Syringes vs Pens advice please

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Tanya & Wilson

Tanya & Wilson

Member Since 2018
Which is better to use, Syringes or insulin pen? I am using an allstar pro pen at the moment. But the pen only has increments of 1 unit. Wilson is on Lantus 3 units am and 2 units pm. He is always reading an average of around 27 - 30mmol/L. He is fed 50gm of Science diet Md dry which is split over 2 meals and also a couple of cans of FF classic range a day. If I cut the dry out of his diet how much FF should I give him? He was underweight when diagnosed last August (3.8kg) so the MD has helped with weight gain. He now weighs 4.5kg. I don't want him to lose weight again. Should I decrease his insulin if I change his diet?
 
Hello and welcome. On this forum, we use syringes to take insulin out of pens, cartridges or vials. Cats can be sensitive to small dose changes, as small as 0.25 units can make a difference. And yes, you have to eyeball that on 1/2 unit marked syringes.

Consistent doses AM and PM is also better due to the insulin depot.

You will find switching to all low carb wet food or raw makes a big difference in the amount of insulin needed. I would do the transition slowly, it'll also be easier on his GI system. How about going to 2 units AM and PM and getting some tests in the middle of the cycle to see how low it's taking Wilson. We determine dose by the nadir or low point of the cycle. Do you have any other test data from the past? If so, I might change my mind on the 2 units.

Take a read of the yellow starred sticky notes on this forum. Lots of info there. And ask lots of questions. We all remember what it was like to be new.
 
Hi Tanya and Wilson. Welcome!
Most of us use syringes for measuring doses as they are probably more accurate and you can fine tune the doses better. We normally do dose adjustments in increments of 0.25 of a unit at a time. So, if you can find a way to order U100 syringes with 1/2 unit marks that would be ideal.
Also Lantus works best when given consistently, meaning the same dose every 12 hours. It is because it is a depot insulin, unlike the other types of insulins and consistency in dosing is how the depot works best.
I'm glad you are home testing. You will need to test more during the transition to all wet food. Yes, all wet food is best for any cat, diabetic or not, but especially for diabetics. I'm glad he has gained some weight back. If you post here often, daily if possible, we can help you to get Wilson's numbers better under control. That will help with his neuropathy. Here is the link to your previous post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/help-cannot-get-diabetes-under-control.190191/ Others will be along to support you and help with your questions. In the mean time, read the stickies at the top of the page (there's a lot and it can be overwhelming, so take you time), and try reading some of the other threads (condos) in this forum.
For now, here's a :bighug: You're doing the best you can for Wilson.
 
Hi Tanya. And welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. A lot of us use the Solo Star pens, but rather than using the needles designed for that system, we draw the insulin out of the pen with a U100 syringe.

If you get him off the dry food you will want to monitor his BG as he could drop lower than you are presently seeing.

Any test that you have previously would be good info to put into the SS.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi Tanya. And welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. A lot of us use the Solo Star pens, but rather than using the needles designed for that system, we draw the insulin out of the pen with a U100 syringe.

If you get him off the dry food you will want to monitor his BG as he could drop lower than you are presently seeing.

Any test that you have previously would be good info to put into the SS.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have added previous tests in the SS.
 
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