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[Oberon's Mom]

Hi all. My 4 1/2 year old male cat, Oberon, was just diagnosed. I'm very happy to find this forum. He is currently on ProZinc, 1 ml twice a day. Our vet told us to get Glycobalance, but reading here that doesn't seem so smart. Our vet will test him again on Aug 2 to see if he's in remission. My immediate questions:

1. He's a big snacker, and our vet told us feed him twice a day, and no snacks. Are there ANY snacks we can safely give him?
2. She also told us we can give him insulin while he's dining. He's very tolerant and doesn't seem to mind the shots. Are we better off giving him insulin while he's eating or half an hour later?
3. Is Glycobalance the best food option?
4. We have a planned vacation out of the country next month and can't take him with us. What are the best options for care in our absence?

Thank you all.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

He's a big snacker, and our vet told us feed him twice a day, and no snacks. Are there ANY snacks we can safely give him?

Yes you can give him snacks…in fact it is better for the pancreas to be getting small snacks throughout the cycles instead of just 2 main meals. Many cats can’t eat all their food at once. So feed the 2 main meals and then give 2 or 3 snacks during the cycles. A snack is a teaspoon or 2 of low carb food.

She also told us we can give him insulin while he's dining. He's very tolerant and doesn't seem to mind the shots. Are we better off giving him insulin while he's eating or half an hour later?

If you know he will eat the meal it is ok to give the dose while he is eating. Prozinc does not start working for about 2 hours.

Is Glycobalance the best food option?

No. You are better to feed a low carb wet food.. have a look at this FOOD CHART

We have a planned vacation out of the country next month and can't take him with us. What are the best options for care in our absence?

Do you have a family member who could look after him?
Other options are someone to come in twice a day or leave at the vet.
I would look at getting an automatic timed feeder so that he can get the snacks while you are away.
How long will you be away?

I would also recommend you look at hometesting the blood glucose yourself. It is not hard and is by far the best way to keep Oberon safe. He is still a young cat and has many years ahead of him. If you can get him regulated it will be much better for him. Just going to the vet every so often to get the blood glucose checked will take a long time to get him regulated and it is not reliable as cats get stressed at the vet which affects the blood glucose and raises it.
I will give you a link to hometesting. Most of us here do hometesting…it becomes routine after a short time and Oberon will be fine with it.
HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS.
You can buy a ReliOn glucose meter from Walmart very cheaply, you will also need a box of 100 test strips and a box of 100 lancets size 26 or 28 and some cotton balls to hold behind the ear when testing.
Here is a link to our spreadsheet and signature which I would recommend you set up and then we can help you a lot more.
HELP US HELP YOU

Make sure you have a hypo kit set up in case of low numbers. You will find the info in the above link.

and here is a link to using PROZINC
And PROZINC DOSING METHODS
Keep asking questions, we are happy to help
Bron

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB.

Your vet has recommended a very good insulin for cats! The vet didn't do such a good job with the food recommendation. Many vets rely on the pet food company salespeople to provide them with diet recommendations especially for "prescription" foods. If you take a good look at the ingredients in Glycobalance, there is nothing that is prescriptive in the food. In fact, the pet food manufacturers lost a class action suit over calling their foods "prescription." Glycobalance in way too high in carbohydrates for a diabetic. We consider low carb as under 10% carbohydrate although most members feed their cat a food that's in the 5% range. Many people feed their cat either Fancy Feast or Friskies pate style canned food but you have lots of options.

Many people who use Prozinc test, feed, and shoot all in a rapid sequence. Often, their cat is eating when getting a shot.

As Bron noted, we are very big fans of home testing. It is the only way to be sure that your cat is in safe numbers. You certainly don't want to be giving a shot if your cat's blood glucose numbers are too low.

The one piece if information Bron didn't suggest is setting up your signature and spreadsheet. The information that we provide for new members in in this post on helping us to help you.

I would suggest seeing if you can find someone who can help with caring for your cat while you're traveling. It's highly unlikely that your cat will be in remission in a month. Like Bron suggested a family member or close friend would be great but keep in mind, this is a great deal of responsibility. Many vet techs do pet sitting on the side so check at your vet's office. Some neighborhood organizations (e.g., Nextdoor is an app for neighborhood information) can provide recommendations for someone in your area that people have had experience with) can be helpful.

 

[Oberon's Mom]

Thank you both. I have him scheduled for a second opinion Thurs morning, and got the PetTest glucose monitor. I will start monitoring him Thurs morning. I will happily set up my spreadsheet but it may take a couple of days. The information I found here has already been invaluable.