Newly Diagnosed and Feeling Overwhelmed

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

kingloois

Member Since 2014
Hey everyone,

So our 10 year old male baby Loois was recently diagnosed with diabetes and we are feeling extremely overwhelmed. We caught it super early (vet thought it was a UTI but I asked that they check for diabetes) so luckily no further damage was done. At the vet his blood sugar level read 23mmol/L so he is far past the normal range and we started him on 4 units of Prozinc (U40 syringes) twice daily, as per our vets direction.
We also went from free feeding to twice daily meals before shots (FF pate and a small amount of the Royal Canin feline diabetic dry from the vet).
We bought a human glucometer and plan on doing a curve with him 2 weeks into his insulin shots.
What kind of numbers should we be looking for on the human glucometer when the vet only gave us his baseline at their office and a sheet with the norm in mmol/L?
I've also read about starting low and slow with insulin on here and I have no idea if what our vet gave us is a good starting amount. We received no explanation as to how they came up with the amount to give him and I also dont know what the norm is for a cat his weight and with numbers like his.
This is his 6th day on the insulin and so far he seems fine, no signs of hypo, but I dont really know how to tell if the insulin is really helping him as I dont know what to look for on the human glucometer (havnt used it yet because of this) and he had no signs of trouble before being diagnosed other than he was producing larger amounts of urine.
Our goal is to control his diabetes with diet and weight loss in the long run, but we will use the insulin for as long as we need to in order to get him there. I feel like I have no idea how to monitor everything to get him there though.
Any advice on home testing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks :)
 
First...take a deep breath! You're in the right place. You'll find a ton of experience on FDMB.

4 units is a high starting dose. How did the vet justify that dose? Is that what you are giving? Most start around 1 unit.

Normal on a human glucometer is 50-120. Below 50 and you want to get his number back over it.

More people will be along and chime in to help with the details. I wanted to give you those values in case you have the human meter and can get a few tests with such a high dose. Safety first!

~Suzanne
 
Thanks Suzanne. Yes we are giving the 4 units with a U40 syringe twice daily. There wasnt really a justification for the dosage, honestly we didnt question her because we just didnt have any knowledge on the subject. It wasnt until I started researching myself that I noticed that seemed high compared to what others are administering. There will definitely be a call to the vet this week with some questions!
 
I would get some mid-cycle tests to make sure that dose isn't too high. A cat can go too low and not necessarily show symptoms of hypo. I've caught Cobb at 39 before and you would never know it from his behavior.
 
You don't want a hypo emergency on Christmas Day when the vets aren't open and the board is dead. You might consider lowering the dose until you can get more guidance here and talk to your vet. But that's just my personal opinion. Not trying to scare you, but hypos can kill quickly. It's better to have higher numbers in the short term, unless there's a history of DKA.
 
I have been worried that Loois has not been himself but thought perhaps he was depressed with all the changes and pokes and prods. My husband and I tried to take a reading before his dinner and it turns out the pharmacy gave us the wrong strips for our glucometer so no luck there. We have fed him but are skipping the insulin dose for now while my hubby tries to find an open pharmacy. Thank you for your feedback, wish us luck!
 
If you have a Walmart nearby, they may still be open. You can get a Relion Confirm and some strips for about $35-40. It takes a tiny drop of blood. It's what many of us use. Good luck in your search!

I think skipping is wise until you can verify how low he is going.
 
Just got a reading. He ate about a half hour ago and hasn't had insulin since 8am this morning and he's at 2mmol/L so I am glad I skipped the insulin! I'm fuming with my vet now though! Giving him some dry food and will retest in a bit. I can't believe the vet gave us such a high dose and left us uninformed like this
 
Also pick up some KetoDiaStix or generic to test the urine for ketones and glucose since the previous void. Urine testing isn't as exact as blood testing, but ketone monitoring is vital. They form as a by-product of fat breakdown. Too many ketones may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal complication of diabetes.
 
He was at a 4.4 at around 10:30pm so we didn't give any insulin last night but he was back up to a 20 this morning so we gave him 3 units instead of the 4. Our vet isn't open until the 27th so we're planning to do a curve tomorrow (his first since we've only been doing this a week) and hopefully getting in with his vet ASAP.
 
I agree. I dont know for sure if that cat was diabetic at all, to tell the truth. He may have had an infection that spiked his blood glucose. Nevertheless, continue with the wet low carb food for him and any other cat you own. We all have BG spikes from time to time.

Congrats!
 
There is a protocol for ProZinc in my signature. It may help you.

I would be tempted to reduce the dose, get some preshot tests and mid cycle numbers so you know how well the dose is working. With ProZinc, you want a smile cycle - starting with a preshot in the 200-300 range (we suggest not shooting under 200) and then going down to the 100s or below. But not below 50, which is approaching hypo territory.
 
We have been giving him 1unit 2x daily now and he seems much better. We will do a curve as soon as we have a free day. The vet hasn't even gotten back to us even though we talked directly with a vet tech who said a vet would call us back. Needless to say we are thankful for the advice we have gotten here!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top