ProZinc Insulin - Need to be replaced every 2 months?

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Kili

Kili

Member Since 2023
Hi,

I am recommended to replace my insulin with a new bottle every 2 months... but considering I don't use much insulin, I usually have half a bottle left after 2 months. My vet recommends getting a new bottle and discard the current one once replaced.

Do most of you replace insulin every 2 months?
 
Hi there this is from the prozinc sticky
How long will my insulin last?
  • As long as properly cared for, a vial of PZ can potentially last up to six months. If regulation is lost before then or the insulin changes color or develops particles, a new vial should be started.
  • Unopened PZ is good until the expiration date stamped on the box if refrigerated and handled properly.
On your spreadsheet where it says Diagnosed up to can you put
Diagnosed with diabetes 07/07/2023.

We can see this in your signature already and when he was diagnosed with CKD
It's just easier to see it there rather than in your signature
But you can leave it in your signature also
If you are going to follow SLGS method can you add that to your signature and your spreadsheet up top

You can add SLGS on your SS after where you have Alpha Trak listed
@Kili
 
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In happened to be looking at your spreadsheet , it's easier for us to lok at the numbets in your US tabwhat dosing method are your following?

I see in your previous posts that you were told if Ottie's BG drops below 90 following the SLGS method you should reduce the dose by 0.25 units
I see that he dropped under 90 and you didn't reduce on 8-24 and in 8-30

From the Prozinc sticky SLGS
Hold the dose for at least a week:
  • Unless your cat won’t eat or you suspect hypoglycemia
  • Unless your kitty falls below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L). If kitty falls below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L) decrease the dose by 0.25 unit immediately.
After 1 week at a given dose perform a 12 hour curve, testing every 2 hours OR perform an 18 hour curve, testing every 3 hours. Note: Random spot checks are often helpful to "fill in the blanks" on kitty's spreadsheet. The goal is to learn how low the current dose is dropping kitty prior to making dose adjustments.
  • If nadirs are more than 150 mg/dl (8.3 mmol/L), increase the dose by 0.25 unit
  • If nadirs are between 90 (5 mmol/L) and 149 mg/dl (8.2 mmol/L), maintain the same dose
  • If nadirs are below 90 mg/dl (5mmol/L), decrease the dose by 0.25 unit
I'm going to tag a few members for you
@Elizabeth and Bertie
and @Suzanne & Darcy
@Shelley & Jess
@Bandit's Mom
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
If you should continue to stay with .50 units like you have been

I see in his previous posts that he was told if Ottie's BG drops below 90 following the SLGS method you should reduce the dose by 0.25 units
I see that he dropped under 90 and he didn't reduce on 8-24 and in 8-30
 
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Suzanne & Darcy said:
And I'm just stopping by to say hello. I haven't been able to be on the Board much recently and I was thinking of your Ottie and wondering how things are going these days?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply... but in summary, the journey seems to be full of ups and downs.

Since Ottie's diagnosis of diabetes and CKD... we settled on a low carb diet of Sheba... and on this regard... we managed to get his BG down to levels where we were getting close to good levels. On top of that... Ottie's CKD was being treated with Aluminium Hydroxide. Just over 2 months later... we carried out blood test to monitor how Ottie is doing... and on this regard... all his levels had improved on all fronts. Ottie's demeanour however was one of lethargy and not his usual self. He was not a happy cat.

Then almost a week after the blood test... Ottie just stopped eating all together. At first, he refused to eat Sheba full stop. Then we pretty much tried every cat food that's available in UK, and Ottie just flat out refused them all... with the exception of one... which was a Gourmet Gold Pate from Purina (high carb). Even that, he wasn't totally keen... Stress was quite high at this time, and we had to determine whether Ottie has appetite, but simply refusing the food given to him. Ottie started to slowly lose weight as well.

In last ditch attempt, we basically had no option but to try and cook human food, with no flavouring. Essentially steamed salmon and chicken. Ottie seem to love that, so he definitely had appetite (just refused cat food). I have no idea why he just flat out starting to refuse almost all cat food. Since this incident... trying to maintain his BG numbers or aiming for remission seem to be a no go situation. Then about a month after this incident, Ottie started to eat Whiskas Fish Favourites in Jelly. Seem like a miracle, but he started to eat Whiskas on a regular basis. I wanted Ottie to have food that was high in moisture because of his CKD. Gold Pate is not high enough in moisture. Although Whiskas seems to be fine for now... The downside though is that it is not particularly low in carbs. So now... Ottie is on a diet of Whiskas and the other half of his diet is human food that we have to steam for him specifically. This has meant that his BG levels were higher, and once his diet started to be consistent, I had to increase his dosage to 0.75U.

One major change though is that Ottie's demeanour is back to his normal self. Ottie has also gained all his weight back. My worry though is that I probably have to give up on hopes of remission and I sincerely hope his CKD doesn't get worse.
 
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That is very strange about him not eating. Were you able to take him to the vet to see what was going on at the time? I'm happy to hear that he's eating again, acting more like himself, and has gained back lost weight! One of the best things you can do to help protect his kidneys is to do what it looks like you already are doing -- keep his BG at least in the blues. Then he will be under the kidney threshold and that will mean less load on his kidneys. I do hope that he will stay well and feeling good... perhaps you can even try a little lower carb food at some point in the future to see if he will eat it again (although you would have to watch the BG carefully to make sure he didn't dip too low.) It looks like you are doing a very good job.
 
There wasn't anything particularly wrong... but the main thing was to determine whether he's not because he has no appetite, or because he's simply not happy with the food. What we found out was that Ottie was simply not happy with the food, and in fact his appetite is good. He simply just refused to eat the cat food. The amount of money wasted trying every brand available in UK... only for him to not eat it was a challenge.

At the moment, the food that Ottie has chosen to eat is quite high in carbs at 9%. So I am having to adjust his dosage to keep his BG level in check. I have no idea when he will stop eating the current food, and if he does... I will probably have to adjust his insulin again to cater for his change.

What surprised me is that even lick-e-lix which I thought was a fail-safe is increasingly becoming a hard-sell.
 
Well, you're still good on food because it's under 10 percent carbs so it's still considered to be low carb. Some cats also just do better with a few more carbs. His spreadsheet looks good with a lot of blue on it and you should be happy about that.
 
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