Guest ibeakila Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Is anyone out there familiar with a diabetic greyhound getting lantus instead of the vetsulin. I am going to ask my vet about it. My big boy, Ibe had a very serious seizure last week and I almost lost him, if I did not get the syrup in him, in time. He is seven and the vet is still working with us, regulating his insulin level from 17 units. Thank you ulie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CindiLuvsGreys Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I have a Diabetic cat which I know is not the same but he was on Lantus. Lantus lasts longer and can in some cases be given 1x day. I would check out this website. They will have the answers you need as I really only have experience with cats. I do know Diabetes can be controlled and your baby can live a fairly normal life. It just takes a while to find the right dosage. Good luck! http://www.caninediabetes.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindles Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Lantus is a peak-less, long lasting insulin, meaning there is less risk of having a hypoglycemic episode. In humans it is given once a day at bedtime. I know that it's great in humans but sometimes necessitates keeping rapid or short acting insulin on hand just in case there is a BG spike. Quote | Rachel | Dewty, Trigger, and Charlotte | Missing Dazzle, Echo, and Julio | Learn what your greyhound's life was like before becoming part of yours!"The only thing better than the cutest kitty in the world is any dog." -Daniel Tosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Lantus is one of the insulins I take for my diabetes. It is a "background" insulin that helps regulate the blood sugar over a 24 hour period, Getting the dose fine tuned can be tricky. When you say he had a seizure, I am assuming he went hypoglycemic. I don't know much about canine diabetes but for humans, there are many factors that can contribute to hypoglycemic reactions; exercise, mealtimes not being consistent, too much insulin, etc. For me I cope with this by constantly monitoring my blood glucose levels and I don not know if there is a test kit for canines where you can test him at home at different times during the day. I'd ask the vet. Hopefully you will be able to get his dose fine-tuned and he will do better. Some people also split their Lantus dose so they take half in the AM and half in the PM; technically it is not supposed to have any "peak" but some people find less variation in their blood glucose by splitting the dose. Another thing you could ask your vet about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartdogs Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Noelle takes human insulin 2 shots a day. It did take a while to get her regulated & she gets 3 meals a day to keep her levels steady. I had to give her nutri-cal or honey to break seisure activity. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pappiea Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Hello You all have explained lantus very well. A suggestion I have for treating hypoglycemic events is using glucose gel, rather then syrup. This is easily available in any drug store, also it is inexpensive. It is easier and safer to use, and most likely will raise the dog's glucose level faster. In humans, you squeeze the entire tube into the cheek, then massage it. Swallowing is not necessary, the glucose will be absorbed through the membranes of the mouth. I think the process would be the same for the dog. Sending prayers for you and Ibe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CindiLuvsGreys Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I know there are glucose meters made especially for pets. You can also use a human meter...well you can with cats. I think it is going to be a lot of trial and error to find the right dosage. Having a great vet in your corner makes all the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyvettech Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 From my experience, Lantus is the recommended insulin of choice for cats/dogs-It is expensive @ about $100 a bottle, I think..where as Vetsulin is about $45 Also, tell you vet to order you an animal glucomator-Webster Veterinary Health carries a great one! Human glucose meters are not accurate for animals.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goofydog Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 http://stickykibble.blogspot.com/ this is a great blog that chronicles ELLA'S diabetes travels and you can contact her mom from it. Pleae give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EllasDad Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Unfortunately I do not know much about lantus as our diabetic greyhound was on humulin and then vetsulin. Ella actually needed more faster acting insulin. A few suggestions are: Look at the following site and consider posting your question there. I found this site to be very helpful (the best web resource...IMO). The people who run it are very knowlegeable (not vets, but experienced and insightful on unusual blood glucose curves) and the users are very supportive. The site is well organized and if you post for a while, they will get to know you and your dog's situation better and can offer helpful suggestions. http://www.k9diabetes.com A quick search of their forum returned 25 hits for the word "lantus". It appeared that 1 person (actually a dog named Monkey) was using it and I suspect it may be due to the expense, as it appears to be one of the most expensive out there in $/IU. If you are not monitoring blood glucose, I would strongly encourage you to do so. There are some polls on meters that people use on the above site as well as a video on how to do it. There are a lot of factors that can make a particular dog hard to regulate. Matching food intake and exercise are the obvious things. Ella was difficult to regulate and a lot of things (stress/excitement) would impact her blood sugar, not the least of which was other illness and/or medications. Siezures are terrible and scary. Hopefully you can get Ibe regulated and that this helps somewhat. Regards, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ibeakila Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I have a Diabetic cat which I know is not the same but he was on Lantus. Lantus lasts longer and can in some cases be given 1x day. I would check out this website. They will have the answers you need as I really only have experience with cats. I do know Diabetes can be controlled and your baby can live a fairly normal life. It just takes a while to find the right dosage. Good luck! http://www.caninediabetes.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ibeakila Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Thank You all so much for your help, I also have a diabetic cat, no problems with him. He has cancer and they gave him two months, he is now going on five months, I think it is because he luvs to sleep with my big boy, Ibe, the diabetic grey. If I can only learn to get pics on this site with my mac, I would love to show them. I am going to the vet tomorrow with your suggestions. Today, again he had a very slight seizure, my mother was around to control, but I know, from what I went thru the other day, I would lose my boy, who I have had since he was 6 weeks old, if another one of those very bad seizures happened again. I am going to do everything I can to keep this from happening. It was the worse and scariest thing I ever went thru. I just dont understand why I cannot prevent this.?Thank You all again for your help and will keep you posted, Luv Ibe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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