newbe needs advice

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John C

John C

Member Since 2015
Hi,
I'm new to the forum and hope I am posting in the right place. My cat Nelson (male,13-15. Rescued 10 years ago) has been diagnosed with DM. He has started on Insulin (PZI) 3u every 12h.
This is his second week. We have been feeding him Imes dry food for the past 10years, and now switched to low carb wet food. I have started home testing his bg levels today. I could use some advice on some basic issues. Is there a distinct advantage between PurinaDM and Fancy Feast Classic? His glucose was normal 10 months ago and he just started with symptoms in the last month or two. Is there a reasonable chance that he will improve on the new diet to a point where he can go off Insulin? I know it is ideal to give the injections 12 hours apart but how much leeway is there to modify this by an hour on occasion? ANY advice for this newbie will be very much appreciated.
Thanks everyone,
John
 
Hi John welcome to you and Nelson. You are definitely in the right place! Glad you've started home testing. That is the only way to keep Nelson safe and to know how well the insulin is working. Fancy Feast Classic is fine for your cat. There's really no difference and the price is much better. Also many cats tire of the DM flavor and stop eating it after awhile. There is absolutely a chance he will go off the insulin in time, and diet change is a big step towards that. I used to use ProZinc, which I believe is similar to PZI, and there were days when I couldn't do the 12hour thing too. You must make sure to test before you shoot and that he's not still dropping. For dosing guidance you may want to post on the ProZinc/PZI forum where there are some people who are very knowledgable about those insulins.
 
Hi John and Nelson,

We put together a protocol for ProZinc. It is in my signature in blue.

We suggest starting with a safe low dose of one unit and raising it slowly as hometesting indicates. 3 units is a large dose. I am concerned that the change to wet low carb plus the dose may send his levels dangerously low. Please try to get some numbers 5-7 hours after the shot to see how low the insulin has taken him(on a human meter 50 is a number to watch. 80 is the number to watch on a pet meter. Below those levels, you may need to intervene to avoid a hypo situation.). We urge new diabetic's to not shoot under 200 - until you have enough data to know what a dose at that number might do.

If you'd like help with his levels and dosing, we have a ProZinc forum. Everyone there uses or has used your insulin and can help. Looking at their spreadsheets will also give you valuable insights.

Here is the forum:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
 
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