Just saying "hi"

[Sabrina's Mom]

Just wanted to say "hi" over here on the PZI part of the board. I'm new to the FDMB and am slowly browsing other parts of the board. Sabrina was diagnosed on 2/27 (I think-wrote it down in her notebook) and I joined on 3/8. She's my little cuddlemuffin that has been with me almost 12 years. Her tragic story started when my husband and I were leaving a Stater Bros and a guy had a crate full of kittens in mid-June with no water. If you know the Hemet/San Jacinto area of Southern California it's well over 100 degrees by that time of year. At least they were in the shade. Sabrina was the only tuxedo and with that Marilyn Monroe birthmark she was definitely the cutest. Unfortunately, here eyes were infected and looked like those Popeye goldfish you see. I'm pretty sure she's nearsighted to this day even with the antibiotics I gave her.

She is my baby even though she's just one of many living under our roof. She sleeps in the crook of my arm nearly every night and has the cutest snore when she's really nockered out. I knew something was wrong when her coat was really mangy and she was getting bony in the hips and along the spine but not in her tummy but was too afraid to take her in. I'm so glad that I finally did.

My vet has gotten us on the PZI and keeps increasing her dosage. I keep fighting him out of fear (we lost a cat a few year's ago when another vet put my husband's boy into diabetic shock with an initial dosage of 5-we didn't realize what was going on at the time though). Anyways, we're at 3.5 right now and today her BG was actually down to 314 which is the lowest it's been since she's come home. I've been hometesting but am returning the p.o.j. (piece of junk) True Result from Rite Aid as my test 20 minutes prior to today's at the vet was 194 (& last night it read 37). I'm really surprised that they can get away with selling something so unpredictable-people's (and cat's) lives depend on those numbers.

I did get scolded today from the vet as her weight has slowly been increasing (she's now about 7.9 if I remember right). Poor thing, she's always hungry and trying to limit her to one little can of Fancy Feast and a few pieces of kibble is tough. Am planning on increasing the FF and cutting back on the kibble so hopefully that will help (but gradually on the kibble- someone on the forum warned me that cutting it out too quickly could mean trouble).

I'm sorry I'm so talkative tonight, guess it's lack of sleep. I get up for work at 3:30 a.m. and it's currently 9:20 p.m.-way past bedtime. Thanks all for listening and once I get some sleep I'll have to check out what this side of the forum has as I definitely want to learn all there is on this condition and what I'm putting into her. I hope that the PZI is a good insulin to give her? It kind of seems (from what little bit I've read tonight) that there are some mixed opinions.

 

[Ele & Blackie (GA)]

Hi Collette,
I too had trouble with the True Result meter when I first started. I now use a Contour meter and it's much easier. You can get a free meter - it's a sticky at the top of the Health Board. I also think there's a rebate in the box if you buy one somewhere else. I get my test strips through ebay, so they aren't as expensive as at the store.

It's good that you're home testing now. My Blackie was 12 when he was diagnosed and he'll be 17 next month, so this disease can be managed. I'm surprised your vet was upset with the weight gain. Is Sabrina a small cat? Until they get regulated, their body can't metabolize the food - that's why they lose weight and they're always hungry. I think you could feed more of the FF or other canned low carb food.

So are you Idexx PZI or ProZinc or some other kind? Several kitties here have gone into remission on ProZinc once they switched to low carb food. And it sounds like you caught Sabrina's diabetes early. She doesn't have neuropathy does she? There are a lot of opinions on different insulins. IMHO I would stick to the PZI for a while and see if it works before you think about changing.

Now I've rambled on. Either too much coffee or not enough. :mrgreen: Please let us know how it goes. And if you can, set up a spreadsheet with Sabrina's numbers.

 

[Nancy and Cody]

Welcome!

Wow, I agree, unless your kitty is tiny, I cant imagine feeding only one can of ff /day.. How much did she weigh before she got sick, like at her biggest?

Every cat is different (ECID), but my guy eats over 11 ounces /24 hours (he's about 11 lbs I think). I spread it out evenly into at least 6 meals for 2 reasons- one it makes him REALLY happy to be given food , and 2 because a little food spike may trigger a recovering pancreas to work.

As for the meter, it is possible that you did have a 37 last night and 137 the next day (am I reading that right?) But I have heard other folks complain about the "True... " meters. so...

I like to test a lot, so I can see trends; and it makes it a lot easier if it requires a tiny blood sample, so look for one with
1) inexpensive strips and
2) a .5 or less blood drop sample size.

If you live near Walmart , a lot of folks use the Relion micro and like it. I use the Maxima from Hocks.com ( green box link above) which has even cheaper strips (about .32/strip) but you have to buy new ones early because they take nearly a week to get it to you by mail.

Is your cat on Prozinc? It is a new insulin for cats a lot of folks are trying now. They have a website: prozinc.us

I would love to hear more about her. Can you get a spread sheet up with your doses and bg readings?
The "tech forum" should help you do a ss.

 

[MicheleS]

I did get scolded today from the vet as her weight has slowly been increasing (she's now about 7.9 if I remember right). Poor thing, she's always hungry and trying to limit her to one little can of Fancy Feast and a few pieces of kibble is tough. Am planning on increasing the FF and cutting back on the kibble so hopefully that will help (but gradually on the kibble- someone on the forum warned me that cutting it out too quickly could mean trouble).

1 can of FF really isn't enough. I put out 6-7 cans of friskies (5.5 oz cans) a day for 5 cats. A can of FF is 2 oz (I think). So... I would think 2-3 would be more like it.

 

[Sabrina's Mom]

Hi all and thanks for the replies.

Ele & Blackie, yes Sabrina's a very petite cat (I've never seen smaller paws!) but at her heaviest she was pushing 10lbs. and kind of waddled. I thought she might have a touch of neuropathy as she has a hard time jumping up to the bed and she tends to sit back on her hocks when she's eating. When she walks she seems to be on her toes though so I'm really not sure. And she's on the Prozinc. I haven't been unhappy with it other than wanting the miraculous recovery I'm sure we've all wanted and expected at first.

Nancy 7 Cody I actually bought the Maxima last night before posting this original message. I don't really care for WalMart ( I work retail too) and like that Hocks helps out this website and it seemed that the Maxima got some pretty good reviews. I'll be leaving here shortly to return the Trueresult to RiteAid. Until the Maxima shows up I won't be testing her at home (she's really upset about it I'm sure flip_cat .And I was actually going to ask how to get a spreadsheet going but will head over to the tech forum sometime this weekend and get it going. I've kept track of all her numbers and most of her insulin dosages since the beginning so should be able to fill it out pretty well.

MicheleS I don't even know where I heard the one can a day from but they had probably meant the larger cans. It does say on the Fancy Feast 1 can per 3 1/2 lbs of body weight. That's over two cans for my girl. Looks like she gets a bonus tonight. Of course, hopefully she'll stay away from the floor crumbs that are inevitably left by the other cats and dogs.