Which insulin is best for cats? Novolin N, Vetsulin, PZI?

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yo0123yo

Member Since 2014
Hello everyone, first time poster here :) I have some concerns regarding my cat's situation. He was diagnosed with Diabetes 3 weeks ago and my vet started him on Novolin N 1 unit 2x daily. He is 13 years old. Novolin N, which I noticed on the box of the insulin bottle it clearly says "Human". He is taking 1 unit twice daily. Does anyone else use this for their diabetic cat as well? I have heard that Vetsulin is much better than Novolin. The symptoms that led us to take him to the veterinarian were increased thirst and increased urination, leading to changing his litter every couple days or so. He has been on Novolin N for three weeks so far and we have definitely noticed a decrease in his urination but he is still drinking and urinating more than usual. This leads me to somewhat suspect the type of insulin he is on is not fully effective but I could be wrong. Does insulin take a long time to regulate a cat? Also like I said, I have heard that Novolin N is the "bottom of the chain" when it comes to insulin for cats and that Vetsulin is the best. Does anyone have any experience with this for their diabetic cat? Thanks so much! Also I am even seeing things online saying PZI Vet is best for cats, followed by Vetsulin, and then Novolin N, in that specific order. All input is greatly appreciated and I will definitely be asking my veterinarian about these. Thanks so much again. I hate seeing my little guy so exhausted and very thirsty all the time, which leads to more urination obviously :(
 
Re: Which insulin is best for cats? Novolin N, Vetsulin, PZI

Welcome to FDMB,

Most here will recommend Lantus, ProZinc, Levemir, and BCP PZI are all good insulins to use and last about 12 hours per shot.
Novolin N is a short acting insulin, so is vetsulin so those insulin's arent recommended. I had my cat on Prozinc and it worked well for him, every cat is different though.

What food are you feeding? It is recommended to feed a canned food with 10% or less carbs. Here is a link to the food chart

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Also here is also a list of low carb treats:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

I don't know if you are or not but we also advise to home test. You can use a human glucose meter, although some vets push the pet specific meter on you...mine being one of them. I was a sucker and bought it, spent $150+ to find out after a month that the human meters are a LOT cheaper and just as reliable. Some vets don't even bring up home testing, mine didnt. She advised me to bring him in a week or so to check his numbers. If I took her advice, I would have killed him for sure by giving him his shot when his blood glucose was too low. The thing that slapped me in the face with a huge DUH! was when someone on here said "would you give your child a shot without knowing their blood glucose first?" Well, no.....and my cats ARE my children. Testing seems intimidating at first, but it does get easier for both of you. Also, your vet may suggest bringing her in to do a curve (testing every hour) this is not necassary if you start home testing. Blood Glucose will rise from stress, and illness so if your cat is like mine it would be a very stressful ordeal, and results (most likely) wouldn't be as accurate as they could be at home, not to mention it saves you some money.


Once you start home testing it is a good idea to start a spread sheet to keep track.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50130

It is overwhelming to get a diabetes diagnosis but this board is a great support system with an unbelievable amount of caring helpful people. I dont know where me and my Hidey would be without them. They were more helpful than my vet, which is sad to say but if I took the advice of my vet I would have killed Hidey by sending him into hypo and he would never have been diet regulated thats for sure.
 
Re: Which insulin is best for cats? Novolin N, Vetsulin, PZI

Human insulins are used for treating feline diabetes, however, Novolin is not one we recommend because it is short acting. Better insulins are Lantus, Levemir, PZI and Prozinc. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins. If your vet prescribes either one of these, ask for the prescription for the pens instead of the vial. The pens will last longer and also there are discounts on the manufacturers' websites.

PZI and Prozinc are animal insulins but are also long acting. These you will get through your vet's office.

You also should consider learning to hometest. That is the only reliable way to determine how well the dose is working and if it is safe to give the dose. You will test with a human glucose meter before every shot. There are pet glucose meters available, but they are expensive to buy and use. Most people on this site use the human glucose meters.
 
Re: Which insulin is best for cats? Novolin N, Vetsulin, PZI

Until you are home testing the blood glucose, KEEP THE FOOD THE SAME for safety. The glucose can drop 100 mg/dL and lower the insulin dose as much as 2 units of insulin!

Humulin and Novolin N last roughly 6 to 8 hours in the cat.
Vetsulin/Caninsulin lasts about 10 hours.
ProZinc, BCP PZI, Lantus, and Levemir last about 12 hours.
 
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