Update on Bert and his Lantus Journey

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Kathy

Kathy

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If you are following our saga of Bert and the not so great vet, you will know Bert went to the vet for a curve on Wednesday.
Bert has never been on any insulin yet.
Little did I know this vet gave Bert 4 units of Lantus and Bert almost went hypo.
His number we low/normal for the next 24 hours so they sent him home without insulin.
Well guess what...his number are creeping back up today ohmygod_smile

I just talked to the vet and he is calling in a script for Bert right now.
He of course will give me the dosage based on Bert's weight.
I am going to need you guys to help me through the first few doses and know how smile w much to give.
I know the vet will say to give him too much :evil:

I will let you know when I have the lantus in my hot little hands. LOL


On a side note...how much do you think this is going to cost me nailbite_smile
He called it into CVS.
 
Kathy, the more experienced people will help you with dosage for Bert based on the protocol for Lantus. When you pick up the prescription, make sure you pick up the proper syringes.

I'm in PA too and I find that CVS is more expensive than any other pharmacy in the area. I got my Lantus at Walmart. It was the vial and cost either $103 or $110. I don't have the receipt right in front of me. If your vet called in the prescription for the vial, the pharmacist may tell you the insulin is only good for a month. That only applies to humans. You'll get more than a month from the vial.
 
HI Kathy
Glad to hear you back and you are getting the Lantus.
If the vet is not too far from you I would get a paper script from him.
There was also a post in health today about what the script should say, so that you can do your own shopping around.
People also say that the pens or cartridges are more economical then the 10ml vial, especially when the dosing units are low. I ams using the pens now.
Others will be here to help with dosing but usually the dosing starts at 1u.
Lantus dosing is supposed to be based on a cats ideal weight, not their actual and the formual is based in kg, not pounds. So don;t be surprises what the vet tells you. Post that info when you get it, okay.I had a thread in health about that too.
I can link those to you if you want. I'm not always the greatest with the tech side.
Good luck, you are in the right place.
 
I think I am just going to pick up the vial today.

I asked about what needles he called in and she said something like a 3 gauge something...something ohmygod_smile
I can call back and ask her again at the pharmacy.

She said if I wanted anything different I would have to call the vet and have him change the script.
 
The cost depends on whether it's a vial or 5 pens/cartridges. And usually Walgreens and CVS are higher. Costco, Sam's and sometimes a university med center are less expensive. There's a lot of discussion about how long Lantus is good for. Some of us have gotten more than a month from a vial or cartridge; some have not. The manufacturer's recommendation is to not use Lantus after 28 days.

I'm glad the vet is calling in the script. Of course we will help you with the initial and subsequent dosing. Do you happen to know Bert's ideal weight?
Tight Regulation Protocol said:
In many cases, the starting dose of Lantus or Levemir has been 0.25 IU per kg of the cat's ideal weight and is always dosed BID (two times a day, 12 hours apart).
Click to expand...
I believe many of us referred you to this dosing protocol. If you don't have a means of converting pounds to kilograms, again, we can help with that. Usually, the calculation falls somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.0u. for an average sized cat.

Your vet may not be totally off the wall. Lantus may be prescribed for humans as a once a day injection since it is a long-acting insulin. Cats' metabolism is much faster and it needs to be prescribed twice daily. I would have hoped your vet knew this but apparently not. I guess the question is whether you feel like you can work with this vet and if he is generally a good vet who cares about Bert. We can always help you to try to convert him.
 
Good plan
When you get back from the pharmacy, report here all of the info you have with regards to dosing units and syringes. At amiminum they should be u-100 syringes with 1/2 unit markings. You will get the help when you get back.
 
You don't need a script for syringes in Pennsylvania. I found that out when I got my Lantus script filled at Walmart. If they don't have what you want at CVS and you have a Walmart nearby, you might want to check them out.
 
should I call the vet if the syringe are the wrong size?
I do not want to buy the wrong ones.
 
Just a fun side note...Bert is happily sleeping on a warm freshly laundered pile of towels :lol:

The life of a cat I tell ya :mrgreen:
 
Kathy, I bought mine at Walmart. I specifically asked for syringes with 1/2 unit markings on them. They are the ReliOn Brand. 3/10 mL cc capacity, 30 gauge, 8mm (5/16") length, short needle.
 
His BG is 344 right now.
His ideal weight should be about 16 pounds.
The vet instructions said 1 unit once a day.
He ate about 2:15PM EST

He is hungry now, but I think I should give him insulin first confused_cat
 
Are you at shooting time now? The time you will give the shot? I am a newbie too, so cannot advise...
But I BG Test, Feed & Shoot.. within 15mins..
 
You need to pick a time that you can shoot at every day twice a day. AM & PM. Doesn't mean you will stay there, the furrballs have their own ideas about things.
 
SO if I did it now it would be 7am and 7pm ?

Cause that is a good time for me to always be home.
 
Kathy:

Lantus is dosed every 12 hours. Is this the time you will want to shoot in the AM? We can move the time in small increments if needed but you can't typically make a big change all at once so think about shot time. Will you want to be shooting at this time tomorrow morning?

1.0 unit is a fine dose to start with. It is safe.

You never want to shoot blind. You want to have a Pre-Shot test (AMPS or PMPS). It tells you if it's safe to shoot. Most of us test, feed, and shoot. Gabby gets her insulin while her face is in her food. You do have a window with respect to feeding but it needs to be after you test. Do not feed within 2 hours of your PS test. Otherwise, your PS number is influenced by food.

Make sure you know how to measure the insulin. 1.0 unit is the first long line on a syringe (if you have syringes that are in half units. It is not the line at the base where if you push the plunger all the way down where it rests. It is one or two lines above (2 likes if you have syringes that are in half units). This is a tiny bit of insulin.

resource.aspx
 
Welcome to LL!

1 unit BID (twice a day) is a good starting dose. I would pick whatever time you want his shot time to be (AM and PM) and start then. If 7:00 is good for you, then go for it! If you can get a test tonight sometime before bed, that will help us see how he is responding. Some cats get a good response on their first shot (I know he technically already had his first shot, so we'll have to see).
 
Umm...I did it @-)

When should I check his BG again.
He is eating right now.

He was more annoyed with me touching him while he was eating than me giving him the shot.

Also i have watched some videos and they say after you poke them with the needle to pull back on the plunger to make sure there is no blood.
Do you all do that?

I hope I poked him right :(
 
Congrats!

I don't pull back on the plunger. I do give the place where I shot a very quick rub -- mostly to make sure I didn't give a fur shot. I've never wiped any blood. I try to make this as quick and easy for Gabby as possible and to draw back on the plunger would probably mean it wouldn't be either quick or easy.

You will be doing this without a second thought in no time!
 
Kathy said:
+1=385BG

Is this OK?
Click to expand...


Hi Kathy

just to clarify, was the PMPS BG 344? This would be the BG at the time u shot, yes?

This +1 385 is fine, sometimes will be a food spike, cuz of dinner...you're doing fine!!

So, in ur subject line as an example, you would write: 01/29 Bert PMPS 344

just to add some data to ur SS, u can grab a +3 if u like, ok?
 
Ronnie & Luna said:
Kathy said:
+1=385BG

Is this OK?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


Hi Kathy

just to clarify, was the PMPS BG 344? This would be the BG at the time u shot, yes?

This +1 385 is fine, sometimes will be a food spike, cuz of dinner...you're doing fine!!

So, in ur subject line as an example, you would write: 01/29 Bert PMPS 344

just to add some data to ur SS, u can grab a +3 if u like, ok?

Yes...the 344 is at the time I shot.
I will start Bert's condo tomorrow.
I am going to do another BG at +2
I think I updated his SS.
I just do not know how to name it like a lot of you have.
 
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