Newbie w/ ProZinc

[lmcfrld]

Hi, I'm Lora and my cat's name is Misha. He's just been diagnosed and we started 3 days ago on Prozinc, 1u 2x/day. I'm feeding 1/2 can of Purina DM in the morning, and 1/2 cup of dry Purina DM in evening. Is it true I should not be feeding the dry food? Both wet and dry were prescribed by the vet. I will be stocking up on some Fancy Feast tomorrow, and plan on feeding only wet after the dry is gone (maybe another 2 weeks?). Should I stop the dry now? He is taking the shots well, and I've found it's not as hard as I thought it would be. I'm also wondering about home testing...the vet did not mention it, but from what I've read here it's very important. How do I get started?
Thanks so much!

 

[squeem3]

Hi, I'm Lora and my cat's name is Misha. He's just been diagnosed and we started 3 days ago on Prozinc, 1u 2x/day.

Welcome :smile:

There are lots of ProZinc users here. 1 unit twice a day is a good starting dose. Are you using U40 insulin syringes or those 12 unit ProZinc insulin syringes?

I'm feeding 1/2 can of Purina DM in the morning, and 1/2 cup of dry Purina DM in evening. Is it true I should not be feeding the dry food? Both wet and dry were prescribed by the vet.

No, no dry food is good for cats. It's one reason why so many cats end up diabetic in the first place. For more info about proper cat nutrition, read http://www.catinfo.org

Vets sell the prescription junk because they really don't know much about nutrition and some even get commission for selling the food. There is nothing in prescription food that will help a diabetic cat. The ingredients are very poor quality.

I will be stocking up on some Fancy Feast tomorrow, and plan on feeding only wet after the dry is gone (maybe another 2 weeks?).

Fnacy Feast is good :smile: Make sure to buy only the Classic ones. Here is the quick list of low carb Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm You can check this more extensive food chart for other low carb (under 10%) varieties of Fancy Feast: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf

Should I stop the dry now?

You could but don't stop it cold turkey. Doing so may have a big impact on blood glucose levels. It's much safer to test blood glucose levels first and then switch the diet.

I'm also wondering about home testing...the vet did not mention it, but from what I've read here it's very important. How do I get started?
Thanks so much!

First you need a blood glucose meter and supplies. There are pet specific meters out there (like AlphaTrack) but they cost a lot and the test strips are not sold in any store or pharmacy, only at the vet's office at a huge marked up price or online. Most everyone here uses a Human blood glucose meter. You can request a starter kit from here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=60261 or just head to the local pharmacy and buy one. Wal Mart's Relion brand of meters is popular and not expensive.

Here are the testing tips and videos: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

 

[Tara & Buster]

Welcome Lora and Misha! So glad you found us! You will find people here are very caring and experienced - we do this dance every day. Let us know if you have any challenges starting the testing. I learned it's very important to warm the ear and also to start out with 26 or 28 gauge lancets. The finer needles will go right through the ear. Also, treats treats treats! You will find it gets easier as you go along. Many cats will come willingly to be tested and sometimes purr through the whole test!

Good luck!

 

[Rob & Harley (GA)]

Hi and welcome to our group,

1 unit twice a day is a good starting dose.

Come back and let us know how we can help you to start testing.

Robin

 

[BJM]

Ditching the dry can drop the glucose as much as 100 points, so if you do that, you'll probably need to drop the insulin down too. Most safe starting insulin doses are around 0.5 to 1.0 units, especially if you are concurrently switching to low carb canned.

Testing before every insulin shot is the only way you'll know if it is safe to give insulin.

We recommend you not give insulin if the reading is below 200 on a human glucometer.

You need to to get some mid-cycle tests to be sure that the lowest value (nadir) doesn't go any lower than 50 as that can risk hypoglycemia (too low) which can kill.

 

[lmcfrld]

Thank you everyone for the kind words and great support and advice.

There are lots of ProZinc users here. 1 unit twice a day is a good starting dose. Are you using U40 insulin syringes or those 12 unit ProZinc insulin syringes?

I'm using the U40.

Today I will go to Walmart to pick up the testing materials. Wednesday I go back to the vet for our 1 week checkup, I hope I will have some numbers to show her from what's happening at home, compared to numbers at the vet.

And I goofed and bought Friskies Pate instead of Fancy Feast. The flavors were similarly named and I didn't notice my mistake until I got home. I looked up the carb % and it seems ok...all 9% or less.

Another more thing I'm concerned about...Misha's back legs are very weak. They seem to have gotten worse in the last several days. I know it's neuropathy from the diabetes, but is it painful? Will it get better? The vet was pretty wishy-washy on the subject. Maybe she thought I'd already had enough bad news for one day.

Thanks again...
Lora

 

[Hope + (((Baby)))GA]

http://laurieulrich.com/jasper/ This is the main site for learning about neuropathy in cats and how to help them. Using Methylcobalamin and getting better control on the diabetes will help Misha's back legs come back to normal.

 

[lmcfrld]

So, I just got done with the first home test. Did not go well, but I guess for a first time it could have been worse. I had a hard time getting the lancet pen to prick Misha's ear. He was getting a bit antsy and anxious, but we finally got blood. His BG was 259! After his first test a month ago which was at 590, and the second at the vet's 5 days ago at 395, this is a great reading! Afterwards, I watched again some of the videos on testing, and got some more good ideas on how to get blood (such as putting a papertowel or cotton ball behind the ear). Hopefully this will just get easier with use.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hello Lora and Misha, welcome to FDMB!

Well done, you, for getting that first test done. It WILL get easier. It's important to always reward your cat after a test (or even an unsuccessful test attempt) and Misha will soon learn to associate test times with treats! (Any low carb treat is good, ie. a little piece of chicken or a freeze dried meat treat).

There are some good pics here of hometesting (I learned to test from this page). http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

Don't attempt to remove the dry food until you are OK with testing. As others have said, removing dry food can reduce BG levels a lot in some cats and so it must be done with careful monitoring.

The neuropathy in Misha's back legs should resolve once the BG numbers have been better for a little while. Methyl B12 ('Zobaline') helped my cat enormously. :smile:

 

[BJM]

So, I just got done with the first home test. Did not go well, but I guess for a first time it could have been worse. I had a hard time getting the lancet pen to prick Misha's ear. He was getting a bit antsy and anxious, but we finally got blood. His BG was 259! After his first test a month ago which was at 590, and the second at the vet's 5 days ago at 395, this is a great reading! Afterwards, I watched again some of the videos on testing, and got some more good ideas on how to get blood (such as putting a papertowel or cotton ball behind the ear). Hopefully this will just get easier with use.

Welcome to the vampire club!