Help! Newly diagnosed and in the ER yesterday for 26 blood glucose.

IdahoOliver

IdahoOliver

Member Since 2026
Hello,

My rescue cat, Oliver, is an 11 year old orange tabby. We took him in New Year’s Eve for excessive thirst and urination that had been going on for over a week and he was diagnosed with diabetes and sent home with a prescription for 2 units ONCE daily of prozinc.

A week later he wasn’t eating well so we took him back to the vet at their request so they could check numbers. He got over 700 while there for the day. They advised us to increase dosing to 4 units once daily. We went home and started to checking blood glucose at home after that.

He was on that 4 unit dose for a day and an half and we landed in the ER (yesterday) with blood glucose of 26!

The ER vet had him for the day yesterday and had him on a dextrose drip and got him stabilized.

Everything I read says that dose is super high so I have lost faith in our vet and feel like we are all alone to figure this out. I have read about rebound following a hypoglycemic episode and suspect that the 700 reading at the vet in his initial dose may have been due to a potential rebound from a hypoglycemic episode that we were unaware of. I’m not sure.

I don’t know where to go from here. I checked his fasting blood sugar this morning. It was 340 and gave him his breakfast. He normally would have gotten his morning dose of insulin but skipped because of what I have read about the rebound causing false highs and needing to allow his system to rest and reset. My plan is to monitor closely today and no Insulin and several small meals through the day. I don’t know if this is a good plan and I don’t know what action to take if he does get intro he 700’s.

Help! This is causing way more anxiety and stress than I ever thought possible.
 
IdahoOliver said:
Hello,

My rescue cat, Oliver, is an 11 year old orange tabby. We took him in New Year’s Eve for excessive thirst and urination that had been going on for over a week and he was diagnosed with diabetes and sent home with a prescription for 2 units ONCE daily of prozinc.

A week later he wasn’t eating well so we took him back to the vet at their request so they could check numbers. He got over 700 while there for the day. They advised us to increase dosing to 4 units once daily. We went home and started to checking blood glucose at home after that.

He was on that 4 unit dose for a day and an half and we landed in the ER (yesterday) with blood glucose of 26!

The ER vet had him for the day yesterday and had him on a dextrose drip and got him stabilized.

Everything I read says that dose is super high so I have lost faith in our vet and feel like we are all alone to figure this out. I have read about rebound following a hypoglycemic episode and suspect that the 700 reading at the vet in his initial dose may have been due to a potential rebound from a hypoglycemic episode that we were unaware of. I’m not sure.

I don’t know where to go from here. I checked his fasting blood sugar this morning. It was 340 and gave him his breakfast. He normally would have gotten his morning dose of insulin but skipped because of what I have read about the rebound causing false highs and needing to allow his system to rest and reset. My plan is to monitor closely today and no Insulin and several small meals through the day. I don’t know if this is a good plan and I don’t know what action to take if he does get intro he 700’s.

Help! This is causing way more anxiety and stress than I ever thought possible.
Click to expand...
im new here myself- I have no words of wisdom to give but I will say I changed vets after 1st diagnosed because I did not like how cavalier first vet was with my kitty--second vet is much slower and methodical. A second opinion couldn't hurt any thing but the pocketbook. Also--most of what I see is prozinc generally given twice a day...
 
Welcome to FDMB
It is overwhelming the Diabetes diagnose, but the good news is that is manageable. but I strongly suggest you find a vet that is knowledgeable with Feline Diabetes, but I do not give dosing advice but, I am positive that 2 or 4 units is extremely high especially as you are beginning to understand what is going on the ,glucose numbers on the Spreadsheet, are they numbers from the vets office? I see you have the Alpha Trak, mot members use the ReliOn human Meter and strips, which is inexpensive and I do know that the strips for the Alpha are expensive, it is important to test Oliver before each shot to avoid hypoglycemia, and test several times during the day. Also ProZinc is a 12 -hour insulin, therefor he need 2 shots not 1. my Corky uses ProZinc as well the protocol for ProZinc are Test-Feed Shoot, the insulin must be kept refrigerated, are you using 1/2 marking syringes?
I will tag a member that can assist you with ProZinc, she can give you dosing advice, I follow every guides she gives me blindly, she help me save my Corky's life, and today is one of the most tightly regulated cat here, although he will be a lifetime diabetic, Oliver can be the next, if you follow her advice and the member here, and please consider changing vets, also a diabetic cat need to have a diet of wet an or raw food between 0-10% carbs, cats cannot digest carbs, the pancreas damage,
I'll tell you a phrase that Suzanne said to me at first, I was frantic, at the point of a breakdown, without a vet, without any funds, Corky spend 8 days hospitalized, almost $9,000. his vet since 8 weeks old, he was 10 when diagnosed, fired me, the insulin vial fell on the floor and busted into pieces on the second dose, so many things were going wrong and I found this forum 3 months later, and she said these words to me
"Take a step back, breath in breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress they stress"
At that moment I knew I was at the right place, right here, We are here for you, keep posting, there are many sticky notes on the Main Forum with much valuable information
@Suzanne & Darcy
 
ProZinc needs to be give twice a day but NOT at the doses you have been giving as advised by the vet. It would be far better and safer for your cat to restart insulin at no more than 1 unit twice a day. 0.5 units twice a day is an option if you get the U40 syringes that have half unit markings. This is just a suggestion. Your cat may need a different twice daily starting dose. Generally cats are started at no more than 1 unit twice a day but there are some exceptions.

There's some basic ProZinc info here: Sticky - NEW TO THE GROUP: THE PROZINC BASICS. PLEASE START HERE.

Did the vet give you U40 syringes and show you how to measure insulin correctly?

Are you using a Human blood glucose meter or a pet one?

You need to be testing before giving each and every insulin shot. That's the only way you know what your cat's level is and if it's safe enough for insulin to be given or not. It's generally advised to not give insulin if the cat is at 150 mg/dl or less. You can get some in between spot checks of blood glucose levels to get an idea of how your cat is responding to the dose. It would be helpful if you can get a spreadsheet set up so members can better help you. The instructions are here: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/ You can even share it with your vet, although it sounds like you may need a new vet who is more knowledgeable with diabetes. Many newbies who come to FDMB are given bad or out of date advice, if any at all, by their vet and have to find a new vet.

A 2025 guideline to managing diabetes in cats: 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus in cats

What are you feeding Oliver? Diet is important, just like it is for Human diabetics. Prescription food of any kind is unnecessary no matter what a vet says. FDMB recommends a low carb canned food only diet. Brands like Fancy Feast Classic / Gourmet pates, Friskies, Weruva, and Tiki Cat are popular and there are lots more. The food charts are here: Links to FOOD CHARTS If you're in the US, some FDMB members have put together a newer food chart: Cat Food As-Fed Chart Any food that is under 10% carbs is good to feed. Gravy based foods tend to be too high in carbs but keep a few cans on hand to use in case of hypo.

If your cat is one of those stubborn dry food addicts, try to transition away from that. Dry food is high in carbs which keep blood glucose levels high. Do a very very slow transition to avoid a food strike. There are tips here: Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food There are two somewhat "good" dry foods you could use for the transition process: Dr. Elsey's and Young Again. Air dried and freeze dried raw are healthier alternatives.
 
Last edited:
CORKY said:
Welcome to FDMB
It is overwhelming the Diabetes diagnose, but the good news is that is manageable. but I strongly suggest you find a vet that is knowledgeable with Feline Diabetes, but I do not give dosing advice but, I am positive that 2 or 4 units is extremely high especially as you are beginning to understand what is going on the ,glucose numbers on the Spreadsheet, are they numbers from the vets office? I see you have the Alpha Trak, mot members use the ReliOn human Meter and strips, which is inexpensive and I do know that the strips for the Alpha are expensive, it is important to test Oliver before each shot to avoid hypoglycemia, and test several times during the day. Also ProZinc is a 12 -hour insulin, therefor he need 2 shots not 1. my Corky uses ProZinc as well the protocol for ProZinc are Test-Feed Shoot, the insulin must be kept refrigerated, are you using 1/2 marking syringes?
I will tag a member that can assist you with ProZinc, she can give you dosing advice, I follow every guides she gives me blindly, she help me save my Corky's life, and today is one of the most tightly regulated cat here, although he will be a lifetime diabetic, Oliver can be the next, if you follow her advice and the member here, and please consider changing vets, also a diabetic cat need to have a diet of wet an or raw food between 0-10% carbs, cats cannot digest carbs, the pancreas damage,
I'll tell you a phrase that Suzanne said to me at first, I was frantic, at the point of a breakdown, without a vet, without any funds, Corky spend 8 days hospitalized, almost $9,000. his vet since 8 weeks old, he was 10 when diagnosed, fired me, the insulin vial fell on the floor and busted into pieces on the second dose, so many things were going wrong and I found this forum 3 months later, and she said these words to me
"Take a step back, breath in breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress they stress"
At that moment I knew I was at the right place, right here, We are here for you, keep posting, there are many sticky notes on the Main Forum with much valuable information
@Suzanne & Darcy
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your reply and reassurance. So far from the advice I have seen here we are doing things right. Aside from following the vets dosing. I’m so mad they suggested 4 units once a day! I am going to be sending a letter to them requesting reimbursement for emergency visit that was due to their negligence and yes shopping for a new vet.

Thankful for you… thankful for this community. I’m feeling much better. Especially since his bg is holding in the 300’s today without insulin.
 
squeem3 said:
ProZinc needs to be give twice a day but NOT at the doses you have been giving as advised by the vet. It would be far better and safer for your cat to restart insulin at no more than 1 unit twice a day. 0.5 units twice a day is an option if you get the U40 syringes that have half unit markings.

There's some basic ProZinc info here: Sticky - NEW TO THE GROUP: THE PROZINC BASICS. PLEASE START HERE.

Did the vet give you U40 syringes and show you how to measure insulin correctly?

Are you using a Human blood glucose meter or a pet one?

You need to be testing before giving each and every insulin shot. That's the only way you know what your cat's level is and if it's safe enough for insulin to be given or not. It's generally advised to not give insulin if the cat is at 150 mg/dl or less. You can get some in between spot checks of blood glucose levels to get an idea of how your cat is responding to the dose. It would be helpful if you can get a spreadsheet set up so members can better help you. The instructions are here: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/ You can even share it with your vet, although it sounds like you may need a new vet who is more knowledgeable with diabetes. Many newbies who come to FDMB are given bad or out of date advice, if any at all, by their vet and have to find a new vet.

A 2025 guideline to managing diabetes in cats: 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus in cats

What are you feeding Oliver? Diet is important, just like it is for Human diabetics. Prescription food of any kind is unnecessary no matter what a vet says. FDMB recommends a low carb canned food only diet. Brands like Fancy Feast Classic / Gourmet pates, Friskies, Weruva, and Tiki Cat are popular and there are lots more. The food charts are here: Links to FOOD CHARTS If you're in the US, some FDMB members have put together a newer food chart: Cat Food As-Fed Chart Any food that is under 10% carbs is good to feed. Gravy based foods tend to be too high in carbs but keep a few cans on hand to use in case of hypo.

If your cat is one of those stubborn dry food addicts, try to transition away from that. Dry food is high in carbs which keep blood glucose levels high. Do a very very slow transition to avoid a food strike. There are tips here: Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food There are two somewhat "good" dry foods you could use for the transition process: Dr. Elsey's and Young Again. Air dried and freeze dried raw are healthier alternatives.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you so much for responding. It looks like we are doing things right. We have the U40 syringes so when we restart sounds like we will do 1 unit twice daily. I am much more comfortable with that than what the vet has suggested. I spoke with them again today and they were still recommending high doses that I am not at all comfortable with.

He is doing a great job with eating and has already been switched to Purina grain free wet food which I’m not sure exactly what the carb content is but an internet search said it was a good option and is easy for us to get at our nearby grocer. So far today his glucose readings are in the 300’s and slowly trending down without insulin so that is very reassuring. And he is eating well and acting more himself than we have seen in weeks.

My biggest question is when do we start back on insulin? I’m holding off because of what I have read about hypoglycemic rebound. I figured we would just keep testing and make sure levels are stabilizing and not bouncing around on their own before reintroducing insulin. Do you have any thoughts on this approach or on rebound hypo?

We have a one touch meter we are using since we already had one on hand as my step dad was a diabetic. And I have read the prozinc guide and was instructed on measuring and administering so feel okay about that.

I’m feeling much better now that his readings haven’t been crazy and he is acting his happy self but I know things can change in an instant so doing everything we can to be as armed as possible to handle this.

Thankful for this forum and your guidance. It is making me feel so much better.
 
300 is very high you should star insulin, test before shot, feed shoot, test again in 2 hours feed a low carb snack , test for now at least every 3 hours, transitioning from high carbs to low carbs is a slow process to avoid a fast drop in BG or upset stomach , feed at least 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day as well, create a hypo kit, this needs to contain some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs soñé high carb foods between 16-24% carbs also soñé Karo syrup or honey, this is in case his BG gets lower than 50, we can guide you to hike up the BG with food rather than the syrup or honey since this is only a quick fix, post us at least 1 hour before his shot if you feel uncomfortable with the BG, posts Us , and we can walk you thru it, with ProZinc you can can stall, reduce a bit the dose, not skip, although there are exceptions, always follow your instincts you are getting to know Oliver now with diabetes, we will always be here with you and for your
 
We are very number oriented, we would like you to crate your signature and Olivers Spreadsheet, links below, this way we can all be on the same page, also a Drs approved food list, the 3rd column contains the carb content of each food, if you need help with the SS we would be more than happy to create it for you
Most members feed Fancy Feast Pates between 0-10% most feed up to 5%

0-10% low carbs
11'15% medium carbs
16-24% high carbs
Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
 
IdahoOliver said:
Hello,

My rescue cat, Oliver, is an 11 year old orange tabby. We took him in New Year’s Eve for excessive thirst and urination that had been going on for over a week and he was diagnosed with diabetes and sent home with a prescription for 2 units ONCE daily of prozinc.

A week later he wasn’t eating well so we took him back to the vet at their request so they could check numbers. He got over 700 while there for the day. They advised us to increase dosing to 4 units once daily. We went home and started to checking blood glucose at home after that.

He was on that 4 unit dose for a day and an half and we landed in the ER (yesterday) with blood glucose of 26!

The ER vet had him for the day yesterday and had him on a dextrose drip and got him stabilized.

Everything I read says that dose is super high so I have lost faith in our vet and feel like we are all alone to figure this out. I have read about rebound following a hypoglycemic episode and suspect that the 700 reading at the vet in his initial dose may have been due to a potential rebound from a hypoglycemic episode that we were unaware of. I’m not sure.

I don’t know where to go from here. I checked his fasting blood sugar this morning. It was 340 and gave him his breakfast. He normally would have gotten his morning dose of insulin but skipped because of what I have read about the rebound causing false highs and needing to allow his system to rest and reset. My plan is to monitor closely today and no Insulin and several small meals through the day. I don’t know if this is a good plan and I don’t know what action to take if he does get intro he 700’s.

Help! This is causing way more anxiety and stress than I ever thought possible.
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness. This is so bad. He is lucky to be alive. You never should have been given such terrible advice. If you can get a spreadsheet set up, I will be able to help you! We will be very careful and will not put Oliver in danger (I have an Oliver too!)
 
IdahoOliver said:
Thank you so much for responding. It looks like we are doing things right. We have the U40 syringes so when we restart sounds like we will do 1 unit twice daily. I am much more comfortable with that than what the vet has suggested. I spoke with them again today and they were still recommending high doses that I am not at all comfortable with.

He is doing a great job with eating and has already been switched to Purina grain free wet food which I’m not sure exactly what the carb content is but an internet search said it was a good option and is easy for us to get at our nearby grocer. So far today his glucose readings are in the 300’s and slowly trending down without insulin so that is very reassuring. And he is eating well and acting more himself than we have seen in weeks.

My biggest question is when do we start back on insulin? I’m holding off because of what I have read about hypoglycemic rebound. I figured we would just keep testing and make sure levels are stabilizing and not bouncing around on their own before reintroducing insulin. Do you have any thoughts on this approach or on rebound hypo?

We have a one touch meter we are using since we already had one on hand as my step dad was a diabetic. And I have read the prozinc guide and was instructed on measuring and administering so feel okay about that.

I’m feeling much better now that his readings haven’t been crazy and he is acting his happy self but I know things can change in an instant so doing everything we can to be as armed as possible to handle this.

Thankful for this forum and your guidance. It is making me feel so much better.
Click to expand...
Who told you to start with 1 unit twice a day? I would like to see a little testing before making that recommendation. Can you provide me with some testing data that you have gathered?
 
His numbers today were 340 this morning, 320 this afternoon, and 412 this evening. We are using a one touch meter for humans. I have read that we should hold off on insulin following the hypoglycemic epsiode even at these readings because of potential rebound and artificial highs as the hormones from yesterday’s episode clear. He is eating Purina one grain free wet food.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Who told you to start with 1 unit twice a day? I would like to see a little testing before making that recommendation. Can you provide me with some testing data that you have gathered?
Click to expand...
@squeem3 actually mentioned starting at the one unit twice daily and that has been my instinct as well. Sorry I have been using a written spreadsheet but haven’t been able to get on the computer today to do a Spreadsheet. It’s been a day. : (

Today’s readings following yesterday’s scary drop were 340 (am), 320 (afternoon), 412 (evening).

Chat gpt is adamant that we hold off on insulin despite the higher readings because of somogyi effect. Our emergency vet suggested erring on the side of high blood glucose as we adjust as he can tolerate high much better than another possible low. Her recommendation was 3 total units. (2 in the am and 1 in the pm) But I still feel more comfortable with starting at 1 unit twice daily.
 
@Suzanne & Darcy Here is our sheet. Hopefully it is legible. I will get this transferred over to a google sheet asap. Prior to this happening we was on 2 units once per day beginning on 12/31 (the day of dx) Six days after starting he wasn’t eating well they had us lower his dose to 1 unit once daily and we took him in for monitoring. At this point we hadn’t started monitoring blood glucose at home yet. When we took him in he had a 700 bg so they did labs and fluids and administered insulin to get him stable and sent us home with the recommendation to do 4 units once daily. That is when we started doing the at home glucose readings that you will see listed on the sheet. The second day of 4 units once per day was when he had the crash. His eating and drinking is good today and he is lively and happy. We were able to check ketones this evening after it had been a while since his last meal and he was acting hungry. His ketones were trace. So he is eating up and will check those again in the morning if he lets us hopefully.
 

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IdahoOliver said:
@Suzanne & Darcy Here is our sheet. Hopefully it is legible. I will get this transferred over to a google sheet asap. Prior to this happening we was on 2 units once per day beginning on 12/31 (the day of dx) Six days after starting he wasn’t eating well they had us lower his dose to 1 unit once daily and we took him in for monitoring. At this point we hadn’t started monitoring blood glucose at home yet. When we took him in he had a 700 bg so they did labs and fluids and administered insulin to get him stable and sent us home with the recommendation to do 4 units once daily. That is when we started doing the at home glucose readings that you will see listed on the sheet. The second day of 4 units once per day was when he had the crash. His eating and drinking is good today and he is lively and happy. We were able to check ketones this evening after it had been a while since his last meal and he was acting hungry. His ketones were trace. So he is eating up and will check those again in the morning if he lets us hopefully.
Click to expand...
You are doing great! What is your shot time and what time zone are you in? I would like to try to be around and see what his morning preshot number is and perhaps we can start him on a low dose of insulin and then you can get a few tests today so we can see how he does. I want to be very careful as we re-start insulin. Since he doesn’t appear to be producing ketones at this time, we can take things slowly — although you should try to test for ketones at home since they can change and even build quickly.
 
Regarding Symogi, this has never been proven in cats.

There is phenomenon we call bouncing that I think you have already read about? where the cat's body reacts to lower numbers that he is not used to being in anymore (since becoming diabetic.) It’s a protective mechanism where the cat's central nervous system perceives either a steep drop in blood glucose or simply the cat being in lower numbers - and releases adrenaline, cortisol, glucagons and growth hormone, all of which create insulin resistance and can keep numbers high for up to six cycles (the bounce). Bounces don't have to last that long, but in some cats they will. Over time, many cats will start to clear the bounces more quickly. When the bounce does clear, the BG numbers will come back down and give us an accurate picture of what a dose is doing for the cat.
 
I will send some more information on this. Have to drive now for a few minutes and have to get home, take care of cats, then have a vet appointment this morning (I live there 😩 but I will check in with you for sure.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
You are doing great! What is your shot time and what time zone are you in? I would like to try to be around and see what his morning preshot number is and perhaps we can start him on a low dose of insulin and then you can get a few tests today so we can see how he does. I want to be very careful as we re-start insulin. Since he doesn’t appear to be producing ketones at this time, we can take things slowly — although you should try to test for ketones at home since they can change and even build quickly.
Click to expand...
I’m in pacific time zone. We are shooting to have shot time at 8:00 am. I’m getting ready to go check his numbers now. We will continue to check ketones at home as we are able. Is the best way to avoid ketones to just continue to make sure he is eating well? I’ll be back with readings momentarily.
 
Not only ketones but to see the days process of the dose Suzanne recommended, you can test at least 3 times during the day and of course before each shot
 
IdahoOliver said:
I’m in pacific time zone. We are shooting to have shot time at 8:00 am. I’m getting ready to go check his numbers now. We will continue to check ketones at home as we are able. Is the best way to avoid ketones to just continue to make sure he is eating well? I’ll be back with readings momentarily.
Click to expand...
He is at 386.
 
Don’t feed during the day any high carbs, during the days let his 3 - 4 snacks and small meals be low carbs let only Suzanne will plug back in with you shortly feeding this way helps the insulin do it’s work in the system and helps avoid ketones as well
 
CORKY said:
Not only ketones but to see the days process of the dose Suzanne recommended, you can test at least 3 times during the day and of course before each shot
Click to expand...
Yes blood glucose testing throughout the day for sure! Checking ketones is something we are just now trying adding in more regularly as well as we allow the bg to run a little higher while he recovers from his big drop.
 
For ketones we want him eating really well and keeping him well hydrated by adding some water to his food. Some cats don’t produce a lot of ketones though, so just test as you can and we will take it from there. If he’s behaving normally and has a good appetite and isn’t vomiting that’s a great sign!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Sorry for not replying. I just got home from the vet. What did you do? Did you give any insulin?
Click to expand...
I did not give insulin. I am glad to see his numbers staying relatively level and makes me feel good about probably starting insulin tonight. But how much? That’s the big question. I only have single unit syringes but could probably get my hands on some half unit if I need to.
 
IdahoOliver said:
I did not give insulin. I am glad to see his numbers staying relatively level and makes me feel good about probably starting insulin tonight. But how much? That’s the big question. I only have single unit syringes but could probably get my hands on some half unit if I need to.
Click to expand...
Is he staying in the 300s? You definitely will be needing some U-40 syringes with half-unit markings for making dose adjustments. I would like to see him start at .5 units due to the hypoglycemia. Sometimes this can make cats more sensitive to insulin, so I will feel better if we take an extra cautious approach. If you can’t get your hands on any U-40s with half unit markings then another option is to get U-100 syringes that are sold at any pharmacy and Walmart. Then we would use a conversion chart to draw the correct dose. We could start him at .4 or .6 units using those syringes and I would help you. These are good ones, but any would do for now as long as they have half unit marks.
1768329786179.jpeg
 
Will you be able to get some tests tonight? I won’t be around all night, obviously, since I am on Eastern time. I do get up at five a.m. though which is 2 a.m. your time (and hopefully you will be sleeping peacefully at that time!) You can also wait until tomorrow if you prefer to start in the morning and monitor the cycle closely during the day.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Will you be able to get some tests tonight? I won’t be around all night, obviously, since I am on Eastern time. I do get up at five a.m. though which is 2 a.m. your time (and hopefully you will be sleeping peacefully at that time!) You can also wait until tomorrow if you prefer to start in the morning and monitor the cycle closely during the day.
Click to expand...
I think we will wait until the morning as long as numbers don't get too high so I can keep a close eye on him throughout the day. But yes I will go on a hunt for some half unit syringes today.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Will you be able to get some tests tonight? I won’t be around all night, obviously, since I am on Eastern time. I do get up at five a.m. though which is 2 a.m. your time (and hopefully you will be sleeping peacefully at that time!) You can also wait until tomorrow if you prefer to start in the morning and monitor the cycle closely during the day.
Click to expand...
Yes I will continue monitoring levels this afternoon and again this evening.
 
Do you have the HYPO KIT? This should have some medium carbs between 11-15% carbs some high carbs between 16-24% carbs(gravies) some KARO syrup or honey, we can help you if needed if Oliver’s BG gets lower than 50 , preferably with food, I will be keeping watch here, in case you need assistance, if 1-2 hours before shot you are feeling uncomfortable with the numbers please post us, place a 911 in front of the title to get attention, and we will work thru it with you till shot time and before, this I am certain I can do with you, about dosing or not, I cannot help but I will make sure to tag the members that can, the good thing about ProZinc that the dose can be stalled for a while.We are here for you, you are doing great, please post every BG number you get on the SS
 
for medium carbs you can pick up some Medleys Florentine in a smooth broth, for high Carbs, ant Fancy feast with gravy will do
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Is he staying in the 300s? You definitely will be needing some U-40 syringes with half-unit markings for making dose adjustments. I would like to see him start at .5 units due to the hypoglycemia. Sometimes this can make cats more sensitive to insulin, so I will feel better if we take an extra cautious approach. If you can’t get your hands on any U-40s with half unit markings then another option is to get U-100 syringes that are sold at any pharmacy and Walmart. Then we would use a conversion chart to draw the correct dose. We could start him at .4 or .6 units using those syringes and I would help you. These are good ones, but any would do for now as long as they have half unit marks.
View attachment 76458
Click to expand...
IMG_2890.jpeg
I do happen to have these one on hands for my own personal injections (not insulin). They don’t specify that they have 1/2 unit markings but is that required with the 100-U. I do like the idea of the 100-U so we can make finer adjustments even if it requires a little bit of mathing.
 
IdahoOliver said:
Perfect timing. I was just on amazon getting my 1/2 unit syringes and trying to figure out what to add to my order to reach the free overnight shipping threshhold!
Click to expand...
here's also a Drs approve food list, the this column contains the % of carbs, Friskies also has gravies, on this list there are many brands to choose from, in case Amazon does not have the medleys
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
Also, when you start insulin, before inserting the needle in the vial, turn the vial about 5 times from side to side slowly, do not shake the content, so the insulin will mix well. push the syringe all the way up, pull the insulin again slowly in the syringe ;) I am up at 6:00 ET to feed Corky and Coco and give Corky his insulin, so I am bright eye bushy tail :cat:my phone is next to me if you need assistance.
 
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So if we want to start him at say .6 units (assuming he still doesn’t have ketones) you draw the U-100 syringe to the 1.5 mark.
 
Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers is what you want for high carb (I think Beef is highest in carbs) if you need to bring his numbers up. And in that case you will only need a small amount given at a time (no more than a teaspoon at a time.) You will also want to have Karo syrup on hand.
 
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