First - here's the passage from the prozinc dosing methods page. If you scroll all the way to the bottom you'll find this under microdosing:
"DOSING EVERY EIGHT HOURS
If your cat is consistently having an early nadir and the level is consistently rising 6-8 hours after the shot, the insulin may not be lasting long enough. You might consider shooting more often than every 12 hours. BUT PLEASE BE AWARE: This method is very hard on the caregiver because you need to be available to monitor more often and to shoot every 8 hours. If you can’t make that kind of commitment, don’t try shooting every 8 hours. But if you do decide that your cat’s situation warrants trying this, here’s how it’s done:
- First, divide the total amount of insulin you are already giving over 24 hours by 3.
- Then divide your 24 hour schedule into (3) eight hour sections.
- The first time you attempt this it’s wise to do start during a curve, checking the BG levels every 2 hours.
- If, by +8, the levels are rising, no longer falling, and to a level above your No-Shot range, you could give another shot.
- Then wait 8 hours, test to be sure the level is rising, not falling, and is above your No-Shot range and give another shot.
Often this method is not long term, but allows the levels to stabilize in a few weeks.
Make sure you only try this method with the guidance of this forum’s members and your vet."
Second, with 3 months of data on him (which gets sent to his vet weekly - I think I annoy her with this), I'm aware of when his nadir hits, and it's always right at the 7 - 7.5 hour mark. By 8 he's rising again. Just like today, when I went to give him his second shot at 12pm. He was at 135 at +7 hours, and at +8 his preshot was 165. One hour after his shot (1.12u) he was at 196. His +2 is now 244.
Third, his vet did call, and said yes, while it is rare, it can happen that the prozinc doesn't last the full 12 hours, and we might need to switch him to Lantus, but that it might be too expensive for us at this time. I was given the ok to do every 8 hours, as long as I continually monitor him and adjust his dose as needed (hence the 1.12u instead of 1.25u due to him being under 200 - per his vet, although I think we should have done 1.25u because of how quickly he rises at the 8 hr mark). Also the only time Marair has ever had hypoglycemia is when he was on 2u bid.
On the spreadsheet, since there are only 2 spots for injections, I'm using a second line for the third injection for a given date. If you look on today's date, you'll see the 165 in the +8 cell, and then in the PMPS cell you'll see that 165 indicating that I gave him the shot after that reading. But if it's easier, I can add a comment to the cell.
Hopefully all that made sense. It did in my head anyway LOL
