I cannot regulate my cat's BG

Status
Not open for further replies.
Bob

Bob

Member Since 2014
Hello I'm brand new at the forum. I am on FDMB because my cat, Bob, was diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus on April 26th. I had taken him in to the clinic to see why he was losing weight. There I was told that he had an obstructed urinary tract, was 80 percent dehydrated, and his liver wasn't functioning properly. Two days and $2,000 later (thank goodness for Care Credit Card), I was told that Bob was diabetic too and he had to be put on insulin (ProZinc) immediately. Bob started his insulin about a month ago. On April 10th, he started on 1unit of ProZinc 2xday. His vet raised it up to 3 units within a few days. If you check the chart (attached, I hope at the bottom), you can see that Bob appears to be metabolizing the insulin really fast. I can use your help and input. Bob is my bottle baby. I have 8 other cats that I'm weaning off of dry food (not that easy). Bob is already solely on canned food. Normally I am away a lot, so I ordered him a nice 5 meal tray with an ice pack at the bottom that I can leave on a timer so that I can spread his meals. My vet never mentioned getting Bob off dry food. He put Bob on Purina DM and told me to keep giving him the dry food that he was used to. My vet also raised the units quite fast, never even suggesting trying going up incrementally (.25). I believe that my vet's views and knowledge are antiquated, but he's all I've got. Bob's BG numbers scare me. Am I wrong? I'd appreciate any feedback.
If I messed up the link at the bottom, please copy/paste it manually on your browser (until I learn how to use this forum properly)
Thank you!
Isabelle


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing
 
Hi Isabelle. I know Lantus and Levemir which are depot insulins, so I don't know a lot about how Prozinc is dosed, but I do understand why you would be concerned with the numbers in your spreadsheet. I hope some people with more experience with Prozinc will stop by to give you some pointers. All I want to suggest is to get some more night time tests, as cats often go lower at night time.

You will get help here, so keep posting, okay?
 
Thank you both for taking the time to respond and for your encouragement, Dyana. I guess I was correct to be concerned. I wish I weren't.
Isabelle
 
Welcome Isabella and Bob,

You are doing everything right - wet food (8-10%carbs?) a nice mild insulin and testing at home. Fantastic! Now a tweaking of your dose.

I think Bob is bouncing. When their body perceives a drop in blood sugar levels that feels too low, it releases extra sugar, which makes their levels "bounce" up. So, on the days, he went down to 57 and 42, he bounced up to higher numbers. Another thing that ProZinc kitties can do is have a flat, higher cycle after low ones, as a reaction to the low levels.

I think I'd do a restart at one unit, test midcycles and see if he flattens out. If he is still too high, then increase after 3 cycles by .25. i do think your vet increased the dose too fast.

If you want to, you can join the PZI forum. Everyone there uses your insulin. It is helpful to get their daily feedback on your numbers, and you can check out their spreadsheets to see how they are dosing the insulin.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=24
 
Thank you for explaining the bouncing, Sue. I have been reading non-stop and I suspected that, but I am grateful to have it confirmed. I did drop down to 1unit, but Bob's reaction scared me and I already went up .5 instead of .25. It's really hard btw to play with .25 units, since all I have at the moment are U40 syringes (I will get U100 next, I already have the conversion chart).
Thanks again!
Isabelle
 
Yes, Sue. Thank you. I did see the site's protocol, but only after it was a bit late and my vet had gone up to 3 units fast. As for mid-cycle, there's no such thing with Bob. His nadir changes every day :(
Isabelle
 
Generally a PZI kitty hits the lowest point between 5-7 hours after the shot, but if he has been bouncing, it makes that much more unpredictable. If he flattens out and drops a little, he may stretch out the cycle and nadir later.

So I'd try the lower dose and see if the cycle lengthens. Then his nadir should be easier to figure out.
 
Very helpful, Sue. Thanks once again. I believe I understand what you wrote and I'm trying to do just that. I feel that this is a really good approach at the moment.
Isabelle
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top