can't seem to get PS numbers under 300

[Hettie]

I'm not sure what to do with Max's dosing. He seems to 'curve' really well on Prozinc - PS numbers in the 300's and gets down to less than 100 at +6. I've been told on here that ideally his PS numbers should be less than 300. I've experimented with increasing his dose, but then he seems to go into really low numbers (between 55 and 60). I should note that, even during these low numbers, he was acting totally fine and no signs of a hypo. If he's not exhibiting symptoms, are these numbers ok? I'd like to see more PS numbers that are less than 300 but it seems the only way this happens is if he goes quite low mid-cycle. Thoughts? Should I consider a different type of insulin?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jKgMMpqRRdkidAOftTLmNcnkHl8Cduf5ONKQ_3R51cI/edit?usp=sharing

(3/11 to 3/22 are not representative of his "normal" numbers - he wasn't feeling well, wasn't eating and I was adjusting a lot until he was feeling better and got back on track)

 

[Djamila]

If he's not exhibiting symptoms, are these numbers ok?

No...although you don't necessarily need to load him with carbs since those are pretty close to okay. A snack of regular food would probably be fine. You also don't necessarily need to lower the dose the first time it happens since he's a long term diabetic. With long-term kitties you can ride it out and see if it happens again. if you get another lime green, then you should lower the dose. But sometimes our long-term kitties just give a low number for a cycle because they're feeling funny, so you don't have to react to them like newer cats do.

Any dental issues? Pancreatitis? arthritis? asthma? other meds?

He's been on prozinc long enough that you certainly could consider an insulin change. After two years, he really should be in better numbers than this. Some of it might be some of the dosing decisions, but it's also quite possible he would just do better on a longer acting insulin.

 

[Hettie]

No...although you don't necessarily need to load him with carbs since those are pretty close to okay. A snack of regular food would probably be fine. You also don't necessarily need to lower the dose the first time it happens since he's a long term diabetic. With long-term kitties you can ride it out and see if it happens again. if you get another lime green, then you should lower the dose. But sometimes our long-term kitties just give a low number for a cycle because they're feeling funny, so you don't have to react to them like newer cats do.

Any dental issues? Pancreatitis? arthritis? asthma? other meds?

He's been on prozinc long enough that you certainly could consider an insulin change. After two years, he really should be in better numbers than this. Some of it might be some of the dosing decisions, but it's also quite possible he would just do better on a longer acting insulin.

Ok, thanks for the tips. Even though he's been on Prozinc for 2 years now, I just started glucose testing at the beginning of this year (after finding this group). So, since then I've also switched to the low-carb food and we've been able to reduce his dose a bit. I still have half a vial of the prozinc, so I'll do what you suggested and see how that goes. If we still don't have better results in a month or so, I might consider trying something else.

He's very healthy otherwise, with no history of any issues and doesn't take any other medications. When he wasn't feeling well recently, the vet ran a whole blood profile and everything was in the normal range, except for slightly lower-than-average white blood cell count. He's fine now.