Not new to diabetes but new here!

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JarvisCat

JarvisCat

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Hello everyone! My name is Michelle and my cat, Jarvis, is my diabetic boy. As the title suggests, I am not new to having a cat with diabetes but my journey has been a difficult one. I am hoping this forum will allow me to get more answers and ask questions in hopes of getting Jarvis regulated.

A little history on my diabetes journey: My husband and I took in his mother’s cat, Maddux, who was already diagnosed with diabetes when we took him in in 2015. He later passed away in 2018 due to complications associated with diabetes due to the lack of care with a good vet. It was insanely traumatic.

Our cat Jarvis was another family cat we took in from my husband’s father. Unfortunately his diabetes was due to us free feeding him when he was used to living outdoors and only being fed periodically. He was diagnosed in 2021. He has been doing okay with it until the last year or so which is why I am here now. He’s currently using Prozinc now and on a very high dosage of 7 units twice a day. He is 13 years old now and I am hoping when I post on the prozinc forum we can get some great suggestions.
 
JarvisCat said:
Hello everyone! My name is Michelle and my cat, Jarvis, is my diabetic boy. As the title suggests, I am not new to having a cat with diabetes but my journey has been a difficult one. I am hoping this forum will allow me to get more answers and ask questions in hopes of getting Jarvis regulated. I am yet to hear of a member here that gives 7units of insulin, I use ProZinc Corky's dose even when diagnosed with 650 glucose level he had prescribed 2units ProZnc is a long lasting insulin 12 hours

A little history on my diabetes journey: My husband and I took in his mother’s cat, Maddux, who was already diagnosed with diabetes when we took him in in 2015. He later passed away in 2018 due to complications associated with diabetes due to the lack of care with a good vet. It was insanely traumatic.

Our cat Jarvis was another family cat we took in from my husband’s father. Unfortunately his diabetes was due to us free feeding him when he was used to living outdoors and only being fed periodically. He was diagnosed in 2021. He has been doing okay with it until the last year or so which is why I am here now. He’s currently using Prozinc now and on a very high dosage of 7 units twice a day. He is 13 years old now and I am hoping when I post on the prozinc forum we can get some great suggestions.
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Welcome Michell and Jarvis, you are in the right place, I will tag the ProZinc expert to contact you and Jarvis can start on a healthy path, in the meantime have all the tests, diagnosis everything you have on Jarvis from the Vet, I myself had an encounter with both of my cats with their vet for 1o years, when Corky was diagnosed diabetic at an emergency hospital, he refused to even see him, the fact is for what I have learned from all the new and expert members, Vets are not well trained on cat's diabetes, but dog's diabetes, so the wing it, too much insulin not which is usually the case, they do not tell the ca's parents what to do, they sell the food they promote (% commission)
our diabetes babies, need to be have their glucose tested give the exact dose as you test number, if need to increase or decrease, feed the foods that are between 0-8% carbs, NO DRY FOOD even Vets dry food recommended has all the way from 15-35% carbs, so your baby will never stabilize, high doses of insulin at times when not necessary and very costly. My Corky eats WET Fancy Feast Pates 0-4% carbs is usually what they then I have What we call Hypo Kit, it includes KARO syrup, medium carb food and high carb food, to keep handy in case of an extreme decrease in glucose or BG, This member is Suzanne & Darcy, she will give many tips om ProZinc and answer all your question, I take her suggestions on everything including increase/decrease his insulin and my Corky has flourished no other ailments his happy and so am I ,this is just me, but I have not taken Corky to the vet since that day I was refused, he was diagnosed January 2, 2023, hospitalized 8 days, will tag Suzanne she will reach out to you- also you can click on Corky's Spreadsheet, and you will see his progress and I found this page in August, in the meantime I winged it :bighug::bighug::cat::cat:

@Suzanne & Darcy
 
CORKY said:
Welcome Michell and Jarvis, you are in the right place, I will tag the ProZinc expert to contact you and Jarvis can start on a healthy path, in the meantime have all the tests, diagnosis everything you have on Jarvis from the Vet, I myself had an encounter with both of my cats with their vet for 1o years, when Corky was diagnosed diabetic at an emergency hospital, he refused to even see him, the fact is for what I have learned from all the new and expert members, Vets are not well trained on cat's diabetes, but dog's diabetes, so the wing it, too much insulin not which is usually the case, they do not tell the ca's parents what to do, they sell the food they promote (% commission)
our diabetes babies, need to be have their glucose tested give the exact dose as you test number, if need to increase or decrease, feed the foods that are between 0-8% carbs, NO DRY FOOD even Vets dry food recommended has all the way from 15-35% carbs, so your baby will never stabilize, high doses of insulin at times when not necessary and very costly. My Corky eats WET Fancy Feast Pates 0-4% carbs is usually what they then I have What we call Hypo Kit, it includes KARO syrup, medium carb food and high carb food, to keep handy in case of an extreme decrease in glucose or BG, This member is Suzanne & Darcy, she will give many tips om ProZinc and answer all your question, I take her suggestions on everything including increase/decrease his insulin and my Corky has flourished no other ailments his happy and so am I ,this is just me, but I have not taken Corky to the vet since that day I was refused, he was diagnosed January 2, 2023, hospitalized 8 days, will tag Suzanne she will reach out to you- also you can click on Corky's Spreadsheet, and you will see his progress and I found this page in August, in the meantime I winged it :bighug::bighug::cat::cat:

@Suzanne & Darcy
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Thank you so much, Corky! I am really hoping to get this all sorted out. Right now his numbers are all over the dang place. I just checked him at 12:30 and he went up a little bit in the high 400’s in comparison to my 10:30 check so I tried the other ear and it was reading 640!!! I want to cry!
 
JarvisCat said:
Thank you so much, Corky! I am really hoping to get this all sorted out. Right now his numbers are all over the dang place. I just checked him at 12:30 and he went up a little bit in the high 400’s in comparison to my 10:30 check so I tried the other ear and it was reading 640!!! I want to cry!
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I am so sorry, I know the feeling of crying, but with 7 units of ProZinc that lasts 12 hours a 2 hour jump is quite big, how are you storing your insulin? it should be refrigerated at all times, once you open the seal the expiration date is 60 days, how often do you dose? check to make sure it's not expired or if it's cloudy or pearly like fluid, if that's the case the insulin is no good, if you are feeding high carbs or dry food that could be a reason for the big jump. I feed Corky and Coco (I had to have them both on the same schedule to make sure Corky does not eat his sister's food) 4 times a day two large meals on AMPM/PMPS and two small meals in between so every 6 hours. but always low carbs 0-9% carbs. go on the main Forum page and click on spreadsheet, create one for Jarvis with all the necessary information such as dose, type of insulin, diagnose, and start logging his BG's (Glucose numbers) so when you create a post like this one the members that will help you will have what to go on, and how to help you with dosing and how to help you to lower those numbers, there are also a space in SS for remarks you can log in his meals etc, I'm a well known member but not an expert, I am relating to you my experiences and teachings here, I do not know what I would have done if I would have not found this Forum I trust them blindly and I have been told when I get panicky and out of control, because I do sometimes with low number, to breath in and breath out, our cats sense our anxiety and makes it worse, I will tag Suzanne again on this post.:bighug::bighug:;):cat::cat:
@Suzanne & Darcy
 
Welcome to FDMB!

This is a link to your post on the Prozinc board. We recommend that new members post here on Health until you get settled in. Part of that settling in process is described in this post on helping us to help you. The post describes how to set up your signature and spreadsheet. The signature provides us with some basic information about your cat, insulin, etc. so we don't have to pester you with asking the same questions repeatedly. The spreadsheet is a place to keep track of Jarvis' numbers so you can monitor his progress and so we can follow along and offer informed input.

A few of the things we encourage new members to consider.
  • Insulin: The good news is that you're using a good insulin for treating feline diabetes. The American Animal Hospital Assn recommends either Prozinc or Lantus (glargine) so you're a step ahead of many people who arrive here.
  • Home testing: We strongly encourage members to home test and it sounds like you're already ahead of the game on that count, as well.
  • Food: It looks like you're feeding Jarvis at least in part a very high carb, dry food diet. We recommend a low carbohydrate canned or raw food diet. Freeze dried or air dried raw is fine, as well. We consider low carb as less than 10% carbohydrate although most members here feed their cat a diet that's in the neighborhood of 5%. This is a link to a chart including most of the canned foods available in the US along with information on their nutritional composition. Your other thread indicated that you saw that many people feed their cat Fancy Feast or Friskies pate style food. You have lots of options in addition to either Fancy Feast or Friskies.
If you need to switch around Jarvis' diet to a lower carb option, please do so slowly. A change to lower carbs can cause a rapid drop in blood glucose numbers.

You mentioned some issues with diarrhea. Was this before or after you started feeding the Purina dry food and did you make a rapid switch to canned? Some cats react to a change in diet with a GI upset. In any event, S. boulardii is a probiotic that is miraculous for managing diarrhea. Jarrow's or ReNew are reliable sources. I generally suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/3 of a capsule mixed into canned food.

Do you happen to know if Jarvis ever had his teeth cleaned? Dental issues which often involve gingivitis can cause blood glucose levels to be higher than expected. Any inflammation or infection can have an effect on those levels.

I would like to give Jarvis a bit of time to see if there's a change in his numbers once the dry food is out of the picture. It will also be helpful to see his spreadsheet.

Also, please read the sticky notes at the top of the Prozinc board. If handled properly, Prozinc can have up to a 6 month lifespan once the insulin has been opened. It lasts longer than 2 months.

Please stick with posting here for the time being. The Health board is busy whereas there is not as much activity on the Prozinc board. We want to be as helpful as possible and you'll get more attention here.
 
First off, thank you @CORKY and @Sienne and Gabby (GA) already! Your help on both of my posts so far have been a HUGE help already! I am not very forum savvy so I tend to break the rules on accident...a lot haha! I am answering the questions below.
  • I have created the spreadsheet and added it to my signature - my OCD is digging it.
  • I am storing the insulin in my fridge and it is not expired.
  • I dose him twice a day. The insulin has always been hazy once I roll the bottle to mix it.
  • He was solely eating Purina DM Dry Cat Food (1/2 cup a day) before I added the FF Poultry & Beef Classic Pate to his feeding schedule. He now gets one, 3oz can of FF in the AM before his shot and one can at PM before his shot. I am also leaving out his Purina DM to graze on if needed so we aren't shocking his system. He also has a sister who does not have medical needs (knock on wood) and shares the DM dry food for now. If I can get him regulated with the wet food, or whatever, I will feed her her own food separately.
  • He has had diarrhea for so long now, I can't even tell you when it started. It's on and off and isn't a constant thing. However, I never notice him having solid stools. They are always like a soft serve type to diarrhea. I will definately be buying some of the boulardii stuff to try!
  • He has not but I would love to get his teeth cleaned because he is definately having some teeth issues as he doesn't "chew" any of his hard food or treats. He just swallows them. I will see about getting his teeth cleaned while he is being boarded this week and check for any infections.
Again, thank you all so so much!!!
 
JarvisCat said:
First off, thank you @CORKY and @Sienne and Gabby (GA) already! Your help on both of my posts so far have been a HUGE help already! I am not very forum savvy so I tend to break the rules on accident...a lot haha! I am answering the questions below.
  • I have created the spreadsheet and added it to my signature - my OCD is digging it.
  • I am storing the insulin in my fridge and it is not expired.
  • I dose him twice a day. The insulin has always been hazy once I roll the bottle to mix it.
  • He was solely eating Purina DM Dry Cat Food (1/2 cup a day) before I added the FF Poultry & Beef Classic Pate to his feeding schedule. He now gets one, 3oz can of FF in the AM before his shot and one can at PM before his shot. I am also leaving out his Purina DM to graze on if needed so we aren't shocking his system. He also has a sister who does not have medical needs (knock on wood) and shares the DM dry food for now. If I can get him regulated with the wet food, or whatever, I will feed her her own food separately.
  • He has had diarrhea for so long now, I can't even tell you when it started. It's on and off and isn't a constant thing. However, I never notice him having solid stools. They are always like a soft serve type to diarrhea. I will definately be buying some of the boulardii stuff to try!
  • He has not but I would love to get his teeth cleaned because he is definately having some teeth issues as he doesn't "chew" any of his hard food or treats. He just swallows them. I will see about getting his teeth cleaned while he is being boarded this week and check for any infections.
Again, thank you all so so much!!!
Click to expand...
Oh wow! I am OCD diagnosed so I can understand, just look at Corky's SS and you will be convinced of that. I do not know if an automatic/timer feeding container exists for wet food, but you may want to look into it, I have seen awesome feeders. the less dry food the better or non at all, Corky has never done hard poop is semi-soft but with consistency, I have to igve him now and then MIRALAX powder in his food when he gets constipated, I buy Corky's supplies on Chewy.com( or Google it) anything and everything you need is there excellent prices, selections and quick delivery 1-2 days
We are here m0st of us as soon as your post is up, if you have an urgent matter, on the right hand corner of the page you will have a search engine type the name of who you want to contact, click search, a black information box will appear click on PM conversation, on the title before naming it place before and after ??!! If I cannot help I will direct it to someone who can (an expert) and so on. I am always home, go to bed at 12:00PM I can help you with regular stuff, not dosing or technical, but I will do my best with other subjects, have a good night, and Breath in Breath out:bighug::bighug::cat::cat:;)
 
@JarvisCat
Hi Michelle and Jarvis , your signature should appear where your spreadsheet is
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help

  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.


Do you see mine about Tyler in gray letter ?
You can just tap on your name up top then tap on the word signature and add the information that pertains to Jarvis then tap Save
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
@JarvisCat
Hi Michelle and Jarvis , your signature should appear where your spreadsheet is
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help

  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.


Do you see mine about Tyler in gray letter ?
You can just tap on your name up top then tap on the word signature and add the information that pertains to Jarvis then tap Save
Click to expand...
Updated my signature :D
 
Hi. I’m sorry I was slow in responding to your post. I am usually all over it and I prefer people to post over there, but right now I am in a really bad place and have been not available as much. After we get you settled it would be good if you could post on the ProZinc forum so I can help more easily.

You’ve gotten some good advice about not changing his food yet and about gathering some data so we can see how the cycles are going. We must be very slow and careful about changing to lower carb food. I am going to look at your spreadsheet now
 
Ok. Wow. He is very red today. How long has he been at 7 units? What made you change to 6 units (sorry if I missed that) — I am not saying it was a bad move — just asking. I would hold his dose for a few more days, please and keep testing like you have been doing. I would like to see if there is any change in his numbers. If he is overdosed, we should know if a few more cycles and if not, we need to plow ahead with increases and we can help you with that. But let’s see what happens. Okay? Hang in there.
 
@Suzanne & Darcy sorry! I was out of town until late last night and I do have some updates below, which is why there aren't many updates in his spreadsheet. I also dropped his insulin a unit just to see how he would respond since his numbers were still so drastically high and they have been slowly decreasing each day!

I was able to pick up Jarvis this morning from being boarded with his vet while I was out of town. While I was gone, I asked them to do a dental cleaning as I could tell he was having some dental issues. They obviously needed to run some bloodwork to make sure he was okay to be put under anesthesia. His bloodwork looked fine, they did the procedure, and he was done quickly. He had one small tooth extracted due to a root and they mentioned he had a ton of plaque on his upper teeth that were causing infection and it was rubbing on his gums on the bottom jaw where it was giving him ulcers so the poor guy was having some fits. He recovered well and everything seemed to be fine.

When I picked him up this morning he seemed okay but not 100% himself. I just assumed it was due to the procedure and his body was recooperating and he hadn't been given his food or insulin yet. When we arrived home, he booked it to the water bowls and was drinking up a storm. This was also unlike him. Shortly after, I noticed him going between litter boxes and seeming to be struggling to get anything out. He then began low whines of pain which I knew wasn't right. After that, he vomitted all of what was in his stomach into the litter box. He only pooped a little but there was fresh blood in his extremely soft stool - a hybrid between soft serve and diarrhea. He was pacing around the house and began to squat and pee little dribbles in random places which he would usually never go to (my daughters bedroom, our office, etc). This is when I decided to call the vet to see if I could bring him back in and to check his levels. I was worried his BG may be too low but that's when I got the reading of 389. Yes, still getting lower but obiously not a concerning range.

They told me to bring him back in, of course, and they got to witness his random peeing behavior on the examination table. The vet checked his bladder and said his bladder was empty and even I rubbed all over him to see if he reacted to any sore spots around his body and he didn't respond. They told me to leave him for the next couple of hours and they would call me before they closed to see if he needed to stay over the weekend or if I could come pick him up. They called later and asked to leave him as he had sugar in his pee which they thought was odd. They said they would call me each day over the weekend to let me know how he is doing.

Later in the afternoon while my husband and I were out shopping, I got to thinking that the few days before I left for my trip, I noticed his pee spots were much smaller than they normally were. Still bigger but definately not what they usually were. I never thought anything of it because I assumed maybe it was a sign that since his numbers were lowering that it was his body responding positively to the canned food and one less unit. He wasn't exhibiting any strange behaviors like he was today so nothing to raise concern. But now I am wondering if that was an early sign of him getting a UTI and now he has one pretty badly.

I am super worried about him but at the same time since his bloodwork looked good otherwise that maybe this is something small. Or I hope. It has been a rollarcoaster of a week!
 
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