? PZI vs Lantus- Why do vets insist on Lantus?

It's been about 6 days and I have not seen my cat really respond to his Lantus injections. The vet went ahead and raised his dose and now I have to wait 6 more days to see the effect.

I pleaded with my vet internest and regular vet for PZI and they insisted on Lantus instead. I don't understand why, since PZI is real cat insulin, FDA approved, and this website has an article saying it's the best insulin for cats.

Do vets get money from drug manufactures? Is this why they insist on Lantus?

 

What PZI are you referring to?
ProZinc is an insulin made for cats and is made from human Recombinant DNA origin insulin with protomine zinc additive that extends its duration.
Its predecessor was PZI Vet which was 90% bovine insulin and 10 Porcine insulin and 90% bovine insulin and was the same formula previously used in humans. Bovine insulin is closer to a cats insulin than human insulin

 

It does take time for a cat to respond to insulin treatment. I know it's frustrating not to see results straight away but the body needs time to adjust to receiving insulin and it has to be 'retrained' back into healthier numbers. As you may often read here, blood glucose regulation with insulin is a marathon, not a sprint. Doses should be started at a low level to ensure the cat responds OK to the insulin used and that they are safe on the dose. Thereafter, doses should be increased in small increments - both for safety and to allow the body to adjust itself to having more insulin available. Each dose increase needs time to 'settle' before you get a clear picture of how effective it is. The process does require patience - and many of us struggle with that at times.


Mogs
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How come my vet charged me $250.00 for an overnight stay to develop a curve of Lantus? It sounds like a scam since it takes at least 6 days for it to effect the blood sugar level.

@Larry and Kitties I was referring to this PZI http://www.felinediabetes.com/pzi.htm

 

A vet will usually prescribe the insulin they have prescribed most, and which they have seen good results with. When Bob got diagnosed, he was at a clinic with three vets. His vet prescribed PZI. If he'd seen one of the others, he would have gotten Lantus. The third vet used Caninsulin and Humulin. PZI worked for Bob.

That said, Lantus offers the best chance at remission (conditionally) and has apparently become the "insulin of choice" for vets. At least that's my observation in 5 years here.

 

Does your vet advocate home testing? He charged you that much because it is easy money. The "curve" would have cost you five bucks or less at home, using a human glucometer.

 

You posted before that your cat went hypoglycemic within 2 days of starting Lantus the first time and it took something like 5 days to bring the numbers back up. That may be why your vet wanted to do the curve earlier, to see if your cat was going to do the same thing.

The article is one vet's opinion about insulin. The one published study showed Lantus to have the highest rate of remission in cats; in newly diagnosed cats it was over 80%. Lantus IS one of the best insulins for cats, it is gentle and long lasting. Most people beg their vets to prescribe Lantus. PZI is a vet insulin and one of the better insulin for cats, but not necessarily "a real cat insulin".

Usually when cats return to insulin it takes a higher dose to start bringing their numbers down. Have patience and make sure you are dosing steadily 12/12 at the same dose for 3-5 days (5-7 for the initial dose). If you change things up you will affect how the insulin works and it will take longer to work right.