Had Jasper's Vet Appointment

First off, cute veterinarian. He's new. Only been there 3 months. Loved my SS. He spoke to Senior techs. Their clinic will only prescribe Novalin. Said I would have to go elsewhere if I want to switch. He would've done it if he could. Thinks I'm doing great with what I'm doing.
Jasper has conjunctivitis so have antibiotics. Also some swelling. Didn't want to do a steriod with the diabetes so doing a series of shots over 3 days.

 

Remind me again, are you in the US?

 

She's in FL....and she uses the Relion Prime which means she's in the US

 

Yes, I'm in FL.

 

Maybe you should send them the link to the 2018 AAHA Guidelines for Diabetes Management (specifically the part about recommended insulin's for cats)

 

I mentioned it. May have to call around to a few vets and see who will prescribe Lantus or Prozinc.

 

It’s odd for an American vet that’s why I asked

 

Never had to deal with diabetes before so I have no idea.

 

Did they sell you the Novolin?

It is very odd that a vet clinic will only prescribe Novolin. It is among the least expensive of the various insulins that are around so that may be why they use it. My kitty was initially put on Novolin (and that was over a decade ago) by an ICU vet. When Gabby was over her crisis, my regular vet switched her to Lantus. She gave a very large "harumph" over the ICU vet's prescription pointing out that Novolin was fine for doge but not so much for cats - she was in a cats only practice. It has a short duration so you do not get 12-hours of insulin coverage and it can quickly cause numbers to tank.

These days, in the US, Lantus and Prozinc are more widely prescribed. I would better understand your vet prescribing Prozinc over Novolin since Prozinc is formulated for animals. Lantus is a human insulin and more widely available.

 

That is very odd. I live in FL. I’ve had 2 diabetic cats. The first one was diagnosed about 4 years ago and he had prescribed Novolin (had to buy it at the store), but this time around with Max he prescribed Prozinc and had it in stock in his office.

 

Where in Florida do you live? Maybe we have a member in your area that could recommend a different vet near you.

 

Pensacola, FL- Scenic Hills does not. I think they follow some guidelines with whatever association they're with.

 

My vet is about 25 mins from you

 

They actually gave me a written prescription for Novolin which I took to Walmart. This doctor thought maybe Prozinc, but when he asked the Senior Doctors, they said only N.

 

Where do you live? @NoahFL

 

Sending you a PM

 

Just sent an email to 3 local vets. One appears to have experience with diabetic cats, but they prefer Vetsulin. How does that rate?

 

Bee had conjunctivitis and had antibiotics for 3 weeks...but you can also ask your vet for drops to help.

 

They gave me drops for Jasper. Also, just had 3 days of shots for swelling around his eye.

 

Vetsulin or caninsulin is not the best option. It’s made for canines and cats have higher metabolism. You should really push for prozync or Lantus.

 

This was her reply when I ask why they didn't prescribe Lantus or Prozinc. This is the vet I wanted to use too. Still waiting to hear from a couple of others.
"Vetsulin is the porcine zinc insulin. For the price conscious clients we will continue to prescribe the humulin/novolin."

 

He appears to be getting better. Ty.

 

You should also look into these 2 insulin before choosing...they really don't work the same but both are good. I couldn't go with Lantus because, even if it keep the BG stable, i would be worried about hypo while i am at work. Prozinc is a bigger curve but for me it's less stressful.

 

You should reply to her, that’s great but I have a cat not a dog. Did you know Vetsulin is also called caninsulin because it was made for dogs and cats have higher metabolisms? That would be a huge red flag for me in selecting a vet

 

Both insulins have the potential for hypos. Lantus does a better job putting kitties in better numbers, and better numbers are closer to hypo numbers, so remember not to misconstrue it as "Prozinc is less dangerous than Lantus" when considering insulin type. Frankly the only reason I didn't switch to Lantus immediately was because I felt I needed the extra hour of wiggle room Prozinc offered with my schedule. The way Lantus works is truly amazing when you research how it actually works in the body. I would definitely be waving that AAHA Guideline that Chris linked to around at the vet offices and see if someone near you has a problem prescribing it. Vetsulin's just as much a pain to work with as Novolin, and there's very few people here with experience in either.

 

Great point Panic! Both prozync and Lantus have much better remission rates so it’s about advocating for what’s best for your cat

 

I used Lantus for three of my cats and had no issues. The best way to reduce the chance of hypoglycemia is to home test before every shot and only adjust the dose in very small increments.

 

Just hoping one of my local vets will come through for me. I think Jasper now has conjuntivitis in his other eye. Now I'm putting drops in both. Not sure how he got it. Poor kitty.

 

ANY insulin has the potential for hypoglycemia.

The issues with Vetsulin is that it does not provide great duration. It rarely lasts the full 12 hours -- it usually lasts about 8 - 10 hours. It also has a relatively early nadir (i..e, lowest point in the cycle) which can occur as early as 3 hours after an injection. If these were the only issues, it would be more manageable. The issue with Vetsulin is that it can be very harsh and cause an abrupt drop in numbers. For all of these reasons, it is not recommended by the American Animal Hospital Assn. They recommend either Prozinc or Lantus for treatment of feline diabetes. This is a link to their guidelines -- it may be something to share with your vet (who is clearly in need of some continuing veterinary medical education about feline diabetes treatment).

 

I would say "I'm not concerned with the cost of the insulin. I'm concerned with the best insulin for my cat which from the AAHA Guidelines on Diabetes Management is Lantus or ProZinc. I would like a script so I can do some price comparisons and buy it where it's most convenient for me" (then, if it's Lantus, send it to Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada)

Cheapest for ProZinc is Chewy.com

 

It just seemed like they wouldn't even write a script for it. I had said i was looking for a vet that would prescribe either Lantus or Prozinc. Still haven't heard from the others yet.