Vet perscribed Humulin N!

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MyBuddyBuck

Member Since 2013
Hello all, Well my buddy "Buck" was just diagnosed with diabetes last week and the vet put him on "Humulin N" which I read doesn't work! It did help him a little bit but he still can't walk right and he seems like he is sad all the time. I'm diabetic as well so I know how he feels!

I have had him since he was a kitten and got him from a vet who said he was pulled from his mother because he was too big. Well he got up to 34# and was a happy cat for a long time. Now he is at 23.5#, diabetic, can't walk right(walks on his haunches) and I feel terrible for him as he is my best friend and I can't afford to spend this much money every month! (SS doesn't give me much leeway)

I now want to tell the vet we must change his insulin but he is an older vet and set in his ways a bit. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank goodness for this site!
Ed
 
I'm so sorry you are going through this! Have you considered looking for another vet? I think I would try and go for a second opinion on the insulin type.

Melody
 
Walking on his haunches is neuropathy and common in unregulated diabetic cats: Neuropathy What large town are you near? It may be that we have a member who knows a good diabetic vet nearby. We like Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. You could insist that he is your cat and you want one of those, but the vet may not agree to a change. Humulin is difficult to use as it tends to hit the cat early and drop them fast and then not last the whole cycle. Untll you can switch, I would certainly get testing supplies and learn to home test so you have some idea of how the insulin is working. Then you'd have evidence to give the vet.
 
I don't know what a big town is to you but I live in Yellville, Ar. and any big town would be quite a drive. Little Rock is 150 miles. I figured it was neuropathy as I have that too. I figured that I would print out the messages about insulin and then ask him if he would be willing to change. If that doesn't work then it's travel time I guess! I just feel so bad for him, it really hurts to see him like this.

Will he ever be able to walk correctly again or is he doomed to walk like this until he dies?
 
If you start testing, at least you will be able to see how the insulin is working and to guide the cycles so they aren't so harsh. (you can do this with food). And if a wet low carb diet really makes a difference in his numbers, you may be able to make adjustments there also. Can we teach you how to hometest?
 
Thanks Sue,
Oh I think I'm able to do what ever it takes, within reason, to get him back on track. I was feeding him "Blue Buffalo" dry thinking I was giving him the best! Now I give him wet food and looking for the best in that arena. The vet charges me $29 every time to check his blood but not an office visit so that is good. He is pretty tolerant so I think he wouldn't mind me testing him. What would I need? I have meters and strips etc but wondered if they would give me an accurate reading!

He went down so fast it really scared me. I thought when we got tangled up that I had dislocated his leg but quickly realized there was something very wrong.

Pricking his ear might be an issue though, is there another location that works too?
 
If your meter sips and takes a tiny sample, it should be fine. The reason people here like the ReliOn is that the strips are the cheapest made. But you can buy strips on ebay for much less than in the stores.

Here's a video: Video for hometesting

Here's a shopping list:

A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. Some members stay away from any meter with True in the name and the Freestyle meters. Some people think they are unreliable and read lower than other meters. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around. Try the meter out on yourself or someone else before you try it on your cat. You want to be familiar with it before you poke the cat.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 26-28 gauge is good. Any brand will work as long as the lancets match your device.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking. You can also use a prescription bottle filled with very warm water. It provides a good surface to poke against.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And some lo carb treats to give your kitty, successful test or not Lo carb treats

How to get the cat ready for home testing

First pick a place where you want to test. Some people use the kitchen counter, a blanket on the floor, between your legs while sitting – whatever works for you. Take the kitty there and give him/her lots of praise while you play with his/her ears. Give a treat and release. Next time, add the rice sack (thin sock filled with raw rice, heated in the microwave until very warm but not hot) or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water. Lots of praise, treat and release. Finally add the lancet so he/she will get used to the noise. The hope is that when you finally poke, they will be used to the process and know a treat is coming!
 
Wow Sue, That cat looks like Buck, just add a white stripe down his nose and that's him. I will get my old meter out and give it a try! Thanks sooooo much! I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks again..
 
are you by chance on insulin? or just oral meds? if you are on insulin, what kind? you may be able to share yours with kitty is why i ask :smile: sure fire way of saving money :smile:
 
Some good low-carb canned cat food choices are the Friskies pate styles. The Fancy Feast classic pates are good also, but are more expensive.

I buy the Friskies pate Poultry Platter, Turkey and Giblets, Country Style Dinner in the large 13 ounce can at Wal-Mart. These are all under 10% carb content which we recommend.
 
welcome to the board! here are some more home testing tips for cats https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub

For the neuropathy, the best thing is to get his blood glucose under control, however people here have had success with methylocobalamin pills (a form of vitamin B12) - they take 4-6weeks to have any effect and work better once the blood glucose is regulated. There is a cat version called zobaline which doesnt have sugar or the toxic xylitol in it.

What i don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that, unlike most (all?) other species, cats have the ability to go into remission from diabetes and be fully diet controlled only. The window of opportunity is about 6 months from diagnosis and about 40% of cats manage it. Plus you have to have all your cards in play - a good insulin like lantus/levemir or prozinc, home testing, and a low carb wet food.

What brand/type of wet are you feeding? and 24lbs?? thats a huge cat.. i am assuming he is overweight?

Wendy
 
Thanks for all the help here, you people are great! First Buck is a big cat. 24" long, head to butt not including his tail! He stands 14" tall at the withers too but fat, well maybe a little. I do not use insulin fortunately / unfortunately I guess now as that would be great in the $ department. I tried to prick his ear and he didn't want anything to do with that so I guess I have to enlist a friend. All this has made me go fishing more and I feed him fresh fish as much as I can. I thought about that canned mackerel that is pretty reasonable too.

There other vets in the area but so expensive I had to do some looking for the one I have now. The other one is, shall we say one that should have her butt kicked as she is truly out to take as much money as possible! Statements like, "well if you love your pet you would" make me sick! The 3rd doesn't mess with diabetes in cats.

Currently I'm feeding him Friskies shreds whitefish and sardines. He loves anything with fish but not so much the other. He obviously loves to eat and not too picky either but he just likes fish the most. I thought the Blue Buffalo dry was the best for him with all the good things in there but I was sure wrong about that!

Thanks again for all the help and compassion!
 
What brand/type of wet are you feeding? and 24lbs?? thats a huge cat.. i am assuming he is overweight?
Click to expand...
Obesity can contribute to the insulin resistance.

The Friskies shreds style cat food is too high in carbs at 13 to 15%. Please try some of the pate styles. If Buck won't eat the pate style right away, try mixing some of the pate in with the Shreds, slowly giving less and less of the shreds style and more and more of the Pate style.
 
Ok to get him used to ear testing - start by just rubbing his ears for now, then giving him a treat. Do it every few hours. No pokes yet.

Also how is he about having his feet touched?
 
well the ear thing seems to be working as I just rub his ears and scratch them and he likes it now so tomorrow I'll try for the test!
 
Next step if he likes the ear rubs.

You might want to make yourself a rice sock to help warm up the ear. Microwave required.

Take an old sock with no holes in it, dump a couple of tablespoons of uncooked rice (or beans or oats) into the toe of the sock, tie the sock closed.
Heat sock in microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Test on your wrist, it should feel warm but not uncomfortably hot.
Place sock on ear to warm and get the blood flowing.
 
Welcome!

Sorry you got stuck with the NPH to start.
The AAHA Guidlines are a good start to educating your vet. Just be tactful and let him know you understand how difficult it must be to stay up to date on every species and every condition and thought it might help him out if you gave that to him. Lobby adamently for one of the preferred insulins and use the guidelines to support why.

Meanwhile...
NPH type insulins last about 6-8 hours in the cat.
The cat should have eaten a fair bit in the 15-30 minutes before giving the shot because of how rapidly the insulin takes effect.
It will help to pick up the food after 6 hours as the insulin wears off pretty quickly, too.
If your schedule allows it, giving the insulin every 8 hours may get you better control. You take the total daily amount and divide it into 3 equal shots to do this
 
I'm trying to answer all the posts @ once here but with my limited typing skills it takes awhile. Thanks for the AAHA guidelines and advice for my vet. Will give it a try and I'll keep updating the forum. I don't own a microwave so warming a bottle will have to do for the ear. cat(2)_steam
 
Another suggestion to warm the ear.

Heat up some water in a pan until it is very hot.
Dump the water over a small piece of cloth, like a washcloth.
Put the very warm washcloth in a plastic bag, like a Ziploc.
Put plastic bag with warm cloth inside on ear.
The plastic bag prevents the ear from getting wet and causing the blood to soak into the fur.
You want to hold the cloth against the ear until the ear is really warm, a minute or two maybe.
 
Sorry for the lag of information on my part. Buck will NOT let me get a sample(ruined 2 strips trying). I had him to the vet yesterday($45) and his sugar was 26! The doc told me to back off 1 unit each time and check again in 2 weeks. He would not change insulin because he said the other stuff doesn't work any better.

So, what I did was to back off 2 units every time and it seems to be better for him as he is not so sluggish afterwards. My plan is to try the ear again when he is sluggish and see if I can do that! It's really hard with such a huge cat that doesn't want you to do something, sort of like trying to train an alligator to walk on 2 legs........Stay tuned!
 
Well Buck is pretty laid back but his ears are totally another matter. I sit on the couch and hold him in my lap like he likes. I never force him but I may have to be a bit more forward. He is doing better but I really need to get this working due to cost!
 
It might be good to find a special treat that he only gets at test time.
When you're sitting with him on the couch, play with his ears a little, and rub them, and then give him a piece of the treat and let him alone or just sit with him and tell him what a good boy he is (give him lovings). I would try this a few times a day to slowly get him used to part of the process and that he gets a special treat afterwards.
Good luck. I know we can help you learn to test.
Would you be able to just tell your vet that you want to try a different insulin, and that you'll have to go find another vet that will prescribe it, if he won't. Tell him you really appreciate him, but really want to try a different insulin.
 
Hi and welcome to our family! I'm thrilled to hear how much you love Buck and that he's your best friend. My cat, Gobbles, is my best friend as well, and I love him to pieces!!! It is wonderful that you are trying home testing--it saved my cat's life. The advice, education, care and support I've received on this board is endless; I seriously doubt if Gobbles would be with me today, had it not been for the Members here. I was lucky enough that my vet prescribed Lantus for Gobbles, and started him at the dosage which was appropriate for him--1 u. every 12 hours. I know that money is tight, but if it was me, I would call around and find a vet that will (1)prescribe Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc and (2) supports home testing OR keep your current vet only if he will prescribe one of the listed insulins and support you in your choice to home test. You will save a ton of $$ by testing and managing Buck's feline diabetes yourself, and with the help of those of us here who have experience. We know what you are going through. I was in your shoes just 7 months ago. My cat was diagnosed 11/12/13. I was heartbroken for him (lots of crying, really) and actually in denial at first. I was physically and emotionally sick. I'll admit that I was leery of this Board and had lurked it for a while. I had so much stress that my face broke out and my hair started falling out--you see, I was a total basket case. I can happily say that for almost 4 weeks now, Gobbles has been insulin-free. I started him on the Lantus (Tight Regulation protocol--this can be discussed in the future, should you kitty be prescribed Lantus/Levemir) and it is the best decision I've ever made. Though for right now, the goal is to get Buck on one of the above 3 insulins and to get you home testing--believe me when I tell you that you will be a pro at it (home testing) pretty quick! A word of advice: really try to relax when testing Buck--you have such a close bond with him, that he can feel your stress, which in turn stresses him out. Maybe try deep breathing exercises or to put in your mind how much you love your little guy and testing is one way to show him love (of course, he probably won't understand all that, but it should help you to relax). And please ask any questions you may have--the only "dumb" question is the one that isn't asked. Hang in there. It really gets easier. p.s. Buck is YOUR cat and YOU are the one paying the vet bills--so his course of action is not the vet's, but yours... (And if you do get prescribed Lantus, post a question on this board that you would like the coupon for the $25 Lantus pens; a vial of Lantus will probably cost you in the neighborhood of $160, and a pen alone (the best way to go) retails for about $50, but if you can find a pharmacy that is willing to sell one Lantus pen at a time (the come in packs of 5) and will honor the $25 coupon, you will save a lot of $$ on insulin.
 
MyBuddyBuck said:
...I'm diabetic as well so I know how he feels!...
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to hear that you're diabetic--you and your best friend have something in common. And I'm sure you home test yourself and know the importance of it :-D
 
MyBuddyBuck said:
...Pricking his ear might be an issue though, is there another location that works too?
Click to expand...
I've read about your troubles with testing. Another location is on the back paw pad--some cats tolerate this, but some do not. Gobbles tolerated it quite well and for a long time, that's how I tested him. Then when I got better at testing his ear, and his ears would need a break, I would revert back to his back paw pad. It usually takes a little more time to get a little blood, but it is much better than not testing at all. If you do try it, give it a quick poke, then slowly and gently squeeze the paw pad. If you still don't get blood, sometimes another prick, about 1/4" from the first prick, may make enough blood to test--but don't use blood from both holes--only one. When finished (and even if you tried and didn't get any blood) be extra sure to put the triple antibiotic on his paw pad, to not only heal the prick, but to keep it from getting infected....I realize he has neuropathy, but this method may work for you; we don't want him diving into a hypo again--yikes!!!
 
Is it possible for you to give us the dates, times and blood glucose levels? We suggest setting up a spreadsheet, but for now, you can just update us on his numbers. For example:

6/7/13 (8 a.m.) pre-shot BG 250, (8 p.m.) pres-shot BG 190

if you do any tests in-between his am and pm shot, it would be very helpful to list that as well.

You're testing him right before giving the insulin shot, correct? As a diabetic, I'm sure you know that it is imperative to test your BG level before each shot :-D
 
hows the testing going? i know you were having issues but your post had a very can-do attitude so i am guessing you kept trying? let us know if we can help!
 
Update with Buck. I'm still using the same insulin but giving it 3x a day as suggested with food. Medicare changed things so I got a new meter and strips so I now have plenty for Buck. Sticking his foot works great but he still doesn't like it much. I shaved around one of his pads so even if he jerks I can still get the sample! I want to thank all of you for your care and support. He is still about the same but does walk better. Thanks again, Ed
 
That's great to hear! How are his numbers looking now that you've moved to three times a day? Is there anything specifically we can help you with?
 
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