Newly Diagnosed Shadow!

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DianeM &Shadow

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The PZI is to arrive today. Shadow is not exactly cooperative with testing but I got an afternoon BG on Monday(239) and one this morning at 9:30 am(216). His initial reading at the vet on Saturday was in the 400's. I have changed his diet to wet FF classic, a little baby food to sweeten the pot and some mashed green beans to add bulk. The diet change seems to be very effective, eh? My plan is to start him on 1 unit of PZI and keep a close eye on him and try to test him as I can. He is a big black kitty and while not mean, can be very determined! I think treats are the answer. ;) Years ago, Velvet came to me on oral agents and with a bad case of neuropathy. I used PZI and close monitoring; her neuropathy resolved completely and she was able to come off insulin after about six months. I am hoping for the same with Shadow. I know his numbers aren't all that high so I am hoping that I can get them down within a therapeutic range and keep them there. Will see how it goes. Any suggestions and thoughts are very welcomed********
 
Welcome! It does sound like your diet change is working wonders. Also, as you probably know, numbers at the vet can be much higher than at home because of vet stress.

Your numbers sound good, especially if they are without insulin. We generally advise new owners not to get shoot unless the preshot number is 200+ until they have some data to know how the cat reacts. With his numbers, if he were mine, I would start at 0.5 and see how low the insulin takes him (usually 5-7 hours after the shot)

This is a small, friendly forum. If you ever have an emergency, post on Health also as you may get more eyes there.

We put together a protocol for ProZinc. It is in my signature in blue.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Welcome! It does sound like your diet change is working wonders. Also, as you probably know, numbers at the vet can be much higher than at home because of vet stress.

Your numbers sound good, especially if they are without insulin. We generally advise new owners not to get shoot unless the preshot number is 200+ until they have some data to know how the cat reacts. With his numbers, if he were mine, I would start at 0.5 and see how low the insulin takes him (usually 5-7 hours after the shot)

This is a small, friendly forum. If you ever have an emergency, post on Health also as you may get more eyes there.

We put together a protocol for ProZinc. It is in my signature in blue.
Click to expand...
 
Hi, Sue. I am reconsidering the 1 unit, too. Especially since my ability to test him without another pair of hands is not reliable.
BTW, the 216 was after Shadow ate breakfast, etc, so thanks for the suggestion. I am going to take it. And I will try to get a test midway in the 12-hr cycle, too. Wouldn't it be nice if the small amount of insulin kick-started some insulin production????
 
It would be great!

If the 216 was more than 15 minutes or so after he ate, I would be especially careful. Food usually raises blood glucose levels. So plan to test, feed and shoot, You also want to be careful about watching the numbers over a week or more of the food change. Wet low carb can bring the levels down gradually over time.

For the first cycle or two, you might plan on getting a +2/3 to see whether there is going to be a drop early.

Do you know what to do if the numbers are low? If he is approaching 50 on a human meter or 68 on a pet meter, give him a little regular food and retest in 20 minutes. If he is still dropping, give him a teaspoon or so of the gravy off a high carb food (good to have Fancy Feast gravy food in your hypo kit) and retest. You don't want to feed him a lot, as you want him to eat if you need him to. If he is still dropping, put some honey on his gums or mix it with gravy. You want 3 rising tests before you relax. A 50 is a sign he needs less insulin so plan to reduce his dose the next time.

Post here and on Health if you get a low number.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
It would be great!

If the 216 was more than 15 minutes or so after he ate, I would be especially careful. Food usually raises blood glucose levels. So plan to test, feed and shoot, You also want to be careful about watching the numbers over a week or more of the food change. Wet low carb can bring the levels down gradually over time.

For the first cycle or two, you might plan on getting a +2/3 to see whether there is going to be a drop early.

Do you know what to do if the numbers are low? If he is approaching 50 on a human meter or 68 on a pet meter, give him a little regular food and retest in 20 minutes. If he is still dropping, give him a teaspoon or so of the gravy off a high carb food (good to have Fancy Feast gravy food in your hypo kit) and retest. You don't want to feed him a lot, as you want him to eat if you need him to. If he is still dropping, put some honey on his gums or mix it with gravy. You want 3 rising tests before you relax. A 50 is a sign he needs less insulin so plan to reduce his dose the next time.

Post here and on Health if you get a low number.
Click to expand...
 
Hi, Sue. I am thinking through this a little more carefully. The 216 was obtained about 1.5 to 2 hours after he had eaten. I would have expected it to be higher at that point. And you are right; his response to insulin is as of yet, unknown. Given that, I will test pre-shot before he eats and a few hours after. Even 1/2 unit is beginning to seem like a lot, eh? My husband will be home this evening and he may be able to keep Shadow distracted while I test. We were like Keystone Cops this morning. Do you have any meter recommendations? I use my husband's meter and I figure that it is all relative anyway. As long as I use the same meter consistently. And yes, I have the protocol down pretty well; fortunately neither Velvet or Asia ever hypo'd but I was called to someone's house once and had to administer glucose rectally. The cat made it, fortunately. I just need to monitor as closely as I possible can. I am now wondering if I should wait a few more days to see if the diet continues to lower the bg; I hate to do that since he is still peeing large volumes.
 
I think most meters are fine, as long as they require a tiny sample. If you use your husband's meters and can use the strips (the expensive part) that should be gone. The only meters that seem to get a bad rap here are the ones with "True" in their name. They don't seem to read as accurately as others.

You can give less than 0.5 if you want. You can give a drop at first until you see how the insulin affects him. Pull up 0.5 units of colored water. Let out a drop at a time, counting until it is empty. Now you know how many drops are in 0.5. If you want to give 2 drops, pull up 0.5 and let out drops save 2.

Once you see how he responds to any dose, this becomes much less of a guessing game.

If he stays in the 200s without insulin, I think you could wait to see how the diet works. We think the renal threshold (below which the pancreas can heal) is somewhere in the 180 - 250 range.
 
Testing is hit and miss so will do a mini curve tomorrow when the DEAR HUSBAND(DH) is home to help. I went with .5 units; my impression is that his curve is rather flat but we will have a better idea tomorrow. He is slightly more animated, his appetite is much less ravenous - I don't think I will be able to get away with the FF/green bean mixture much longer. His morning PS yesterday was 234. Today the volume of urination is much less and he continues on Clavamox for another 7 days. Sue, thanks for your guidance; it's been a huge help. Will post his numbers tomorrow.
 
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