Hi from Leo and Binger

We are new to this sight and still have tears in our eyes learning that Leo has diabetes. We are committed to making him well and having a long life. That being said, how do you handle the cost of insulin? My vet has recommended Lantis which is $275!! I can't afford that every month, any ideas on what I can do? The pharmacist says its only good for 28 days after being opened, the vet said it can last longer. Any information I can get would be appreciated.

 

First of all welcome to FDMB! You are in good hands here with a remarkable group of people who have already walked this path and understand how you are feeling. Now take a deep breath because I have some good news to share with you.

I take it from the price your vet quoted that he is talking about the 10ml vial and you don't want that because you will end up with a lot of waste. What you want are the pen refills which are tiny vials that contain 3ml each and come in packages of 5 vials. The insulin is only good for 28 days IF you leave it unrefrigerated which is what most human users do. If you keep it in the refrigerator, then it will last much longer and usually you can use up each of the small vials. So if you purchase the small vials that will have an expiry date at least two years out, the cost, while initially high, is actually your cost over two years or more (depends on the expiry date and dose of insulin your cat needs.)

Given the price you were quoted, I'm assuming you are likely located in the U.S. Here is a thread about where other folks here are getting their insulin as many U.S. folks order their insulin from Canada as our prices are much lower.

I'm sure there will be others along shortly to give you lots of good info but I wanted to quickly put your mind at ease about the insulin costs. The most costly part of treatment is the testing strips that are used in a glucometer for testing your cat's glucose level to make sure it's safe to give shots, figure out the best dose, and keep your cat safe. Many vet's do not mention home testing to their clients and some even say it's not necessary, but here we believe it is absolutely necessary to keep our cats safe and healthy. You can use a human glucometer because all of our reference material here is based on use of a human glucometer and we can recommend meters that are the most cost effective too.

Keep the questions coming as the only silly questions are those that don't get asked. All the hands on experience here means we have lots of tips and tricks up our sleeves to make this as inexpensive as possible as well as helping you become comfortable treating your cat.

 

That sounds like the 10 ml vial of Lantus. Most of use purchase the 5 pack of 3 ml pens. Although more expensive per ml that the 10 ml via it is cheaper that the 10 ml via since yo can usually us a 3 ml; pen before it goes bad.
A Lantus pen or vial usually lasts 3 to 6 months if always refrigerated.
Many of use pruchase our Lantus fro here:
https://rxcanada4less.com/
You do need a prescription from your vet.

Welcome.

Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb cannedhttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Yes, I second ordering from Mark's Marine Pharmacy (the link Larry posted above)! A five pack of 3ml pens is about $170 after shipping, and each pen will last you at least 2 months (usually more) if you're handling the insulin properly. So you're getting about a year or more worth of insulin for only $14 a month if you purchase insulin that way.

I also home test using a human glucometer, and I buy my test strips on amazon or ebay because they're significantly less than the store. If you home test, you don't have to pay for expensive vet curves, and the home testing is more accurate and better for adjusting the dose anyway! You also don't need to feed expensive prescription foods; diabetic cats do great on any low carb, canned commerical food. People here feed many different foods, like Friskies pates, fancy feast or sheba pates, or higher end foods like Wellness or Weruva (which still end up being cheaper than prescription foods).

 

Hey there and welcome. This is a great group of peeps that will be here to help you along the way. I am going to try and give you some other information that is important.

You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food if you are currently feeding high carb dry.. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs. Here is a list of cat food to choose from. food chart you will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found inwww.catinfo.org If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitty’s number by 100 points or more.

Here, we all home test. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Another reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Here is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Prime, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. The Prime testing strips are ½ the price of the Micro.

Lancets are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

If you have any question, just shout. There is a lot of information being thrown at you but there are a lot of peeps here that know a lot of goo tricks of the trade and ways to save $$ while treating Leo.

 

Welcome to FDMB.
Everyone has pretty much covered food, insulin, and blood testing already.
But wait, there's more!
While you work on home glucose testing, and also because your cat is more than a glucose number, take a look at my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for other assessments which will help you evaluate your cat.
the other 2 links in my signature also include some helpful info, when you're ready for more reading.
There is a lot to learn and you can do this!

 

Thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement. I have discovered the pens although they are really expensive. I am also going to look into ordering from Canada ( I live in Florida) so I have a lot more research to do!

 

Thank you all for your support and great ideas, I'm am going to spend the day researching your websites and products and getting my emotions under control.....oh and also giving lots of hugs to Leo!

 

The very best medicine for both of you!