubricant contaminates the insulin. You always want to shoot excess insulin into the air, not back into the pen/vial.

I'll see if I can even return the AlphaTrak... I am worried about where to get those strips and the cost of them, over the initial cost of the glucometer itself :/ That is a hundred plus dollars I did not need to spend right now. I wanted to buy Walmart's Relion glucometer the same day she was diagnosed but encouraged not to.

If your vet won't take it back, try selling it on ebay to recoup some of your money. If finances are tight for you, then you definitely want to be able to get a meter with cheap enough test strips that allow you to test multiple times a day. If your vet argues point out that the dosing protocol for Lantus is written for BOTH human meters (1st section) and pet meters (2nd section). Human meters work just fine. If you get the Relion Confirm or Micro, you can buy test strips on line for cheaper than in the store here: http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...lucose-test-strips_4050.htm?source=SiteSearch. The Relion Confirm is the exact same as the Arkray Glucocard 01.

At the moment I'm really worried about when I'm giving the insulin. This morning I just gave her 1 U and I hope it is alright to just change it like that! ^^; But when I give it to her, she hadn't had food all night but I call her over and bring her food and let her pick at it. She might take a bite or two (ignores the wet food) and then walks away... How much should she be eating when I give her the insulin? Or is free feeding all day alright? I wouldn't call her starving at all... She has begun to beg for table scraps a bit more often, but she rarely ever even finished the half-cup or so of food I'd give her daily in her bowl. I always just checked at night and filled when necessary, but she never eats all that much.

Make sure you're testing before each shot to make sure it's safe to give insulin. Part of the problem is that you're free-feeding dry; without a natural hunger drive she is not going to be motivated to eat the canned food. I urge you to read the "Tips for transitioning" in my other post and get stated getting her off the dry. Start by doing only tiny, scheduled portions of dry (no more than she'll eat all at once), and then leaving out canned food for her. Fortiflora also helps a lot because it has the same flavorings in it that they put in dry food to get cats to eat it. You just sprinkle it on the canned food.

so far she completely ignores the canned M/D I bought. It's been dry food her whole life... x.x I will try these other brands, especially if they're cheaper, but I always figured canned food is more expensive as well... And that it is just more fattening than dry food, as well as dry food being better on the teeth.

Canned food is not more fattening than dry food. The high carb content in dry food is one of the biggest causes of feline obesity. Check out the feline obesity page for advice on how much to feed; the recommendations on the can is always way too much: http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity. You also feed less canned food than you feed dry food; there are no grain fillers in canned food so the cat is digesting nearly everything (they don't digest grains properly because cats are obligate carnivores). You'll find that you'll save money in litter because there will be much less waste in the box for the same reason. You also need to look at the calories in the food you're feeding--you feed smaller portions of higher quality canned foods because of the greater number of calories in it. Here's a helpful cost analysis: http://fnae.org/cost.html.

Go through the steps listed in the transitioning tips. Some cats are more stubborn than others, but nearly all will switch over to canned if you do it the right way, and don't give up even if the cat is being difficult. Dry food does NOT help a cat's teeth, that is a total myth. It would be like if your dentist told you to clean your teeth by eating crunchy potato chips all day long instead of brushing and getting teeth cleanings. Here's an article written by a vet that explains: http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/

Both my cats ate dry food most of their lives, and they both ended up with awful mouths before we switched to canned only (and one is diabetic and the other had kidney disease from eating dry food). Over the years, Bandit has had to have all but his two lower canines removed because he had FORLs(which are really common with Siamese cats, and have everything to do with genetics and NOTHING to do with food). I'm mentioning this because you mentioned that Snicker's was Siamese also, and it's something to watch out for especially with diabetic Siamese cats. A rotten mouth will make the diabetes worse, so you need to get any dental issues taken care of right away before you can get the diabetes under control. With FORLs, the teeth have to be removed once they start to resorb; it's the only way to solve the issue.

 

[squeem3]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

The vet suggested Lantus because they say most cats in remission were on this insulin. I also get it from some pharmacy strictly dealing with pet meds, etc and located here. The vet said it was the cheapest and I've been under so much stress that I went with it. I have a feeling there is definitely cheaper... The pen went for $95.95 for 50 Units

A single Lantus SoloStar pen contains 3 ml of insulin which is 300 units. I don't know where the vet/vet staff is getting 50 units from.

And you were way way overcharged for the single pen :shock: A box of five pen costs approximately $230 at the pharmacy, which comes out to approxmimately $46 per pen.

There's a thread about how much the Lantus pens cost here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=79553 It includes ways to save some money on buying insulin.

Be sure to read the info stickies on how Lantus works for cats: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9 You don't need to do a curve on your cat right away. It takes Lantus a couple of days to really start working on blood glucose levels. Just learn how to hometest for now and when you are comfortable with that, try a curve. A curve doesn't need to be done exactly every 2 hours. Cats don't always cooperate :razz: Just get as many tests done as you can in a 12 hour period, spreading the tests out so you get an idea of how the insulin works. A bunch of tests within 4 hours doesn't tell you what the blood glucose levels are like for the other 8 hours of the cycle.

 

[Snickers15]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

No idea where the 50 Units came from anymore either. It may have been the 100U/mL it says on the pen and the fact that she is on 2 U a day, someone in the staff was just telling me 50 doses... I think this sounds about how it went. The last week has been a mess, not only because of now having to deal with a diabetic cat, that I barely heard the vet half the time.

I appreciate knowing it IS cheaper at a pharmacy... Their pharmacy they recommend is obviously just ripping people off just cause they deal only with animal medications -.- I'm disappointed about that, as I asked specially I really needed the cheapest alternative, but at the time didn't care to do my own research (because of the rest of the drama and stress I've had to deal with). It's my mistake, but I will be requesting from now on to just get it at Walmart or another pharmacy :/

Thank you for that input. I'll be looking into the rest of the info... her urinalysis came back today, and thankfully lacking in ketones but had to pick up some antibiotics since it looks like she also has a UTI.

 

[hmjohnston]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

They say that when you go to the doctor for any appointment dealing with things like cancer you need to take a recorder with you because we only take in about 20% of what is said and that way you can at least re-listen to the conversation to catch the things you miss.

Too bad we don't think to take them to the vet.

But not telling you about the cost of the alpha meter up front before ordering it and charging you double for a pen makes me wonder a bit about the vet.

And, since you dropped the dose by half it will last longer than you thought it would- well over a month, at least. I can't really say as my kitty is high dose at 22u BID so we go through them once a week or so :lol: .

 

[PeterDevonMocha]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

I don't have time to post much right now, but I do know there is a coupon floating around here on this site, maybe in the supply forum, for 25.00 off your lantus prescription .. that will help you out as well!

 

[Snickers15]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

But not telling you about the cost of the alpha meter up front before ordering it and charging you double for a pen makes me wonder a bit about the vet.

The vet wanted to sell me an AlphaTrak for $200. I found it on Amazon through a seller for $120 so I bought it from the seller and waiting for it. The pen, however, I have no idea. The vet said she'd have the tech ask around for prices, but I'm positive that never happened and they just ordered it at their "vet" pharmacy. What's worse is that I applied and had a working interview that same day they were explaining everything to me. ... So even less got absorbed when talking about my cat. Not to mention I didn't even realize it was a working interview, I expected a few questions about the job etc but I was more concerned on my cat. Don't expect a call from them for that...

22U sounds so incredibly high! I'm sorry to hear that

I don't have time to post much right now, but I do know there is a coupon floating around here on this site, maybe in the supply forum, for 25.00 off your lantus prescription .. that will help you out as well!

Thank you! Julia & Bandit actually posted the coupon earlier. Hopefully with this first pen I'll start getting settled into this schedule and getting used to wondering why my alarm is going off so early in the morning. But I won't be purchasing anything else from that pharmacy again.

 

[Mary & Stormy Blue]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Hello,

I see you have been given a lot of good advice already, so I do not have a lot to add. But, I would like to ask, where are you located? We have board members all over the world - I'm asking just in case you need some local, hands-on help

~M

 

[Snickers15]

Re: Newbie- My old girl was diagnosed on Tuesday. Advice nee

Hello,

I see you have been given a lot of good advice already, so I do not have a lot to add. But, I would like to ask, where are you located? We have board members all over the world - I'm asking just in case you need some local, hands-on help

~M

Currently I live in Phoenix but I'm already searching for apartments to move back to the east coast within the next two months. Having a diabetic cat was not in the plans before a major move. :/