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Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by catluvr, Mar 16, 2015.

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  1. catluvr

    catluvr New Member

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    Mar 16, 2015
    Hi, my cat kitkat has been diagnosed with diabetes. He is around 8 years old. Just trying to figure out how to manage all of this! Look forward to sharing with all of you!
     
  2. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
    Welcome to FDMB.
    Tell us more about you, your cat, and how he came to be diagnosed.
     
  3. catluvr

    catluvr New Member

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    Mar 16, 2015
    I am an animal person if ever there was one! Kitkat was a stray that adopted us! We have had him about 5 years now. About a month or two ago Kitkat was acting unhappy and eating and drinking like mad! Huge clumps of urine in the litterbox! He started to look funny because he was losing weight and muscle mass in his hips. But all he wanted to do was eat. I took him to vet and they did a blood test and urine test to see what was up. We started out with the Humilin N and it is not working. Now they want us to try Lantus. So I am reading up on where to get it at a good price. Looks like Canada. If we cannot afford it we will have to euthanize him, which would devastate me. He is my soul kitty! I'm pretty frustrated at all of this! This MB is so awesome though!
     
  4. catluvr

    catluvr New Member

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    Mar 16, 2015
    Hi is also pulling his hair out. He is getting bald patches on his sides...
     
  5. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
    Since you are already using insulin, please learn to hometest the blood glucose asap to keep him safe. You'll need an inexpensive human glucometer, such as the WalMart ReliOn Confirm or Confirm Micro, matching test strips, and lancets for alternate site testing (26-28 gauge)

    Another insulin is ProZinc, which runs roughly $120 per 10ml vial which contains 400 units. It has 40 units per milliliter (mL), so it is a U-40 insulin. It works similarly to N, but lasts closer to 12 hours.

    Compare insulin costs on a per unit basis, not volume.

    If you get Lantus, get the pens *5 * 3 mL), not the vial (10 mL). This will let you use most of the insulin without waste. You will use a syringe, not the pen needles, to get the insulin out of the pen. Lantus has 100 units per mL, so it is a u-100 insulin.


     
  6. catluvr

    catluvr New Member

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    Mar 16, 2015
    BJM, thanks for the info! Believe it or not, my vet said not to bother with the glucometer!
     
  7. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
    Would you give a child insulin, not knowing if it were safe?
    Drive with a bag over your head?
    Exactly.
    Test before you give insulin.
    The lowest glucose post-shot is called the nadir. That is used to guide dose adjustments per the specific insulin's protocol.

    See my signature link Glucometer Notes for some feline-specific reference ranges.
     
  8. catluvr

    catluvr New Member

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    Mar 16, 2015
    Found a pharmacy to give me one Lantus pen to start with. The pharmacist told me to use the pen and not my own syringes. Can this be done? I will get a glucometer! Thanks!
     
  9. catluvr

    catluvr New Member

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    Mar 16, 2015
    Does the glucometer come with the pet specific reference numbers?
     
  10. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
    Some reference numbers (NO conversion needed) are in my signature link Glucometer Notes.
     
  11. Stacym20

    Stacym20 Member

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    Sep 17, 2014
    I'm pretty sure at least most everyone here uses the pen as a mini vial and draws the dose in a syringe. If you head over to the Lantus/Levemir forum and read the sticky on proper handling, it shows how to draw insulin from the pen.
     
  12. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

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    Feb 28, 2012
    We dose kitties in increments/decrements as small as .25 units. The pen needles only work for whole unit amounts, so we use the syringe to withdraw and measure the insulin. Since most people here use human meters, our protocols and methods to figure out the doses use results from human meters.
     
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