First Shot and ?'s Home Testing

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AliciaG

AliciaG

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Hello,

I will be receiving Prozinc insulin next Wednesday (26th) and am currently wondering a couple of things. The veterinarian I currently have will be no more as soon as I have a new one, and he wants to have Juliet over the day to administer and give a curve, but, as it takes time for the insulin to work, isn't it better giving a small does, .5U from home 2x a day instead and then do a curve over the following weekend myself? I'm looking for guidance but I don't see the new vet until the 29th. The current vet wants to give 1.5 to 2U based on her body weight, not current untreated BG numbers.

I'll have access to the insulin on the 26th. Should I do the introductory shot from home 2x a day until I see the new vet? So I would give her .5U 2x a day for the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, and then a curve on the 30th after advice from the new vet? I can't do mid day numbers due to work.

Any advice is very welcome.
 
Welcome! We generally say to start at 1 unit. Will you be testing before all her shots? It's okay to get mid cycle numbers just when you can. I usually only got them on the weekend....although I got a few nighttime tests too to grab a nadir. You can set an alarm....or be like me...and just wake up halfway through the night naturally. :)

I wouldn't take her to the vet for a curve. Her numbers will be elevated from stress. It's easier with truer numbers to just do the curve at home.
 
Welcome Alicia. Not sure if you have found a new vet yet but here is a great link (found on BJM signature) that has some good questions to ask a new, prospective vet. https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1BqrojKe9oBVAoexL59pUWidEd7viNmxSqW5l2IBTWjY

I agree with Rachel, a curve at the vet is not necessary. Hopefully your new vet will understand why as it is less stressful for Juliet. You can tell your vet that you would be glad to send him/her your spreadsheet (test results).

Looks like you have been doing some reading...kudos to you. There are several links in the Prozinc Forum that will help explain the "Prozinc Protocol." Here is what it states regarding starting doses.

Starting Doses
The recommended starting dose for ProZinc or BCP PZI is .5 units or one unit twice daily. It is suggested that if the initial numbers are high, doses can be changed every three cycles, increasing by .5 at a time. If the initial numbers are in the 200-300 range at preshot and midcycle (nadir) numbers are not too low (not 50 and under), increases can be made .25 units at a time. During this early period, especially if wet low carb food is replacing higher carb dry, monitoring is very important. Insulin plus a diet change can result in sudden low numbers or in a gradual lowering of numbers overall, depending on the cat.

Here is the link to the Prozinc Protocol: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/protocol-for-prozinc-pzi.109077/

While you are waiting for your insulin there is one thing you can do and that is getting Juliet on low carb, wet cat food. This link is great regarding feeding your kitty. catinfo.org It also has suggested food to get. If Juliet is on dry food, now would be a good time to transition. If you are on insulin and am still giving dry food, transitioning to wet food can cause her BG numbers to drop 100 points and you will want to be there when that happens. So it is good to get her started on the right food BEFORE you start your insulin.

Let us know if you need anything else at anytime. We are a small forum but a great bunch of folks here that are always happy to help. Sometimes, if you do not get a response quickly, you may want to post on the Health Forum as there are more people there that can help you too.
 
Oh, and one more thing regarding your vet. The vet may want you to purchase an AlphaTrak 2 blood glucose tester. That works great as it is a pet meter but it is expensive. Most people here go to someplace like Walmart and get a Relion Micro or Relion Confirm, a human meter which is only about $15.00. The test strips can be bought there too and is only $35 per 100 or you can buy online for a little less. Let us know what you use and you will want to be sure to note it in your signature. It helps us to know this information if you are requesting assistance with your dosing or numbers.
 
We're on low carb fancy feast for the last two weeks. :) I am using a relion prime gluecomiter and Juliet does well with testing except for right away in the morning.

I have no trouble giving Juliet her needed shots, but i worry about starting on my own on Wednesday as I'll be out all day after the first shot due to a conference. Should i wait until I'm going to be home to watch for reactions? Is have to wait until Thursday then. As to doing a curve,that doesn't have to be done right away, right? Giving insulin for the first time shouldn't require a curve at the same time?
 
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Great on the food choice. So glad that you got that down and you don't have to worry about food transitioning. Also great on the BG meter - you are off to a good start. Not sure what you meant regarding Juliet trading in the morning?

I would suggest wait until Thursday when you can be home. Personally, I would hate to just shoot and then not know how Juliet does. It would help to do maybe a mini-curve (every three hours) just to see how your first dose works. If you decide to shoot a .5 or 1 unit, then you would be able to tell if that is the right dose you should start off with. Once you get your first AM number, you can post here before you shoot. Do you have a "hypo" kit available? Just want to make sure that you are prepared just in case.
 
Working from the phone and its evil auto correct. Juliet dislikes morning testing. I will be available for the first half of the day Thursday but just might be able to find coverage for the other half...this sounds bad i know, but I'm in charge and there's so many people out this week that coverage is thin. It may just be better to let the vet handle the first round and take over from there?

I don't mind giving shots, i just don't want to wait any more and i want to be able to monitor. We've waited to long as it is. It may also be that i dislike my vet, but that's another story.
 
I am unfamiliar with the hypo kit. I have instructions printed out for it and Karo syrup, anything else i need?
 
I like to have a couple of small cans of like Fancy Feast gravy food. I write the carb content on the top and they are usually around 21 carbs. Merlin is super sensitive and for the most part, if he is under 50, I only have to give him his regular low carb food to bring him up. I also have medium carb food (15-20 carbs) to have on hand too. I like having the syrup on hand if it is really bad and he can't eat or after repeated times of inability to rise his number, then I have to rub it on his gums (I never have had to do that). So if I have to use anything, I go for the gravy first and I only give about 1-2 teaspoons at a time. The reason is because you don't want your kitty to get full as you might have to feed them several times to get them back into the safe zone. You want them to eat. If you find that you are under 50, you give 1-2 teaspoons of higher carb food and re-test in 20 minutes. If it is still low, you feed again higher carb food. Test again in 20 minutes. You will want to have three tests of rising numbers before you consider in the safe zone. Sometimes kitties will increase their number only to fall again and that is why you have to test multiple times. I found that if they drop early in their cycle, you have to be a more persistent in getting them to the safe numbers. Great that you printed off the procedures. I posted it on my refrigerator and made everyone in my house read it ... just in case.
 
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