Kismet ... newly diagnosed

[Gayle Ellison-Dvis]

Kismet is 10 years old this summer.
* He is on PROZINC 4 units x2/day [he was started at 2]
* He eats wet food for dinner, but dry otherwise. I asked about switching and my vet said not to do that 'yet'. I really believe his numbers would be more t her liking if I could just change his diet now.
* He has no other health issues [except for weight loss due to the diabeties]
* We do not home test ... yet ... he's only just over a month into treatment. The vet has not mentioned it.

I am very thankful for this support! Glad I found you

 

[Kris & Teasel]

He is on PROZINC 4 units x2/day [he was started at 2]

Good insulin but that's a high dose for a newly diagnosed kitty. I'll bet the dose was raised in 1 unit increments based on a BG test (or curve?) done by the vet. Vet stress will elevate BG and any dosing based on that data usually results in too high a dose being prescribed. Very common issue. A good starting dose for ProZinc is 1 unit twice a day and we always recommend increases of 0.25 unit at a time.

He eats wet food for dinner, but dry otherwise. I asked about switching and my vet said not to do that 'yet'. I really believe his numbers would be more t her liking if I could just change his diet now.

Wet food is best but low carb only. The sauce/gravy styles can be very high in carbs. They're useful for bringing up BG if it falls too low. Almost all dry food, prescription included, is far too high in carbs for diabetic kitties. All that said, don't change his diet until you start a home testing program, especially at the high dose he's on. The carbs in the dry food are probably keeping him safe right now.

He has no other health issues [except for weight loss due to the diabeties]

Excellent!

We do not home test ... yet ... he's only just over a month into treatment. The vet has not mentioned it.

Many vets either don't mention it, are dead set against it or tell you to do it only intermittently. Some think it will stress the kitty or damage the bond you have with him/her. Not true. Testing BG at home is the absolute best tool you'll have to keep Kismet safe, learn his responses to insulin and understand what a given dose is accomplishing. Many find the idea of it daunting but are surprised to learn how easy it is after you get the skills under your belt. We can help with lots of tips and tricks.

Anything else we can help you with? I recommend that you go to the ProZinc forum and begin reading the info stickies there on how the insulin works. You can get a lot of insulin specific help over there:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/

 

[Myagi (GA) and Heidi]

 

[JanetNJ]

Welcome! Kris covered it so I'll just say hi. We can help you learn to home test. It's the best way to know if a dose is too much or too little and if it's safe to shoot. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

@Gayle Ellison-Dvis ....if you are on Facebook, you can contact Diabetic Cats In Need for help. We have a Compassionate Assistance Program for low income caregivers so they can keep their beloved kitties at home

You can also fill out our Compassionate Assistance Program form and submit it directly