? Newly Diagnosed, Basic Questions.

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Zazzy

Zazzy

Member Since 2019
Hi all,

Zazzy was recently diagnosed and will be on Lantus as soon as we find a reasonable place to get it.
1). We are in the process of switching her (and our other cats) to an all wet food diet, twice daily. We are starting with Friskies canned food as I recall reading that was decent for diabetic kitties. Is this the best option? We are needing something affordable. We were using FF but the cans are smaller and the price has been going up the past year.

2). We are planning to do home blood glucose testing, only using the vet for her initial curve test after 7 days. Any advise on what/where to look for a glucometer? I was looking on Chewy's site and found the one they sell is about half the price of the one our vet sells. Anybody have pointers for the unit itself? Where would be the best place for strips?

3). I've seen people talking about pens vs the vial. Pros and cons for both?
 
depends on where you are, but if you are in the US, one less expensive source for glucometer and strips, is Walmart; their ReliOn Prime works for many here on the board

two things at least can go into your decision: you mentioned price, but also look at the size of blood droplet that meter requires; you will find many mentions of how to test; if you are lucky Zazzy will be cooperative

once you start testing and are comfortable, far less expensive, and more usable, if you do your own curve at home; you'll get a better indication of what's going on inside Zazzy

watch both Chewy and Amazon, both have been having sales on the 24 or 30 packs of the Fancy Feast classic pates .. changes by the day; even less expensive if you happen to get a Chewy coupon in the mail or find one on Retailmenot

for Friskies, you want the pates .. here is a link giving the carbohydrate % of many of the available foods -- 6% or less is optimal
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

welcome -- there are other things to say, other things to tell you, but I know at the start, it's all overwhelming and confusing

YOU CAN DO IT

(my Catcat says so)
 
What you want is the box of 5 small vials that you use with a pen. You do not need the actual pen itself as cats are micro-dosed and increased by tiny amounts. (Vets tend to increase in 1 unit doses which means that the correct dose is too often bypassed. Cats are teeny tiny. It is recommended that increases be no more than 0.25 units at a time.) You can just use an insulin needle and syringe and draw straight from the vial for accurate dosing.

The box of vials is better than 1 large 10 ml vial because if you drop the large vial, you have just wasted a lot of money and do not have a back-up vial.

A box of 5 pens should last you a year if properly handled and stored in the fridge. The "28 day" warning is for humans for whom the insulin is left out of the fridge once opened. You can use each vial down to the very last drop.

One of the cheapest ways to buy Lantus is to order it from Canada. Many people here do. The company is highly recommended and has great customer service. There may be a delay because of the heat. While Marks does take every precaution to keep the Lantus protected, they generally prefer not to ship during a massive heatwave. All they require is a prescription faxed from your vet.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/buying-insulin-from-canada.203498/

If this is the case, sometimes a pharmacy will break up a box and sell you just one pen vial which will do until the weather is cooler.

Other options are:
checking out the supply cupboard periodically.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/supply-closet-for-sale-or-free.15/

Ask your friends and relatives if they or someone they know is a diabetic and is willing to sell/give/loan you a pen vial until your order comes in. It happens. If someone only has a pen, take it. You can remove it from the casing, I'm pretty sure. (I've never done it, but I believe others have.)
 
Welcome to you and Zazzy. What a lovely little expressive face she has! I know this is all new and can be a bit overwhelming, but you are in the right place for information and support.

When you can take a little time, please create a signature for Zazzy. This is going to display her pertinent info whenever you post. You can fill in whatever you have now, and then edit and add as you decide on what glucose meter, etc.

1. Setting up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what (s)he eats/any other meds or health issues (s)he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.

If you like, you can also go into more detail by adding information in the profile area under "Personal Details".
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/creating-a-fdmb-profile.159626/

2. Another thing that will help us help you when you get started BG testing at home is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review his/her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

Ask all the questions that come up, we will help all we can with information, answers, suggestions and advice. :cat:
 
I used the pens and I think @Red & Rover (GA) meant a box of pens rather than vials. I used the pens to the last drop but ended up throwing away half of the two vials I had. I bought mine from Marks Marine in Canada which ships to the US. It’s much cheaper than I the states.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I used the pens and I think @Red & Rover (GA) meant a box of pens rather than vials. I used the pens to the last drop but ended up throwing away half of the two vials I had. I bought mine from Marks Marine in Canada which ships to the US. It’s much cheaper than I the states.
Click to expand...
I did mean the pens. My apologies. I was used to my pharmacist who fervently insisted that I ask for "a box of vials" so as to not accidentally sell me the pen mechanism. Strange fellow - no longer at the store.
 
Hi and welcome!!

Things do get better with time, at first all seems complicated and expensive but once you get the hang of it gets better and you will not need to spend so much money in testing strips ( with a bit of practice you get the reading on the first try) and supplies.

When you buy the syringes that you will be using with the pen make sure they have half units markings it makes dosing a lot easier
 
Welcome!

I recently got helpful responses about human meters in this post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/suggestions-for-human-meters.216471/
Also in that post are some good tips about getting a blood drop!

I personally use an AlphaTrak2 primarily, but if you go over to the Lantus forum, read the stickies at the top of the board. You will see that most folks there use human meters and the Relion from Walmart is a popular choice because it's so easy (and cheaper) to get the strips at your local store. Now that I have gotten going with testing, I haven't had problems getting enough blood for either meter, or both at the same time with one prick! Not saying that this will be your experience too, but what I am saying is that the amount of blood hasn't made a big difference for me, and I'm a newbie at home testing.

If you are interested in an AlphaTrak (pet-specific meter), try ADWdiabetes.com for your supplies. That is the cheapest source I have found. The AT strips are $$$$ and they go fast, especially as you are getting the hang of home testing.
 
Everybody above has given you great advice, and what a beautiful sugarcat you have there. I wish you both long health and happiness together. Some thoughts: many vets don't know much at all about feline diabetes, so keep reading and learning here. When M'row was first diagnosed, I was a basket case of stress, fear, etc for two months; keep your spirits up! Reach out to others here as often as you need. Yup, we use the relion prime; budget friendly, works great. Fancy feast pate, from Chewy. Don't know where you live, if you have a car, etc, but the home delivery is such a godsend. When you can, read about hypoglycemia and make a hypo box ( all that info is here too). After his first two months of sugarcatting, I woke up, realized M'row was doing fine and all my stress/ emotional upset were unnecessary. We hometest twice a day, right before Lantus injection. I was shocked to read that in the US/Canada there are only two programs for veterinary pharmacology!! You can do this, just carry on carrying on. If you have a problem that needs an immediate crisis response, start your post with "911". And keep posting with your news. M'row (AKA Mr. SillyCat) sends purrs.
 
Oh,some people worry about dental hygiene with feeding canned food. I read that feeding chicken gizzards can be helpful with this. I knew nothing about the hazards of dry food before M'row got diagnosed, can you imagine!!
 
Hello!!

Welcome to the Lantus Club!!! Once Zazzy starts using Lantus you will start posting in the Lantus Basaglar and Levemir Insulin support group (ISG) which you can access from the main FDMB page.

Awesome job getting a head start on BG testing and Feeding wet food! you are well on your way to success already:joyful: like others mentioned, the next steps here (when you get a chance) will be setting up your signature and a spreadsheet these tools are invaluable to member here who want to support and help you along the way on this journey.

A few beginner pointers for starting in the Lantus world ( sorry because I will probably repeat some of the good advice you’ve already received):

When it comes to dosing with Lantus we follow two methods here: Start Low Go Slow, and Tight Regulation. Have a look at the description of these methods Here and decide which one is best for you. Once you decide, add it to your signature so that members here can provide feedback for dosing as you move ahead.

In both TR and SLGS. We only increase or decrease the dose by 0.25u at a time. How long you hold a dose depends also on whether you follow TR or SLGS. Both TR and SLGS methods were designed to be used with human glucometers but you can also use a pet monitor if you prefer.

Although this is a bit of a repeat of the above given information, a lot of members here prefer to get the Lantus pens instead of the vial, they come in a set of 5 x 3ml pens. We like these because you only have to use one at a time, they aren't breakable, and you don't risk contamination / loss of efficacy in all of the pens at once when you use them. This means that you basically purchase a years worth of insulin in one go. We use the pens as if they were a vial, when you take the cap off of them you will see it has a similar top to a vial that you can draw insulin from using a u100 syringe. Some people here order there insulin from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada since it is more affordable than buying in the states. In Canada we don’t need a script to get insulin but when you order from Canada online from the states you will have to send them your prescription :)

We use u100 syringes with 0.5u markings and 8mm needle, you can get the relion brand at walmart, and some people have luck finding other brands for better prices at Costco. We use the smaller markings for help with fine dosing since we increase or decrease dosage by 0.25u at a time. So the 0.5u markers are a must :)

When it comes to testing blood you can use either a BG monitor for humans or pets, but keep in mind that dosing methods for Lantus are designed around human monitors. Additionally you will save a literal fortune if you use a human monitor... especially If you’re from the states :)

Some general advice for when you start looking around the Lantus, Basaglar, & Levemir group (LB&L) definitely read all the stickies at the top of the LB&L ISG especially around how to recognize and treat hypoglycemia and learn the information about how Lantus is a depot insulin and the way it works.

You will have to wait a few days for the Lantus to kick in since it is depot style and you will need to wait for the depot to build. Don’t be discouraged, it takes a few days.

Post daily if you can, only one post a day since it’s a busy forum, make your title in the following general format:

Date, Cat’s Name, AMPS value, additional testing values during the day, PMPS value.

Additional testing values are good to add to the title if you have them because experienced members may be able to notice if Zazzy has entered a dangerous situation that needs action, or may be able to provide feedback on dosage amounts.

You can edit the title with updates on your latest tests as the day goes by or add a question to the title if you end up with a question by the end of the day. For example you could start with this:

07/16 Zazzy AMPS 300

And end up by the end of the day having a title like this:

? 07/16 Zazzy AMPS 300 Starting Lantus, Advice / Tips wanted

In your post, link the previous days post at the beginning so that members can easily follow your progress backward and provide more valuable feedback.

The LB&L forum can be really overwhelming when you first go in, but don’t be intimidated! It is a really supportive group, you’ll like it over there because we’re all so awesome ;) Let us know how everything goes sourcing your insulin and getting your BG testing set up.

I’m looking forward to Zazzy’s first post over in LB&L land! See you the. :D
 
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