Hi from new member - trying to decide best treatment

Draíocht

Draíocht

Member Since 2026
Hi everyone, I'm a new member. I'm thankful I found this forum. I've been reading and trying to learn but it's a lot of information.

I'm in Ireland and my cat is just turning 15 in the next couple of days. She was diagnosed a couple of days ago and I'm trying to decide on the best treatment. My vet suggested Senvelgo but I'm really apprehensive about it. She's open to me going with insulin if I prefer and suggests Prozinc as the best option if I want to do insulin.

I've been weighing up the pros and cons but it's difficult because the risks are so different. I have bought a blood ketone monitor so if we go ahead with the Senvelgo I can feel more confident about picking up ketones quickly. However, I am also concerned about the other side effects and also about the potential long term effect on her other organs, as well as the lack of research regarding potential remission. I know remission isn't guaranteed with insulin but I want to give her the best chance. I would also never choose an experimental or relatively novel medication for myself so it makes me very nervous to do it for my cat. My vet has never used it before but says she's heard amazing things about it.

I have the time and dedication available to do the insulin. I'm just trying to get a balanced view of the potential side effects of Prozinc. The leaflet for it looks equally as scary as the Senvelgo one. Obviously hypoglycaemia is a worry but I'm also wondering how common the other side effects are and also if there are other negative effects or risks that people have experienced.

It seems like the main advantage of Senvelgo is convenience but my priority is not really convenience so much as safety. I know a lot of people here will suggest the insulin but I really want to hear about the pros and cons of both options from anyone with real experience of either. I know that no medicine is without risk but ideally, I want to do a balanced risk assessment and be confident in my decision.

My cat has gone from being very overweight to just 3.2kg in a very short time so I need to start treating her as soon as possible and will need to decide before Monday. Any help at all would be appreciated.
 
My first diabetic cat was on Prozinc (this was in 2018), and she had steroid induced diabetes that went into remission after four months. She was a very easy cat that trusted me completely so it was easy for me to test her blood glucose at home and give shots. I did regular home testing and got advice here too, and the FB group.

My current kitty that is diabetic is on Senvelgo (she is also steroid induced diabetes)- the first cat my Vet has had on this medication so we are both learning as we go, and she is communicating with the Vets at the manufacturer also. One of the other Vets in the same practice has one cat on the med, her first also. They did the full screening and we have done all of the follow-up visits, more testing at the Vet office and I am doing home testing for glucose and ketones. I am trying to document everything because there is so little out there about how treatment looks and what results should look like on this drug. My Electra is doing really well on Senvelgo, her weight has been pretty stable, she is having good tests, active and social, eating and drinking (they expel glucose in urine because of the drug so that test will remain high and they may drink a lot still). She would be easy to give shots also, but my Vet recommended Senvelgo, and I was scared at first, but thought that we could try it first since you can't use it after using insulin treatment. There are a couple of us on the forums using this med for our cats- you can check out the board for both Prozinc and Senvelgo to see what daily experiences have been like for both.

They are not very different in cost, and both can have hypo or DKA happen. If an emergency happens with either you need to be able to deal with it asap at home and Vet, and catching it is easier with home testing. I think both are made by the same company so Senvelgo comes with a promise that they will pay to help switch to Prozinc if needed in the first thirty days- but they do have some requirements for receipts/documentation. I thought I had read that they promise to help pay for emergency medical treatment also but can't find that reference at the moment. The advice we got about remission for Senvelgo was that they suggest using for minimum of five months, and then if blood glucose tests are good you can stop treatment, continue monitoring blood glucose and if it stays normal you are in remission. If not, there is a chance that you cannot re-start Senvelgo, depending on test results at that time. If you like clear cut protocols the insulin might be the better choice because there is so much more information about what to do and how to detemine remission.

Did your Vet do a full blood panel and urine testing?
 
Glassgoblin said:
My first diabetic cat was on Prozinc (this was in 2018), and she had steroid induced diabetes that went into remission after four months. She was a very easy cat that trusted me completely so it was easy for me to test her blood glucose at home and give shots. I did regular home testing and got advice here too, and the FB group.

My current kitty that is diabetic is on Senvelgo (she is also steroid induced diabetes)- the first cat my Vet has had on this medication so we are both learning as we go, and she is communicating with the Vets at the manufacturer also. One of the other Vets in the same practice has one cat on the med, her first also. They did the full screening and we have done all of the follow-up visits, more testing at the Vet office and I am doing home testing for glucose and ketones. I am trying to document everything because there is so little out there about how treatment looks and what results should look like on this drug. My Electra is doing really well on Senvelgo, her weight has been pretty stable, she is having good tests, active and social, eating and drinking (they expel glucose in urine because of the drug so that test will remain high and they may drink a lot still). She would be easy to give shots also, but my Vet recommended Senvelgo, and I was scared at first, but thought that we could try it first since you can't use it after using insulin treatment. There are a couple of us on the forums using this med for our cats- you can check out the board for both Prozinc and Senvelgo to see what daily experiences have been like for both.

They are not very different in cost, and both can have hypo or DKA happen. If an emergency happens with either you need to be able to deal with it asap at home and Vet, and catching it is easier with home testing. I think both are made by the same company so Senvelgo comes with a promise that they will pay to help switch to Prozinc if needed in the first thirty days- but they do have some requirements for receipts/documentation. I thought I had read that they promise to help pay for emergency medical treatment also but can't find that reference at the moment. The advice we got about remission for Senvelgo was that they suggest using for minimum of five months, and then if blood glucose tests are good you can stop treatment, continue monitoring blood glucose and if it stays normal you are in remission. If not, there is a chance that you cannot re-start Senvelgo, depending on test results at that time. If you like clear cut protocols the insulin might be the better choice because there is so much more information about what to do and how to detemine remission.

Did your Vet do a full blood panel and urine testing?
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Thanks so much, that's really useful. Yes, she did a urinalysis and a blood test.

I think I have just answered my own question though because even in the short time since I've typed that, I decided to go with the insulin. Like you say, the clear cut protocols and more information to draw on seem easier for me to cope with. In some ways, I think just posting that question helped me clarify my thoughts.

In terms of ketones, do you know how to compare readings from a human monitor? I have a GlucoRx HCT monitor. I want to keep an eye on them anyway, even on the insulin.
 
Draíocht said:
Thanks so much, that's really useful. Yes, she did a urinalysis and a blood test.

I think I have just answered my own question though because even in the short time since I've typed that, I decided to go with the insulin. Like you say, the clear cut protocols and more information to draw on seem easier for me to cope with. In some ways, I think just posting that question helped me clarify my thoughts.

In terms of ketones, do you know how to compare readings from a human monitor? I have a GlucoRx HCT monitor. I want to keep an eye on them anyway, even on the insulin.
Click to expand...
I am only using the ketone urine strips so far; I am pretty sure there has been discussion about the monitors in some of the boards though.
 
Draíocht said:
In terms of ketones, do you know how to compare readings from a human monitor? I have a GlucoRx HCT monitor. I want to keep an eye on them anyway, even on the insulin.
Click to expand...
Does your GlucoRx also read ketones? I bought a NovaMax Plus blood ketone meter which has special test strips for measuring ketones. It’s very reliable. Many people here use the keto mojo to measure ketones and there are others. You don’t need a “pet” ketone meter (if there is such a thing.)
 
A blood ketone meter is Way easier than stalking your cat to the litter box, by the way and I liked being able to have a numerical value rather than trying to interpret the colors on a urine strip, which is very subjective.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Does your GlucoRx also read ketones? I bought a NovaMax Plus blood ketone meter which has special test strips for measuring ketones. It’s very reliable. Many people here use the keto mojo to measure ketones and there are others. You don’t need a “pet” ketone meter (if there is such a thing.)
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Yes it does. I bought it just to do the ketones and I have a different one ordered to do blood sugar because the strips are so much cheaper. Both are for humans.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Okay. You should be good with that one then! We definitely want to see ketones under 1.0. We want to monitor trends though.
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By the way, have you ever tested how accurate the hematocrit part of that meter is? Ever compared it to a vet’s reading?
I am getting ready to buy an HCT meter for one of my cats and it’s something over $200 as I recall. So I am wondering.
 
FWIW, I don't recall very many cats having problematic side effects from insulin. However, when members ask about side effects, it's usually at the outset of treatment and it's not always clear if there are side effects or they are learning how their cat responds to insulin. At present, Prozinc is one of the two insulins that the American Animal Hospital Assn recommends for treating feline diabetes so you're off to a good start.

We do have information on Senvelgo. It's in this new treatments post. Since you've made a decision about insulin, I wasn't sure if you'd seen this information.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
By the way, have you ever tested how accurate the hematocrit part of that meter is? Ever compared it to a vet’s reading?
I am getting ready to buy an HCT meter for one of my cats and it’s something over $200 as I recall. So I am wondering.
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I only got it yesterday so I haven't but that's a good idea to compare it against the vet's one. I only started my research into feline diabetes a few days ago when my cat was diagnosed so I'm afraid I don't know what hematocrit is.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
We do have information on Senvelgo. It's in this new treatments post. Since you've made a decision about insulin, I wasn't sure if you'd seen this information.
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Thank you so much. I did read that and it is really what started me doubting the senvelgo. It was the vet's first suggestion and we were going to go along with it until I did some research. This forum has been very helpful and I'm grateful for it.
 
We're getting ready to start Prozinc as soon as it arrives, hopefully tomorrow or the next day. I keep reading about spreadsheets but any links I click on don't seem to work anymore or else I don't have permission to view them. I'm planning to do a spreadsheet so if there's a template here, that would be really helpful. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also, I'm thinking I'll probably have many questions along the way. It's all very overwhelming! Where is the best place to do that? Here or the Prozinc forum or somewhere else?
 
Welcome to FDMB
We have all been overwhelmed to hear Feline Diabetes, but the great news is that is manageable, with the right insulin, home testing, the right diet, feeding schedule and lots of love
You will be giving one of the two best insulins for cats ProZinc and Lantus, they are 12-hour insulin easy on the cat, there are several important protocols when you have a diabetic cat, Diet,
1- diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, you want to feed several snacks/small meals during the day to keep the insulin in check, most members feed Fancy Feast Pates between, 0-10% most feed up to 5% it is good for your cat to have two main meals before each shot, and 3-4 small meals during the day (Drs. food list link below) if you are feeding and/or grazing on kibbles, the transition needs to be a slow one to avoid stomach upset and it does affect the glucose levels
2- Home Testing -it is very important to test your cat's glucose level before each shot to avoid hypoglycemia, and several time during the day, most of all members use the ReliOn Premier human monitor and strips (Walmart) you do not need a pet meter
3- The right dose is very important, we can, assist you with that, Corky is on ProZinc as well, I do know that the members that assist with dosing always recommend to start with a small dose, I do not give dosing advice, I will tag a member that can answer more concerns ayou may have and help you with dosing.
4- ProZinc Protocol , Test. Feed, Shoot

We would like you to create your signature want to know more about your cat, so we can all be on the same page, as well as the spreadsheet; links below the spreadsheet needs to be downloaded on GOOGLE DRIVE, if you have difficulty with the spreadsheet post us and we can have a member create it for you ;)
also the link for the food chart the third column contains the carb content for each food, please keep posting all your concerns, also on the main menu there are sticky notes with much valuable information🤗 We are here to make this journey easier, You can do THIS!

Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
 
Draíocht said:
We're getting ready to start Prozinc as soon as it arrives, hopefully tomorrow or the next day. I keep reading about spreadsheets but any links I click on don't seem to work anymore or else I don't have permission to view them. I'm planning to do a spreadsheet so if there's a template here, that would be really helpful. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also, I'm thinking I'll probably have many questions along the way. It's all very overwhelming! Where is the best place to do that? Here or the Prozinc forum or somewhere else?
Click to expand...
As soon as you get your spreadsheet and signature set up, please post over on the PrpZinc forum. I will absolutely be happy to help you with your ProZinc! 😀
 
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