Lantus insulin glargine is a long-acting insulin, used by people with diabetes, that usually lasts up to about 24 hours. It is still new in its use for cats, although it is showing promise. There are advantages and disadvantages for its use in cats.
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What Insulin Is
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Insulin is a hormone created in the pancreas which regulates glucose levels in the blood. Glucose is used by the body to create energy. The absence or reduction of insulin can cause diabetes. The use of synthetic insulin is often necessary to regulate glucose levels in humans and cats. Synthetic insulin for cats can be human-based, beef/pork based, or canine-based.
Types of Insulin
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Insulin for humans, as well as cats, is found in many different forms. Long-acting insulin is usually taken every twenty-four hours in an injection form for humans. Cats have faster metabolisms so twenty-four hour insulin is good for up to about twelve hours in cats. Until recently, Humulin NPH (N), a human-based insulin, was the only insulin available for cats. In some cases, it is still used and works well in a majority of cats. Caninsulin, a canine-based insulin, has showed promising results in cats. Lantus insulin glargine has shown the most promise in treatment of cats.
Diabetes in Cats
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Left unchecked, diabetes in a cat can cause serious illness or death. Some of the symptoms of the disease are a marked increase or decrease in appetite, a marked increase or decrease in weight, an unquenchable thirst, or signs of dehydration.
If you observe any of these symptoms in your cat, the sooner you get it to a veterinarian the better. Just as in humans, cats can be tested for diabetes and a treatment regime can be started before the disease progresses.
Advantages in Using Lantus Insulin Glargine
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Any person who has owned a cat knows what an ordeal it can be to give a shot to a cat. On the other hand, if the cat has had diabetes for awhile, it may be used to getting shots. Either way, with this medication, the cat will probably only need two shots a day, as opposed to three or more.
Used with a low-carbohydrate diet, Lantus insulin glargine has brought about remission of diabetes in about 60 to 70% of the cats treated. The pancreas has returned to producing normal levels of glucose and the disease can then be controlled with proper diet and weight control. At the very least, it has helped stabilize the diabetes and made it easier for the cat and the owner to cope with the disease.
Disdvantages in Using Lantus Insulin Glargine
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One disadvantage is the availability of Lantus insulin glargine in smaller quantities. Since the normal duration of the drug when opened and stored in the refrigerator is generally around 28 days, part of a 10ml bottle used on a cat will probably get thrown out. The cost of a 10ml bottle is around $70, so it would be more cost effective if you can find the 3ml bottles, but they are not as readily available.
Lantus insulin glargine is synthetic human insulin. There is argument that the beef/pork based insulin is more closely related to a cat's natural insulin and therefore, more effective in controlling a cat's diabetes. There is evidence available that supports this hypothesis. Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins has been working with diabetic cats for many years and has been very successful in combining a low-carbohydrate diet with beef/pork based insulin injections.
For more detailed information on her treatments for diabetic cats, please see the website listed in resources for Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM, JD.
Summary
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With proper treatment, a diabetic cat can live a long and happy life. If your current treatment hasn't been successful, or you are unhappy with the results you are seeing, talk to your veterinarian about Lantus insulin glargine. It is possible after several months of your cat being treated with this medication, you will be able to control his diabetes with just a proper diet and weight control.
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