Thank you so much for answering!! I was giving up. My cat ( Oscar) is 9 years old. He was diagnosed about 2 months ago. We are using pro zinc for insulin. I started testing at home with an alpha trak. The vet put him on hills glucosupport. His bs readings are still high. Before morning shot it’s 400-515. Afternoon bs check ranges from 150-300. And nighttime readings are back up to 400-500. Vet started him on antibiotics in case he has a uti. I couldn’t afford the test so they just gave me the antibiotics just Incase. I signed up with a feline diabetes group and they suggested I come here. And they said also that I could maybe switch to fancy feast. And something about a spreadsheet to help manage his diabetes. Any help would greatly be appreciated!! Thanks again.Hi @Darylish and welcome to the forum. Im sorry no one got to answer you sooner.
Can you tell us a bit about your kitty please...
What insulin and dose?
When was your kitty diagnosed?
Have you been home testing for long? What meter are you using.
And your kitty’s name?
What diet are you feeding ?
Here is the link to the spreadsheet. If you need just let us know
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Bron
His dosing right now is 5 units in morning and 4 units at night.Thank you so much for answering!! I was giving up. My cat ( Oscar) is 9 years old. He was diagnosed about 2 months ago. We are using pro zinc for insulin. I started testing at home with an alpha trak. The vet put him on hills glucosupport. His bs readings are still high. Before morning shot it’s 400-515. Afternoon bs check ranges from 150-300. And nighttime readings are back up to 400-500. Vet started him on antibiotics in case he has a uti. I couldn’t afford the test so they just gave me the antibiotics just Incase. I signed up with a feline diabetes group and they suggested I come here. And they said also that I could maybe switch to fancy feast. And something about a spreadsheet to help manage his diabetes. Any help would greatly be appreciated!! Thanks again.
Hi. Thank you again!! The vet started Oscar on one unit of insulin for the first week and raised it a unit each week. I will try and set up spreadsheet but probably won’t have much luck until my daughter can come over tonight. I’m pretty computer illiterate, surprised I kinda figured out this, lol. I will read the links you sent me.Hi @Darylish,
Thanks for answering the questions.
Prozinc is a good insulin for cats, but the dose Oscar is on is a huge amount for a newly diagnosed kitty.
Can you tell me how you reached the 5 units?
If you could get the spreadsheet up and running and let us have a look at the BG reading, we will be able to help you. If you have any trouble setting it up I will ask @Bandit's Mom to help you with it.
The Hills glucosupport is higher in carbs than is good for diabetic cats. Are you feeding the wet or dry glucosupport?
Fancy feast is a better option. It is cheaper and lower carb.
But please do not change over to a lower carb diet until you have the spreadsheet up and running and we can see the BG data and help you swap over, because the BGs can drop up to 100 points just changing to a low carb diet, and the insulin must be adjusted to keep Oscar safe.
Another way you can save on money is to swap to a human meter. If you live in the US, Walmart has the ReliOn. Rand which is inexpensive. The test strips are much cheaper than the expensive alphatrak test strips. And the benefit is that our two dosing methods are based on using the human meter. Most of us use human meters here.
I am going to send you another link that will show you how to set up a signature. It shows at the bottom of all your posts and tells us about Oscar...it will save us having to keep asking you things. You can see mine in small pale type under my post. The link also has information about setting up a hypo kit which is really important.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
Another couple of useful links are the Prozinc getting started and Prozinc dosing
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-the-prozinc-basics-please-start-here.164995/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/prozinc-dosing-methods.225629/
and here is a link to suitable foods. Look for 10% or less carbs
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
I am going to tag @JanetNJ and
@Deb & Wink as I am not a Prozinc user.
Keep asking questions.
Bron
Thank youJust popping in to say hello and welcome! Bron's given you a ton of excellent info to chew on already, so I'm just saying hi rather than adding to the pile right now. Feel free to ask questions about anything, though!
Thank you. No plans on changing his diet until I get spreadsheet up and running. So, I'll be able to talk with y'all about it.If you are going to change foods, I also suggest considerably lowering your dose at the same time. Dose increases are usually by 1/4 to 1/2 unit at a time, not by 1 unit. A diet change can significantly lower glucose levels and I am worried that he may become hypoglycemic. That can be extremely dangerous for him. 5 units is a very high dose. Unless there are other health issues that would require a high dose, most cats only need between 1-2 units per dose.
Hi, this is Darylish. I have my spreadsheet up now. What's the next step?Hi @Darylish and welcome to the forum. Im sorry no one got to answer you sooner.
Can you tell us a bit about your kitty please...
What insulin and dose?
When was your kitty diagnosed?
Have you been home testing for long? What meter are you using.
And your kitty’s name?
What diet are you feeding ?
Here is the link to the spreadsheet. If you need just let us know
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Bron
Great! I can see the spreadsheet.
From here, you want to enter in the doses used on each day and any BG numbers you have, either at home or (if they gave them to you) the vet. The spreadsheet will automatically color-code the numbers so that we can see patterns at a glance.
To figure out where to enter numbers, we count time relative to the shot time (+1 for one hour after the shot, +2 for two, etc). Don't worry if there are only spotty readings for now, just enter whatever you've got!
all the bs numbers will be from the alpha trak. hope thats ok.Great! I can see the spreadsheet.
From here, you want to enter in the doses used on each day and any BG numbers you have, either at home or (if they gave them to you) the vet. The spreadsheet will automatically color-code the numbers so that we can see patterns at a glance.
To figure out where to enter numbers, we count time relative to the shot time (+1 for one hour after the shot, +2 for two, etc). Don't worry if there are only spotty readings for now, just enter whatever you've got!
i put the bs numbers in the amps box?all the bs numbers will be from the alpha trak. hope thats ok.
ok!! Hopefully that worked.Huh. I don't see any numbers at all in your spreadsheet. Double-check the version you have linked in your signature, maybe you have two versions going?
And to answer your questions: yes, this is the right sheet for the alphatrak; AMPS is the morning (a.m.) pre-shot blood glucose reading (PMPS is the same for evening).
also, the vet put oscar on amoxicillan, just wondering about the sugar in it?ok!! Hopefully that worked.
Thank you so much for typing that all out!!! So for now, I will take his bs in the middle of each cycle. And slowly give him fancy feast. Maybe for his snack after shot. I will also look into the meter at walmart. Should i be posting this all to a differnet spot for everyone to see? Im hopeful to get him feeling better..Got it! I can see the #'s now.
I'm not a Prozinc user, but I can tell you what I see...
1) You're often shooting two different doses in morning and evening. We've found it can be easier to figure out what's going on if you shoot a consistent dose.
2) He's actually hitting some decent numbers in here! On an AlphaTrak, normal blood glucose for a cat ranges from around 68 to the mid 100's, and he's getting some ofIh those nice blue numbers on the 4U.
3) The high numbers he sees after he hits those blue numbers are expected (for reasons I'll explain below), and not a reason to increase the dose. Insulin is usually best dosed based on the lowest point (the "nadir"), not the highs. This can get confusing...
4) Prozinc usually nadirs about halfway through the cycle, so you're doing a great job of getting spot readings around that expected time during the day. That said, our kitties do like to surprise us, so you might want to try getting some BG readings at other times too, if you are able to do so.
5) In particular, it would be really good to have some readings during the nighttime cycle, as cats often go lower at night. It can be hard to get something at +5 or +6 and also get a good night's sleep, so this might be an opportunity to see what he's up to in the early part of the cycle.
OK, so, about point #3 above: when a cat has gotten used to being in high numbers for a while (as is the case for most of our diabetic kitties), and then hits a lower-than-expected number (like the blues in Oscar's spreadsheet), often there's a strong counter-reaction. The cat's body sees the "low" (not really) number, freaks out, and dumps a bunch of sugars into the blood to counteract what it thinks is impending hypoglycemia. The result is a period of soaring BG that can last quite a while (up to three days). We call this 'bouncing' and it is a huge pain when you're trying to figure out the right dose! Because often vets make dose change decisions based on just brief snapshots of BG numbers, and if a cat is spending most of its time bouncing... Well, this is how you can quite quickly get up to five units!
So, what to do now? Well, as stated earlier, you want to be very cautious about doing any food changes on this high dose, and it's even more critical now that we can see that the dose is already getting him into blue numbers. Removing carbs suddenly can drop BG by a hundred points or more, and he doesn't have that big a buffer.
You can start changing his food slowly, though, as long as you are keeping a close eye on BG while you do it. I think at a minimum, you'd have to be doing the pre-shot BG, then at least one or two between-shot tests every cycle, preferably at least one in the early part of the cycle (around +3 or +4 at latest) to make sure he wasn't diving.
That can get pretty expensive using the AT2 meter, so you do have the option of switching to a human meter (Bron mentioned this above in her post). The numbers will be a little different than what you're used to, but for the most part we just need to be able to tell if he's going too low, everything else is just relative.
As for dose, I don't think I'd do any higher than 4U, and try to dose consistently morning and evening. Some of the Prozinc folks (@Deb & Wink , for example) might be able to give more specific recommendations.
This is the best place to be, for new people with newly diagnosed cats. Or even people with diabetic cats that have been diagnosed for a while. Learn more first before you decide to post in the ISG groups. Having said that, the ISG for Prozinc does have some very useful information in the "Sticky" or pinned posts at the top of that forum.Should i be posting this all to a differnet spot for everyone to see?
And thank you so much for helping me!!Hi. Me again. What numbers should I be worried about with high bg? I’ve read about it going to low so when is it to high and what should I do if that happens? I would like to test often if I should. Oscar is very good about getting blood ( he actually reminds me, weird. ). The more I test the better to understand, yes?
What numbers should I be worried about with high bg?
Oscar is very good about getting blood ( he actually reminds me, weird. ). The more I test the better to understand, yes?
!!!!Good Morning. I got the ReliOn meter. I will start using this morning. Will numbers be different? What numbers should I be looking for? And when should I be switching to fancy feast? TIA.Hello--
High numbers usually aren't an immediate worry-- high BG causes damage over the long term, but not the short term like lows. So you don't need to test more intensively if it seems like he's having a "high" day like he is today. Those numbers will help in establishing his overall patterns, of course, but it's at your discretion.
awwww, he's such a good boy!!!!
That's actually not uncommon, believe it or not. Once they know that testing = treats....![]()
Good Morning. I got the ReliOn meter. I will start using this morning. Will numbers be different? What numbers should I be looking for? And when should I be switching to fancy feast? TIA.
when should I be switching to fancy feast?
Ok Thank you. Do I put the ReliOn numbers in my spreadsheet for the alpha trak or do I need a new spreadsheet?Oh, whoops, forgot the second question:
I think you can start switching-- you are testing fairly frequently during the day, enough to be able to see if he's having a strong response. To avoid stomach upset, switch it gradually. Often, the big BG effects come after the last carbs are removed, but you may start seeing some improvements in the numbers before that.
One caution: you aren't getting any tests at night, other than last night where he was down in the normal range (for an AT2). If he's already going that low with carb-y food, he will likely go a lot lower once the carbs are gone. For safety, I would advise either getting at least one test in the nighttime cycle every night or, if that's not possible for you, lowering the dose.
Ok Thank you. Do I put the ReliOn numbers in my spreadsheet for the alpha trak or do I need a new spreadsheet?
If @Bandits Mom could help that would be great, otherwise I can wait for my daughter to come over later today. Also, for the food Oscar ha been fre feeding the hills science and I would give him the fancy feast for a treat after shots. How much fancy feast should he have and how often?Good question... You can put it in the same spreadsheet, and I think that makes the most sense given than you only have a few weeks of AT2 data, but it requires a little bit of re-formatting. Minimum is to put in a big separating line between the two so that people know you're switching meters. Then there's one part of the conditional formatting that has to change-- the cutoff between dark green and lime green is now 50, not 68 as for the AT2. If you're comfortable doing that kind of re-formatting in Google Sheets for the cells below the switch, you can do that, or one of our spreadsheet wizards like @Bandit's Mom Bhooma can take a look at it.
I can make the switch for you from AT2 to Relion. Will need editor access to do so. Will send you a PM with the details right awayIf @Bandits Mom could help that would be great, otherwise I can wait for my daughter to come over later today. Also, for the food Oscar ha been fre feeding the hills science and I would give him the fancy feast for a treat after shots. How much fancy feast should he have and how often?
bg...102. going back up.called and left message . checked bg ...86.
oscar did eat again after i tested at but only a tablespoon of the fancy feast. he hasnt ate much of the hard hills food since i started given him fancy feaast as a treat..
That's good info... if he's not eating much of the Hills, his carb consumption (and thus insulin needs) may have gone way down. Plus, he may like the fancy feast enough to want to do this kind of fast switch, but that doesn't mean that his stomach agrees with the plan.
ok.. so what should my plan be? i didnt expect such fast drop or switch in foods. any tips on extracting blood. his doesnt seem to want to. its also been the same spot and same ear. i will check his bg at 7.That's good info... if he's not eating much of the Hills, his carb consumption (and thus insulin needs) may have gone way down. Plus, he may like the fancy feast enough to want to do this kind of fast switch, but that doesn't mean that his stomach agrees with the plan.
also, i have to buy the alpah trak strips to be able to tell vet? or is there a better way?ok.. so what should my plan be? i didnt expect such fast drop or switch in foods. any tips on extracting blood. his doesnt seem to want to. its also been the same spot and same ear. i will check his bg at 7.


also, i have to buy the alpah trak strips to be able to tell vet? or is there a better way?
@JanetNJI liked the 4 units. Got you into the greens. Why did you drop down to 3.5? Is he not eating ok today?
Agree with Janet. He looked better on 4 units.I liked the 4 units. Got you into the greens. Why did you drop down to 3.5? Is he not eating ok today?
called and left message . checked bg ...86.