Newly diagnosed

[Rhonda and Zak]

Began ProZinc today 2 units 2 x day. Told did not need to home test. Bring Zak to vet in one month to blood test fructosomine level. I'm concerned about not testing for one month as well as the amount of insulin starting with. Based on post read here home testing before each shot important . And as a general rule begin with 1 unit 2x day. Zaks fructosomine level was high 703 and he is overweight 23 lbs. Vet said he has had all but one cat (who had other health issues )go into remission with this regiment along with Purina DM. Any shared experiences/ thoughts are greatly appreciated. Very overwhelming.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

It is overwhelming at first, Rhonda, but your instincts are good. We test before giving each shot (to be sure the amount you are giving is safe) and midcycle, to see how low the insulin takes him. Knowing those two things not only show you how that dose is working, but make sure he is always in safe levels. Here is a thread with lots of info on testing:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Two units is a higher dose than we suggest at first, but testing will let you see right away how it is working.

Purina DM (wet) is low enough carb but most cats tire of the taste because it is liver based. And it's expensive with no better ingredients than over the counter food, and nothing "prescription" about it except the price. If you decide to go with cheaper food, just tell the vet he won't eat it. Purina will refund the cost.

Let us know what you need to know for testing. I'd suggest you decide where you want to test (on the bed, between your knees, on the counter). Condition him by taking him there, playing with his ears, lots of praise and then treats. Soon add warming his ears. The idea is that by the time you add the poke, he will be looking forward to the treat. The most important things for us were warming the ear enough (we used a rice sock) and using big enough lancets (25-27 may work better at first rather than the skinny 30/31 gauge humans use. And find a treat he loves, and use it only for testing. PureBites and Bonito flakes are popular at my house.

 

[Ruby&Baco]

Hi Rhonda and Zak, welcome! Haven't seen you here earlier right? In the Prozinc part of this forum? Sue gave you some great info and advise, i'm with her on that. Hope to see some more about Zak!

 

[JeffJ]

Welcome to the club. Zak looks like a nice big boy! It is daunting to get started. I don't know how people would treat their cats without testing - so it is recommended.

I remember those first few shots...so nervous. Now it's second nature. It will become easier. The low carb, high protein diet is an important component of Zak's treatment.

 

[Rachel]

Welcome Rhonda and Zak! It is pretty overwhelming, especially at first. What questions can we answer for you?

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

Hey Rhonda and Zak and welcome to the best place you never wanted to be! There is so much information here so ask away as we are here to help.

So glad that your instincts tell you to not wait a whole month before testing. If you need help with the testing technique let us know. Many of us use the Walmart Relion meter as the strips are very cheap. I use the Relion prime and the strips are $18 for 100. Once you start testing there is no reason to have to let the vet run the fructosomine level as you can do curves from home and save money and get a more reliable reading because when our kitties are at the vets their BG's can be inflated as much as 100-150 points higher. We can teach you how to do the curves.

Also, as Sue said, there is nothing RX about the DM food. A lot of us feed Fancy Feast CLASSICS, I put in bold classics as they are the lower carbs ones. Anything with gravy on the label is usually high carb. I will link the food chart we use. You want the wet food to be under 10% carbs.

food chart

You mentioned Zak was 23 lbs. Before Bubba got diabetes he was up to 25 lbs! Now he is a trim 17.5 lbs which seems to be a really good weight for him. To help me make sure I was giving the correct amount of food to him (cat food labels tell you way too much) I used this formula. Weight X 13.5 + 70. Put the ideal weight into the formula. For instance if you think 18 lbs would be a good weight for Zak 18 X 13.5 =243 + 70 =313 The weight loss will help to get him regulated . But before you change anything about his food carb wise and or volume, please make sure that you are testing so you can keep him safe and especially since your vet started him on a higher dose than we recommend because his insulin dose will likely have to be lowered.

Take a deep breath, we all know how overwhelming this is, we have all been there. Let us know how we can help.

 

[JanetNJ]

I didn't home test the first two months now wish I did. The dose I was giving was too low and she could have been feeling better faster. The folks here will guide you through it.