Is Prozinc still safe to use

Suzanne & Darcy said:
Yes. He may be bouncing from lower numbers that he isn’t used to. The only way to get through bouncing is to get them used to lower numbers. They must spend time in lower numbers in order to get used to them. Bouncing is very frustrating. Some cats will get over it and stop bouncing and some cats never stop bouncing to some degree. @Shawn & Sir Maximus can you tell about how bouncy Sir Maximus was in the beginning and how we worked through it and how we kept increasing the dose when necessary and finally got Sir Maximus regulated? He doesn’t bounce anymore but he was very bouncy for a long time. And can you comment on how helpful the snacks are for Sir Maximus?
Click to expand...
Yes i can relate to the frustrating part of bouncing. It took Sir Maximus quite a bit of time before i got him regulated. I spent many of nights wondering if he would ever get into low numbers and remain at those numbers. I thankfully followed Suzanne's advice everyday and with a lot of patience and being consistent with his food regime we got him regulated. It takes time but you will get KitKat regulated if you stay the course and follow Suzanne's advice. I couldn't of done it without her. I have a lot of previous posts of my journey thru the whole process and recommend you take a look thru them and gather as much information as you can and it will help you down the road. It's a wonderful feeling and relief once you get your kitty regulated and when you do get to this point remain consistent with his shot times and his meal as well as his snacks. The food is very important as it will be a guidance towards balancing out his insulin levels. If you have any questions feels free to reach out. I will look forward to seeing KitKat getting regulated. Best of luck stay positive!!
 
Shawn & Sir Maximus said:
Yes i can relate to the frustrating part of bouncing. It took Sir Maximus quite a bit of time before i got him regulated. I spent many of nights wondering if he would ever get into low numbers and remain at those numbers. I thankfully followed Suzanne's advice everyday and with a lot of patience and being consistent with his food regime we got him regulated. It takes time but you will get KitKat regulated if you stay the course and follow Suzanne's advice. I couldn't of done it without her. I have a lot of previous posts of my journey thru the whole process and recommend you take a look thru them and gather as much information as you can and it will help you down the road. It's a wonderful feeling and relief once you get your kitty regulated and when you do get to this point remain consistent with his shot times and his meal as well as his snacks. The food is very important as it will be a guidance towards balancing out his insulin levels. If you have any questions feels free to reach out. I will look forward to seeing KitKat getting regulated. Best of luck stay positive!!
Click to expand...
@Shawn & Sir Maximus, A vet told me yesterday to only feed at AMPS & PMPS and not to feed in between. I think Suzanne wanted me to know that you got maximus regulated giving Snacks. The reason for any of this was my cat had ketones of 5 and the vet said it was I was feeding between meals.
 
Teresa & KitKat said:
@Shawn & Sir Maximus, A vet told me yesterday to only feed at AMPS & PMPS and not to feed in between. I think Suzanne wanted me to know that you got maximus regulated giving Snacks. The reason for any of this was my cat had ketones of 5 and the vet said it was I was feeding between meals.
Click to expand...
Hi Teresa, I got him regulated by giving him his shots and meals at consistent times. He ate his morning meal then I gave him a snack at +2 then he had lunch at + 4 and snack at +6 and in the evening I followed same format. That worked for him but Suzanne might recommend a little variance on those times depending on KitKat and your schedule.
I'm not a ketone expert but from my understanding it's even more important that he gets enough calories with ketones.We think our vets have the knowledge but unfortunately many don't understand nutrition and diabetes. Suzanne and the other great moderators on this forum will steer you in the right direction and help you towards the right path.
 
Shawn & Sir Maximus said:
Hi Teresa, I got him regulated by giving him his shots and meals at consistent times. He ate his morning meal then I gave him a snack at +2 then he had lunch at + 4 and snack at +6 and in the evening I followed same format. That worked for him but Suzanne might recommend a little variance on those times depending on KitKat and your schedule.
I'm not a ketone expert but from my understanding it's even more important that he gets enough calories with ketones.We think our vets have the knowledge but unfortunately many don't understand nutrition and diabetes. Suzanne and the other great moderators on this forum will steer you in the right direction and help you towards the right path.
Click to expand...
Thank you, for your reply. I trust Suzanne and I will do what ever she thinks. I was repeating to her what a vet told me. Has Sir Maximus ever had higher ketones, KitKat's is @ 5, that was what I was worried about. I have noticed he is not peeing as much.
 
Teresa & KitKat said:
@Shawn & Sir Maximus, A vet told me yesterday to only feed at AMPS & PMPS and not to feed in between. I think Suzanne wanted me to know that you got maximus regulated giving Snacks. The reason for any of this was my cat had ketones of 5 and the vet said it was I was feeding between meals.
Click to expand...
Hi Teresa, I got him regulated by giving him his shots and meals at consistent times. He ate his morning meal then I gave him a snack at +2 then he had lunch at + 4 and snack at +6 and in the evening I followed same format. That worked for him but Suzanne might recommend a little variance on those times depending on KitKat and your schedule.
I'm not a ketone expert but from my understanding it's even more important that he gets enough calories with ketones.We think our vets have the knowledge but unfortunately many don't understand nutrition and diabetes. S
Teresa & KitKat said:
Thank you, for your reply. I trust Suzanne and I will do what ever she thinks. I was repeating to her what a vet told me. Has Sir Maximus ever had higher ketones, KitKat's is @ 5, that was what I was worried about. I have noticed he is not peeing as much.
Click to expand...
Sir Maximus never developed ketones thankfully. He has always had a strong appetite. That number should start coming down with enough daily calories and the insulin. You will notice he will pee less once those numbers start dropping. Another thing I do is add a tsp of water into his meals. This is good for his kidneys and ups his water intake. I have him on a probiotic too which helps with digestion and other stuff.
 
Shawn & Sir Maximus said:
Hi Teresa, I got him regulated by giving him his shots and meals at consistent times. He ate his morning meal then I gave him a snack at +2 then he had lunch at + 4 and snack at +6 and in the evening I followed same format. That worked for him but Suzanne might recommend a little variance on those times depending on KitKat and your schedule.
I'm not a ketone expert but from my understanding it's even more important that he gets enough calories with ketones.We think our vets have the knowledge but unfortunately many don't understand nutrition and diabetes. S

Sir Maximus never developed ketones thankfully. He has always had a strong appetite. That number should start coming down with enough daily calories and the insulin. You will notice he will pee less once those numbers start dropping. Another thing I do is add a tsp of water into his meals. This is good for his kidneys and ups his water intake. I have him on a probiotic too which helps with digestion and other stuff.
Click to expand...
I do add water to his food and whenever I put food in his feeder I put water in it. Thank you, for your help. What probiotic do you use and where did you get it at.
 
When Shawn contacted me about Probiotics for his kitty, Sir Maximus, one of the probiotics I recommended was Proviable DC (which stands for dog cat). I think that is the probiotic that Shawn decided to go with. Isn’t that right, Shawn? The other probiotic I recommended was very expensive so I recommend the Proviable, which I also have used in my own cats before. My cats never minded it mixed into their food. It comes in capsules that aren’t too huge though.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Also, if you can catch KitKat going to the litter box today, you can hopefully confirm that they are down today. Ketones fluctuate a lot.
Click to expand...
He has not been peeing as much, it was no problem before but right now he is peeing a small amount. He has been licking at his back parts for a few days, I thought it was his anal sacks and I asked the vet to look at them when he had his tooth pulled.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
When Shawn contacted me about Probiotics for his kitty, Sir Maximus, one of the probiotics I recommended was Proviable DC (which stands for dog cat). I think that is the probiotic that Shawn decided to go with. Isn’t that right, Shawn? The other probiotic I recommended was very expensive so I recommend the Proviable, which I also have used in my own cats before. My cats never minded it mixed into their food. It comes in capsules that aren’t too huge though.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
Teresa & KitKat said:
He has not been peeing as much, it was no problem before but right now he is peeing a small amount. He has been licking at his back parts for a few days, I thought it was his anal sacks and I asked the vet to look at them when he had his tooth pulled.
Click to expand...
Oh, I hope he doesn’t have a UTI brewing! I know he had that blockage back in 2022. I think that is something a probiotic can help with since it improves the immune system overall. I know you add water to his food, because you already know that helps him to stay hydrated and is better for his urinary tract health. It’s a good sign that he doesn’t urinate as much, but it makes it harder to get a ketone strip test, doesn’t it!

So the vet who did the dental didn’t mention that they expressed his anal glands? Said they seemed okay?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh, I hope he doesn’t have a UTI brewing! I know he had that blockage back in 2022. I think that is something a probiotic can help with since it improves the immune system overall. I know you add water to his food, because you already know that helps him to stay hydrated and is better for his urinary tract health. It’s a good sign that he doesn’t urinate as much, but it makes it harder to get a ketone strip test, doesn’t it!

So the vet who did the dental didn’t mention that they expressed his anal glands? Said they seemed okay?
Click to expand...
When he called me I asked him about his anal sacks and he said woops I will go back and check him. Before he always ate dry food maybe sometimes a little canned food. He was always constipated and had to take meds all the time. Lately he does not seem to need all the meds since he eats only canned food, I have not been giving him all those meds. On Thursday I noticed his stool was runny and that is when he starts having problems with his anal sacks. I have noticed other times in the last couple of weeks his stools being rather soft.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
When Shawn contacted me about Probiotics for his kitty, Sir Maximus, one of the probiotics I recommended was Proviable DC (which stands for dog cat). I think that is the probiotic that Shawn decided to go with. Isn’t that right, Shawn? The other probiotic I recommended was very expensive so I recommend the Proviable, which I also have used in my own cats before. My cats never minded it mixed into their food. It comes in capsules that aren’t too huge though.
Click to expand...
Yes I use Proviable-DC by Nutramax
Digestive Health Supplement
He gets 1 capsule sprinkled in his food daily.
I get it from Chewy. Seems to be working very well
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh, I hope he doesn’t have a UTI brewing! I know he had that blockage back in 2022. I think that is something a probiotic can help with since it improves the immune system overall. I know you add water to his food, because you already know that helps him to stay hydrated and is better for his urinary tract health. It’s a good sign that he doesn’t urinate as much, but it makes it harder to get a ketone strip test, doesn’t it!

So the vet who did the dental didn’t mention that they expressed his anal glands? Said they seemed okay?
Click to expand...
I called his office it is open till 1:00 pm, I talked to the tech who said she helped him express his anal glands and there was not much in them. I looked and he had a convenia shot on 1/17, the tech said it is used for UTI's and it is good for 14 days. I got on the internet and looked and it said the same thing. I know he has not been peeing a lot and he had been peeing a lot and he seems to be licking in that area a lot. When I called he had already left. What do you use for checking ketones and where do you buy them at.
 
I see he’s had a nice steady drop today. He’s still in yellow though, which tells me that we could have shot the full dose of 1.5 units this morning. I didn’t want to press you to do that because:
1) we have not seen a preshot number that low;
2) he just had the tooth extraction and we are anticipating some lower numbers coming up;
3) I know how worried you have been about him dropping too low and I didn’t want you to be frightened.

Now we have some data from today’s tests that will help in making decisions in the future.

He should be okay with that Convenia shot as far as a UTI goes. It’s not the best for UTI bacteria, but I know a lot of vets use it like that. He probably didn’t have a UTI anyway.

So the photo you have of the orange cat is not KitKat? That is a photo of Buddy? I just had assumed it was KitKat.
 
After Darcy spent a week in emergency care for DKA, I bought a Blood Ketone Meter that tests for ketones in the blood. It uses special ketone test strips that are different than a regular blood sugar test strips the meter itself isn’t that expensive. The test strips are kind of expensive at about $18.99 for only 10 strips. I bought mine from ADW diabetes supply, but I see other places that sell them. You may not need one though. So when you said his ketones were at 5, I kind of freaked out because I thought that was measuring with blood ketone meter. Now that I see you were using the urine strips, let me ask you if it looked like this one below. Was it the color of the second one there where it says “Trace” above it? I am happy if it says trace ketones. I would start to get worried if he was above the trace level, but we do not worry about trace ketones unless the cat isn’t eating or is lethargic, drinking excessive water, or showing other signs. The number 5 on a blood ketone meter would be bad, but the 5/TRACE on a urine strip is acceptable.
upload_2025-1-25_14-1-53.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • upload_2025-1-25_14-1-53.jpeg
    upload_2025-1-25_14-1-53.jpeg
    55.1 KB · Views: 152
Teresa & KitKat said:
When he called me I asked him about his anal sacks and he said woops I will go back and check him. Before he always ate dry food maybe sometimes a little canned food. He was always constipated and had to take meds all the time. Lately he does not seem to need all the meds since he eats only canned food, I have not been giving him all those meds. On Thursday I noticed his stool was runny and that is when he starts having problems with his anal sacks. I have noticed other times in the last couple of weeks his stools being rather soft.
Click to expand...
It does sound like he really could benefit from the Proviable probiotic. I am so happy that you have stopped all dry food and his health has improved. A lot of cats on dry food do get urinary blockages. I am super happy that he’s not needing other medications, too!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I see he’s had a nice steady drop today. He’s still in ynoellow though, which tells me that we could have shot the full dose of 1.5 units this morning. I didn’t want to press you to do that because:
1) we have not seen a preshot number that low;
2) he just had the tooth extraction and we are anticipating some lower numbers coming up;
3) I know how worried you have been about him dropping too low and I didn’t want you to be frightened.

Now we have some data from today’s tests that will help in making decisions in the future.

He should be okay with that Convenia shot as far as a UTI goes. It’s not the best for UTI bacteria, but I know a lot of vets use it like that. He probably didn’t have a UTI anyway.

So the photo you have of the orange cat is not KitKat? That is a photo of Buddy? I just had assumed it was KitKat.
Click to expand...
It was Buddy, but Buddy was not orange at all, he was a true blonde, no orange anywhere only Blonde. Buddy's hair was not short and not long, but he was all blonde. Mr Darcy and Kit Kat look a lot alike. Kit Kat before diabetes weighed 15 lbs now around 10 lbs., he is a large cat. He is a brown tabby with very pretty green eyes.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
After Darcy spent a week in emergency care for DKA, I bought a Blood Ketone Meter that tests for ketones in the blood. It uses special ketone test strips that are different than a regular blood sugar test strips the meter itself isn’t that expensive. The test strips are kind of expensive at about $18.99 for only 10 strips. I bought mine from ADW diabetes supply, but I see other places that sell them. You may not need one though. So when you said his ketones were at 5, I kind of freaked out because I thought that was measuring with blood ketone meter. Now that I see you were using the urine strips, let me ask you if it looked like this one below. Was it the color of the second one there where it says “Trace” above it? I am happy if it says trace ketones. I would start to get worried if he was above the trace level, but we do not worry about trace ketones unless the cat isn’t eating or is lethargic, drinking excessive water, or showing other signs. The number 5 on a blood ketone meter would be bad, but the 5/TRACE on a urine strip is acceptable.
View attachment 72583
Click to expand...
It was right around 5 yesterday, he has not peed since sometime yesterday. I am watching him so I can get to him as soon as he pees. He is up running around and looking out the door when ever it is open. I have noticed him walking on his pads not the back of his foot, but his legs are still really weak. It was trace 5. I really have not noticed him drinking water, at times he would pee so much there would be pee that you could easily test. But not now.
 
Teresa & KitKat said:
It was right around 5 yesterday, he has not peed since sometime yesterday. I am watching him so I can get to him as soon as he pees. He is up running around and looking out the door when ever it is open. I have noticed him walking on his pads not the back of his foot, but his legs are still really weak. It was trace 5. I really have not noticed him drinking water, at times he would pee so much there would be pee that you could easily test. But not now.
Click to expand...
It’s great to hear about him walking on his paw pads! His neuropathy is improving. That should only get better and better over time! :):)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I see he’s had a nice steady drop today. He’s still in yellow though, which tells me that we could have shot the full dose of 1.5 units this morning. I didn’t want to press you to do that because:
1) we have not seen a preshot number that low;
2) he just had the tooth extraction and we are anticipating some lower numbers coming up;
3) I know how worried you have been about him dropping too low and I didn’t want you to be frightened.

Now we have some data from today’s tests that will help in making decisions in the future.

He should be okay with that Convenia shot as far as a UTI goes. It’s not the best for UTI bacteria, but I know a lot of vets use it like that. He probably didn’t have a UTI anyway.

So the photo you have of the orange cat is not KitKat? That is a photo of Buddy? I just had assumed it was KitKat.
Click to expand...
I am afraid of him getting too low especially at night, I don't get much sleep and I am afraid i won't wake up to the clock going off for me to check him . I have been afraid of going too low since Buddy went for his first curve and when he came home his BG was 20. He never went for another curve and never saw that vet again. I think he should probably have 150 when ever i will be home and not sleeping. I think i gave him 125 last night not thinking and he got low on that.
 
Kit Kat is still going down at almost 8 hrs he is at 157. Last night i did give 1.25 and he has got down lower with that dose.
 
I can’t see his PMPS because it’s not on the spreadsheet, but I would stay with the 1.25 dose right now if it’s similar to or the same as this morning. Just let me know, please, what is happening.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top