New - BG & When to Dose ProZinc?

A

AnimalLover

New Member
General Lee my sweet boy, was diagnosed Jan ‘24, 8.5lb, 13 1/2-ish yo. Now 14 yo 9.5lb. Short version, 2 units 2x day. Wed July 10th MASSIVE hunger episode. So now it’s 1 unit am via the vet bc of too much insulin. Began BG Thurs July 18 randomly bc learning. Shoot 3/4 unit Fri 19 10:15am and last since doing BG was 1 unit Tues July 23rd 9:44am both bc I wasn’t sure what to do.

Food Schedule:
10am Breakfast - 3/4 Vital Essentials Turkey Mini Patty, Freeze-dried Raw, w/ water added (always) to rehydrate patty, crumbled.
2pm - 1/4 of leftover breakfast patty.
6pm - 2T Darwin Raw Turkey or Chicken
10pm Dinner - 3/4c minus 1/16c, Vital Essentials Turkey, Mini Nibs (chopped, bc Gn Lee has a lot of tartar on teeth), Freeze-dried Raw.
2am - 1/16c leftover dinner nibs
6am - 2T Darwin Raw Turkey or Chicken

Note: Due to work, two mornings the 2pm & 6pm feedings are given within a half hour to one hour after breakfast. Two to rarely 3 dinners can be up to 2-3 hours late, with 2am & 6am fed as usual. There are days the in between feedings can be up to 1/2 hour to 1 hour late due to errands, life or sleep, but it’s usually pretty regular.

BG Human ReliOn Monitor / Shoot, not listing the BG try’s w/o getting blood:

Th 7.18.24 10:10am - 98.

F 7.19 10:15am - SHOOT - 3/4 unit verses 1 bc not sure what to do and couldn’t get blood.

…couldn’t get blood/enough…

Tu 7.23 9:44am - SHOOT - 1 unit bc of later.

W 7.24 9:58am - 106
Th 7.25 20:05am - 106
F 7.26 10:02am - 79 (1 add’l feedings at 3:55pm instead of 6 pm)
-(dimmer 2hr 45min late instead of 10pm)

Sa 7.27 10am 86 (bf 10:12am, 2 add’l feedings at 10:25am instead of 2 & 6 pm)

Su 7.28 10:05am - 79 (bf 10:12am, 2 add’l feedings at 10:55am instead of 2 & 6 pm)
+12? - 10:54PM - 124 (Dinner 1 hr late)
+2 1:10am 84

M 7.29 10am - 101
+4 2:09pm - 83 (1 add’l feeding at 2:55pm instead of 6 pm)
10:58pm - 96 (dinner 1hour late)
+2 12:59am - 100

T 7.30 9:58am - 99
+4 1:58pm - 86
10:13pm - 81
+2 12:09am -104

W 7.31 10:22am 84
- had to make 5 pokes on only paw and only way to get blood so I didn’t try BG 2 or 4 hours after breakfast.
9:57pm - 81
+2 12:05 am 88

Note: I always feed right after BG and/or shoot. I don’t have many +12 bc of the 4 mini feedings/“snacks” between breakfast & dinner to tide him over for hunger and bg/insulin.

Not sure if I should be dosing, but the BG numbers are coming in on the green so I haven’t. If I’m feeding at the right time after BG or shooting?
I’m still trying to navigate the site and learn. Having issues with my laptop not upgrading from windows 8.1 earlier to begin a spreadsheet so I posted this way, sorry for the inconvenience! I thought I was much more technically savvy, along with the anxiety and searching for answers I am overwhelmed. He has a vet appointment on the 14th from his episode on the 10th. He has finished a script of ursodiol 1/4 tab to flush him out. Insulin 1unit am from 12th-17th, and the two mentioned above 3/4 unit 19th, 1unit 23rd. I always follow doctors orders and am very concerned they are not going to be happy with me, but I want to do what is best for him. It may take me a while to figure out how to answer any posts bc a personal message finally opened somehow! I’ve had a hard time navigating this amazing site for some reason. Thank you all so much for the work and help you are providing!!!
 
Last edited:
Hello. I am sorry for the technical difficulties that you’ve been having. My first question is: are you saying that you have not been giving insulin because all pf the blood glucose tests you are getting on your boy are green (they are almost all good green, normal numbers.). Normal BG numbers for a cat are about 50 - 120 so if he’s staying between those numbers with no insulin then please by all means do NOT give any insulin because he would most likely go into hypoglycemia.

I have some more questions, but I need to drive now so I will come back to this thread in a little while.
 
Do you have any copies of the bloodwork from when he was diagnosed? I am wondering what hos Fructosamine number was. This is a blood test that gives a value that’s an average of BG over the previous 2-3 weeks. It’s the best way for diagnosing feline diabetes. I wonder what that number was at diagnosis and/or what it is more recently.

BG numbers themselves are usually elevated at the vet due to stress, so a fructosamine test is more accurate than a single moment in time BG reading.

What kind of meter are you using to test now at home?

Was he on a higher carb diet prior to becoming diabetic? Did you change his diet?
 
Last edited:
Oh, and about the spreadsheet, we have people who can help set up one that will work for you. It’s just a matter of minutes.

Remember that most vets receive very little training in managing feline diabetes (like 30 minutes to an hour at most according to one vet school attendee.). Please do not give insulin to General Lee if all those numbers are green without insulin. I don’t want any harm to come to him. We’ve had 3 cats die this week from veterinarian screw ups, so I am very upset about that!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Do you have any copies of the bloodwork from when he was diagnosed? I am wondering what hos Fructosamine number was. This is a blood test that gives a value that’s an average of BG over the previous 2-3 weeks. It’s the best way for diagnosing feline diabetes. I wonder what that number was at diagnosis and/or what it is more recently.

BG numbers themselves are usually elevated at the vet due to stress, so a fructosamine test is more accurate than a single moment in time BG reading.

What kind of meter are you using to test now at home?

Was he on a higher carb diet prior to becoming diabetic? Did you change his diet?
Click to expand...
 
Hi! Yes, I have blood work copies from the vet that have been uploaded along with a spreadsheet and clips of my notebook with BG and feedings. I feed every four hours so my +12 may be wrong. At 10am I get BG and feed. I’ve done a BG check 2 and 4 hours after feeding at 10am and 2 hours after 10pm feeding. Food snack at 2pm and 6pm. BG then dinner 10pm, food snack at 2am and 6am.
His next appointment is Aug 14 to check fructose.
I use a human ReliOn Platinum Meter.
Before his prognosis, he was a on a higher carb diet. Blue Buffalo Tastefulls Chicken Turkey Entree, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck & Instinct the Raw Brand Limited Ingredient Diet to give variety.
I am so sorry to hear of losses of precious pets. My condolences to you if you are reading this.
NOTE: It isn’t letting me upload files! I will try to put in as another reply.
 

I have clicked on the photo icon to enter the “Image URL”, hopefully the photos upload! They are of the bloodwork and BG Notes.
 
It doesn’t look like the manual entry for photo up loads worked on my end…

Here’s the bloodwork info:
7.11.24 Bloodwork:
GLU = 262 mg / dL H (reference range:71-159)
FRU = 233 umol / L (rr 191-349)

5.8.24 - FRU = 223
3.27.24 - FRU = 223

2.27.24 Bloodwork
GLU = 483
FRU = Is not listed
- also, he was hospitalized bc my mother felt bad that he was still hungry after breakfast and fed him bread from a fast food sandwich when she was over for a visit the day before. He was getting sick and not eating.

2.21.24 - FRU = 251

1.10.24 - Wellness check up, bloodwork and check eye squints & waters sometimes
Diagnosed Diabetic, began ProZinc
GLU = 461
No FRU listed

There are other dates with BG and fructose checks but the numbers aren’t listed.

Update on BG from previous post:
Aug 1, Th -
10am 76
10pm 73
+2 12:15am 96

F 2nd -
10am 83
12:45am 89

Sa 3rd -
10am 78
10pm 90

Su 4th -
10am 87
10:30pm 86

M 5th -
10am 85
10pm 87

T 6th - 94

He’s doing well at staying in the green, 50-120! There was a BG 124 11pm Su 7.28.24 but I think that was due to late dinners and different snack feedings bc of my work schedule. Two hours later he was at BG 84. His highest was a 96 on the 1st since then. I’ve not shot since Tue 7.23.24!
 
I meant to say before that I could not read these. I was out of town all week and forgot to mention it. You have to “copy and paste” any images to get them into a thread. Is everything still staying in the green? :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top