vstarjewel
Member
I apologize this is such a short notice, but I'm hoping that I could get one or two opinions and feedback about changing Max's insulin. I have an appointment later today with the vet and want to present her some educated info.
My number one goal for Max is to give him a good quality of life. Up until now, the BG numbers themselves were not my primary concern, as long as he seemed in good spirits and still got around OK. Over the last month or so, Max has been exhibiting signs of neuropathy. He has all of the classic signs with the back legs, and although he seems like he has somewhat adapted to the situation I hate seeing him not being able to walk or jump. The only way to reverse or improve his range of motion is to get his numbers down. I tried a B12 supplement with very limited success.
As you can see on his spreadsheet, I have tried to drop the dosage and raise it back up slowly. He's currently at 4.5 units twice a day. From all that I have read that is an extremely high amount of insulin per day. I've also noticed that his morning numbers are on the black or red side, with the numbers going down into the greens approximately 6 hours later. By dinnertime his numbers are back up to black or red. This tells me that either A. The prozinc in't lasting long enough, B. His body is breaking it down and using it at an accelerated rate, or C. The type of insulin isn't what is needed to treat his particular problem.... that perhaps a slow-release insulin would work better than a delayed-release insulin.
I personally think the best option is to try a different insulin, one that has a different release system. Reason this is kind of a last minute thing is because we are running out of his prozinc and I certainly don't want to spend another $100 for more of it if we're going to change it anyway. Any thoughts would be welcome and appreciated.
My number one goal for Max is to give him a good quality of life. Up until now, the BG numbers themselves were not my primary concern, as long as he seemed in good spirits and still got around OK. Over the last month or so, Max has been exhibiting signs of neuropathy. He has all of the classic signs with the back legs, and although he seems like he has somewhat adapted to the situation I hate seeing him not being able to walk or jump. The only way to reverse or improve his range of motion is to get his numbers down. I tried a B12 supplement with very limited success.
As you can see on his spreadsheet, I have tried to drop the dosage and raise it back up slowly. He's currently at 4.5 units twice a day. From all that I have read that is an extremely high amount of insulin per day. I've also noticed that his morning numbers are on the black or red side, with the numbers going down into the greens approximately 6 hours later. By dinnertime his numbers are back up to black or red. This tells me that either A. The prozinc in't lasting long enough, B. His body is breaking it down and using it at an accelerated rate, or C. The type of insulin isn't what is needed to treat his particular problem.... that perhaps a slow-release insulin would work better than a delayed-release insulin.
I personally think the best option is to try a different insulin, one that has a different release system. Reason this is kind of a last minute thing is because we are running out of his prozinc and I certainly don't want to spend another $100 for more of it if we're going to change it anyway. Any thoughts would be welcome and appreciated.
