Is Pro Zinc U-40 Insulin supposed to be cloudy & other?

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johnfrisco13

Member Since 2013
Hi everyone! I appreciate anyone's response.

My new Vet just just switched my 12 year old female cat from Lantus to Pro Zinc U-40. She was on 17 units of Lantus twice a day and losing weight, starving to death, drinking like a fish and peeing like a horse. She had diabetes for 2.5 years now--and the insulin kept increasing. Old vet said if Lantus doesn't work no other insulin is likely to work. The Lantus initially worked, but became ineffective over time.

Any way he left the practice--and I wasn't impressed with his replacement or any other doctors and this practice.

So I went to a totally different practice and they started her on one unit of the Pro Zinc. No change. Tonight I went back--she said try 2 units every 12 hours. I feel like I did 2.5 years ago when she was first diagnosed with diabetes.

She also has pancreatitis which she is being treated for and last week was in the hospital from Wednesday to Saturday because she was all backed up and wouldn't do #2. That seems all better now, with the meds she is on. She is on antibiotics for 1 month for her pancreatitis and will be rechecked after 1 month on antibiotics.

She is on a diet--Iams Intestinal Plus.

Thyroid is normal, but on the upper borderline.

Losing proteins through kidneys and urinating them out--on meds for this.

Any way is Pro Zinc supposed to be cloudy? With Lantus it was always clear? I forgot to ask the vet.

Thanks for reading!
 
Yes, Prozinc and PZI are supposed to be cloudy. There shouldn't be "floaties" like small chunks in it though. And before you draw it up into the syringe, it should be gently rolled in your palms so it "mixes" well.

They should also have given you different syringes if you got Prozinc as it is a "U40" insulin rather than a U100 like lantus. The syringes should have red caps instead of orange ones over the needle.
 
Yes I have the new syringes--I know the measurements are different.

I do not home test. I would but trust me I lack the the dexterity to do so. I still have trouble after 2.5 years giving her insulin shots. Yeah it easy at the Vets (an Artificial) environment, but at home I have a 5 second window.

And my cat has thick-matte hair. With my previous vet I used to have her shaved so I can get under the skin. This vet refuses to shave her--says there is a chance of skin infection. I'd rather take a chance of a skin infections vs her not getting any insulin.

Well I was so frustrated Monday of not knowing if she got a proper shot or not I went somewhere to get her shaved. Now shots are easy and I know she is getting the insulin, but she is still starving, urinating and drinking like crazy.

Today when my vet saw that she was shaved she didn't make a big fuss about it, which I was concerned about. But she did show me and have me demonstrate the insulin shots. But with her thick fur and limited window for giving her the shots I may have to keep getting her shaved at another vet or groomer.

Thanks!
 
Is the Iams a dry food?

If so, the carb content is high, which will keep kitty's numbers high. If it's a wet food, and high carb, the same thing will occur. But changing diet now has to be done very very carefully and gradually since she is already on insulin.

Diabetes regulation is controlled by food, insulin, and home-testing, although I know you said you are unable to test.

Home testing can be a bit challenging at first, but there are lots of tips and tricks on this forum to give you a good start. There is also great information on the how-to's of diet change while on insulin.

http://felinediabetes.com/TipsforTransi ... -18-09.pdf will take you to the dry-to-wet transition

Has she been tested for urinary ketones?
 
At 17 U of insulin (I assume 2x per day), you need to look at the High Dose conditions like Acromegaly and IAA (insulin auto-immune antibodies) These two tests are conducted by only one lab in North America -- Mich State Univ vet research lab.

Cats with Acromegaly can need huge amounts of insulin, but better control is possible. Testing at home would help immensely.

Also - Levemir insulin is better for high dosers and less expensive than Prozinc. It is similar to Lantus but in my opinion better. Lantus is acidic and can sting at high doses. Levemir is neutral and does not sting.

There have been a couple of acromegaly cats that needed 100U twice per day to have decent control of BGs. That is rare, but if the cat needs it -- the cat needs it.
 
Since they had you start back at 1 unit with the Prozinc, you need to be testing for ketones, which are a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis which can be fatal.

See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some tips.
 
Not even urine testing? If you could urine test, you'll be able to check for ketones and glucose both, if you use KetoDiaStix. This reflects what has gone on since the last void.
 
Sorry you're feeling broken.

What are you going to do? Going from 17 units of Lantus down to 1 unit of ProZinc is risking diabetic ketoacidosis due to fat breakdown for calories if glucose can't be used due to lack of insulin.
 
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