Jay Dee
Member Since 2021
Hi! I'm Jill and my sugarcat is Snuggie. We are new members on the board, but have been part of the FB commuity and other diabetic support groups over there as well - but only since 2/1/2021.
Snuggie was Dx 10/27/2020. Symptoms were excessive thirst and frequent, high-volume pees. We tried to control it with food first (Purina DM wet and dry), to what i thought was no avail, but was not testing during this time. We had an Alphatrak on hand but needed to acquire the strips, control solution etc. We had been feeding him Hills k/d wet due to a past elevated SDMA (altho his BUN/crea etc were normal).
I took a few mid-day readings and they were high (500s), and we started ProZinc on 12/21/2020 at 1 unit 2x daily. I sitll didn't know the need for preshot testing or low carb food. His midday numbers were still in the 500s. We increased to 2 u.
2u still didn't show good numbers (at midcycle anyway). I knew enough from a past diabetic kitty to do a curve but didnt know about upside down curves. His numbers went from preshot low 500s to over 600. We increased to 3u.
I then found the FB groups and did a dose reset at 1 and also switched him to Fancy Feast pate and pulled his dry food except overnight until i could get some better dry. I did another curve at 1. The numbers were still in the blacks and the vet advised me to go back to 3...
Then he got very lethargic and wouldn't eat. We took him in on 2/27 and his BUN/Crea were sky high and his phosphorus was off the chart. He also had a UTI. They gave him convenia and sent me home with fluids. THe next day he had a BG of over 700 and was really in bad shape. Vet advised to jump him up to 5u.
Two days later he was unable to walk or hold his head up. We rushed him to the vet and he had critically low potassium. They added potassium to his fluids and we started renaPlus. At this time I switched his food to low carb-low phosphorus stuff (Weruva BF PLAY).
He was constipated too, and when he finally went, his BG that evening dropped. He had a vet appt the next day and his kidney values were much imroved but he had lost 2 lb in 2 weeks. We had a few scary moments on 5u, where i tested over night and i decided to drop him to 4u. He did really well on 4u... until he didn't.
I increased to 4.5 then 5, took hm back to the vet on 4/1 and they confirmed another UTI. We upped his dose to 6u, and sent the urine in for culture and sensitivity. The lab was unable to culture his urine so we started him on Orbax. I was expecting to see his BG numbers plummet but they didn't.
I started dropping him - from 6 to 4 then from 4 to 2. I'm still seeing VEY high numbers with relatively flat curves. I am now at 2.5 u and am wondering what to do. I had so little data early on annd really did things wrong. I'm not sure if 1u was too much or too little, if i should be increasing or decreasing, if i should start over at 0.25 since so many of his issues have resolved... or try switching insulins, or testing for acromelagy.
I'm at a loss and the FB group strongly suggested i join here for help. He has an appt on 4/29 and i'm almost out of ProZinc. i will ask for a cystocentesis urinalysis with full culture and sensitivity again. i am going to ask that they send his blood to IDEXX or Antech for analysis since the vet usually does in-house. I live in a small town with only a few vets - i trust this one and he is open to my home testing and adjustments annd other suggestions i have, but i am balancing advocating the best for my cat vs sounding like i'm telling them how to do their job. I don't have too many other options and certainly no specialists nearby. Snuggie does'nt do well in the car either so i prefer to try to stay local.
THANK YOU for reading this far and THANK YOU in advance for any and all help that i hope to get here!
Snuggie was Dx 10/27/2020. Symptoms were excessive thirst and frequent, high-volume pees. We tried to control it with food first (Purina DM wet and dry), to what i thought was no avail, but was not testing during this time. We had an Alphatrak on hand but needed to acquire the strips, control solution etc. We had been feeding him Hills k/d wet due to a past elevated SDMA (altho his BUN/crea etc were normal).
I took a few mid-day readings and they were high (500s), and we started ProZinc on 12/21/2020 at 1 unit 2x daily. I sitll didn't know the need for preshot testing or low carb food. His midday numbers were still in the 500s. We increased to 2 u.
2u still didn't show good numbers (at midcycle anyway). I knew enough from a past diabetic kitty to do a curve but didnt know about upside down curves. His numbers went from preshot low 500s to over 600. We increased to 3u.
I then found the FB groups and did a dose reset at 1 and also switched him to Fancy Feast pate and pulled his dry food except overnight until i could get some better dry. I did another curve at 1. The numbers were still in the blacks and the vet advised me to go back to 3...
Then he got very lethargic and wouldn't eat. We took him in on 2/27 and his BUN/Crea were sky high and his phosphorus was off the chart. He also had a UTI. They gave him convenia and sent me home with fluids. THe next day he had a BG of over 700 and was really in bad shape. Vet advised to jump him up to 5u.
Two days later he was unable to walk or hold his head up. We rushed him to the vet and he had critically low potassium. They added potassium to his fluids and we started renaPlus. At this time I switched his food to low carb-low phosphorus stuff (Weruva BF PLAY).
He was constipated too, and when he finally went, his BG that evening dropped. He had a vet appt the next day and his kidney values were much imroved but he had lost 2 lb in 2 weeks. We had a few scary moments on 5u, where i tested over night and i decided to drop him to 4u. He did really well on 4u... until he didn't.
I increased to 4.5 then 5, took hm back to the vet on 4/1 and they confirmed another UTI. We upped his dose to 6u, and sent the urine in for culture and sensitivity. The lab was unable to culture his urine so we started him on Orbax. I was expecting to see his BG numbers plummet but they didn't.
I started dropping him - from 6 to 4 then from 4 to 2. I'm still seeing VEY high numbers with relatively flat curves. I am now at 2.5 u and am wondering what to do. I had so little data early on annd really did things wrong. I'm not sure if 1u was too much or too little, if i should be increasing or decreasing, if i should start over at 0.25 since so many of his issues have resolved... or try switching insulins, or testing for acromelagy.
I'm at a loss and the FB group strongly suggested i join here for help. He has an appt on 4/29 and i'm almost out of ProZinc. i will ask for a cystocentesis urinalysis with full culture and sensitivity again. i am going to ask that they send his blood to IDEXX or Antech for analysis since the vet usually does in-house. I live in a small town with only a few vets - i trust this one and he is open to my home testing and adjustments annd other suggestions i have, but i am balancing advocating the best for my cat vs sounding like i'm telling them how to do their job. I don't have too many other options and certainly no specialists nearby. Snuggie does'nt do well in the car either so i prefer to try to stay local.
THANK YOU for reading this far and THANK YOU in advance for any and all help that i hope to get here!


