Question about Lantus insulin

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spacey

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It has been a while since I posted about Spacey and I need some advice about the Lantus insulin he is currently on. He originally started on Prozinc and was on that for about a year and a half receiving 5 units twice daily. But his blood glucoses remained consistently high averaging 300 to 500 at times. I fed him fancy feast turkey & giblets and friskies special diet ocean whitefish primarily and still do and some dry.
About three months ago, I switched vets and Spacey was put on 1 unit of Lantus per day. His BGs went into the 200 to 300 range. But about a month ago, he started to lose weight and when I took him back into the vet he had lost 4 pounds and was also diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on Benazepril 5 mg 2X per day. Last week his blood glucoses started going high again 400 to 500 and Spacey is acting very lethargic. I thought that maybe his Lantus had gone bad, but when I phoned the vet she said as long as it is refrigerated it can last up to 6 months. I purchased it 3 months ago when we switched Spacey from Prozinc to Lantus. His last lab work was done in May so the vet isn't recommending lab work right now but said we might do a urinalysis to check for possible UTI. I have no clue what is going on with Spacey, and was wondering if maybe it is the Lantus causing him to lose weight. When he was on Prozinc his BGs were high but he was not losing weight. Any advice greatly appreciated. Lori & Spacey
 
What kind of dry food are you feeding him, I know some cats are super sensitive to any carbs at all and even a few pieces can send their numbers soaring.
 
The dry varies but mainly Purina indoor. He primarily is fed the wet food at shot times and mostly throughout the day when he is acting hungry, but occasionally he will nibble some dry. That is another thing, he is acting hungry even though his BGs are high. Sometimes I feed him canned tuna and will boil chicken (white meat). I am just at a loss as to why he is losing weight and his BGs are so high. He was eating the same food and the same amounts when his BGs were in the 200 to 300 range when he first started the lantus. His labwork in May tested OK except for the BGs.
 
Do you know if he's been checked for hyperthyroid? I believe one of the primary symptoms is weight loss.

Carl
 
Spacey had blood work done but I am not sure if they tested him for hyperthyroid. He has another vet appointment Friday to have another curve done, I will ask my vet if they can do the test. My older cats have had them done, I hadn't thought about that for Spacey. Thanks for suggesting it.
 
It is possible that your lantus is no longer viable. Even when stored properly, Lantus once opened may not last 3 months, 6 months, etc. It may only last 1 or 2 months. If you have had this lantus open for a few months, I would try a new one and see if that helps.

Does the lantus look cloudy or filmy? Does it have floaties in it? These are signs that the lantus is bad, but not the only ones. Consistently high numbers or wacky numbers could be a sign that it's bad.
 
spacey said:
The dry varies but mainly Purina indoor. He primarily is fed the wet food at shot times and mostly throughout the day when he is acting hungry, but occasionally he will nibble some dry.
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All of the Purina dry foods are well in the 25%+ carb range :shock: Way way too many carbs for any cat to have. If you completely remove the dry food, you most likely see a noticable improvement in bgs. Can you leave canned food snacks out using a programmable timed feeder? To satisfy "crunchies", you can give a low carb hard treat like the Poultry Crispies sold at OnlyNaturalPet.com

Hillary has a good thought. If your Lantus is too old, then it pretty much has the potency of water and doesn't work well. See if a new bottle or pen will do the trick. Watch bgs carefully when you start a new bottle or pen. The new insulin can pack a punch
 
we could barely get 30 days out of a pen for mocha, before her numbers started creeping up .. and yes, even a small amount of kibble can raise up sugar levels .. Don't forget a cat will act hungry when their levels are high, it's almost like their little bodies are starving for food, they just can't get enough of it ..

But getting spacy tested for hyperthyroid is also a very good idea!
 
IF the vial is handled very carefully than it MAY last up to 6 months, but even when handled carefully I never got that much life out of Lantus. My first vial only lasted 28 days because I didn't know you weren't supposed to shoot the excess insulin back into the vial when measuring the dose. After that, I got the pens to save myself money, and I think the longest they ever lasted for me before becoming ineffective was 45 days. I would get a pack of pens instead of the vial. You draw the insulin out of them just like you would a vial. There is a bigger up front cost, but they save you a ton of money in that you're not throwing a way insulin.

Here's info on how to properly handle and store Lantus: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151

All the Purina dry foods are high in carbs and also likely contributing to his higher blood sugar. If Bandit has even a handful of dry food his blood sugar raises from normal (about 60-90), to the 300-400 range, just from the food alone.

Have you seen this link to set up a spreadsheet to track your numbers? http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207. This is a very valuable tool in seeing trends and patterns in his number so that you can catch things like insulin that's gone bad or how much the dry food is raising his BG, as well as how the dose should be adjusted. We might be able to help you out some more if you could post all of his numbers on Lantus so that we can see how he's been reacting.
 
Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions. I contacted Spacey's vet clinic this morning about the hyperthroid test and they told me that it was tested in May because he is a senior kitty (he is 10) My other cats are older, Jiminy is 17. Spacey's BG was 499 this morning before shot of 1 unit this a.m. 4 hours later it is down to 373. He is absolutely getting no dry through this and has had 1 3oz. can of fancy feast turkey & giblets all day. He is still acting very lethargic and does seem thirsty. So if the Lantus I have has gone bad, would it be lowering his BGs at all? Will take him to vet on Friday for his curve and another blood pressure check, then I will get new Lantus and go from there. I will try to set up a spreadsheet for Spacey but if I can't figure it out I'll probably need help and be bugging ya'll. lol Again thanks for the advice. Lori & Spacey
 
think about it this way - if you were told to take a certain medication in a certain amount and you water down the bottle of medication, yet still take the same amount, will the medicine still work? Yes, it may work but it won't work as efficiently as if you took it at full strength.

It could be the same with your lantus. Again, it's just another thought, since your vet told you it would last for 6 months. It just may not last that long and honestly, could be going bad.

The only way to know for sure, is to open a new pen or vial and try it out and see what the numbers are. If you numbers are consistently better, then your old insulin isn't working.
 
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