North Toronto (Canada) - Vet Recommendations

[Perezamado23]

I hope this post is allowed... I'm looking for recommendations of a vet in the northern area of Toronto. I need a vet that understands how to treat a cat with Lantus as my current vet is adamant that Remy starts on Caninsulin and in my gut I feel it's not the best idea.
I'm hoping someone in this forum has a great vet to recommend.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Gus the Furminator]

Go with your gut! Lantus is the gold standard for our sugarbabes. Caninsulin was designed for dogs who have a much slower metabolism than our kitties which makes it hit hard and fast and wears off well before the next shot.

I mean… insulin isssss OTC in Canada and all you really need is FDMB to help with the diabetes management I can promise they know more than most vets on the subject of this disease.

Waving hello from Ottawa! Wish I could help you find a vet but I don’t think my mobile vet travel quite that far … I will ask around for you though

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Caninsulin really needs to go away. Our Toronto vet is long gone but if the need ever arises we have a vet that boards diabetic cats 25 minutes west of the airport. Another 20 minutes is the Cat's Castle, it looks beat up from the highway but they boarded five of ours last year and did a great job. Just bookmark this thread or PM me for the name of the vet.

 

[Perezamado23]

Caninsulin really needs to go away. Our Toronto vet is long gone but if the need ever arises we have a vet that boards diabetic cats 25 minutes west of the airport. Another 20 minutes is the Cat's Castle, it looks beat up from the highway but they boarded five of ours last year and did a great job. Just bookmark this thread or PM me for the name of the vet.

Thank you! I hope my vet will agree with my Lantus treatment plan, otherwise I'm off to get a second opinion. Good to know about the Cat's Castle. I will PM you for the name of the vet. Thanks!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

If you need to offer your vet the recommendation of a veterinary association, this is a link to the guidelines published by the American Animal Hospital Association for diabetes treatment. I'd encourage you to print out the information and bring it along. If your vet gives you a hard time about Lantus, you can hand him the copy of the guidelines. They were first published in 2018 and have been consistently updated.

FWIW, in the UK, for a long time, Caninsulin has to be prescribed first. If the cat failed on that insulin, another insulin could be used. I don't believe this was the case in Canada, though.

 

[Perezamado23]

If you need to offer your vet the recommendation of a veterinary association, this is a link to the guidelines published by the American Animal Hospital Association for diabetes treatment. I'd encourage you to print out the information and bring it along. If your vet gives you a hard time about Lantus, you can hand him the copy of the guidelines. They were first published in 2018 and have been consistently updated.

FWIW, in the UK, for a long time, Caninsulin has to be prescribed first. If the cat failed on that insulin, another insulin could be used. I don't believe this was the case in Canada, though.

Thank you, I will print it out and share with my vet, I hope she gets on board and supports me

 

[Jacques and Pumpkin]

Thank you, I will print it out and share with my vet, I hope she gets on board and supports me

The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) guidelines go even farther than the AAHA guidelines. The AAHA guidelines read they like really wanted to say use glargine but also didn't want to offend the caninsulin diehards.

From the ISFM guidelines:

On the front page: "Optimising bodyweight, feeding an appropriate diet and using a longer acting insulin preparation (eg, protamine zinc insulin, insulin glargine or insulin detemir) are all factors that are likely to result in improved glycaemic control in the majority of cats. There is also some evidence that improved glycaemic control and reversal of glucose toxicity may promote the chances of diabetic remission."

Page 239, in massive letters: "The use of longer-acting insulin preparations, injected twice daily, is recommended for optimal diabetic control."

Page 240: "the Panel recommends, whenever possible, the use of longer acting insulin preparations (eg, glargine, detemir or PZi), injected twice daily, for optimal diabetic control"

 

[Perezamado23]

The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) guidelines go even farther than the AAHA guidelines. The AAHA guidelines read they like really wanted to say use glargine but also didn't want to offend the caninsulin diehards.

From the ISFM guidelines:

On the front page: "Optimising bodyweight, feeding an appropriate diet and using a longer acting insulin preparation (eg, protamine zinc insulin, insulin glargine or insulin detemir) are all factors that are likely to result in improved glycaemic control in the majority of cats. There is also some evidence that improved glycaemic control and reversal of glucose toxicity may promote the chances of diabetic remission."

Page 239, in massive letters: "The use of longer-acting insulin preparations, injected twice daily, is recommended for optimal diabetic control."

Page 240: "the Panel recommends, whenever possible, the use of longer acting insulin preparations (eg, glargine, detemir or PZi), injected twice daily, for optimal diabetic control"

Thank you for all the information! I hope my vet agrees to start Remy on one of the recommended longer acting insulins so we can start treatment right away!

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

There's one more thing that is a life lesson some people like me took too long to learn.
Never be intimidated because someone has a stethoscope around their neck and a diploma on the wall. If your gut tells you this isn't right then it usually isn't.
I fell for it again last year with Magic Beans brand weight loss kibble and it nearly killed poor Sam. It's your animal and you have every right to ask pertinent questions.
There's a book called 'Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs'. If a vet wants to prolong a useless life get a copy of 'Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End'
Being Mortal is required reading in some medical schools.

 

[Amy & Herman]

I hope this post is allowed... I'm looking for recommendations of a vet in the northern area of Toronto. I need a vet that understands how to treat a cat with Lantus as my current vet is adamant that Remy starts on Caninsulin and in my gut I feel it's not the best idea.
I'm hoping someone in this forum has a great vet to recommend.
Thanks in advance!

Hi there - I am just north of Toronto in King City. Is that about the right area for you? If so I will send you a message re: vet recommendation!

 

[Perezamado23]

Hi there - I am just north of Toronto in King City. Is that about the right area for you? If so I will send you a message re: vet recommendation!

Hi Amy! Thank you for your message. I spoke to my vet today and she is aligned to using Lantus so I will stay with her
I noticed you have Herman on Vitacost Methyl B-12. How soon after starting insulin did you start giving that to him? Remy is displaying signs of neuropathy and I want to help him as soon as I can but I'm not sure if I have to stabilize his BG prior to starting him on the vitamin.
Thanks!

 

[Amy & Herman]

Hi Amy! Thank you for your message. I spoke to my vet today and she is aligned to using Lantus so I will stay with her
I noticed you have Herman on Vitacost Methyl B-12. How soon after starting insulin did you start giving that to him? Remy is displaying signs of neuropathy and I want to help him as soon as I can but I'm not sure if I have to stabilize his BG prior to starting him on the vitamin.
Thanks!

Glad things worked out with your vet! I didn’t start Herman on the methyl b12 right away, he hadn’t shown signs of neuropathy until a few months in but I definitely started the b12 before he stabilized as it took quite some doing to get Herman regulated, so I would think you can go ahead with the b12 now if Remy is showing signs.

 

[Hazelnut16]

Go with your gut! Lantus is the gold standard for our sugarbabes. Caninsulin was designed for dogs who have a much slower metabolism than our kitties which makes it hit hard and fast and wears off well before the next shot.

I mean… insulin isssss OTC in Canada and all you really need is FDMB to help with the diabetes management I can promise they know more than most vets on the subject of this disease.

Waving hello from Ottawa! Wish I could help you find a vet but I don’t think my mobile vet travel quite that far … I will ask around for you though

How do you get OTC insulin? I'm in Ottawa Canada

 

[Perezamado23]

How do you get OTC insulin? I'm in Ottawa Canada

Hi! You can go to any pharmacy and ask for it. I had a prescription from my vet and took it to the pharmacy in Costco and it was a hassle as they wanted to create a profile for Remy and call the vet. The pharmacist told me it was easier to just buy it without the prescription so that’s what we did. We bought Lantus but they also offered the generic version.

 

[Gus the Furminator]

How do you get OTC insulin? I'm in Ottawa Canada

You can get it anywhere that sells insulin you might not mention it’s for your cat (it can spiral things) but even then I had a conversation with my pharmacist about my cat’s diabetes and was still able purchased it. Even taught them that you can use syringes with pen cartridges