After-Vacation Update!

[becarose]

Good morning all, Becky and Baloo checking in again. :smile:

On the human end vacation was great! Very relaxing and exactly what I needed. According to the vet Baloo did great, although he's now up to 6 1/2 units 2x/day. :shock: I ended up feeding him some kibble before falling asleep yesterday because I was unable to get a blood reading so I had no idea what his numbers were. I think this caused a bout of diarrhea though, so obviously I'll be dropping the kibble again and hopefully this too shall pass. :roll:

My questions today are:
What impact does weight have on the dosage level, if any? (Baloo is 15 3/4 pounds, so I'm wondering if his dose is higher because he's bigger.)
When I talk to the vet about what his blood glucose numbers were over the past week, I'd also like to discuss the rest of the blood test readings that were taken when he was first diagnosed. Is there anything in particular I should ask him? (Kidneys, other vital organs) Is there something in a blood test that would explain why his dose is so high?
Where do I find what size lancet I'm using, and what size do I need to be using?
Do I change lancets with every poke, or can I clean off and reuse?

I'm going out today to get the rice for the rice sock, since the pill bottle with warm water hasn't really helped me all that much. If/when I have trouble with the rice sock, I'll be back!

Thanks!

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

Becky,

are you home testing? Do you have a spreadsheet? what were the bg's at the vet? did they provide that information.

How did the vet go up to 6 1/2 units in just a few days? based on what? what frequency did the vet increase and what increments?

When feeding dry food, the numbers will stay higher because of the carb content of dry food. if you are going to remove it, you need to be home testing, because his bg levels can drop as much as 100 points or more and the amount of insulin may just be too much. and honestly 6 1/2 units is a lot of insulin for most cats and very well may be too much for Baloo.

personally, I would be concerned about the increase and want to understand how and why this was determined.


regarding the rice sock - you know you don't buy that you make it -

take one sock (no holes) any sock will work
add 1/4 cup of rice or dried beans or oatmeal
knot the top (to keep stuff in)
and there you have a rice or warming sock

 

[hmjohnston]

Hello Becky and Baloo!

There are a few things that are causing me a little bit of concern-

1- insulin- what is Baloo on?
2- food- most kibble is high carbs so a diet of low carb, wet canned food is recommended
3- your meter is a TRUETRACK? Most of us steer clear of meters with the word TRUE in it as it tends not to correctly register numbers over 300. While it is a perfectly fine human meter it isn't good for cats. Neither is the FREESTYLE LITE with the butterfly strips. Good meters- Bayer contour, accucheck viva, Relion prime, micro, confirm, ultima. The Relion prime has the cheapest strips at 50 for $9 and you get it at walmart.
4- dose- how did it get so high? When was Baloo DX and at what dose then? If Baloo was on canned food at a lower dose and the vet started feeding kibble while he stayed there his dose would have needed adjusting to account for the higher carbs. So if you nix the kibble and keep the dose you might be putting Baloo into hypo territory so keep a watch out.

Glad you had a great vacation, time to hit the trenches again :?

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

HM - a couple of your questions are answered in her signature:

Dx 4/24/13, 4u U40 ProZinc 2x/day
TrueTrack

however, it seems she was giving 4 units prozinc BID and kitty was diagnosed April 24. again the question, how was that determined needs to be answered, along with the other questions

 

[Deb & Wink]

What impact does weight have on the dosage level, if any? (Baloo is 15 3/4 pounds, so I'm wondering if his dose is higher because he's bigger.)

From the manufacturer:

Always provide the Cat Owner Information Sheet with each prescription. The initial recommended ProZinc dose is 0.1 - 0.3 IU insulin/pound of body weight (0.2 - 0.7 IU/kg) every 12 hours. The dose should be given concurrently with or right after a meal. The veterinarian should re-evaluate the cat at appropriate intervals and adjust the dose based on both clinical signs and glucose nadirs until adequate glycemic control has been attained. In the effectiveness field study, glycemic control was considered adequate if the glucose nadir from a 9-hour blood glucose curve was between 80 and 150 mg/dL and clinical signs of hyperglycemia such as polyuria, polydipsia, and weight loss were improved.

Further adjustments in the dosage may be necessary with changes in the cat’s diet, body weight, or concomitant medication, or if the cat develops concurrent infection, inflammation, neoplasia, or an additional endocrine or other medical disorder.

A conservative dose calculation based on Baloo's current weight ( which sounds overweight)

1.Current weight = 15.75
2. 15.75 * 0.1 U = 1.57U
3. 1.57 rounded down to nearest 1/2 unit to be safe = 1.5U starting dose

We suggest that increases in dose should be made in 0.25U increments.

Where do I find what size lancet I'm using, and what size do I need to be using?

The box should say what size the lancet is. If not, call the 800 number for the manufacturer.
When you first start to do home testing, the lancets for "alternate site testing" (says so on the box) are recommended. These are usually around 25-27 gauge. As you become more experienced, smaller gauge lancets, 29-31 gauge should work fine for you.

Do I change lancets with every poke, or can I clean off and reuse?

Yes, best practices advises that lancets should be changed with each poke. It is possible to clean the lancet with alcohol and reuse if necessary. Lancets are very inexpensive, a few dollars for a box of 100.

Glad to hear the human vacation was great. Welcome back and let us know how else we can help you.

 

[KPassa]

How are things going with Baloo? Did you get started with home testing? Is there anything we can help you with?