Me & Spike are new to all this.

[Lee Renfro]

Hi. I'm Lee. I'm the Cat Daddy to Spike, an approximately 16 year old orange kitty with a new diagnosis on 3/2/2022. His BG was 509 when they did bloodwork that day. Our vet put him on 3 units of ProZinc twice daily. He goes back for more blood work Monday the 14th. He had bladder stones 3 years ago and was put on Purina ProPlan Urinary Tract Health canned food, which he loves. Our Vet said to leave his diet unchanged for now.

The Vet taught me how to inject the insulin, but as I'm reading on various threads on here, I should be doing a ton more, such as BG monitoring with a meter. I'm type 2 myself, so I do have a Reli-on meter from Walmart.

This is all so scary for me, as Spike is my lil buddy and there is nothing that I wouldn't do for him.

Honestly, I've already learned some things while lurking on here. For instance, my Vet said nothing about monitoring his BG except to bring him back on the 14th for blood work. She also told me to draw the insulin past the 3 unit mark then just squirter the excess back into the bottle to remove air from the syringe and a thread on here says that is a no-no due to a silicone lining in the syringe that could contaminate the bottle.

As y'all can tell, I need a lot more education so I can help Spike. Thank you all so much.

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

Welcome Lee, my name's Kyle and my best pal Hendrick was also just recently diagnosed -- 1/5/22. I hear you on the scary part -- and overwhelming, holy hell. I felt like I was drowning but this place is the life preserver you need. The experts here helped me so much already and continue to do so every day. Real angels honestly, spending their time and energy helping strangers.

Yes apparently squirting back into the vial or pen is a no-no. I did that as well at first but stopped once I found out. I don't think it damaged the insulin the few times we did it as we could tell from BG tests that it was still working.

Our vet also dismissed home BG testing, saying it was not needed. We have a new vet now. It seems most vets know little to nothing about caring for a diabetic kitty.

This group is very numbers driven, I love it. For the best help they can give and the best chance at remission for Spike you'll want to setup a spreadsheet and populate it with BG test data.

See this link here:

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/


And this one is vital, getting your signature setup with information about Spike is great so people know what kind of insulin he's on and stuff like that and don't have to pester you over and over with the same questions

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

More info here on getting started and getting the most out of the FDMB:

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

 

[Lee Renfro]

Thank you so much!♡! IL finish getting my acct here set up tonight. Yep, my Vet had me practice with a shot of B-12, draw up, squirter back, give shot. At $132/bottle for ProZinc, I don't wanna squirter much info the air. I was terrified the nite of the 2nd and it was time to give my buddy his 1st shot. I was so scared he would go all hypoglycemic, so I watched him for 5 hours with a bottle of light corn syrup on the snack bar just in case...lol..thank God for Dr. Goggle.

My test strip are way out of date for my Reli-on meter, so I'll be starting my spreadsheet tomorrow night.

Glad I found this wonderful community, as I do trust my Vet, I'm learning so much that I wasn't told by her about my job in all this.

A million THANK YOU's♡♡

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

Yeah I hear you on not wanting to waste insulin. I hate that the "proper" way always wastes at least a tiny drop.

I don't know anything about that canned food. Looks like it might have rice in it though so I'd be wary of the carbs.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Welcome Lee, you couldn't have found a better group to join. There are many experienced members here who are so helpful. We have members here who are also available through the night because they live in other countries in case you need help.

Can you please add to your signature that you will be using the Relion Meter, most all of us use a human meter, that's what our numbers are based on.

I don't know how many carbs are in the food you are feeding but in case you can change it most of us feed Fancy Feast Classic Pate or Friskies. I don't know anything about bladder stones and what type of food you need to feed
I will give you the link to the food chart
We like to stay around 5% carbs or less
Always add some water in the wet food
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Rainbow Conti

Hi Rain I noticed you use the Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Health wet food, do you know how many carbs there are in them

I did a search and saw you said to a member
I dont think so...just looking at food list highest in any flavor is 9% which is chicken in gravy...the others are 4 and 3%
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/12-6-jade-amps-309-pmps-423.256355/#post-2886266

Post #15


Checking for a new member that just joined above

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

I couldnt find it on the list..doesn't mean it's not there though ha

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

I couldnt find it on the list..doesn't mean it's not there though ha

Thanks for checking, let's see what Rainbow has to say

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

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
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Little Man's mom (GA)]

Hi Lee welcome! So just recently purina pro plan changes not only the packaging but the formulas as well.

The turkey and giblets are now 9% the beef is 8%. They used to be lower carb overall. My guy and girl love the PPP as well. I would suggest using a carb calculator to see if any other flavors in the urinary formal are any lower in carb. My guy is extremely carb sensitive so while I still buy a couple flavors the ones mentioned above we only use them if he needs a carb bump.

I found the PPP prime 7 plus salmon and tuna and turkey and giblets to be 0 % carb and the chicken and beef and chicken to be 5%. Not urinary but same brand so my guys will eat. We also use the kitten chicken and liver and kitten salmon as they are 2%

The recent change really messed us up for awhile till I got it all figured out. I was pretty upset that they changed formulas it was more than disappointing. I'm linking the carb calculator below that I use when in store or online shopping. Read the labels do the calculations. The food list while a great starting point is older and some things are inaccurate sue to age.

http://scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

 

[Lee Renfro]

Thank you all so much. I'm stopping at Walmart today and getting a new Reli-on meter and bottle of test strip as my old meter has been thru hell and strips r way out of date. Then to get Old Man Spike to tolerate me poking him mite be a challenge...lol

I am just so amazed at how much I WASN'T TOLD by my Vet. The old Vet (died of covid last year) just said 2 years ago that his increased water drinking was prolly diabetes but he wasn't needing meds yet. Our new Vet put Spike on ProZinc and other than teaching me how to inject, just said "come back the 14th for bloodwork".

I inherited rited him & 5 other kitties when my Mom passed away in April 2020 and I'm determined to care for them exactly as she did with all the love a family member should receive. That's how Mom did it and even though I drive trucks for 10-11 hours a day, I come home alone to my kitty family.

 

[Little Man's mom (GA)]

Thank you all so much. I'm stopping at Walmart today and getting a new Reli-on meter and bottle of test strip as my old meter has been thru hell and strips r way out of date. Then to get Old Man Spike to tolerate me poking him mite be a challenge...lol

I am just so amazed at how much I WASN'T TOLD by my Vet. The old Vet (died of covid last year) just said 2 years ago that his increased water drinking was prolly diabetes but he wasn't needing meds yet. Our new Vet put Spike on ProZinc and other than teaching me how to inject, just said "come back the 14th for bloodwork".

I inherited rited him & 5 other kitties when my Mom passed away in April 2020 and I'm determined to care for them exactly as she did with all the love a family member should receive. That's how Mom did it and even though I drive trucks for 10-11 hours a day, I come home alone to my kitty family.

That is a wonderful testament to how good of a son you are! Such a long day for you. And with diabetes it can be stressful at times. This group here is the best thing ever for us sugar parents. You will find so much love and concern here it is unreal to me that such a thing exists!

Keep posting there is a prozinc forum where you can post daily so you have eyes on your boys numbers and they will jump in and help when needed. It's a steep learning curve but this group will help you get the hang of it.

It surprises me how little vets actually know about treating FD. Not to mention how set in their ways with bad behaviors they can be.

 

[Lee Renfro]

Hi Lee welcome! So just recently purina pro plan changes not only the packaging but the formulas as well.

The turkey and giblets are now 9% the beef is 8%. They used to be lower carb overall. My guy and girl love the PPP as well. I would suggest using a carb calculator to see if any other flavors in the urinary formal are any lower in carb. My guy is extremely carb sensitive so while I still buy a couple flavors the ones mentioned above we only use them if he needs a carb bump.

I found the PPP prime 7 plus salmon and tuna and turkey and giblets to be 0 % carb and the chicken and beef and chicken to be 5%. Not urinary but same brand so my guys will eat. We also use the kitten chicken and liver and kitten salmon as they are 2%

The recent change really messed us up for awhile till I got it all figured out. I was pretty upset that they changed formulas it was more than disappointing. I'm linking the carb calculator below that I use when in store or online shopping. Read the labels do the calculations. The food list while a great starting point is older and some things are inaccurate sue to age.

http://scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Formula Salmon Flavor calculates to 3 wet carbs and 14 dry carbs.

Vet didn't want to alter his diet until after she sees him on the 14th for bloodwork.

I can't believe how she's got me flying blind and injecting him every 12 hrs with 3 units ProZinc without even telling me the dangers of not testing first!!!

Yall are a Godsend and me and Spikes lifeline right now. God Bless You ALL!!!

 

[Little Man's mom (GA)]

Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Formula Salmon Flavor calculates to 3 wet carbs and 14 dry carbs.

Vet didn't want to alter his diet until after she sees him on the 14th for bloodwork.

I can't believe how she's got me flying blind and injecting him every 12 hrs with 3 units ProZinc without even telling me the dangers of not testing first!!!

Yall are a Godsend and me and Spikes lifeline right now. God Bless You ALL!!!

At 14% that's too high. Always use the dry carb matter number. You generally want to keep your low carb under 10% (I have to stay around 3% or less) my vet wanted me to keep my guy on his prescription urinary diet of over 20% which is preposterous!

My old vet wanted me to fly blind as well...very irresponsible. Generally the consensus around here is we all have a somewhat decent relationship with our vets. We need them for bloodwork and regular checkups and scripts for meds and insulin. So we do this dance of dont ask dont tell LOL. Although a few on here have those angel vets that we all covet haha

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Rainbow Conti
Hi Rain thanks for answering my tag

 

[Lee Renfro]

Yeah I hear you on not wanting to waste insulin. I hate that the "proper" way always wastes at least a tiny drop.

I don't know anything about that canned food. Looks like it might have rice in it though so I'd be wary of the carbs.

The ProZinc YouTube video company video says to squirter it back into vial...I actually trust this group more...lol

 

[Lee Renfro]

That is a wonderful testament to how good of a son you are! Such a long day for you. And with diabetes it can be stressful at times. This group here is the best thing ever for us sugar parents. You will find so much love and concern here it is unreal to me that such a thing exists!

Keep posting there is a prozinc forum where you can post daily so you have eyes on your boys numbers and they will jump in and help when needed. It's a steep learning curve but this group will help you get the hang of it.

It surprises me how little vets actually know about treating FD. Not to mention how set in their ways with bad behaviors they can be.

I was wondering if I need to get off this welcome page and move Spike over to the Prozinc page.

I got a new meter today and did my 1st test using both meters as soon as I got home. Spike gets his 3 units at 07:30 and 19:30. I tested on an empty stomach then fed him.
On 3-02 the vet had him at 509
Old meter with outdated strips = 373
New meter 1st use = 348

I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to figure out the spreadsheet.. it's a lot to try to decipher.

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to figure out the spreadsheet.. it's a lot to try to decipher.

first time I laid eyes on the spreadsheet it was too much. Terms I didn't understand, acronyms, everything so foreign. It comes into focus pretty quickly though, give it some time and you will not feel like it is so confusing.

do you have any specific questions regarding the sheet? And yes you'll want to start posting on the Prozinc forum with a daily thread.

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

New meter 1st use = 348

so it sounds like this was your PMPS (PM pre-shot test) so this 348 should go in column O under where it says PMPS, on the row for today's date. I see where it says 3/2/22, if you mean to input the vet data on that row that is fine as well, just need to add additional dates down the sheet

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

was wondering if I need to get off this welcome page and move Spike over to the Prozinc page.

Hi Lee I would stay on the welcome forum only because there are more eyes on that then there is on the prozinc forum.

I'll give you the link How to use the spreadsheet
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-use-the-spreadsheet.241653/

 

[Lee Renfro]

Hi Lee I would stay on the welcome forum only because there are more eyes on that then there is on the prozinc forum.

I'll give you the link How to use the spreadsheet
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-use-the-spreadsheet.241653/

Yet another Godsend, as I was totally lost on the acronyms...lol. that 1st earprick was so scary and Spike kept pinning his ears back and didn't like the jab. He can tell I'm trying to help him, but can sense my nervousness. We promise to populate with more data points in the future, and I can ad his original labwork as well as the new lab we'll get on Monday 14th. I REALLY worry about the 9 hour nadir of Prozinc and know I need to get sum numbers in between shots. I am totally paranoid of him catering while I'm either asleep or at work