New Member Question: Start insulin now or wait???

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Haylee&Tigger

Haylee&Tigger

Member Since 2020
Hello everyone! I am extremely thankful I found this website and forum :cat: It has honestly been way more informational than my current vet has provided but also, I knew absolutely nothing about feline diabetes or human diabetes to begin with. I’ve read through quite a bit and even printed off a lot to keep around and highlight important things I need to remember from this site.

I would like a little advice however on feeding and insulin. When my baby was diagnosed, the vet recommended Glycobalance (didn’t even mention it was a food so that was a whole thing :banghead: After I figured it out and figured out what other more affordable foods i could give I came across Crave wet food but am thinking now about moving him to Fancy Feast Classics. The vet also recommended Vetsulin and of course all the supplies. I did a day or two of research to find more affordable supplies with a tiny bit of luck. I haven’t gotten a dosage or even the insulin yet, am waiting on them to call me about it today. However, my kitty was eating dry kibble and we switched him over to wet food within a span of 3-4 days. Last night was his last feeding of mixed dry and wet food. Today he has had just wet food. I know I should test his BG before dosing him however I’m sure that my vet will give me an initial dose based on the tests they ran over a week ago and I’m sure something may have changed with his levels since switching him to just wet food. MY QUESTION IS... should I wait a bit longer before getting the insulin to start treatment at home so that the cat is completely switched to the wet food and has been on it for a good amount of time?
 
The initial dose should be based on weight, not on what your cat’s blood glucose was at the vet. For most cats the starting dose is usually 0.5 or 1.0 units. A lot of vets tend to start the dose way too high, so be mindful of that. Now would definitely be the best time to start checking his BG at home, especially if you are transitioning him off of dry food. Since he has not started insulin yet, this would also be the ideal time to switch to fancy feast if you would like to. The readings you get at home will help determine if you should hold off on insulin for a little longer while you change foods or if you should start soon.

If you are able to, I would ask your to prescribe Prozinc or lantus instead of Vetsulin. My cat was on Vetsulin and she did go into remission, but it is not a good insulin for cats and I wouldn’t recommend it.
 
Welcome to FDMB ! We are glad you found us. It looks like youve got a lot of ground work already done You will be asked to set up a spreadsheet and your signature you can find that info here:
Suggestions, Tech Support & Testing Area

Would you mind sharing your names with us? Its ok if you are uncomfortable doing that ...just makes it easier.;)

Its great you are transitioning from the dry food all dry foods are PACKED with carbs. I fed Trouble exclusively Fancy Feast Pate's. He did very well on them. Took away his dry food and he was off insulin in a couple of weeks. Since you've already removed the dry I think you can go ahead with your plans and start insulin. I am NO expert but there are plenty here that are Lets see what they have to say ok?
Again WELCOME to the best darn site to help you help your kitty!:bighug:
jeanne
 
Thank you Sarah&Soph and jt and trouble for the replies and help! I will go ahead and switch over to the Fancy Feast since I’ve gotten him on just wet food now. Thank you for the bit about dosage, will definitely keep that in mind. I will also ask my vet about the other insulin’s mentioned.

My name is Haylee and my baby’s name is Tigger :cat: I will get into the setting up of a spreadsheet and signature also!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This has been very emotional on me and overwhelming so I really appreciate the advice! :D
 
Haylee said:
Thank you Sarah&Soph and jt and trouble for the replies and help! I will go ahead and switch over to the Fancy Feast since I’ve gotten him on just wet food now. Thank you for the bit about dosage, will definitely keep that in mind. I will also ask my vet about the other insulin’s mentioned.

My name is Haylee and my baby’s name is Tigger :cat: I will get into the setting up of a spreadsheet and signature also!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This has been very emotional on me and overwhelming so I really appreciate the advice! :D
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WELCOME Haylee and Tigger! :bighug:
If you have any problems setting up your spread sheet and signature. There are good folks here who can help you with that.;)
 
Haylee said:
Thank you Sarah&Soph and jt and trouble for the replies and help! I will go ahead and switch over to the Fancy Feast since I’ve gotten him on just wet food now. Thank you for the bit about dosage, will definitely keep that in mind. I will also ask my vet about the other insulin’s mentioned.

My name is Haylee and my baby’s name is Tigger :cat: I will get into the setting up of a spreadsheet and signature also!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This has been very emotional on me and overwhelming so I really appreciate the advice! :D
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Hi Haley,

I would hold off on anymore food changes until you’re home testing. But if you do, make sure you’re home testing before you start giving insulin as his BG level could drop very fast with the switch and be much lower than he was when diagnosed at the vet
 
And I agree with Sarah. Since you haven’t started Vetsulin yet much better to try one of the 2 she mentioned since Vetsulin, also called caninsulin for canine was made for dogs not cats. Cats have a much higher metabolism and do better on Lantus or prozync :)

Welcome to you and Tigger:bighug:
 
Welcome Halee and Tigger :cat: If Tigger likes the fancy feast, it’s a much better and cheaper option than the glycobalance anyway. It is definitely overwhelming! Please ask any questions you have :cat:

Also, I’m not sure how finances are for you, but just a heads up, the two insulins I mentioned are more expensive than Vetsulin. However, Prozinc can be purchased for (usually) cheaper than the Vets office on Chewy and a vial will last 3+ months. If you are in the US, lantus is VERY pricey so many members on here purchase it from Canada where it is much more affordable
 
If you are not giving Tigger any insulin yet it is fine to continue changing over completely a low carb Diet but don’t do it too fast because it might upset Tiggers tummy.
I agree that Lantus or Prozinc are far better insulins.
And home testing is the only way to keep Tigger safe. Buy a human test meter. They are far cheaper to run than pet meters and most of us use them here.
If you are not going to start insulin pretty much straight away, it is important to test for ketones in the urine. Ketones can form when there is not enough insulin in the system which is what is happening in diabetic cats that are not getting insulin. Ketones can lead to DKA quickly so that is why it is important if you are not Giving insulin to test for ketones. You can buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy and follow directions on the bottle exactly. If any ketones appear in the urine, the Insulin needs to be started immediately.
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Welcome Halee and Tigger :cat: If Tigger likes the fancy feast, it’s a much better and cheaper option than the glycobalance anyway. It is definitely overwhelming! Please ask any questions you have :cat:

Also, I’m not sure how finances are for you, but just a heads up, the two insulins I mentioned are more expensive than Vetsulin. However, Prozinc can be purchased for (usually) cheaper than the Vets office on Chewy and a vial will last 3+ months. If you are in the US, lantus is VERY pricey so many members on here purchase it from Canada where it is much more affordable
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Yes finances are unfortunately a big factor for me and I just looked up those two insulin’s and saw how pricey :( I will check Chewy though. I purchased a pet glucometer and test strips for it already. The Alphatrak. I saw mixed reviews about human and pet ones and which one to get. I just got the pet one because I’ve seen that human ones aren’t accurate enough (again before I found this site). Should I get a human meter and use that instead or would the Alphatrak still be okay?
 
Since you've already bought the Pet meter and strips you might as well use them. But yeah I would go out and buy a human one then convert your spread sheet over. (unless of course the Vet will take the pet one back and refund you the money) I know I couldnt afford those strips.:rolleyes:
 
The AlphaTrak is a great meter, but it is pricey as heck! About $1 per strip, which adds up when you test 3-4 times a day. I definitely recommend a human meter. The ReliOn prime from Walmart is $9 and a box of 100 strips is $18, much much cheaper and super convenient since you can pop into any Walmart and get them. Plus, most people here use human meters and so they’re used to seeing those numbers, and the protocols used here were created using a human meter as well.

Prozinc is about $108 on chewy with free overnight shipping. And as I said, for most cats that will last about 3-6 months. About a year’s supply of lantus from Canada is around $150 I believe, so it’s a lot up front but it will last you a while.
 
The alphatrak meter is ok but it is so much more expensive to run. It is the test strips that cost the money once you have bought the meter.
The human meter is absolutely fine. Most of us use them hee and that is what our dosing methods are based on. buying a human meter would be cheaper..
Not sure where you live but if in the US, you can buy Lantus from Canada much cheaper. You just need a prescription from your vet. I’ll try and find the link and send it to you.
 
Hmm strange, but the Alphatrak was a bit pricey but my husband and I have a rewards card and were able to use the rewards to pay for the starter kit. I will purchase a human one either way and convert it when posting here. I still need to look at converting. Thank you so much for the help and resources @Sarah&Soph and @Bron and Sheba (GA)

I think I will just purchase the Prozinc or Lantus since it lasts longer! I thought it was monthly like Vetsulin. But thank you for that info too!
 
Haylee said:
Yes finances are unfortunately a big factor for me and I just looked up those two insulin’s and saw how pricey :( I will check Chewy though. I purchased a pet glucometer and test strips for it already. The Alphatrak. I saw mixed reviews about human and pet ones and which one to get. I just got the pet one because I’ve seen that human ones aren’t accurate enough (again before I found this site). Should I get a human meter and use that instead or would the Alphatrak still be okay?
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If finances are an issue, I’d see if I can return the alphatrack. The alphatrack strips are the most expensive and you’ll go through them super fast when home testing. To give you an idea, 100 lasts less than a month for me. The Lantus from Canada mentioned above is 1/3 of the price of the Lantus in the US I’d go with a better insulin and cheaper strips. Pet meters didn’t always exist. They were invented rather recently and until then human meters were used. Most of us here use them and they work just as well. Walmart’s ReliOn is your best most economical option. 100 strips will cost you only $17.99
 
Haylee said:
Hmm strange, but the Alphatrak was a bit pricey but my husband and I have a rewards card and were able to use the rewards to pay for the starter kit. I will purchase a human one either way and convert it when posting here. I still need to look at converting. Thank you so much for the help and resources @Sarah&Soph and @Bron and Sheba (GA)

I think I will just purchase the Prozinc or Lantus since it lasts longer! I thought it was monthly like Vetsulin. But thank you for that info too!
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If you use a human meter no conversion needed. If you look at my spreadsheet, link in my signature, all the numbers you’ll see are straight from the meter’s readings
 
Update: I created Tigger's SS last night but haven't really filled out much. There was a bit I meant to read about how to use the SS that I will get to later tonight. This morning I tested Tigger before he ate and got 316 mg/dl at 10AM and at 2PM he tested and got 330 mg/dl. I emailed my vet to get his blood results from his initial visit emailed to me since I never got that and the result they got was 388. So changing him to the Crave wet food has definitely helped.

My next question is... I see a LOT of recommendations for FF wet food but got curious and went on a search because "wouldn't something grain free/high protein/low carb be better for a diabetic cat" I wondered. I found some other threads that gave info for calculating the percentages on wet food and found the Food Chart by Dr. Pierson however the Crave wet food I currently feed Tigger wasn't on it. I followed the instructions on the Food Table Q&A and there are 0% carbs in this food. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but it seems like the Crave would be better for him than the FF.
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
Update: I created Tigger's SS last night but haven't really filled out much. There was a bit I meant to read about how to use the SS that I will get to later tonight. This morning I tested Tigger before he ate and got 316 mg/dl at 10AM and at 2PM he tested and got 330 mg/dl. I emailed my vet to get his blood results from his initial visit emailed to me since I never got that and the result they got was 388. So changing him to the Crave wet food has definitely helped.

My next question is... I see a LOT of recommendations for FF wet food but got curious and went on a search because "wouldn't something grain free/high protein/low carb be better for a diabetic cat" I wondered. I found some other threads that gave info for calculating the percentages on wet food and found the Food Chart by Dr. Pierson however the Crave wet food I currently feed Tigger wasn't on it. I followed the instructions on the Food Table Q&A and there are 0% carbs in this food. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but it seems like the Crave would be better for him than the FF.
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As far as the food, it’s totally up to you as long as it’s less than 10% carbs. The brand doesn’t matter and if you want to go with a higher end one it’s great. I’m going to have to transition Minnie to something else now that her IBD is confirmed so I did look at grain free options and narrowed it down to Hounds and Gatos and Rawz.

btw, kudos for being quite the forum detective! ;)
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
Update: I created Tigger's SS last night but haven't really filled out much. There was a bit I meant to read about how to use the SS that I will get to later tonight. This morning I tested Tigger before he ate and got 316 mg/dl at 10AM and at 2PM he tested and got 330 mg/dl. I emailed my vet to get his blood results from his initial visit emailed to me since I never got that and the result they got was 388. So changing him to the Crave wet food has definitely helped.

My next question is... I see a LOT of recommendations for FF wet food but got curious and went on a search because "wouldn't something grain free/high protein/low carb be better for a diabetic cat" I wondered. I found some other threads that gave info for calculating the percentages on wet food and found the Food Chart by Dr. Pierson however the Crave wet food I currently feed Tigger wasn't on it. I followed the instructions on the Food Table Q&A and there are 0% carbs in this food. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but it seems like the Crave would be better for him than the FF.
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Dr. Pierson’s chart is a few years old now, so unfortunately some newer foods are not included. Based on briefly looking up some of the ingredients in Crave, I didn’t personally see anything that would be especially carby so it’s probably fine if you would like to continue feeding Tigger that. 0% carbs isn’t always necessarily better for every cat, some cats actually do better on a small amount of carbs. The main recommendation is just that you feed something under 10% :cat:
 
Perhaps FF is just so widely recommended
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
As far as the food, it’s totally up to you as long as it’s less than 10% carbs. The brand doesn’t matter and if you want to go with a higher end one it’s great. I’m going to have to transition Minnie to something else now that her IBD is confirmed so I did look at grain free options and narrowed it down to Hounds and Gatos and Rawz.

btw, kudos for being quite the forum detective! ;)
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Thank you! I am really trying to do a lot of ground work for this kitty. Tigger is actually my husbands kitty more than anything. He had a dog a long time ago that had similar issues but because my husband was a lot younger and didn't have the money, the poor thing passed from a seizure right in his arms :( He truly believes Tigger is a "reincarnation" (if you believe that) of his previous dog. Anyways! Yes I am definitely making use of that Search bar! :D

Sarah&Soph said:
Dr. Pierson’s chart is a few years old now, so unfortunately some newer foods are not included. Based on briefly looking up some of the ingredients in Crave, I didn’t personally see anything that would be especially carby so it’s probably fine if you would like to continue feeding Tigger that. 0% carbs isn’t always necessarily better for every cat, some cats actually do better on a small amount of carbs. The main recommendation is just that you feed something under 10% :cat:
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I do believe Crave is a newer food honestly, so it makes sense! Thank you for looking it up too! :)
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
Perhaps FF is just so widely recommended



Thank you! I am really trying to do a lot of ground work for this kitty. Tigger is actually my husbands kitty more than anything. He had a dog a long time ago that had similar issues but because my husband was a lot younger and didn't have the money, the poor thing passed from a seizure right in his arms :( He truly believes Tigger is a "reincarnation" (if you believe that) of his previous dog. Anyways! Yes I am definitely making use of that Search bar! :D



I do believe Crave is a newer food honestly, so it makes sense! Thank you for looking it up too! :)
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I do I do!!! I rescued my kitties 3 days after I lost my late cat Deanna and I know for a fact that she sent them to me. I just know and no one will convince me otherwise. Minnie looks like a replica of her so that was like leaving a business card and saying in case you’re not sure this gift came from me ha! You certainly have a big heart for both kitty and hubby :bighug:
 
Update: I have decided on Prozinc for Tigger and am waiting on the vet to call me to let me know they have filled it. They actually have it the same price if I were to order online and have it shipped. Now my problem is I have a HUGE issue with needles and injections. I get cold sweats, dizziness, horribly nauseous and blurry visioned. My husband is fine to do it however he works from 5AM to 5:30PM. He’s usually awake at 3AM so he can get ready and he gets home around 6:30. I’m also not awake when he gets up or even when he leaves. I don’t know what kind of leeway I have with insulin or if it has to be exact timing because he also doesn’t eat at the same exact time in the morning as he does at night. I don’t have anyone else that could give the shot either. What can we do?
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
Update: I have decided on Prozinc for Tigger and am waiting on the vet to call me to let me know they have filled it. They actually have it the same price if I were to order online and have it shipped. Now my problem is I have a HUGE issue with needles and injections. I get cold sweats, dizziness, horribly nauseous and blurry visioned. My husband is fine to do it however he works from 5AM to 5:30PM. He’s usually awake at 3AM so he can get ready and he gets home around 6:30. I’m also not awake when he gets up or even when he leaves. I don’t know what kind of leeway I have with insulin or if it has to be exact timing because he also doesn’t eat at the same exact time in the morning as he does at night. I don’t have anyone else that could give the shot either. What can we do?
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I was the same way with needles. But I knew it was the only way to get Trouble healthy again. I bit my lip put my big girl panties on and dove head in. After a week was saying...what was I worried about? I know its different for everyone but when you realize whats at stake something takes over that fear/ phobia thing.

good luck! YOU CAN DO THIS!
j
 
Insulin ideally needs to be dosed as close to 12 hours apart as possible. You do have more wiggle room with Prozinc compared to lantus, but it’s still probably only 30mins to an hour, depending on if the preshot reading is high enough, so that’s not going to work for your schedule.

When my cat was diagnosed with diabetes I was going to graduate school out of state and my cat lived with my brother who felt similarly to you about needles. He would call me every single day panicking, saying he couldn’t do it and that I needed to take her. So I immediately found a new place to live that was pet friendly, broke my old lease, moved, etc, which took around 2 weeks. Right before he was supposed to leave to bring her to me he tells me “Well I’m used to it now, I could always just keep her....” :rolleyes: I know it’s really easy for all of us to tell you to just do it, it will get easier, you’ll get used to it, etc and I know phobias do not listen to logic at all, but maybe you could start by slowly trying to acclimate yourself to getting used to needles, for Tigger :cat:
 
I think a lot of us feel your pain! I don’t even have a needle phobia and I was still a nervous wreck the entire first week of giving injections. But there really is nothing to it :cat: And at the end of the day, once a day insulin is going to be better for Tigger than no insulin at all, although obviously not ideal. So if your husband can at least give it in the morning, maybe you can start working up to giving the PM injection
 
So my vet gave me an initial dose of 1.3 units he’s been measuring in between 288 and 347. Is this a good starting dose? I’m really really afraid of hypoglycemia happening, I got some honey prepared for if it were to happen but I feel like I would much rather build him up and be sure than to go in at a full unit. Especially since he’s gone down since his initial testing at the vet.
 
Are you using u40 syringes? I’m not sure how you would measure that dose because the lowest increment they have is 0.5 units, unless you were using u100 syringes and converting.

Here is a guide for Prozinc if you have not already checked it out! It recommends a starting dose of 0.5 units if your cat is eating low carb wet food, or 1.0 unit if they’re still eating dry or high carb

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/prozinc-dosing-methods.225629/
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
So my vet gave me an initial dose of 1.3 units he’s been measuring in between 288 and 347. Is this a good starting dose? I’m really really afraid of hypoglycemia happening, I got some honey prepared for if it were to happen but I feel like I would much rather build him up and be sure than to go in at a full unit. Especially since he’s gone down since his initial testing at the vet.
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What’s the insulin? Can you add that to your signature please so we can see it? It’s normal to ha afraid of hypos but until your cat is close to being regulated it’s a bit unlikely. Not impossible but less common. Those are good safe numbers. Anything over 200 is safe to shoot.
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Are you using u40 syringes? I’m not sure how you would measure that dose because the lowest increment they have is 0.5 units, unless you were using u100 syringes and converting.

Here is a guide for Prozinc if you have not already checked it out! It recommends a starting dose of 0.5 units if your cat is eating low carb wet food, or 1.0 unit if they’re still eating dry or high carb

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/prozinc-dosing-methods.225629/
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Yes I am using u40 syringes and yes I just took a look at the syringes and saw that it would be pretty difficult to measure that exactly. He is eating low carb wet food so I think I will go with the guide and thank you for the link I will have to look that over.


Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
What’s the insulin? Can you add that to your signature please so we can see it? It’s normal to ha afraid of hypos but until your cat is close to being regulated it’s a bit unlikely. Not impossible but less common. Those are good safe numbers. Anything over 200 is safe to shoot.
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Yes I will add it to my signature I just haven’t had a chance to just yet. :)
 
Okay, I’m getting ready to give him his shot in an hour and I went to get the info pamphlet out of the box of Prozinc and noticed it’s already cloudy... it’s been sitting in the fridge since yesterday 3pm so I don’t think it’s due to transport. Is this normal? It’s not just the outside of the bottle
 
At what point should I give honey? Currently at 94 mg/dL and it’s decreased from 137 within a matter of 15 minutes and I’ve read multiple different “safe zones” where his numbers should read. I’ve kept his numbers updated all day as I wanted to do a curve at the beginning to keep track.
 
cat_wings>o
Haylee&Tigger said:
At what point should I give honey? Currently at 94 mg/dL and it’s decreased from 137 within a matter of 15 minutes and I’ve read multiple different “safe zones” where his numbers should read. I’ve kept his numbers updated all day as I wanted to do a curve at the beginning to keep track.
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It might be good to make another thread to get dosing advice so more people can see it. But from the dosing sticky, since Tigger had a 76 last night at +4, you should reduce the dose to 0.25 units

“If kitty falls below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L) decrease the dose by 0.25 unit immediately.”

If you’re using the AlphaTrak, technically he’s in safe numbers until he falls below 68, but it’s best to try to keep them around 90 on an insulin like Prozinc unless you’re fairly experienced and know your cat. As for testing, you certainly can test every hour and all data is good data, but for the sake of Tigger’s ears, you definitely don’t need to :cat: But great catch with those numbers at +4 to +6!

 
Sarah&Soph said:
cat_wings>o

It might be good to make another thread to get dosing advice so more people can see it. But from the dosing sticky, since Tigger had a 76 last night at +4, you should reduce the dose to 0.25 units

“If kitty falls below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L) decrease the dose by 0.25 unit immediately.”

If you’re using the AlphaTrak, technically he’s in safe numbers until he falls below 68, but it’s best to try to keep them around 90 on an insulin like Prozinc unless you’re fairly experienced and know your cat. As for testing, you certainly can test every hour and all data is good data, but for the sake of Tigger’s ears, you definitely don’t need to :cat: But great catch with those numbers at +4 to +6!
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I only tested every hour the first day so that I could get a feel for how it was going to be and to catch any incidents before they happened and also because I think when I gave him his shot, it was a possible fur shot. Also, after desperate attempts to get enough blood from his ear, it just wasn’t happening at all so I decided to move to the back paws and I get enough every time! I know some say he can get an infection but also I’ve seen where someone had said they’ve been doing it for years without infections so whatever works!

So, the syringes I have, u40, if I decrease the dose .25 from .5 that’s going to measure very small, I don’t think I’d even be able to pull back on the plunger. The first dosing line is basically where it would have to measure and the rubber stopper inside is already at that when it’s fully closed.

I just feel confused about the numbers because I’m some information on the website I read between 100-200 then when I simply google it, the unanimous is 80-120. But the spreadsheet goes into a very low green number that’s 68 and above. Tigger wasn’t showing any signs of hypo (I know they don’t have to) but last night 76 was the lowest he got to so I’m thinking since that’s just BARELY under 80 but according to the spreadsheet still a good number, then it’s okay...?​
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
I only tested every hour the first day so that I could get a feel for how it was going to be and to catch any incidents before they happened and also because I think when I gave him his shot, it was a possible fur shot. Also, after desperate attempts to get enough blood from his ear, it just wasn’t happening at all so I decided to move to the back paws and I get enough every time! I know some say he can get an infection but also I’ve seen where someone had said they’ve been doing it for years without infections so whatever works!

So, the syringes I have, u40, if I decrease the dose .25 from .5 that’s going to measure very small, I don’t think I’d even be able to pull back on the plunger. The first dosing line is basically where it would have to measure and the rubber stopper inside is already at that when it’s fully closed.

I just feel confused about the numbers because I’m some information on the website I read between 100-200 then when I simply google it, the unanimous is 80-120. But the spreadsheet goes into a very low green number that’s 68 and above. Tigger wasn’t showing any signs of hypo (I know they don’t have to) but last night 76 was the lowest he got to so I’m thinking since that’s just BARELY under 80 but according to the spreadsheet still a good number, then it’s okay...?​
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Yes it’s totally fine to test as often as you want, especially when you’re first starting and getting a feel for how your cat responds to insulin! If Tigger will let you test his paws that’s okay too, whatever works best for you guys :cat:

Yes 0.25 is a very small amount. Let me see if I can find a pic for you on how to measure it. The way I did it was to pull back more than I needed, then while the syringe was still in the bottle I would push out the insulin until I got to 0.25.

Here on the board, we classify “normal” BG on a pet meter as 68-150. If you enter a value below 68 it will code it as lime green, or “hypo”. However, the SS is not set up to be specific to what method or insulin you are using, so even though lower than 90 is too low on Prozinc, it’s not going to color it as lime green. And 68 is not technically “hypo”, but for safety reasons we like to keep cats on insulin above this number.

If it were my cat, I would take the reduction, as per the protocol. You can always increase again if 0.25 is not enough, but if it is too much then you will potentially have to deal with managing low numbers. But you can make another post asking for dosing advice for more opinions :cat:
 
:D
Sarah&Soph said:
Yes it’s totally fine to test as often as you want, especially when you’re first starting and getting a feel for how your cat responds to insulin! If Tigger will let you test his paws that’s okay too, whatever works best for you guys :cat:

Yes 0.25 is a very small amount. Let me see if I can find a pic for you on how to measure it. The way I did it was to pull back more than I needed, then while the syringe was still in the bottle I would push out the insulin until I got to 0.25.

Here on the board, we classify “normal” BG on a pet meter as 68-150. If you enter a value below 68 it will code it as lime green, or “hypo”. However, the SS is not set up to be specific to what method or insulin you are using, so even though lower than 90 is too low on Prozinc, it’s not going to color it as lime green. And 68 is not technically “hypo”, but for safety reasons we like to keep cats on insulin above this number.

If it were my cat, I would take the reduction, as per the protocol. You can always increase again if 0.25 is not enough, but if it is too much then you will potentially have to deal with managing low numbers. But you can make another post asking for dosing advice for more opinions :cat:
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Good idea about measuring! I didn’t think of that! And yes of course, I reduced him to .25

The next time I need dosing info and help I will make a new post for sure. Thank you for replying to this one still :)
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
:D

Good idea about measuring! I didn’t think of that! And yes of course, I reduced him to .25

The next time I need dosing info and help I will make a new post for sure. Thank you for replying to this one still :)
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Yes of course! It’s just always good to have multiple people looking at dosing advice and they are less likely to look in an opening thread sometimes
 
Hey Haylee can you please confirm what meter you're using - your signature and the fill in the blank spot on your spreadsheet says ReliOn Prime Human meter but the spreadsheet template you're using is the Alphatrak Pet Meter - I see you were planning on purchasing a human meter and notice you filled out your signature after you mentioned this.

Makes a difference what meter you are using when you get closer to Hypo numbers - pet meters read higher than human meters.

The take action number/Lime Green on a Pet Meter Spreadsheet is <68.

The take action/Lime Green on a Human Meter Spreadsheet is <50.

Earned dose reductions are the same though, with a human or pet meter, a drop below 90 requires a dose reduction.
 
Sarah&Soph said:
In this sticky there are some pictures that may help you measure 0.25. It’s tough, but it’s mainly just important that you are consistent with whatever you are measuring as 0.25

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...inge-info-proper-handling-and-drawing.225856/
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Thank you so much for this link. I pretty much did just that in the description under the photos :)

Shelley & Jess said:
Hey Haylee can you please confirm what meter you're using - your signature and the fill in the blank spot on your spreadsheet says ReliOn Prime Human meter but the spreadsheet template you're using is the Alphatrak Pet Meter - I see you were planning on purchasing a human meter and notice you filled out your signature after you mentioned this.

Makes a difference what meter you are using when you get closer to Hypo numbers - pet meters read higher than human meters.

The take action number/Lime Green on a Pet Meter Spreadsheet is <68.

The take action/Lime Green on a Human Meter Spreadsheet is <50.

Earned dose reductions are the same though, with a human or pet meter, a drop below 90 requires a dose reduction.
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I am using the ReliOn meter I just haven't been able to update it yet. I've been extremely busy lately and trying to keep up with other stuff. I was using the Alphatrak Pet Meter and then decided to go with the ReliOn Prime and once I ran out of strips I stopped using the Alphatrak and haven't had the time to work on the newer spreadsheet.
 
Haylee&Tigger said:
I am using the ReliOn meter....haven't had the time to work on the newer spreadsheet.
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Good to know - it's all about keeping Tigger safe! :)

Haylee&Tigger said:
I've been extremely busy lately and trying to keep up with other stuff.
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I hear you - FD has a really steep learning curve and can be absolutely overwhelming at times especially when added to everything else we need to take care of in life. I think you're doing a fantastic job getting a handle on things and taking it all in! :bighug:
 
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