Hi Carl,
Thank for the awesome reply….
So I have a "regular" DVM that I actually have been a tech for and he is great but this is not his specialty so I (actually my bf) sought out a DVM who was more inclined to help me get him into remission or managed well.
I started on vetsulin because that is what my regular DVM gave me -- I was hoping diet alone would work but no such luck-
So after a week or so of just diet changes which helped but stalled we went to see Dr. Katz who has a affiliation with Dr. Karen Becker who in these part is the "holy grail" of holistic and progressive veterinary medicine. Dr. Katz referenced Dr. H and I had already researched so we decided to go slow and see what his response would be. I did not like the way Drevons behavior changed on vetsulin and I knew PZI was the drug of choice so after about a month on vetsulin at 12/12 I had enough and missed my normally happy loving cat.
So on his chart we started PZI when the date is in red--(10-29) I have only started more than 12/12 as of this Friday….this is how I am charting now--I gave him a shot at 5PM (8 hours) which was +8 so I gave him 1 (skinny) unit which I put in the PM shot box…. when I test at 11 I will record it in the +6 even tho it could be read as +9 --where I have my last recorded number is when I give his shot.
Initially his numbers were just ok--not really getting where I was hoping but certainly not awful--His attitude and behavior was absolutely back to normal on PZI regardless of his number which made me so happy-
However my goal is remission and in my heart I believe it will happen.
SO I had a phone consult with Dr Katz on Friday about the more aggressive approach like Dr. H--she agreed we needed to reevaluate his protocol.
Basically I am using Dr Katz dosing and Dr H timing-
here is my dose schedule…..
120-160--1/4
161-185-1/2
186-210-3/4
211-230-1
231-250-1 1/4
251-275-1 1/2
276-315-2
315-385-2.5
I test him at 6 and 8 hours when I can to see if he is raising or lowering before dosing-
For instance last night he was 286--this was about 7 hours after his dose-I waited and checked at 8 hours and he was 307-
I dosed him at the first number just to be cautious 1.5
This morning he was 155 (+8…1/4 unit)
6 hours later he was 157
now--8 hours he is 229 -- I retested and was 214 so I split it-and did a skinny-
Then test again at 6 and 8 hours before dosing…hopefully he will not need anything then but if he does I don't think it will be much-
He is not a good eater so I "force feed" which he enjoys-LOL if needed -- I use the baby food mixed with a little A/D or something high protein mixed with enzymes.
I know everyone has opinions about baby food but my previous cat was 18 in renal failure and ate baby food until she was 20 and passed from a mass in her abdomen.
I have only started dosing more than 2x a day as of Friday but he seems to be holding much longer and I want his pancreas to reboot so in my gut I feel it is right for him….not for everyone but it seems to be working for us.
As far as his kidneys… when I got the initial blood work done I knew it would be kidneys or diabetes--both suck but I am very experienced at managing kidneys-my other cat Rico has been getting sq for 5 years he is 16 now and his blood work comes back as if he was not in kidney failure. He is a bit more naughty than Dre so other supplants are not really a option. He gets a homeopathic about 1x a month as does Dre-and they are both on adequan injections for arthritis. (to slow it)
Back to Dre-so it came back and his BG was over 300 and the fruc. test confirmed diabetes. His kidneys were high normal at that time-I had another panel done less than a week later and his BUN was out of normal range --I had already started SQ just in case ….. My most recent blood also has a elevated BUN so yes he is getting sq about every other day in the scruff area.
I usually give his PZI in the scruff or between shoulder blades--I know they say is better in side etc… but he doesn't agree and he is going thru so much poking and prodding I am not going to argue with him as he is being so patient with all of this-and it is working so I am not sure how much it matters. He is a big cat 19 ish pounds so I have a large neck area to use.
Thanks for the nod to the bf--he has been so great and I have been a wreck--we had a vacation planned that was cancelled because he knew I would be wanting to come home….he knows how much I love them and he deserves a metal of honor for listening to me
