Insulin change still trying

[Jeanette & Sawyer]

Sawyer and I are back looking for more information. He was diagnosed about five months ago, and has been on vetsulin Since the beginning, but could never get anywhere near regulated finally, after discussions with the doctor, they changed him to prozinc,
He's had this for about a week, one unit once a day. He has totally lost his appetite, going from screaming for food all day and getting into everything looking for contraband to not eating very much at all, He was getting a 6 ounce can of tiki cat in the morning and one in the evening, and sometimes a snack pack of fancy feast in the middle of the day because he was so starving Now he won't even eat a 3 ounce fancy feast, snack, pack at breakfast,
We have struggled with the home testing. It is so hit and miss and of course, trying to test him is pure torture for both of us I know his numbers rise because of stress Tonight his pre-shot numbers were sitting at 275 after major trauma to get blood tested and then he would not eat so I don't want to give him a shot because he won't eat He seems happy enough very sleepy. He follows me around the house just fine so he's interested and engaged, but just won't eat, which is so very unusual for him
So now what? Do I shoot him even though he won't eat he's only getting insulin once a day so if I skip the shot, he won't have had it since last night

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Hello there. We need to get you set up with a spreadsheet at least so that you can record the tests that you are able to get. I would never recommend shooting any insulin without at least a preshot test so that you know if Sawyer’s BG is even high enough to shoot. It’s possible that the ProZinc has lowered his numbers much better than the vetsulin (which os a bad insulin for cats anyway) and that is why he’s not so hungry. Insulin should be given every 12 hours though. And at the very least one mid-cycle test should be done in addition to the a.m. and p.m. preshot tests. I’m sorry you are having trouble with the testing. Have you considered a Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitor? Otherwise, we do have some tips for trying to improve the whole testing experience. @Diane Tyler's Mom

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Otherwise, we do have some tips for trying to improve the whole testing experience. @Diane Tyler's Mom

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

6. As the ears sugar

used to bleeding and grow more capilares, 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
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
Here is a video one of our members made testing her kitty
She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,with a human meter you don't have to code it.

I have always used a human meter
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

I don't know what meter you are using a human meter or a pet meter

Like Suzanne said insulin should be given twice a day
Every 12 hours

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Jeanette & Sawyer
I'm going to tag Bhooma for you to set up our spreadsheet for you
@Bandit's Mom
Be sure to tell her Sawyer was on Vetsulin first then switched to Prozinc
Meantime
Tap on this blue
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help


Do you see mine in gray letters at the end of my post

More testing tips
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

If Sawyer isn't eating
i have read that some will members will sprinkle food with :
FortiFlora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
or a little parmesean cheese on the wet food

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Pure Bites freeze dried chicken treats ground up and sprinkled on top of food also makes some cats very happy.