Help - I am totally incompetent

Fiona & Alf

Fiona & Alf

Member Since 2025
Hi, after many visits to the vet and seeing 4 in total, Alf had bloods taken and has been positively diagnosed. His hind legs had started to go by this point, he is painfully thin and at one point his stomach was so distended on the right hand side. I am still washing him.
We came home with Prozinc to be administered
1unit prior to eating. However, his blood glucose levels are all over the place. They dip, so that the meter was flashing low this morning so I gave him food quickly. Later I tested his levels and they had gone up to 421. I tested through the day and they go down to lowest 367 at 5pm tonight. I should have given him his dinner then with his shot but in all honesty I held back because it would easier if his shots were 6.30 and 18.30 - lazy, I regret that now. When I went to feed him then I checked his glucose and it was 87. I gave him dinner, again without a shot and his glucose is now 478. I gave him his insulin, but now I’m worried that I shouldn’t have.
Help please I am making such a mess of this. I am so confused and worried about my boy. Alf is 12. At the moment he is shouting to get out wobbling about.
In to the bargain I am rubbish at lancing his ear - I keep missing with the pen as I try to make sure it’s near the edge of his ear - any tips to help Alf please. I am trying my best.
 
Fiona & Alf said:
Just realised this is a USA forum - I’m in the UK, just ignore, thanks.
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Welcome to FDMB
you are in the right place, this is a worldwide site , you are not incompetent at all, Feline Diabetes is manageable, a lot of us have not noticed or seen the symptoms, such excessive drinking, excessive peeing and weight loss, cats hide their illnesses quite well, we all have all felt frustrated, inadequate, cried till there were no tears, so you see, you are not alone. but it gets better, we are glad you were prescribed ProZinc it is a 12-hour insulin, as well as Lantus. We would like to know more about your cat, you are home testing, that' great I see you were prescribed 1unit, also what are you feeding? diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can food or raw,
food between 0-10% carbs, also several meals during the day the protocol for ProZinc is Test, Feed, Shoot. So always test before you shoot and 2-3 times during the day,82BG is not dangerous, is good, the spiral most likely is that the dose is high, I cannot give you dosing advice, but I will tag a couple of members that can assist you with dosing, we are here for you to help you in this journey, keep posting, below is a UK food list, check the food you are giving and the carb content, - 0-10% Low carbs/11-15% Medium carbs/16-24% High Carbs 🤗 :cat::cat::cat:
You are not alone!

Food Info for UK
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Wendy&Neko
 
Testing tips: Hometesting Links and Tips

If there's a cap on the end of the lancet device, try removing it so you can see where you are poking. Some people don't bother with the device and just freehand the lancet. If you need a device, some brands have clear caps so you can see where you are poking. A pharmacist (chemist in the UK) can help you find one.

The hind leg issue is neuropathy and is treatable. You need methyl B12. Here's some UK info: B12 Methylcobalamin help in UK
 
Hello and welcome from across the water. We have people from all over the world here.

You can feed him more than twice a day, especially if he needs to gain weight. Multiple small meals is easiest on him. Try to feed most food in the first 6 hours or so after shot time while the insulin is at it's strongest. Speaking of food, what food is he eating now? It'll help us if you put some basic information in your signature so we can see, including type of meter. More details in this post. New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

The dipping to lower levels followed by sky high numbers is a phenomenon we call "bouncing".
Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles).
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Almost all newly diagnosed cats bounce.
 
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capillaries it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

Try putting a thin layer of Vaseline on the ear so the blood will bead up
 
Hello, and firstly, a heart felt thank you for your help. It is a much calmer Fiona who is responding this morning…
One of the vets told me to keep Alf on his current food - Seriously Good Chicken Shreds in broth. However, on looking I find it’s hard to see exactly the carb content of a 70gm tin, so I will be changing this as of today. Alf is not a fussy eater so I do not envisage any problems there.

This morning Alfs BG tested at 424, I fed him and gave him his shot. 2 hours later I tested his BG and it read low, so fed him something to eat again. His behaviour does not indicate these fluctuations other than he could eat for Scotland. He is washing his face just now which is a positive.
I am using a Cera-Pet meter.
Losing my anxiety has resulted in improved technique testing - I tried as one point with just the lance but stabbed him rather than a light prick, so don’t trust myself there yet.
My vet is open on a Sunday so I’m going to give them a call to see what they say about the dosage.
Test, feed, shot - should I let Alf eat his whole meal before I give him his shot?
I asked about B12 and was advised to focus on his BG first.
 
Fiona & Alf said:
Seriously Good Chicken Shreds in broth.
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@Fiona & Alf
Have you looked carbs hereunfer where it says Pets At Home
UK Cat Food List



You might want to fill out your signature for us
Here is the information we need for your signature
Just click on your name up top and then tap signature and add this information. It's at the end of everyone's post in gray letters
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Also can you create our spreadsheet to enter Alf's BG numbers so members can help you better

here: How to Create a Spreadsheet
It will also explain how to use it.
If you need help with it just ask and I can tag a member to create it for you
 
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I shoot Corky after I’ve seen he has gobbled a few bites, go behind him grab the scruff, shoot, he doesn’t even move his face from the bowl
 
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The neuropathy can be treated at the same time as the diabetes. You don't need the vet's permission to do a lot of things for your diabetic cat :) Just keep the vet informed and know when to agree to disagree.

Warm ears bleed best. The testing info thread linked above describes ways to warm the ear up.

Lancets that are too thin won't get you any blood. Try 27 gauge. Ask a chemist for help finding the right ones in the store and get the device to go with it.
 
Welcome to FDMB. As others noted, you are not incompetent!! Unless you have vast experience in doing all sorts of "medical" things to your cat, this is all new. Pretty much every member here has been new to managing their cat's diabetes and empathizes with feeling like we're completely overwhelmed at the beginning of the process. So, a few relaxing breaths and it was my experience that my kitty began to understand that all of the poking and prodding resulted in his feeling better.

It will take a couple of weeks for the capillary bed in your cat's ear to develop. Once it does, it will be easier to get blood. A wider gauge lancet is helpful at the outset. We generally recommend a 26 or 27 gauge lancet. Once bleeding is easier you can switch to a thinner lancet. (Higher numbers are thinner.)

Having your signature set up along with being able to see a spreadsheet will help us to have a better picture of how your cat is responding to insulin.

Please let us know how we can help. As others noted, our membership is international. As a result, there's usually someone around 24/7.
 
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