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heavenlydogs

heavenlydogs

Member Since 2026
Hi
My names Toni
My kitty, Whiskey, was diagnosed Tuesday with diabetes at seven years she's a spayed female Grey tabby DSH. She didn't eat Sunday night or Monday morning and she vomited twice Sunday night. I took her to the vet Monday morning and she was hospitalized until Wednesday. She didn't eat well at the clinic but they did get her to eat a little MD prescription canned. At home she refused the prescription food but ate 1/4 cup of Vital essentials freeze dried and the next day about 1/4 cup of northwest naturals turkey freeze dried both foods rehydrated. I'm very nervous she's not eating better. I've tried honest kitchen dehydrated she was on that and vital essentials before. I've tried several different cans of food, tiki cat moose sardines, treats, bone broth and goats milk, she's refusing all. I just got a glucose meter (AlphaTrack3) today and her morning read was 244 before 2 units of ProZinc insulin from a 40 u syringe mid day 112 before bed 166. I called the vet they said be patient with her not eating much. If she doesn't eat overnight I'll call in the morning again. She's my first diabetic pet. I'm overwhelmed. I just lost my 7 year old Golden Retriever to hemangiosarcoma in November and that broke my heart.
Update I left a buffet of food out for her last night she ate her Honest kitchen dehydrated rehydrated and ate more this morning. Thank God 😊
 

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Welcome to FDMB Toni and Whisky
The good news is that Feline Diabetes is manageable with the right insulin, home testing, low carb foods, feeding schedule, and lots of love
You have a full gang there, just like me, ProZinc is a great insulin it is a 12-hour insulin easy on cats, it is important that Whisky has several meals during the day, especially 2 hours after shot to keep the insulin in check, You can always as the Vet to prescribe MIRATZ, is an appetite enhancement, a small tube goes a long way, a pin tip size rubbed in the inside fold of the ear exchanging ears every day for 4-5 days, works miracles .Diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, and a good feeding schedule, so the MD foods are out of the question they contain higher than 20% carbs, most members feed Fancy Feast pates between 0-10% most feed up to 5%, this food is US made so is regulated nd no waste goes into the food;
since you have multiple pets (dogs)?it would be a good idea for Whisky's sake and future diabetic issues with the rest, to make the change, the transition from any regular foods to low carbs needs to be a slow transition. Kibbles are high in carbs between 29-30% and cats cannot digest carbs I see you are following whisky’s glucose levels which you are home testing, how are you home testing, does Whisky has a CGM or are you using a manual testing monitor? "I do not give dosing advice, but 2 units seem like a lot of insulin,
You should create a HYPO KIT this contains some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs some high carb foods between 16-24% carbs , some Honey or Karo Syrum, this is in case the glucose level gets lower than 50, we can help you hike up the BG with food first before the syrups since these are just a quick fix. and some cats are very sensitive to carbs, my Corky is, just a dash of carbs and his BG can spike up
We are very numbers oriented, so we would love to help you with any concerns and dosing advice, so to all the members can be on the same page, we would like you to create your signature and Whisky's Spreadsheet, links below. also a Drs approved food list, with many brands to choose from, the third column contains the carb% for each food, We are here for you. 🤗, in the meantime I will tag a member that can assist you with ProZinc dosing
@Suzanne & Darcy
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
 
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CORKY said:
Welcome to FDMB Toni and Whisky
The good news is that Feline Diabetes is manageable with the right insulin, home testing, low carb foods, feeding schedule, and lots of love
You have a full gang there, just like me, ProZinc is a great insulin it is a 12-hour insulin easy on cats, it is important that Whisky has several meals during the day, especially 2 hours after shot to keep the insulin in check, You can always as the Vet to prescribe MIRATZ, is an appetite enhancement, a small tube goes a long way, a pin tip size rubbed in the inside fold of the ear exchanging ears every day for 4-5 days, works miracles .Diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, and a good feeding schedule, so the MD foods are out of the question they contain higher than 20% carbs, most members feed Fancy Feast pates between 0-10% most feed up to 5%, this food is US made so is regulated nd no waste goes into the food;
since you have multiple pets (dogs)?it would be a good idea for Whisky's sake and future diabetic issues with the rest, to make the change, the transition from any regular foods to low carbs needs to be a slow transition. Kibbles are high in carbs between 29-30% and cats cannot digest carbs I see you are following whisky’s glucose levels which you are home testing, how are you home testing, does Whisky has a CGM or are you using a manual testing monitor? "I do not give dosing advice, but 2 units seem like a lot of insulin,
You should create a HYPO KIT this contains some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs some high carb foods between 16-24% carbs , some Honey or Karo Syrum, this is in case the glucose level gets lower than 50, we can help you hike up the BG with food first before the syrups since these are just a quick fix. and some cats are very sensitive to carbs, my Corky is, just a dash of carbs and his BG can spike up
We are very numbers oriented, so we would love to help you with any concerns and dosing advice, so to all the members can be on the same page, we would like you to create your signature and Whisky's Spreadsheet, links below. also a Drs approved food list, with many brands to choose from, the third column contains the carb% for each food, We are here for you. 🤗, in the meantime I will tag a member that can assist you with ProZinc dosing
@Suzanne & Darcy
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
Click to expand...
Thank you. I got the AlphaTrack3 glucose meter. I will work on the spreadsheet.
 
Excellent, good job!! Nice blues, please make you hypo kit and always have it handy
 
CORKY said:
Excellent, good job!! Nice blues, please make you hypo kit and always have it handy
Click to expand...
Yes. I have the kibble and Karo syrup. I have chihuahuas so I'm very familiar with hypoglycemia. Very common and fatal in chihuahua puppies. In dogs they often recommend vanilla ice cream. Like after a seizure. I've always reached for Karo syrup or honey in a adult chihuahuas. Never had to worry about this in cat before. Thank you for all your help.
 
Hello and welcome. Spreadsheet looks great. It sounds like most of what you are feeding is already good quality low carb food. I never fed Fancy Feast and fed mostly raw too. You sound well prepared.

I do have one comment to make on the testing. Many cats go lower at night. You might want to get a test before you go to bed, if at least 2-3 hours after PM shot time, to get a clue what is happening at night. Our dosing methods decide how to change doses based on how low the dose takes the cat.
 
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In took a look at your spreadsheet and had the same thought as what Wendy posted. I'd encourage you to get a test at +2 of +3 today. Your AMPS is a lovely number. Getting an early test when you're seeing a lower pre-shot gives you some bandwidth to intervene if Whiskey's numbers start to drop.

Glad to see she's eating.
 
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Thank you I will. She was 316 this morning I beleive last night was a fur shot. I knew it too I heard it. I was afraid to repeat incase any did get in she was 124. On a positive she ate this morning normally for the first time since she's been home. Should I still check at two hours and three?
 
With ProZinc it takes about two hours to kick in so is good to test at +2 and feed a snack and also several snacks/small meals during the day to keep the insulin in check, and test at least 2-3 times during the day and the same for PMPS test at least+ 2 and feed a full meal you can see in Corky’s spreadsheet and if you scroll to the left in remarks how he’s fed how much and when to get an idea, now, I have been a compulsive tester in the past I’m bending a bit this year
 
Sorry about the fur shot. It happens to most of us. Did you see or smell insulin? You were right not to give more cause we never know how much got in.

It's also possible Whiskey is bouncing from seeing a lower number overnight. Those +2 tests will tell you if that is happening.
Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles).
Click to expand...
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Sorry about the fur shot. It happens to most of us. Did you see or smell insulin? You were right not to give more cause we never know how much got in.

It's also possible Whiskey is bouncing from seeing a lower number overnight. Those +2 tests will tell you if that is happening.
Click to expand...
Thank you for explaining the bounce. I didn't smell it but her fur was a little wet. Not sure if she got any or not 😞
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
In took a look at your spreadsheet and had the same thought as what Wendy posted. I'd encourage you to get a test at +2 of +3 today. Your AMPS is a lovely number. Getting an early test when you're seeing a lower pre-shot gives you some bandwidth to intervene if Whiskey's numbers start to drop.

Glad to see she's eating.
Click to expand...
Hi
Her two hours after insulin was 225 and her four hours was 126. I'm assuming that's good?
 
That’s good, make sure you give another, at least two snacks or small meals before PMPS, up to two hours before PMPS, then test at PMPS/feed/shoot, good job
 
Update. After reading on here I decided to try Fancy feast classic pate and she's eating like she did before getting sick! She eats breakfast about 8 am 1 can and about 3:30 pm 1 can and before bed about 10 pm 1 can. This is a improvement. Since being sick she didn't have any interest in eating at feeding times she'd pick and I was throwing a lot of food away because it sat out too long. The feeding schedule is her old schedule dictated by my chihuahuas who had medical issues and needed those feeding times to stabilize him. I'm so happy she's eating normally now!
 
I notice you've been shooting preshots in the 90's or low 100's. I strongly recommend trying to get tests a few hours later. I suspect that this dose might be too high for her. For new people on Prozinc, we suggest reducing the dose by 0.25 units if you see a number under 90. We also suggest that new people do not shoot numbers under 200 until they have more data to do so.
 
Awesome, if you are home during the day though you might want to consider that instead feeding 3 cans a day is recommended that to keep the glucose levels in check feeding small meals during the day, 1/2 can in each meal every 4-5 hours that includes AMPS/PMPS, and most important the two small meals two hours after shot +2 you can get anbidea in Corky’s SS BY scrolling to the left in remarks.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I notice you've been shooting preshots in the 90's or low 100's. I strongly recommend trying to get tests a few hours later. I suspect that this dose might be too high for her. For new people on Prozinc, we suggest reducing the dose by 0.25 units if you see a number under 90. We also suggest that new people do not shoot numbers under 200 until they have more data to do
Click to expand...
 
Hi
This morning her glucose was 81 I did not shoot I called the vet told her last time she ate which was 4 AM. She didn't eat her before bed meal until 4 AM. The vet recommended I wait until she eats then give her the 2 units recommended. Of course I'll test first. This vet didn't recommended I test I just knew it was best. She just sent us home with directions to give her 2 units of ProZinc twice a day, feed MD which she won't eat. The only thing I've gotten her to eat is Fancy feast classic pate and not on a schedule yet and recheck blood glucose curve in a month. I know this is lax advice and not a proactive as other vets. What's your guys recommendations.
Thank you for all you do. I really appreciate this forum.
 
It conce4rns me that the vet sends you home still with a dose of 2 units and tells you not to text, I'm glad you are smarter than she! MD is not a good food for diabetics, you are spending $ in a food, that in reality there's nothing prescribed about it , this food contains over 17-20% carbs, stick to thee FF pats, please, you do not need the vet for a glucose curve, a curve at the vet will only result in higher BG numbers, and an unnecessary increase in dose, cats get very stressed at the vet is simply testing every 2 hours for a cycle (12hours) Save your money., perhaps for the future you should find a vet that is very updated and familiar with FD, please if you are dosing 2 units, please test every 2-3 hours for now, I will tag Suzanne to assist you with dosing and reconfirm, my post

@Suzanne & Darcy
 
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Unfortunately, many vets tell their clients that home testing their diabetic cat isn't necessary. In fact, at least based on my observations here, more vets don't get on the home testing bandwagon compared to vets who either don't say anything about it or who will tell you not to home test because it will "ruin" your relationship with your cat. Our position is more one of wanting to ensure your cat is safe and the best way to keep your cat safe is to have a solid handle on what the blood glucose numbers tell you.

In looking at Dr. Lisa's food chart, the MD is 13% carb. It puts it in the medium carb range. We consider low carb as under 10%. If Whiskey is eating Fancy Feast Classics, all is good. Most vet schools don't offer a great deal of training on nutrition. It's much the same as medical school -- most MDs don't have much of their curriculum devoted to a healthy diet. Vets often get their information about diet from the pet food manufacturer's sales people. They push their "prescription" food and often don't know what the nutritional facts and figures are. My vet was truly surprised when I showed her what the carb counts were for the prescription diets vs Fancy Feast.
 
Hi
Should I just skip the AM shot all together and just test and shot tonight if over 200 at scheduled time? If I shoot now her 12 hour schedule will be messed up and she'd need her next one at 2 AM. She ate some.
 
Her BG was 131 tonight at time I usually give shot. Per recommendation here of being under 200 I did not give shot. Hopefully she stays low. Would that still be the recommendation in the morning under 200 no shot?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I notice you've been shooting preshots in the 90's or low 100's. I strongly recommend trying to get tests a few hours later. I suspect that this dose might be too high for her. For new people on Prozinc, we suggest reducing the dose by 0.25 units if you see a number under 90. We also suggest that new people do not shoot numbers under 200 until they have more data to do so.
Click to expand...
This morning her glucose was 81 I did not shoot. Tonight her BG was 131 at time I usually give shot. Per recommendation here of being under 200 I did not give shot. Hopefully she stays low. Would that still be the recommendation in the morning under 200 no shot?
Thank you for helping
 
I will tag her again, I do not give dosing advice, and I shoot at the 80's BG, but that takes a lot of skills, but 142 is a very very safe number to shoot, is important with ProZinc not to skip a shot unless is really necessary, you want to stabilize Whiskey's BG, if you are home and you cant test every 2-3 hours, feel free to do so, this way you will be able to see the process of how the insulin is working throughout the day, for me it was an easy tool to learn how the insulin worked on Corky, and I began not to panic when I began to see a pattern, please see Corky's SS, I do not advice you to shoot in the numbers I do, please understand that, slowly as you see Whisky's daily pattern you will begin to relax, When Corky was released from the Hospital, the Vet told me that diabetic cats BG needed to be between 200-300, when he would have 150BG and it was 2 hours before shot, I would panic and bombard this forum with posts, then I learned that a non diabetic glucose lever\l should be between 50-120, for a diabetic cat the two digits (greens) are the idea numbers to heal the pancreas, I have never skyped a shot, with ProZinc you have the advantage that you can delay the shot 2 hours, if the BG is too low, remember the protocol for ProZinc is TEST-FEED-SHOOT, when Whiskey eats the Bg will always get higher, so if you are not comfortable giving insulin at the moment you can delay the shot 1/2 hour test again and you will see that it is safe to shoot, if is not post us, we will guide you to raise the BG with food.
@Suzanne & Darcy
 
Ok. I did give her the shot since I skipped two. Very confusing to be advised to skip if under 200 which seems high. Maybe that person didn't realize it was ProZinc? I feel like 2 units is too high for her now that she's on low carb FF. If I see another BG under 90 I'll reduce by .25 I believe was the recommendations? Which will be eye ballin it the U-40 syringe just has unit marks. I'll check her this afternoon.
Thank you for help.
CORKY said:
I will tag her again, I do not give dosing advice, and I shoot at the 80's BG, but that takes a lot of skills, but 142 is a very very safe number to shoot, is important with ProZinc not to skip a shot unless is really necessary, you want to stabilize Whiskey's BG, if you are home and you cant test every 2-3 hours, feel free to do so, this way you will be able to see the process of how the insulin is working throughout the day, for me it was an easy tool to learn how the insulin worked on Corky, and I began not to panic when I began to see a pattern, please see Corky's SS, I do not advice you to shoot in the numbers I do, please understand that, slowly as you see Whisky's daily pattern you will begin to relax, When Corky was released from the Hospital, the Vet told me that diabetic cats BG needed to be between 200-300, when he would have 150BG and it was 2 hours before shot, I would panic and bombard this forum with posts, then I learned that a non diabetic glucose lever\l should be between 50-120, for a diabetic cat the two digits (greens) are the idea numbers to heal the pancreas, I have never skyped a shot, with ProZinc you have the advantage that you can delay the shot 2 hours, if the BG is too low, remember the protocol for ProZinc is TEST-FEED-SHOOT, when Whiskey eats the Bg will always get higher, so if you are not comfortable giving insulin at the moment you can delay the shot 1/2 hour test again and you will see that it is safe to shoot, if is not post us, we will guide you to raise the BG with food.
@Suzanne & Darcy
Click to expand...
Ok. I did give her the shot since I skipped two. Very confusing to be advised to skip if under 200 which seems high. Maybe that person didn't realize it was ProZinc? I feel like 2 units is too high for her now that she's on low carb FF. If I see another BG under 90 I'll reduce by .25 I believe was the recommendations? Which will be eye ballin it the U-40 syringe just has unit marks. I'll check her this afternoon.

Thank you for help.
 
heavenlydogs said:
Ok. I did give her the shot since I skipped two. Very confusing to be advised to skip if under 200 which seems high. Maybe that person didn't realize it was ProZinc? I feel like 2 units is too high for her now that she's on low carb FF. If I see another BG under 90 I'll reduce by .25 I believe was the recommendations? Which will be eye ballin it the U-40 syringe just has unit marks. I'll check her this afternoon.
Thank you for help.

Ok. I did give her the shot since I skipped two. Very confusing to be advised to skip if under 200 which seems high. Maybe that person didn't realize it was ProZinc? I feel like 2 units is too high for her now that she's on low carb FF. If I see another BG under 90 I'll reduce by .25 I believe was the recommendations? Which will be eye ballin it the U-40 syringe just has unit marks. I'll check her this afternoon.

Thank you for help.
Click to expand...
Ok reducing/ increasing is not good either, if you get 90 that’s. Good! 1 hour before his next shot if you don’t feel comfortable with the number post me I will guide you till **** time and after shot, also you should have a HYPO KIT, this will have some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs and some high carb food between 16-24 % also some KARO SYRUP or honey these last two are only if the BG IS 50 or lower, because they are only a quick fix. To the stabilize with food keep posting and keep testing, with 90 no need to give anything from the hypo kit, I will guide you step by step, I will be keeping an eye on your posts and spreadsheet through t the day. One thing that Suzanne taught me:
Cats are very sensitive to stress m, you stress they stress, so relax, you are doing a great job, it takes a little while with consistency to learn how to shoot low numbers, right now we would like to see some consistent blues😉
 
CORKY said:
Ok reducing/ increasing is not good either, if you get 90 that’s. Good! 1 hour before his next shot if you don’t feel comfortable with the number post me I will guide you till **** time and after shot, also you should have a HYPO KIT, this will have some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs and some high carb food between 16-24 % also some KARO SYRUP or honey these last two are only if the BG IS 50 or lower, because they are only a quick fix. To the stabilize with food keep posting and keep testing, with 90 no need to give anything from the hypo kit, I will guide you step by step, I will be keeping an eye on your posts and spreadsheet through t the day. One thing that Suzanne taught me:
Cats are very sensitive to stress m, you stress they stress, so relax, you are doing a great job, it takes a little while with consistency to learn how to shoot low numbers, right now we would like to see some consistent blues😉
Click to expand...
Thank you. I was just following what Wendy said above "For new people on Prozinc, we suggest reducing the dose by 0.25 units if you see a number under 90. We also suggest that new people do not shoot numbers under 200 until they have more data to do so."
A little confusing if it's not good to reduce. To me 200 seems high not to shoot and 90 not that low so I'm confused with her directions. Yes I have hypoallergenic kit. I'm very familiar I have chihuahuas a breed predisposed to hypoglycemia.
 
She also mentioned that Suzanne is the person to give you dosing advice, I would love to but I do not give dosing advice, I can guide thru the dose, you are fairly new, that’s the reason we would not want you to shoot too low in case there’s not a member available to assist you, or you happen to panic and give too much high carbs, tge projection is to stabilize Whisky with the dose that was advice, and making sure there’s no risks, remember lower than 50 we work on raising tge BG, but at this point t don’t see that happening, his umbers are unstable because of the increase/decreases, it takes about 3 cycles or so to evaluate correctly the proper dose, is possible that Zuzanne is busy with some of her kitties but I’m sure she will join soon, I’m here for you, we all are
 
CORKY said:
She also mentioned that Suzanne is the person to give you dosing advice, I would love to but I do not give dosing advice, I can guide thru the dose, you are fairly new, that’s the reason we would not want you to shoot too low in case there’s not a member available to assist you, or you happen to panic and give too much high carbs, tge projection is to stabilize Whisky with the dose that was advice, and making sure there’s no risks, remember lower than 50 we work on raising tge BG, but at this point t don’t see that happening, his umbers are unstable because of the increase/decreases, it takes about 3 cycles or so to evaluate correctly the proper dose, is possible that Zuzanne is busy with some of her kitties but I’m sure she will join soon, I’m here for you, we all are
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Just checked she's 60
 
I want you to take 3 tsp of low carb food And give it him and test again in 1/2, hour and let me know his BG, he’s ok don’t worry, I’m here
 
60 is not hypo the color should be green not lime see Corky’s SS.. The top portion on how the BG colors need to be
 
Ok. I offered her canned not eating but that's not unusual after eating a whole can this morning. Left out a freeze dried minnow freeze dried beef heart and some vital essentials chicken nibs. Sometimes she eats when it's quite I'll check back. I'm not too worried. Just vigilant.
 
Here, Suzanne recommends as well as the Board that increasing or decreasing is best done in 0.25 units at a time, and again 60 is not hypo, 50 under is, I will tag Suzanne again
@Suzanne & Darcy
 
We like to keep our threads to 50 Posts, if you could please make a new thread and title it the same placing in the front of the title @Continuation” another member will join both threads, thank you, how’s’ Whiskye’s BG? Have you tested again ? I don't See anything on the SS
 
Thank you for stepping in you a completely correct that I did not see about the Alpha, I was so concentrated on the BGs and posts I overlooked that
 
CORKY said:
We like to keep our threads to 50 Posts, if you could please make a new thread and title it the same placing in the front of the title @Continuation” another member will join both threads, thank you, how’s’ Whiskye’s BG? Have you tested again ? I don't See anything on the SS
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Ok just under a new post? She is active and doing fine. I have a camera on her as I had to leave for a little bit. I'll check glucose as soon as I get home.
 
Hello and welcome to the FDMB! I am sorry I wasn’t able to join in on this thread earlier today as I was not at home. I am trying to catch up with everything that has happened. Please forgive me if I ask you questions Again that you have previously answered. I may have missed things in reading through this thread. First of all, though, I will say that your dose is, I believe, too high, and I would like to see you reduce the dose by .25 units down to 1.75 units. If you only have the U – 40 syringes with unit markings and no half unit markings, then please reduce the dose to 1.5 units and put the plunger halfway between the one and the two unit Marks. You will need to get yourself some U-40 syringes that have half unit markings because at times you will need to shoot doses like 1.75 units 1.25 units. You are already eyeballing it when you do that —because you’re placing the plunger between a half unit mark and the full unit mark. So it’s really good to have the syringes with a half unit markings. Cats are very small creatures and small changes in insulin can make a really big difference.
 
Another observation that I have just from looking at your spreadsheet is that your kitty went to 60 today at +3, and I don’t see any more tests after this. With an Alpha Trak meter, we do not want to see a number below 68. You should have been advised to give high carb food and to test again in 20 minutes and to keep repeating this procedure until kitty is above 68 and is rising. On an Alpha Trak meter, a drop below 68 means that you need to take action to immediately raise BG. When I see a number that low in a newly diagnosed kitty and it is very early in the cycle (like +3 — and you are hours away from nadir) there should definitely be blood glucose tests after that… continuing all the way up until nadir to make sure that the cat has not dropped lower! Testing needs to continue for two hours after the last administration of high carb food or karo syrup/honey.
 
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