NPH insulin

I just spoke with the vet and asked her several questions re: the glip and side effects and insulin.

She says that she's not heard of any side effects from the glip in cats that it works for. But it only works in apx 30% of cats. Okayyyy.

But I wasn't expecting her answer to the what type of insulin would be used to be NPH. From what I've read, that's not used much anymore. Is that correct?

I live in a VERY rural area of Pennsylvania so I'm wondering if their practice has not caught up to the current trends/standards.

Thoughts on the NPH, please?

 

Well.... with the internet, being in "rural" anywhere should not make a difference in medical knowledge.

Glip is not good for cats. It works by forcing the pancreas to produce more insulin, which makes remission after switching to insulin less likely. Remission is never guaranteed, but a newly diagnosed cat has the best change of acheiving it if a diet change and insulin are started right away.

Yes, NPH is not the best insulin for cats. Can it be *made* to work? Yes, but it can be frustrating. The best insulins are levemir, lantus and PZI, but the nre PZI is so new there is no real information on its effectiveness.

Whatever you do, do not let her give you vetsulin. It was never much better than NPH and has an FDA warning out on it. Ask for a prescription for levemir or lantus and for the 5 penfills, not a single vial. There is a lot of information out now on the success of lev and lantus in cats. There used to be links to the information. Let me see where it is now and get back to you.

Sadly, your vet is way behind on feline diabetes treatment.

 

So I'm seeing. There's a new practice that opened a month ago. I think I'm going to call them and see what their stance on FD treatment is.

 

I have family in rural PA but closer to route 81 near the border with NY....

Yes, your vet is out of date. But do you like her? Do you think she's willing to become more current? Lantus/glargine, levemir and PZI (either BCP or prozinc) are so much better options!

 

I could not find the "convert a vet" info that was on the old site, but maybe point her to the pet diabetes wiki site and have her click on the insulin types (levemir, lantus and PZI). There are links to studies, etc there.

http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

 

Jen, I'm about an hour and a half from the NY border in northeastern/central PA. Route 81 isn't familiar though.

I've always been meh with this vet, ya know? Don't hate her, don't love her. The new one is a vet that left the practice I currently use and I did like her a bit better.

 

Lori, the "Convert a Vet" info is now posted as a "sticky" at the top of the forum index. Have a look through there and maybe print out information to share with your vet.

 

Thank you!!

 

Hi Lori,

It isn't unusual for a vet to have limited knowledge of the current state of treatment for FD. Ten years ago hardly any vets knew a thing, no one knew home testing was possible and the Humulin insulins were the only ones the vast majority of vets had ever heard about. When I wanted PZI I had to order it from England.

The point is that almost every vet who is current on FD treatment was 'trained' by a member of this board. I hope you and your vet can form a partnership to treat Seals. Both of you can learn together and you will have a vet who relies on you as much as you rely on her. It happens all the time.

Gia & Quirk

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