Feline companions require medications for a variety of illnesses, diseases and infections. In some cases, a cat may become diabetic due to its diet, environmental factors or genetics and will require insulin for the duration of the diabetes, which may or may not be for life.
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Identification
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Lantus is a brand name for an insulin medication that is used for control of diabetes in humans and has been used off-label as insulin for cats. The generic name for Lantus is glargine insulin.
Dosage
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For cats, two units of glargine insulin twice a day should be administered through an insulin syringe as recommended by the cat's veterinarian.
Monitoring
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Due to its relatively new use in veterinary medicine, cats who are on Lantus insulin should have their blood glucose levels checked a minimum of three times per day at home and once a week by a veterinarian.
Diet
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Cats that are diabetic and receive Lantus insulin should be transitioned onto a diet that is low in carbohydrates.
Prognosis
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Newly diabetic cats that are prescribed Lantus insulin have a high success rate of going into remission (becoming non-diabetic), so monitoring is extremely important in order to achieve ideal dosage and to know when to stop medication if remission occurs.
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