Need help regulating PZI dosing

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Lcody

Member Since 2013
The vet called and said he was going to call the makers of PZI to see if we could dilute it due to Dolly's BG numbers being low. He called me today and said the company said no. So now He wants to change her insulin to Vetsulin and still do it twice daily. I told him her BG numbers have been in normal range and can't I just watch the levels and shoot accordingly. He didn't like that idea. That PZI cost quite a bit and there is a whole bottle still. I think I would like to keep her on the PZI and monitor her closely and if BG rises to juice according to the numbers?
Any thoughts?
 
Here is Lisa's previous thread.

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=94784


I don't understand your vet's concerns. Dolly is doing great and you are handling things beautifully - giving small doses when her numbers rise. Her numbers look very good and should continue to improve. No, diluted insulin is not a good idea. That's why you give mini doses instead. Vetsulin is generally considered a harsher insulin and can't be dosed any differently than ProZinc. IMHO, it presents no advantages at all.

I would continue doing what you are doing. The next call to your vet could be that she is in remission!

If you need to give doses smaller than .25 or be able to judge the amount easier, you can use U100 needles and a conversion chart and shoot .1 or .2 units. But if you are in a state where you need a prescription for needles, maybe not. It would probably really confuse your vet.
 
I agree with you and don't understand your vet's logic. PZI was designed specifically for cats. Vetsulin wasn't. It was made for use on dogs, and cats metabolize insulin about twice as fast as dogs do. In general, it will work more quickly, (and for not as long), than pzi does. I don't get why your vet is opposed to you wanting to stick with what you already have and shooting on an "as needed" basis using tiny doses.

Two shots of vetsulin per day would seem to provide insulin to your kitty's system for less time per day overall, so I don't get his logic....
 
I agree. Plus, so far I have not needed to give any insulin since the .25 dose I gave her last Wednesday morning. Her BG levels are doing really well. So I will keep my fingers crossed that her low carb diet is helping and that her numbers do not go up too much and pray for remission!
 
With those low numbers, using any insulin could be unsafe..

If you need to use micro doses, here's the info.
A U-100 insulin has 100 units per milliliter; the syringe marks take that into account
A U-40 insulin has 40 units per milliliter, so it is 40% as strong.
You can use a U-100 syringe with a U-40 insulin by multiplying the U-100 syringe mark by 0.4
Thus
U-100 syringe mark of 0.5 * 0.4 = 0.2 units of U-40
U-100 syringe mark of 1.0 * 0.4 = 0.4 units of U-40
U-100 syringe mark of 1.5 * 0.4 = 0.6 units of U-40
U-100 syringe mark of 2.0 * 0.4 = 0.8 units of U-40

This makes a conversion chart, so you don't have to use the math each time.
 
These are great numbers - I would consider this an OTJ trial.

You could help the pancreas by giving smaller mini meals throughout the day. You could also try and use the lower carb fancy feasts flavours to help out a bit.

Wendy
 
For an OTJ trial, you want to still test at AMBG and PMBG for 14 days. If the numbers are between 40-130, with most of the numbers in double digits (below 100, then the OTJ trial is a success. If the numbers go higher, you may need to support the pancreas a bit longer with a tiny bit of insulin.
 
Sounds good. I have been testing three times a day. I am cautiously optimistic . I have been feeding her fancy feast classics three times per day, but she always leaves some at each meal so she can eat more if she wants it. I also leave enough at her evening meal and she finishes it during the night. :-D
 
Yeah! I will keep you updated. I am so grateful I found this forum and really appreciate all the very caring and knowledgeable feedback I have received. It amazes me how uninformed the vets are that I have encounterd through my Dolly's care. Wow!
 
Vets are great generalists. They know a lot about a lot of stuff, but they just dont have time to get into details with each condition and things are changing so fast they get out of date.
 
I am thrilled to say my Dolly has been off Insulin since 5/22/13. It is all due to the wonderful and caring help that I received from this forum. If I had not found this site I am sure that Dolly would still be on Insulin. How wonderful it is to have fellow cat lovers who are so knowledgeable and willing to take the time to mentor parents of diagnosed diabetic kitties. So, again, Thank you! Thank You! Thank You.
 
YIPPEEE!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Tips to stay OTJ

- test blood once a week or two
- never ever feed dry food, not even treats. If you change food, be 100% sure it's low carb even if wet.
- check all medications for sugar (oral) or steroids. You don't want either and your vet may forget.
- weigh her every few weeks
- watch the pee patch sizes , eating and drinking amounts
- regular vet visits to look for infection- ear, dental, UTI.

That way if there is an issue you should catch it early! good luck -

We are glad we could help and we would love you now to pop in from time to time and pay it forward to other newbies?
 
I would be so happy to help others in any way I can. Just to let them know my own experience and issues and what was helpful and what worked.
 
That would be great.. Even if its just giving moral support and alerting the more experienced people to any issues, its always helpful...
 
How awesome is that! Congrats to you and to Dolly!

I love this note on your spreadsheet:
Brought home new puppy. Scared Dolly.
Click to expand...

So has Dolly decided the new puppy is not so bad after all?

And I'm glad it never got to the point where your vet was able to continue trying to pressure you into using Vetsulin!
 
Congratulations! OTJ is an amazing goal to try and achieve and you and Dolly did it.

Those numbers look great - except for the day the puppy came home. ohmygod_smile

Truly, may Dolly's time at the falls be long and uneventful. Remember those tips from Wendy, and Dolly should be fine.

Please, come on anytime to cheer new members on. Something as simple as reassuring someone that their cat will be ok is great to hear.

Hope to see you posting here in the future.
 
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