New Diagnosis - When to Start ProZinc

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sabs03

Sabs03

Member Since 2016
Hello All! My 14yo kitty, Sabrina, was diagnosed with diabetes (400+ / no ketones) on Saturday (Sept. 17th) when I took her to the vet after I noticed she was urinating quite frequently. She's eating well and behaving normally. The vet gave me virtually no information other than to give me Prozinc (U- 40, 2 units / 12 hrs) and a prescription for Glycobalance. (All of this - diagnosis+ insulin came at a cost of nearly $500....) I was so upset and taken aback. After some research here, I immediately started her on wet food (Fancy FeastClassic). I have not started the insulin yet, because, given the change in diet, I am afraid it may be too much! When I tried to ask the vet about how changes in diet could help control Sabrina's blood glucose, they made it seem as if the only solution was to do things as I have already been instructed. I just feel lost. I don't want to make things worse. Help!
 
Welcome to the board! My 11 year old kitty Smoky was recently diagnosed on Sept 1 and the vet wanted me to wait until after Labor Day weekend to start his insulin. I asked about diet changes too and my vet got mad and said to follow his instructions and stormed out. I changed vets and things are so much better now. You need to find a vet you feel comfortable talking to and is willing to discuss treatment options with you.
 
Also, I know what you mean about the high costs, it cost me $300 just for the bloodwork. Sometimes, I think it will take me years to pay off my credit card. You may want to feed her whatever food she was eating and slowly introduce the new food to avoid stomach upset and to ease her into the insulin dosing. I am new here myself but others with more experience will chime in soon.

My vet just gave me a 10 minute lesson on how to draw up the insulin and inject it. I was sent home with a starter pack and way too many instructions and felt overwhelmed. Hang in there, it will get easier as time goes on. There are wonderful people here that will guide you every step of the way. There is a welcome forum where you can introduce yourself and tell your story.
 
I'm sorry Sabrina has diabetes, but you've found the best source of information on feline diabetes treatment anywhere!

From the ProZinc forum, I see the recommended starting dose is 0.5 units twice daily, every 12 hours. I know your vet said otherwise, but you can certainly work up to higher doses as time goes on.

When to begin is ultimately up to you. It took me a week to start insulin after my cat's diagnosis. I strongly advise starting home blood sugar testing before you begin dosing.

You are wise to be concerned about how her change in diet may effect her need for insulin. You're absolutely right, what they eat does impact how much insulin they need. Changing their food or insulin dose can be very beneficial, but it must also be done carefully. You need to be testing her blood sugar at home.

Testing your cat's blood sugar at home is one of the most important things you can do for your cat. A lot of vets discourage home testing for some reason, and they're absolutely WRONG! You do not need an expensive pet glucose meter. Most of us use a human glucose meter. The one that seems most popular to me is the Relion Confirm, bought from Walmart. I use the Relion Prime (it's a bit cheaper). Testing strips will end up being your largest expense.

(I hate the lancing device that comes with the Relion glucose meters. I think it's really painful. If you want to use a lancing device, I strongly recommend the Accu-Chek Softclix lancing device. While you need lancets, you don't NEED a lancing device; some people like to hold the lancets in their hands and poke their cat that way.)

Please be aware that there are different types of insulin out there and they act differently. I use Lantus, and I'm not very familiar with Prozinc. Have you been to the Prozinc forum yet? Their stickies will guide you. When you start giving insulin, you can make your own daily threads there and people can comment. Be sure to ask any questions that cross your mind. I know this is an overwhelming and confusing time. All of us have been there before, and we're happy to help. You lose nothing by asking. Don't be shy. :)

You are using ProZinc U-40 insulin. Do your syringes say U-40 on them too?
 
Thanks so much everyone for your responses!! It feels great to have support.

@Daphne Where can I find more information about the blood glucose monitors? Are the human ones as accurate as the pet ones? To answer your question, right now I have U-100 syringes so the vet told me to use 5 units until I can get U-40 syringes and move to 2 units.
 
Ok, 5 units on a U-100 and a U-40 syringe are different amounts. I don't know how to do the conversion off the top of my head, but I'll go find that information for you shortly.

In the ProZinc forum, they recommend starting with 0.5 units as read on a U-40 syringe. That's where I suggest you start as well.

No meter is especially accurate. Glucose meters are allowed to be up to +/- 20% of lab values. When you get a reading like 100 from your meter, it represents a possible range of values from 80-120. You won't know the exact blood glucose value at any given moment, but you don't need to know the exact number.

The major difference between human and pet glucose meters is the range of numbers we're wanting. On a human meter, we want slightly higher numbers. That's the only difference. Most of the information you find on these forums will have numbers calibrated for human meters.

Some meters do have a higher accuracy than others, but pet meters are not more accurate in general than human meters.

If you want to learn the exact accuracy of a specific meter and compare them, you will have to read their manuals. You should be able to read their manuals online for free. There may be a resource out there that has already compiled the information for you (I don't know of one, but I'm not going to say it doesn't exist.)

Right now I'm going to go find the information about U-40 to U-100 conversions. Be back soon.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top