Hello I hope this is posted on the right place. I just had a question about what a "meal" means. I am supposed to give her 1 unit 2 times a day after a meal. We have 8 cats and they all graze and she eats small meals many times a day. I'm scared of this hypoglycemia and don't want it getting too low. I am not sure what type of insulin it is. All I know is it's prozinc 40 units/ml. Should I give her a couple spoonful of wet food before I give the insulin? The vet said it was a low enough dose it should not bring it too low. Her number at the vet was in the 5 hundreds. I am new to this and have no idea what that even means. Is that really high?
Just found out one of our cats has diabetes
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Chris and Checkers
Member Since 2021
Hi and welcome.
Eating small meals throughout the day is ideal for diabetic cats though we make sure they eat before we give insulin. What are you feeding her? Is it low carb? Are you feeding wet food? Wet food under 10% carb is best.
Here is a list of various cat food's nutritional information.
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
Here is some information on Prozinc
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-the-prozinc-basics-please-start-here.164995/
500 is a pretty high number, but many cats are that high when they are first diagnosed. With the insulin and a low carb diet that number will come down.
On this site we also encourage testing our cat's blood glucose at home, it is important to test before each dose of insulin as well as a few times in-between to see how effective the amount of insulin we are giving is. This helps keep our kitties safe and get them regulated.
Eating small meals throughout the day is ideal for diabetic cats though we make sure they eat before we give insulin. What are you feeding her? Is it low carb? Are you feeding wet food? Wet food under 10% carb is best.
Here is a list of various cat food's nutritional information.
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
Here is some information on Prozinc
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-the-prozinc-basics-please-start-here.164995/
500 is a pretty high number, but many cats are that high when they are first diagnosed. With the insulin and a low carb diet that number will come down.
On this site we also encourage testing our cat's blood glucose at home, it is important to test before each dose of insulin as well as a few times in-between to see how effective the amount of insulin we are giving is. This helps keep our kitties safe and get them regulated.
Thank you, I'm glad I found this forum. Thank you for the information I am going to check out those links. We feed only dry food. Her and another one of our cats has sensitive stomach and throw up many foods. We feed the purina cat chow naturals. Seems to be the only one they sorta keep down. They throw up still but not as much. Once in a while they get treats like canned tuna or some boneless skinless chicken pieces. I'm just not sure if I should feed a small amount of wet before giving the insulin because she only eats from the bowl for maybe 30 seconds to a min many times a day. Just doesn't seem like enough of a meal to give the insulin after.
Chris and Checkers
Member Since 2021
I think Prozinc kicks in about 2 hours after you give hne shot, so there is some time to get enough food in her. It is hard when you have a fussy eater, or a sensitive stomach.
In the long run, switching to a low carb wet food or even raw food diet will benefit her most in the treatment of her diabetes.
In the long run, switching to a low carb wet food or even raw food diet will benefit her most in the treatment of her diabetes.
Hendrick Cuddleclaw
Member Since 2022
Hi and welcome to the club you never wanted to join. I have a similar situation -- 6 cat household. One cat just recently diagnosed as diabetic. We always free-fed with auto-feeder that dispensed dry food on a timer. We fed canned food now and then but some of the kits didn't really go for it much. And our sugar kitty always ate just a few bites and then came back later for a few more. Not eating a lot at once like you said.
what a whirlwind of change.....dry food is out the door. Well we have a bag of Wysong 5% carb grain-free but they get maybe a quarter cup a week of that, it is more like a treat now. Switched all cats to canned and raw food, whew. Gradually, over the last month.
To deal with getting Hendrick to eat a decent amount at shot time, of canned food he normally didn't eat well...we used lots of tricks, mostly from people here. And we start feeding 30 min before shot time, he'll eat for a few minutes, walk away, i take the bowl away and come back in like 5 minutes and re-present. He eats more. Rinse and repeat. Warm up the food in the microwave (we do 7 seconds) is one thing so it's not cold wet canned food but 'mouse-body temperature', we also used Fortiflora packets in the beginning but now he dives right into even pate! At first he would only eat chunky wet food and wouldn't touch pate but now he does.
Some great tips here:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/transitioning-your-cat-from-dry-to-wet-food.956/
Thank you so much. One more question. My vet didn't tell me anything about testing her bg levels. She basically told me to just start giving her the 2 doses daily then in about a week or so bring her in so they can attach a sensor to her and we will have to scan it every couple hours for 2 days so they can adjust the insulin if needed. I have no way to test her right now so would you recommend I wait til I can test before I give the medication? I know I need to start her on this asap but it sounds like testing is important before giving insulin. I mean I'm sure her numbers are high since they were in the 5 hundreds at the vet. I'm almost more scared of it goong too low than too high.
Thank you so much for the information. Sounds like it can be tricky with multiple cats but not impossible. I might need to think about switching them all over to a wet diet and also a set feeding schedule since we also have another cat that loves to eat and he is so big. I mean like over 20lbs I would guess and I don't want him getting diabetes as well. So some dietary changes would be best for all the babies. Again thank you for the information sounds like lots of helpful people here. Glad I found this forum.
Hendrick Cuddleclaw
Member Since 2022
folks here are very adamant about hometesting, specifically a PRE-shot test to make sure it is safe to shoot. When Hendrick was first diagnosed we tried and failed several times with the hometesting, but we followed our vet's orders and shot the insulin anyway, blind. Our vet also said no need to hometest, just shoot every 12 hours with food.
Come to find out most vets know more about treating diabetic dogs, if they know anything about animal diabetes at all.
our cat is on Lantus not Prozinc so I really can't offer more than that. I'll let one of the experts weigh in. @FrostD @tiffmaxee @Sue and Luci @Diane Tyler's Mom thoughts?
Oh and about being glad you found this forum -- preach it! Like a life-preserver thrown to a drowning person, I like to say. Cannot be understated. Please consider donating if you have not already
tiffmaxee
Member Since 2013
It sounds like your vet want you to use a Libre which monitors the bg. You just scan it with your cell phone. They stay on for about 14 days if you are lucky. I ne er used one. That means you will shoot blind the first week. I never used prozinc. You can read about it in that forum.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-the-prozinc-basics-please-start-here.164995/
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-the-prozinc-basics-please-start-here.164995/
Diane Tyler's Mom GA
Member Since 2018
I am no expert lol and have never used prozinc , I can tell you that you should test before each shot to be sure the number is safe to shoot and test several times during each cycle.
I will post something here about testing
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 get 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 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
Also I would buy a human meter to test, your vet probably uses a pet meter called the Alpha Trak . the test strips are crazy expensive.
Most of us use human meters that's what our numbers are based on.
If you have a Walmart by you purchase
The Relion Premier Classic 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips
26 or 28 gauge lancets to poke the ear with
Cotton rounds to put behind your kitties ear in case you poke yourself
I will post something here about testing
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 get 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 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
Also I would buy a human meter to test, your vet probably uses a pet meter called the Alpha Trak . the test strips are crazy expensive.
Most of us use human meters that's what our numbers are based on.
If you have a Walmart by you purchase
The Relion Premier Classic 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips
26 or 28 gauge lancets to poke the ear with
Cotton rounds to put behind your kitties ear in case you poke yourself
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FrostD
Member Since 2020
Welcome!
1U is an acceptable starting dose when on a dry, high carb diet. If you plan to transition to wet LC, please let us know. It must be done slowly and carefully, as it can have a significant impact on BG. As others mentioned, we take comfort in home testing and having data before making any recommendations.
They can be higher at the vet from stress, but 500 is still very high.
If there's no history of ketones, I would wait a day or two until you can get a meter and strips, and hypo kit. That way first day you give insulin you can test before the shots, and again about 4 hours after. If you're home Saturday, that's perfect.
We'll need some other things to be able to help efficiently, like a signature, etc. You can find everything you need here: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
You'll want a hypo kit - someone above provided the food list, you'll want a 3-4 cans of food 10-15% carbs, 3-4 cans 16-20%, and maybe 2 cans of something 23% and higher...as well as some karo or honey.
Home testing tips. Some vets say you have to get a pet meter like an AlphaTrak, it is not necessary. The majority of us here use the cheap Walmart human meters and they work just fine. You will still want one as a backup, the Libre (sensor attached to cat) can read artificially low at low numbers, so we recommend double checking low numbers with a handheld.
The other thing you'll want is urine ketone strips. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a very serious and potentially life threatening condition for diabetics and requires hospitalization. The "recipe" for it is not enough insulin (as in a newly diagnosed/unregulated cat) + inappetence + infection or systemic stress. So you'll want to test daily for urine ketones.
1U is an acceptable starting dose when on a dry, high carb diet. If you plan to transition to wet LC, please let us know. It must be done slowly and carefully, as it can have a significant impact on BG. As others mentioned, we take comfort in home testing and having data before making any recommendations.
They can be higher at the vet from stress, but 500 is still very high.
If there's no history of ketones, I would wait a day or two until you can get a meter and strips, and hypo kit. That way first day you give insulin you can test before the shots, and again about 4 hours after. If you're home Saturday, that's perfect.
We'll need some other things to be able to help efficiently, like a signature, etc. You can find everything you need here: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
You'll want a hypo kit - someone above provided the food list, you'll want a 3-4 cans of food 10-15% carbs, 3-4 cans 16-20%, and maybe 2 cans of something 23% and higher...as well as some karo or honey.
Home testing tips. Some vets say you have to get a pet meter like an AlphaTrak, it is not necessary. The majority of us here use the cheap Walmart human meters and they work just fine. You will still want one as a backup, the Libre (sensor attached to cat) can read artificially low at low numbers, so we recommend double checking low numbers with a handheld.
The other thing you'll want is urine ketone strips. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a very serious and potentially life threatening condition for diabetics and requires hospitalization. The "recipe" for it is not enough insulin (as in a newly diagnosed/unregulated cat) + inappetence + infection or systemic stress. So you'll want to test daily for urine ketones.
Thank you for the link. So much information. Kinda scary at first.
tiffmaxee
Member Since 2013
Definitely scary at first. When I started reading I was a wreck. But knowledge makes it easier and there’s so much information here. Vets give you insulin, show you how to shoot, give you a dose and send you on your way. Now that is scary. You are lucky if they teach you how to test although since the Libre has been used in cats more attach one of those. The ones that preach against testing so as not to stress the cats really make me see red. They don’t think cats are stressed sitting in a cage all day for a curve at their office? My timid cat was labeled aggressive by a vet that didn’t know him. It was due to bring caged. He was an angel patient. That was the one and only curve he had. I tested enough at home to not need another. Deep breaths. It gets easier.
Thank you for all that information. Alot to take in lol. About the meter. Not only my vet but many many online sites say that the human meter will not work on a cat. I mean I guess it will work but it will be inaccurate. These are sites that wouldn't benefit by selling an expensive pet meter. Even my vet wouldn't benefit because they don't even sell the meters there. I'm just wondering why all these sites are saying that it won't be accurate. I guess to just put my mind at ease I will get one for cats then compare it with my human meter and see what the results are over time and how close they are. I read that a human meter can read as much as 75mg/dl low which if true seems like that could be a bad deal when giving insulin. I'm not sure how transition her to wet will work as she doesn't care much for the wet food. I can get her to take a couple small spoonfuls but she will not eat a full meal of wet food. I guess that's my fault because that's all she's ate for almost 12 years. She will eat canned tuna though lol. As far as a signature I don't feel comfortable putting my name on here but do understand why it would be needed for certian help. It's no problem.
FrostD
Member Since 2020
Name isn't critical! Really just the info about the cat is what matters.
All meters are allowed 20% variance, human or pet. I can tell you probably 95% of us use human meters and we've yet to cause any harm to a cat. Comparing won't really help as there isn't a direct comparison (many people have tried over the years) - the pet meter tends to read higher, but we account for that in the way we dose. Below 68 on a pet meter is "take action" meaning give high carb food; on human meters it's 50. It truly does not matter what meter, if you feel better about the AlphaTrak then get one. You'll just find it much more expensive over time (I think currently $1 per strip vs 19 cents per strip)
All meters are allowed 20% variance, human or pet. I can tell you probably 95% of us use human meters and we've yet to cause any harm to a cat. Comparing won't really help as there isn't a direct comparison (many people have tried over the years) - the pet meter tends to read higher, but we account for that in the way we dose. Below 68 on a pet meter is "take action" meaning give high carb food; on human meters it's 50. It truly does not matter what meter, if you feel better about the AlphaTrak then get one. You'll just find it much more expensive over time (I think currently $1 per strip vs 19 cents per strip)
Yes they showed me how to give the shot and that was basically it. She did tell me to get a pet meter because the human ones will read differently. (That's something I need to find out for myself because half the internet says it's ok to use human meter and the other half as well as the vets say you need one calibrated for cats). Oh I hear ya. None of my cats like being In the carrier or locked up in any way and I would think a quick painless stick on the ear would be way less stressful than a cage all day. That's like the vet labeling one of our cats aggressive because he bit the vet while taking his temp. I'd bite you if you stick a thermometer....um yeah. He's really a very mellow sweet cat any other time. I'd say it's the vets fault for not properly holding him down. So I am definitely going to be testing her at home. I don't want her to have to go through that not to mention that seems like it could get expensive taking them to the vet that often.
Hendrick Cuddleclaw
Member Since 2022
Re: it being scary. Hoo boy don't I know it. When my boy Hendrick got his diagnosis about a month ago I was so down. And I tried to learn stuff and felt just completely overwhelmed and lost. Finding this place was a miracle.
For what it's worth, we started out with the Alpha Trak 2 because, of course, that is what the vet said to use.
Here at the FDMB, the experts with decades of experience treating, managing, and driving cats to diabetic remission asked if we would be open to switching to a human meter so we did and it works fine, it just reports a lower number than the Alpha Trak 2, and that's ok because it is accounted for in the dosing method and recommendations. But like Melissa said, use whatever meter you want, if you prefer the AT2, that's fine too.
We don't need to know your name, but getting a spreadsheet setup with your test data and a signature with your kittah's info helps the experts here help you.
For what it's worth, we started out with the Alpha Trak 2 because, of course, that is what the vet said to use.
Here at the FDMB, the experts with decades of experience treating, managing, and driving cats to diabetic remission asked if we would be open to switching to a human meter so we did and it works fine, it just reports a lower number than the Alpha Trak 2, and that's ok because it is accounted for in the dosing method and recommendations. But like Melissa said, use whatever meter you want, if you prefer the AT2, that's fine too.
We don't need to know your name, but getting a spreadsheet setup with your test data and a signature with your kittah's info helps the experts here help you.
Ok thank you. If that's the case we already have a couple meters as my wife has diabetes as well and her insurance covers the strips so that will save money and they can just share lol.
It definitely sounds like alot of knowledgeable people here for sure. I will go ahead and give the meters we already have for my wife a try. We have tons of strips and whatnot so that will be good not having to spend the money on other strips.
So I basically just put her information in the signature area? Like what the numbers are when I test, time I test, time I give insulin etc....?
Diane Tyler's Mom GA
Member Since 2018
Hi first can you please set up your signature here the the link
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.
Then you need ed to set up the spreadsheet where you will enter your cats BG numbers . I'll give you the link
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
This will also explain how it works
Take a look at other members SS to get an idea of what it looks like
If you have any trouble setting it up , just ask we have a member who will contact you to set it up for you
Here is the link so you can read all about prozinc and the dosing methods for you to choose one Read all the yellow sticky's
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
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Diane Tyler's Mom GA
Member Since 2018
One of the meters is an Accu chek Aviva. That should be ok?
tiffmaxee
Member Since 2013
That’s fine. The reason why I suggest separate meters is that it stores the numbers in case you forget to record.
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