What brand is the best Insulin? Cost?

[stacysclass]

I have posted other threads on this message board but I needed an answer to this question.....I wanted to know what Insulin is better/worse...etc. Which is cheaper?
My cat Sweetie is on Vetsulin (1 unit twice a day), which my Vet said was cheapest but from what I read it does not last too long in cat's. Is that true? I am actually going to switch Vet's so I wanted as much information as possible on what the difference is between all cat Insulin's and the cost. I plan to do a curve test on Sweetie to see what's going on but I have tested him on/off through the day and yesterday at 1:50pm was 294mg/dl. after giving him the Vetsulin at 8:00am that morning. I tested him this morning at 8:00am and his BG was 294 at 8:00am so I gave him 1 unit of Vetsulin. Tested him again at 10:00am and it was 175mg/dl, then I tested him tonight before his second dose of Vetsulin at 7:00pm and it is 374mg/dl. He is due for his second dose at 8:00pm tonight. It just seems all over and still kind of high. This is my first week dealing with all of this (in case you have not read my other post) so should I first do a curve on him then decide if he needs higher dosage of Vetsulin? Or maybe look at another type of Insulin that is longer lasting? Or maybe I need to wait a little longer because he just started Insulin 6 days ago? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!!! ~Stacy

 

[BJM]

Where you are will determine what insulins might be available.

In the US, PZI and ProZinc last roughly 12 hours, a bit longer than Vetsulin/Caninsulin, and are in and out.

Lantus and Levemir, human insulins, last longer than 12 hours and the overlap between doses helps keep the glucose more level. They are available in the US, Canada, the UK, and many parts of the world. They work well by giving doses as close to 12 hours apart as possible.

In Europe, especially the UK, you may have to use Vetsulin/Caninsulin until you prove that it isn't working for your cat by showing glucose curves with insufficient duration.

All of these insulins can work well in cats.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Also, if you are in the US, on the Lantus and Levemir websites, you can get a discount card for prescriptions for the pens for $25.00 each. If you use either one of these, the pens is what we normally recommend people to use since the prescription last longer than a single vial. Depending on your dose, one package of pens may give you enough insulin for almost a year.

 

[KPassa]

Here's something on insulin types I wrote up that you might find helpful. It explains the differences between the various insulins available and which ones are recommended for use in cats.