MayBTheresHope
Member Since 2012
Re: Recent remissions?
by MayBTheresHope » Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:42 pm
1. Date of Diagnosis
4/24/12
2. Specific PZI (ProZinc, Idexx, BCP, compounded, etc.)
ProZinc
3. When did you switch from dry to wet food
Switched to Purina DM dry and canned on 4/24/2012, switched to FF Classics about a week after that.
4. If you used any other insulin besides the PZI, which one and how long were you on it
Max was always on Prozinc.
5. Date of last shot and average BG since then
Max's last shot was .2u dose was on 7/20/2012. BGLs were between 100-150 for five days, then dropped below 100. He ranges between an average of 55 to 85 now and seems to be getting lower and lower.
Max's Story
Max was diagnosed with FD at the end of April 2012 after we noticed the water bowl was always empty and the cat litter had become nearly impossible to scrape out of the litter pan. It was like wet cement that was almost dry. Max had also lost some weight but seemed to be hungry all the time. He has never liked people food, but suddenly he was getting on the table and trying to eat our food at any chance he could find. Off to the vet we went.
After confirming diagnosis, my vet started Max at 1.5u of PZI and sent me home with an Alpha Trax Meter, a bag of Purina DM and a box of canned Purina DM. Suddenly life got a lot more complicated and I was frustrated. While researching FD, I found this website, registered and started taking the advice of the experts on here. Things got a little better, we adjusted and I figured that Max would be on insulin for the rest of his life. Then fate took us by the paw.....
Back in June, my Mom was watching Max at her house while we were on vacation. After the first day that she had him, his bgl dropped to 87. I was terrified that it would drop too low and that she wouldn't know what to do, so I instructed her not to give him insulin for the rest of the week. She continued to test him twice daily and fed him his Fancy Feast, putting him on a schedule to eat 4 times per day. When I picked him up and scanned through the meter, I was surprised that his bgl's had stayed consistently in the low 200s without the insulin.
After we returned home, his numbers started going back up, despite starting him back on insulin injections, again. At that time, I only fed him twice a day. I began to wonder if that wasn't part of the problem, so I bought the cheap PetsSafe autofeeder from Petsmart. Since it was $35, I thought it would be a good one. The feeder was so inconsistent about opening that I gave up on it after a few days. The only other option locally was the more expensive PetSafe 5 Meal Programmable autofeeder. Given that it was also a PetSafe model, I decided that I didn't want to waste anymore money.
Max's numbers weren't getting any better and started to climb to the 400 range. I started researching autofeeders again and came across a post on this forum that raved about the programable model by PetSafe. I searched for reviews and most were positive, so I finally bit the bullet and bought it. I started using it consistently, cutting the Fancy Feast servings in half and freezing them for the autofeeder. I still feed him half of a fresh can in the morning and the other refrigerated half in the evening. During the rest of the day and night, the autofeeder feeds him the frozen food (which thaws pretty quickly).
Once I started this routine, it didn't take long and his numbers started dropping. I can't believe that they are as low as are right now. I never dreamed....So thank you guys for this board and working with all of us newbies. It has made all the difference! If I had listened to my vet, Max might be more sick right now. My vet meant well, but he is just listening to the advice of other vets (most of whom also have no clue about how to properly deal with Feline Diabetes). I know that Max will always be a diabetic and we will have to continue to treat him that way. But we are celebrating our OTJ party today. Yay! I have high hopes that we will be able to continue to control his diabetes via a low carb canned food diet and frequent small meals instead of having to give insulin.
by MayBTheresHope » Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:42 pm
1. Date of Diagnosis
4/24/12
2. Specific PZI (ProZinc, Idexx, BCP, compounded, etc.)
ProZinc
3. When did you switch from dry to wet food
Switched to Purina DM dry and canned on 4/24/2012, switched to FF Classics about a week after that.
4. If you used any other insulin besides the PZI, which one and how long were you on it
Max was always on Prozinc.
5. Date of last shot and average BG since then
Max's last shot was .2u dose was on 7/20/2012. BGLs were between 100-150 for five days, then dropped below 100. He ranges between an average of 55 to 85 now and seems to be getting lower and lower.
Max's Story
Max was diagnosed with FD at the end of April 2012 after we noticed the water bowl was always empty and the cat litter had become nearly impossible to scrape out of the litter pan. It was like wet cement that was almost dry. Max had also lost some weight but seemed to be hungry all the time. He has never liked people food, but suddenly he was getting on the table and trying to eat our food at any chance he could find. Off to the vet we went.
After confirming diagnosis, my vet started Max at 1.5u of PZI and sent me home with an Alpha Trax Meter, a bag of Purina DM and a box of canned Purina DM. Suddenly life got a lot more complicated and I was frustrated. While researching FD, I found this website, registered and started taking the advice of the experts on here. Things got a little better, we adjusted and I figured that Max would be on insulin for the rest of his life. Then fate took us by the paw.....
Back in June, my Mom was watching Max at her house while we were on vacation. After the first day that she had him, his bgl dropped to 87. I was terrified that it would drop too low and that she wouldn't know what to do, so I instructed her not to give him insulin for the rest of the week. She continued to test him twice daily and fed him his Fancy Feast, putting him on a schedule to eat 4 times per day. When I picked him up and scanned through the meter, I was surprised that his bgl's had stayed consistently in the low 200s without the insulin.
After we returned home, his numbers started going back up, despite starting him back on insulin injections, again. At that time, I only fed him twice a day. I began to wonder if that wasn't part of the problem, so I bought the cheap PetsSafe autofeeder from Petsmart. Since it was $35, I thought it would be a good one. The feeder was so inconsistent about opening that I gave up on it after a few days. The only other option locally was the more expensive PetSafe 5 Meal Programmable autofeeder. Given that it was also a PetSafe model, I decided that I didn't want to waste anymore money.
Max's numbers weren't getting any better and started to climb to the 400 range. I started researching autofeeders again and came across a post on this forum that raved about the programable model by PetSafe. I searched for reviews and most were positive, so I finally bit the bullet and bought it. I started using it consistently, cutting the Fancy Feast servings in half and freezing them for the autofeeder. I still feed him half of a fresh can in the morning and the other refrigerated half in the evening. During the rest of the day and night, the autofeeder feeds him the frozen food (which thaws pretty quickly).
Once I started this routine, it didn't take long and his numbers started dropping. I can't believe that they are as low as are right now. I never dreamed....So thank you guys for this board and working with all of us newbies. It has made all the difference! If I had listened to my vet, Max might be more sick right now. My vet meant well, but he is just listening to the advice of other vets (most of whom also have no clue about how to properly deal with Feline Diabetes). I know that Max will always be a diabetic and we will have to continue to treat him that way. But we are celebrating our OTJ party today. Yay! I have high hopes that we will be able to continue to control his diabetes via a low carb canned food diet and frequent small meals instead of having to give insulin.