Found out today my 12 yr old has diabetes

Hello all,

Found out today that my pastel calico has been diagnosed with diabetes... She was prescribed 1 mlg of insulin a day for now so I believe it is the onset of diabetes. I fed her dry food her whole like thinking it was better for the teeth etc.. She has always been a very slender cat but she dropped to 5 lbs. Bought her wet food today given this forums guidelines, which she has always loved wet food.. She ate the entire can and 1/2 I gave her.. Only problem when I went to fill her insulin they wanted $300 for a 28 day supply.. How do you take care of this with out going broke? Needless to say I could not fill the prescription today.. Any cost advice would help

 

Hi Jenn,

Welcome, and so sorry about the diagnosis! But you have come to the right place for advice and help.

Don’t worry, many of us made the same mistake about dry food vs. wet. I am glad your kitty likes the wet food.

As for the insulin, people here have different tips and tricks about getting it cheaper, (Canadian pharmacy, discount cards) which I am sure they will share with you - but I personally recommend visiting the Supply Closet forum on here and see if anyone here is selling any unused insulin. I purchased a bunch of Lantus pens from someone on here when my kitty was alive, and it saved me a lot of money. After he passed, I sold it for a low price or donated it to others in need. So we pay it forward.

We also recommend keeping insulin in the refrigerator because that way it lasts much longer than the recommended “30 days after opening.”

What insulin did the vet prescribe, by the way?

Hope others will chime in soon with advice on purchasing it cheaper!

 

Hello,

With the insulin, which I assume is Lantus/gargline - if you keep it in the fridge it will last for months. Also, if you are from the US you can actual order from a Canadian website that will fill your script for less. Marks Marine https://rxcanada4less.com/

 

Hello and thank you,
The vet prescribed Lantus I believe at a rate of 1 mml per day to start I believe that she has the one set of diabetes. They wanted $300 per month and honestly I can’t afford that. So your saying I can go on a place here to maybe receive it less expensive. I have her fancy feast tonight for dinner and she ate it up came back for seconds lol...
Jenn

 

Thank you for your help.. I’ll check it out

 

I think you mean 1 unit twice a day, not 1 ml.1 ml is way too much insulin . Insulin is measured in units.

The pens or vial will last you months, not one month. The pens have 300 units each and there’s 5 in the pack. The vial I believe holds 1000 units.

 

Welcome to the sugar cat club, Jenn! This site has great (and knowledgeable) folks and lots of cost-saving tips to help manage your cat's diabetes.

 

You really want to get the pens since usually one an use up a whole 3ml (300 unit) pen before the insulin loses its effectiveness. That is not the case for a 10 ml (1000 unit vial). Tjus while the per unit cost for a pen is more than for a vial, the real cost of using pens is less.

 

Gave Bella her first shot today but I don’t know if it went thru her skin or just on her coat.... any advice on how to give her the shot? Much appreciated

 

Hi and welcome Jen. I know how strange this must seem to give insulin injections to your cat. This is the place to learn about how to do that, plus much more. However, this forum is primarily just to say "hello" and introduce yourself. It would be best to post in the Main Health forum, more members keep eyes on that forum to help out. A link to the Main forum is HERE
It would also be very helpful if you would create a signature so that your kitty's pertinent information is available whenever you post. Here is a link on how to do that: SIGNATURE
I will look for your thread on the Main Forum, Best Wishes!