Good vet near Moses Lake, WA?

[Becky&Gus]

Hello, I'm new. My 9 year old cat Gus was diagnosed in January. I've not had much luck with my vet. I first took Gus in back in October and he should have been diagnosed then, but that is a long story. He nearly died in January and I've had his dose upped almost weekly since. Basically, every time I took him in for a curve, which was pretty much every week since late January. After much research on my own, I've started home testing and cut back on his dose. They had him up to 6 units twice a day. I think the poor guy was in constant rebound. Anyway, any Washington people out there with a recommendation for my area? Also, I was told by my vet that cats do best on ProZinc insulin. Anyone have any experience with this kind? I see that many of you treat just fine with other types of insulin. Gus and I thank you! (So does Mandy my civilian kitty who is irritated by all the attention Gus is getting these days!)

 

[Ruth & Beethoven (GA)]

Hi Becky,
Welcome to FDMB. First off, I am in Washington but not that close to Moses Lake, and I don’t know of any vets in your area, so I can’t help you there. I’m in Puyallup.

It’s interesting you were told that cats do best on ProZinc. We were told the same thing about Lantus. Sometimes you have to try one and, if you’re not getting good results, switch to another form. We used Lantus, so I don’t know the protocol for ProZinc, but I know a lot of folks here do use ProZinc or PZI and get good results. Having said that, it seems Gus’s dosage was increased a lot for being on insulin such a short period of time. Generally, our approach is to Start Low and Go Slow. When you rush to increase dosage, you don’t give your kitty time to adjust before changing it on him again.

It’s really good that you’ve started home testing. I’ve found that the curves done by vets yield quite different results than the ones I do at home, even though we use the same type of meter. Beethoven really stresses out at the vet’s, and it drives his numbers higher than usual. This is not uncommon and is a good reason to do your curves at home. Also, you’ll save a lot of money on vet bills by doing them yourself.

I suggest you visit the PZI insulin support group on this board for more information about ProZinc. I’ve never figured out how vets decide which insulin to prescribe. However, most cats do seem to do best on longer acting insulins such as PZI, ProZinc, Lantus, and Levemir.

 

[Karen & Smokey(GA)]

What was your starting dose and where are you now with dosing.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

How fast was the dose raised.

We have a motto here....start LOW, go SLOW.

If raises were based upon spot-checks of readings taken at the vet, the dose could
already be too high.

Often, cats get very stressed at the vet and the BG is raised due to that.

Vet prescribes too much insulin based on the reading at the vet's office.

Home BG testing is the best (and cheapest) way to regulate your kitty's diabetes.

 

[Becky&Gus]

Thanks for your relplies. They started Gus at 2 units once per day. Within a few days he was hospitalized for the better part of a week due to ketoacidosis. So they upped the dose to 2 units twice per day. Then each time I took him in which was about every week. I think the first time it was two weeks, then after that it was every week they would up it a full unit morning and night. Until the last time I took him in it was 6 units twice a day. The more research I did the more I realized my vet, as kind and concerned as they were, didn't have a clue about this disease. So Gus's treatment was going to be up to me. I learned about B-12 which has done wonders! He was only crawling a couple of steps at a time two weeks ago. Now, he's getting a pill every morning and is walking pretty good. He's not back to normal but he can stand and walk 10-15 steps. I'm VERY grateful for sites like this. Without the information here, I'd have lost him by now. Anyway, I'm happy to be part of the community here. It is so great not to be in this alone.