How long before you saw an improvement?

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Stressedcatmom

Stressedcatmom

Member Since 2017
I posted in Prozinc but didn't get a response. Just throwing this out there for some general guidance.

Yoshi is on 2 units 2x per day. He was diagnosed almost a week ago. Part of the reason I brought him in was that his back legs were unstable. He seemed to be doing well, and started walking on his toes instead of the heels. Hes active in the am before I give him his shot. Well, not super active, but on the bed and meowing and being semi normal. After I give him the shot hes a little tired.

He's been moving a bit slower yesterday and today.

The vet has him scheduled to come in in 2 weeks to check his levels. I'm not home testing yet. Was going to after the vet.

I guess I'm asking how long before you saw a steady improvement? Do they kind of show down a bit after the insulin kicks in?
 
Stressedcatmom said:
I posted in Prozinc but didn't get a response. Just throwing this out there for some general guidance.

Yoshi is on 2 units 2x per day. He was diagnosed almost a week ago. Part of the reason I brought him in was that his back legs were unstable. He seemed to be doing well, and started walking on his toes instead of the heels. Hes active in the am before I give him his shot. Well, not super active, but on the bed and meowing and being semi normal. After I give him the shot hes a little tired.

He's been moving a bit slower yesterday and today.

The vet has him scheduled to come in in 2 weeks to check his levels. I'm not home testing yet. Was going to after the vet.

I guess I'm asking how long before you saw a steady improvement? Do they kind of show down a bit after the insulin kicks in?
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Yes, many kitties will get a bit lethargic once the insulin starts lowering BG. Some kitties do better on one insulin versus another but it's too early for you to know that. Having high blood glucose can also make them feel tired.

Getting a cat regulated on insulin can take quite a while. First they have to get used to the insulin. Then you have to carefully work at finding the dose that gets blood glucose down to good levels. The process can take weeks, months or longer. We always say here that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Also, this is not a "set and forget" therapy. The insulin dose is a moving target. Home testing is the best way to see how it's working and to keep your kitty safe from hypo episodes.
 
I had wondered the same thing about the tiredness after the injection. At first it was just sleeping longer for his mid morning nap but later it went into dinner time and early evening. Since I wasn't home testing yet I was relying on the vet check once a week. Well I came to find out that he was going very low at mid cycle and I didn't even know it because I wasn't home testing yet.
 
I call it mid cycle but I guess you would say their low point? About six hours into the 12 hour cycle of prozinc. That's about when my vet would have me come in to check his BG. I know everyone here has a certain name for it but I forgot what it is. I'm new. It scared me though to see him that lethargic so I took him in to his vet and his BG was pretty darn low. I'm glad I took him but since then I've been trying to home test. It's not easy right now but I'm trying. This whole thing is a bit scary so I hope I get used to it like the veterans here on the forum.
 
That point of maximum insulin action when the blood glucose will be lowest is called the nadir. It's roughly half way between the two doses if they're 12 hours apart but it can move around.
 
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