Need advice on insulin

Hi, I have an 8-9 year old Tortie named Nikki who has recently been diagnosed with Diabetes.. They have her one Vetsulin and she gets 4units every 12 hours.. My issue is can I switch her to Humulin N? The cost of the vetsulin is $65-70 a vial. Which yes is low cost but for my situation, still pricey. My question is can I switch her with no issues and would the dosage be the same? My vet is being very unhelpful and not answering and questions I have. She really didn't care to hear my issue. I don't want to lose my baby and I need advice! HELP!

 

I would not change from Vetsulin to Humulin, if I were you. They are very similar - both harsh, short duration insulins, but Humulin tends to be harsher.

It is possible to work with Vetsulin in some cats but does require frequent hometesting, to stay on top of the changes in blood glucose levels. Once you figure out how low the dose takes her and how fast, sometimes you can adjust.

The forum is not very busy as few people use these insulins. I'd suggest posting on the Health forum. There are some people with Vetsulin experience who can guide you.

This guide is older but has good information:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/vetsulin-caninsulin-user-guide.302/

 

Thank you! I am new to this site and was a little confused where to post. And I appreciate your answer. Humulin was just a thought. I didn't realize it was so harsh.

 

Hi Heather and supersweet Nikki, and welcome to FDMB

A diagnosis of feline diabetes can be a bit overwhelming at first (we've all been there...) but things do get easier over time.

May I ask:
What are you feeding Nikki at the moment, wet food or dry?

Best wishes,

Eliz

PS. As Sue says above, you'll get more responses to your posts on the main health forum. But I will also check back here to see if you post again.
You've found the best site on the planet for help with feline diabetes, Heather; and we will help you all we can.

 

Hi Eliz, I'm maneuvering the site from my mobile device so finding the health forum has been a bit difficult. I have decided to stick with the vetsulin after doing alot of research.. Nikki is doing well on it so, no changing.. And I feed Nikki, Nature's Variety brand food. She gets one 3 oz. Can of wet in the AM before her shot with 1/8 cup of dry after and then another 3 oz. Can at night before her PM shot.. I was looking into switching to Humulin for cost but have decided against it after Sue relayed that it is harsh. I stayed up doing the rest search on it and have found the issues with it. I am still trying to figure out this site on my mobile phone but hopefully I get better!! So Glad I found you all!!

 

Here is the link to the Health page.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

I'd put new vetsulin user in the subject line so vetsulin users see it. We have some from the UK as vets have to prescribe it first there before changing to a different insulin.

 

Absolutely. Almost all UK folks (and other Europeans) start out on Vetsulin (known as 'Caninsulin' outside of the US).

Heather, you may be interested to read through the Vetsulin/Caninsulin user guide here:
Vetsulin/Caninsulin user guide
It contains some helpful guidelines for working with Vetsulin/Caninsulin; but as we say around here, 'Every Cat Is Different'. What works for one cat may not work for another. Diabetes management can be adapted as necessary to suit the individual kitty's needs.

Eliz

 

Thank you both! Nikki is actually,doing wonderful on the vetsulin. I am going to read your info and read around the Health forum..

 

Heather I am a newbie as well, as of today actually. If my vet was refusing to answer my questions or deal with me on any issue that had to do with my Tater (or any cat since I foster and help ferals) then I would be looking for a new vet quickly. I don't like to be treated as such and would be very irritated by that and question their abilities. Just what I have experienced in the past and I stick to. So thought I might jump in here and just share that thought. I hope I did not offend, was not the goal here.
Good luck with your Nikki, so far I have only given Tater 3 shots.
Tina

 

No offense taken. I love the office I go to so I decided to stay in the office but switch vets. The new vet answered every question I asked and talked to me for about 2 hours about this.. I agree it was not ok for her other vet to do that.

 

Bailey is at the hospital having her curve done right now. I've read some negative things about Caninsulin (which is what she will be starting on) so it is good to read that some cats do well. Nothing much has gone right for Bailey, so far, but she did improve on the change of diet, so hopefully this will be enough to carry on the improvement, without going too drastic (I live alone and work full time, so the prospect of her pancreas resting, improving and possibly kicking her into hypoglycemia is scary - however unlikely). I'm viewing this as a means to an end - controlling her symptoms until she is seen by a specialist about this and her other issues. While my vet mentioned they have ordered a monitor for me and he briefly explained home monitoring, my understanding is that for now, she starts on one unit (could be less, depending what her numbers are today) and after 10-12 days should be retested to determine how she is doing. That actually works with when the specialist is in town (June 11 - 12). I can get her re-tested before the appointment (assuming I get the appointment - I still haven't heard) and then, armed with that info, confer with the specialist. If she's doing well on this - we will continue. If not - I will have the specialist's view as well regarding what to do next...if anything. At that point, if continuing is an option, I will begin the home monitoring.