Questions about insulin types/brands & BG Testing

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Miles & Tillie Mom

Miles & Tillie Mom

Member Since 2020
It's been recommended that I consider a better (?) insulin for Miles. He's currently on Vetsulin, one unit/twice daily.

I've been doing some research on Lantus and it seems that there is a good chance (80%) of newly diagnosed cats going into remission if treated with Lantus and a healthy diet. Has anyone else heard this or had this experience? It's quite expensive but I'm also hearing about using pens instead of vials to save cost. How do the pens work? Is it less expensive?

Also, has anyone used Levemir? What are the advantages and disadvantages of Levemir vs Lantus?

On testing BG, how often should I be doing this? I have a meter and a few strips I can use now but is there a less expensive way to purchase strips and lancets? I read in here somewhere the strips alone can cost $200/mo which is way out of my budget.
 
Many of use here order our Lantus and Levemir from Mark's Marine Pharmacy in Canada. A lot less expensive than in USA.
Pens are preferred for low loses since one can use up a pen (300 units) before it loses its effectiveness. One just stickers a regular insulin syringe needle in the end where the pen needle goes and draw insulin out like one would do with a vial of insulin.
I find I get a flatter curve with Levemir compared with Lantus.
 
How many units of Vetsulin are you giving Miles?
What odd behaviors are you talking about?

Are you home testing Miles?
It's the only way to keep him safe
Most of us use human meter from Walmart The Relion Prime
Its 9 dollars.
Test strips are 17.88 for 100 strips
You would need 26 or 28 gauge lancets
Most of us test freehand just using the lancet
Some use the lancing device.
I like to use just the lancets, I can see exactly where I'm poking
Cotton balls to put behind the ear just in case you poke your finger
I am pretty sure you can buy half unit marking syringes at Walmart also

Then press gently on the ear to stop the bleeding 10-20 seconds or so
So what did they due for him that he was in the hospital for 3 days

About Vetsulin, it's not the best insulin for cat's, it's mainly for dogs
It's a harsh insulin and drops their BG fast, that's why you should be home testing
to see how it affects Miles .

Most of us here use Lantus it's a much more gentle insulin and will usually last for
12 hours.
Vetsulin usually only lasts for about 8 hours


You can use Vetsulin to see how it goes but I really would start home testing
Lantus is expensive in the US so most of us but the Solostar Pens 5 pack and will usually last a year. 164.99 for 5 pens
We use syringes U-100 for Lantus and put the syringe in the little grey rubber
stopper and draw out the insulin .
We use syringes with half unit markings because we increase or decrease by
0.25 units at a time. The half unit syringes make it easier to do this
 
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The Gravy Lovers is way to high in carbs for their every day meals
We feed Fancy Feast Classic Pates we like to stay under 10% carbs
Most of the are 2 or 3 carbs.
Take a look at the food chart for the low carbs





This is what you need to feed if he ever drops to low, don't have want a hypo
Such as

You should always have a few can of these on hand in case you need to bring up


Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs


Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy. 15% Med Carbs




Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy. 15% Med Carbs


Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

It's mostly the gravy that has the higher carbs in it

Look at the food link I gave you , you might see other ones you may want to try
 
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Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also
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fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If she won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there
 
https://rxcanada4less.com Marks Marine pharmacy

Here is the link for Canada






Lantus Solostar Cartridges 5x3ml per box (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 15 ml $159.99 USD

rx.gif
Lantus Solostar PEN CAN (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) *single pen open box* Brand 100iu/ml one pen 3 ml $49.99 USD

rx.gif
Lantus Solostar PENS 5x3ml per box (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 15 ml $164.99 USD

rx.gif
Lantus VIAL Insulin (10ml per vial) (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 10 ml $110.99 USD


Like I said you are better off buying the 5 pack of cartridges or the 5 pack of pens
They will last you way over a year
After your vet writes the first script you won't ever need another script.
Call them and will tell you what to do
They are very nice people

Oh when you buy the pens they will have an expiration date on them
Most likely 2022 or 2023 by now.
Put them in the frig , a middle shelf
As long as you don't puncture them they will be good until the expiration date
So you are actually saving a ton of money

You will need to buy different syringes U-100 with half unit markings
 
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https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-pens-for-sell.239691/

We have a supply closet here where members sell supplies when their kitties
Check this out, this member has 5 new lantus pens for sale
Ask him what the expiration dates are, can't beat the price he is asking for them
You will need different syringes for lantus U-100 , get the ones with half unit markings
He might have them left ask him if you are interested

We use half unit marking syringes because we increase or decrease by 0.25 units
The pens only have full adjustments which is not good, that's why we but syringes and
Insert them into the pens like you would do with vials
 
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Miles & Tillie Mom said:
On testing BG, how often should I be doing this? I have a meter and a few strips I can use now but is there a less expensive way to purchase strips and lancets? I read in here somewhere the strips alone can cost $200/mo which is way out of my budget.
Click to expand...
You should minimally be testing before each shot, to make sure it's safe to give insulin. Tests in between can help you decide whether the dose is correct, too much or too little. The timing of those tests depends partly on insulin, and the cat. You don't need the expensive Alphatrak meter and strips. A human blood glucose meter will do. Since your first post mentioned Thanksgiving in late November, I'm going to assume you are in the US. The Relion Prime meter from Walmart has the cheapest test strips.

My girl started on Caninsulin (original name of Vetsulin), went to Lantus, then Levemir. I preferred Levemir the same reason as Larry, the numbers were flatter. Plus she got to higher doses and the Lantus acid base can sting at higher doses.
 
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