Hello I'm new and have no idea what I'm doing :)

[AnnieL]

Hello everyone I came across this forum site by googling a lot
I have a male cat named Beani he's almost 13 years old on 2/13 and he has diabetes. He eats a lot, as in he thinks he is starving all the time and pee's a lot too.
I feed him twice a day around 0700/0800 am and then about 12hrs later for his evening meal. He does have constant dry food available to him as well.
He was first diagnosed about 1 1/2 years ago and I had given him Prozinc at that time. At one point he didn't seem to do to well (diarrhea) so I stopped all together.
So now I'm back at it again hopefully going to do it right this time around so I can stabilize him somehow. He was at the vet last Saturday and his BG was 511, but he also gets very nervous and anxious when going to the vet.
So I'm going to be given Prozinc again. But I really just need to figure out how to curve, as I have never done this, how to poke his little ear without freaking out myself, and what monitor to use as in which one reads the best and does the job well etc...
I just feel so unsure about everything and just would like to get some ideas/opinions from people who have been doing this.

Thanks for listening and anything you may feel like sharing with me

Annie & Beani

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Hi Annie and Beani and welcome to FDMB. Sounds like you've had quite the time with Beani but we can help you get on the right track and get both of you feeling better.

I am a bit puzzled as to why the vet would prescribe ProZinc again if it was found to be the cause of Beani's diarrhea in the past. You might want to discuss other insulin options with your vet. While there are a lot of members here successfully using ProZinc, the vast majority use Lantus or Levemir both of which are long acting human insulins that have proven to be very effective in cats.

Your vet may also encourage you to switch to a prescription diet. Prescription diets are expensive, no better and sometimes a lot worse than many more economical retail brands. All dry prescription food is definitely too high in carbs and there are only 2 or 3 retail brands that are low enough in carbs for diabetic cats. A wet canned diet is definitely the best option and there is lots of info re: diet HERE.

Kudos to you for wanting to home test Beani! If your vet suggests home testing, he/she vet may recommend you purchase a pet meter. While pet meters are great tools and do produce BG readings more consistent with lab values, the strips for them are expensive and only available through your vet or a specialty pharmacy. Most folks here use a human meter and all the reference numbers here are based on use of a human meter unless specified otherwise. You need a meter that requires a very small blood sample and has reasonably priced strips as they are an ongoing cost. The Relion Micro and Confirm available at Walmart are both very popular here.

Come join us over on the Health forum with any and all questions you might have. We can help you learn how to test Beani and provide all sorts of tips and tricks to get you feeling like a pro in no time.

 

[Yong & Maury GA]

Welcome Annie and Beani!
Maury and I are new too and found the site when googling lots of questions. After your introduction here, you might want to post on the Main Health Forum so more people will see your story. We are also on ProZinc, no signs of it causing diarrhea, and planning to do first curve this weekend when my Alphatrak 2 meter kit arrives.
Everyone here has been very kind and helpful. It has been wonderful being able to ask any of my questions

 

[JanetNJ]

You said she was diagnosed a year a a half ago but that you stopped giving ProZinc. How long has it been since she had insulin? How have you been managing her diabetes once off it? The only dry food that is ok for diabetic cats are Evo cat and kitten in the purple bag and my favorite Young Again Zero. You need to week her off that kibble.