Faye: First PZ insulin today
- Thread starter WVCatMama
- Start date
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
Good morning! Have you given her the insulin yet? First thing, you will give her a blood glucose test and then you will feed and give the insulin. This can all be done within a few minutes time. With ProZinc, there’s no need to wait a certain period of time after she eats to give the insulin —the order is test, feed, shoot. I frequently used to give insulin while my boy was eating. ProZinc will onset (start to lower blood glucose) at about +2 so that is when you want to give your first snack of about a couple teaspoons or a tablespoon of low-carb wet food. A second snack should be given at about +4. These snacks given in the early portion of the cycle when the insulin is acting most strongly to reduce BG will help prevent steep drops in blood glucose and help smooth the cycle for the kitty. As long as it’s low-carb wet food, it will not have a large impact on BG.
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
If she’s acting really hungry at about +6, you can give her another small snack at that time, but depending upon when her nadir is, you may not want to. It just depends upon the cat and the situation. I don’t generally recommend feeding much food after nadir because it can raise the BG, but in certain circumstances where a cat is really ravenous or needs to gain weight, sometimes you need to go ahead and give them a little bit of food and just keep it the lowest carb food that you have available. You can make notes in the comments section about when you fed and what food you gave (carb percentage) at which time in the cycle. This can be really helpful for seeing the impact of the food on the blood glucose.
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
If you have any more questions or concerns, please post here throughout the day!
Perfect, thank you so much! Planning to start her around 6 this evening to get on about the 6 am / 6 pm cycle; and can then snack at 8 and 10. She’s eating like a pig again so I’m hoping for no issues with her eating. Printing your replies for keeps! Time to make my baby healthy.
First insulin dose a success thanks to hubby! It was actually surprisingly easy. Her glucose was 233 with the ReliOn which isn’t terrible; I expected higher. She’s now eating her FF Chicken & Liver with her gabapentin & insulin is in. Ugh such a relief! We’re trying more for the 5:30 - 5:30 schedule because that works easier for me to leave for work by 6:30 each morning. Now to update the spreadsheet.
Just checked your spreadsheet, and I’m so sorry about Darcy.
It hurts my heart and I know you took wonderful care of him.
Elohelay
Member Since 2025
I’ve had it go through her ear, the folded toilet paper and into my finger. I feel awful about it when it happens and I think I want to switch to an adjustable depth lancing device with a clear tip. I found a few on Amazon, I just need to order one.
If you find one that’s good, please send me a link. I’d like to maybe do the same. Runt didn’t even flinch when it happened, so that was nice.
Elohelay
Member Since 2025
I’ll order one now and get back to you next week!
I’m also glad to see another newer person. My mind always tells me I’m the only person going through it, and then I see other new people and it helps.
We were at the vet last night and the other people there were picking up their dog. He was starting 8 units every 12 hours, and had 6-7 other meds. Poor guy; they looked scared to death.
Thank you so much!
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
Usually you get a lot more control with holding the lancet with your hand. Be sure to hold it at a 45 degree angle when you go in and not straight at 90 degrees.
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
Thank you. My cat Darcy had acromegaly so he had a high dose condition and was an extra challenge. We used ProZinc, then Lantus, then Levemir with supplemental short acting insulin as well. He was up well over 40 units at one point until we started a medication that helped his dose go back down. He was an awesome cat that I will never forget. I still have his three sisters (litter mates) with me as well as other cats.Just checked your spreadsheet, and I’m so sorry about Darcy.
Elohelay
Member Since 2025
I feel like we ALL feel that way in the beginning. Luckily, we have highly experienced users like @Suzanne & Darcy to calm us down and set us in the right direction.I’m also glad to see another newer person. My mind always tells me I’m the only person going through it, and then I see other new people and it helps.
We were at the vet last night and the other people there were picking up their dog. He was starting 8 units every 12 hours, and had 6-7 other meds. Poor guy; they looked scared to death.
You'll get the hang of things and then, inevitably, something will change or go wrong and you'll end up back here for help.
I hope your first few days on insulin go smoothly! Make sure to get periodic BG checks when you can!
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
It’s really a lot to take in and process in the beginning. It’s stressful. Y’all are doing so well though!I feel like we ALL feel that way in the beginning. Luckily, we have highly experienced users like @Suzanne & Darcy to calm us down and set us in the right direction.
You'll get the hang of things and then, inevitably, something will change or go wrong and you'll end up back here for help.
I hope your first few days on insulin go smoothly! Make sure to get periodic BG checks when you can!
Elohelay
Member Since 2025
quick review: I’ve used it about 6 times by now and I like it. I have it set to a 4 and I haven’t gone through her ear since I switched to this device. And the lancets I was using before work with this one too.
Lancing Device (Amazon)
Thank you! Just added it to my Amazon shopping cart. Poor things…I hate going all the way through the ear. I’m going to find her some earrings.
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
You need to start getting some mid-cycle tests. We will not have any idea if it’s safe to increase her dose without mid-cycle tests. Normally, we would hold this 1 unit dose for 7 days and make a decision on an increase.
Understand, however when she’s resting to heal her wound, we’re not moving her to allow it to heal without reopening further.
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
Understood. Is she hiding from you during the daytime (under the bed?) How is she getting her mid-cycle snacks that she should be getting at +2 and +4? That would be a good time to get a test … or really any time she comes out to look for food. Of course she should get a treat with every mid-cycle test — every cat should.
Her wound hasn’t opened up has it? How is the healing process going? Will you be taking her back to the vet to check the wound.
She’s hiding some but not as much as she did when the infection was bad. I put a rug under the bed for her and she likes it. When she’s under it, I slide her snacks down there for her. She’s having no issues eating, not drinking much although she’s getting a lot of fluids with her food.
No, wound is healing good but she wags her tail when walking from the annoyance of it, so trying to let her stay as still as possible. We’ve sent photos to the vet and they say it looks normal & asked us to send more if anything looks out of place. So far, healthy pink tissue and clear skin around the wound site.
She is excited and happy to be with me again and letting me brush some of her matting out that’s accumulated the last few weeks. She’s acting much like her pre-illness self. It’s actually amazing!
Elohelay
Member Since 2025
I love this so much
Yesss! Great job, cat mom!She is excited and happy to be with me again and letting me brush some of her matting out that’s accumulated the last few weeks. She’s acting much like her pre-illness self. It’s actually amazing!
Suzanne & Darcy
Member Since 2020
So good to hear this! She loves you.She’s hiding some but not as much as she did when the infection was bad. I put a rug under the bed for her and she likes it. When she’s under it, I slide her snacks down there for her. She’s having no issues eating, not drinking much although she’s getting a lot of fluids with her food.
No, wound is healing good but she wags her tail when walking from the annoyance of it, so trying to let her stay as still as possible. We’ve sent photos to the vet and they say it looks normal & asked us to send more if anything looks out of place. So far, healthy pink tissue and clear skin around the wound site.
She is excited and happy to be with me again and letting me brush some of her matting out that’s accumulated the last few weeks. She’s acting much like her pre-illness self. It’s actually amazing!