Not sure about dosage

Kris & Rasmus

Kris & Rasmus

Member
’afternoon from a rainy Hertforshire, UK!

Wonder if I can pick your collective brains.

I have a recently diagnosed cat, first put on Prozinc 2 weeks ago.

When he was first diagnosed and went for the (very expensive) blood glucose curve at the vet, he was boarded for a couple of days. He was so stressed and didn’t want to eat but they gave him Prozinc anyway, and on 1u he was generally fine even when not eating. When we collected him we were told to up it to 1.5u. I didn't have a glucometer to begin with, so I was shooting blind. He seemed very "flat" and a bit lethargic, not our bouncy cuddly cat at all. I phoned the vets several times over the next few days because I felt something was not right. On a Friday afternoon, they agreed for me to drop it to 1u/cycle for the weekend and take him in for another (very expensive) bg curve on the Monday morning. They told me to feed and inject 1.5u before I brought him in first thing in the morning. Afterwards, the vet thought that staying on 1.5u was probably fine (again he was stressed at the vets so bg was quite high and not really true), but was happy for me to continue with 1u instead if it 1.5u changed his behaviour so much. Cat is generally back to his normal self, albeit a bit more hungry. He has NOT lost any weight the last 2 weeks. I weigh him.

BUT, his numbers seem a bit odd and high, right? I don’t have a lot of data yet as I’ve only just started hometesting. I am putting some of those reading down to him being particularly displeased with me for a couple of days when I took the bg readings. I mean, stabbing his ears like that. My heart still breaks thinking about it. What setting do other users use on the alphatrack2 lancet device (the new black one) so you don't pierce your cat's ears?

When can I expect for him to get more regulated and when will those readings drop? Maybe I need to up the dosage once I've done the bg curve, which I will do in a week’s time.

I would very much like it if you would be able to offer me some advise.

Thank you!
 
Hi Kris, and welcome! Have you had a chance to read through the stickies at the top of the Prozinc forum yet? They are full of helpful information that will guide you as you learn to use and understand this insulin. While his numbers are too high, I don't see anything about them that I would consider odd. They are simply the numbers of a newly diagnosed cat.

As for when he will be regulated, it depends on the cats. Some cats heal quickly and are regulated without too much trouble. Others bounce around and can take quite awhile - many months. They did not become diabetic overnight, and they don't heal overnight. It's a journey.

You can do curves at home - and those will be much more reliable than a curve at the vet. Although much of that will be getting consistent with testing at home. Our cats vibe off of us, so as you become more comfortable with the idea of testing, Rasmus will be more comfortable with it too. Remember, you aren't doing this to hurt him, and it's not unnecessary. It's the most powerful tool you have in helping him to heal, and you are doing it because of how much you love him. Your thinking about it will impact his experience of it. Also make sure to give him a low-carb treat after each test - that also helps to change his experience of it! ;) As our kitties come to associate tests with treats and cuddles, they become downright eager for them! It may be hard to imagine how, but I assure you it happens! Many of us find out cats waiting in the testing spot, or calling to us when it's time to come test.

I can't help with the AT2 lancet settings as I use a human meter - but in general, don't worry too much about piercing his ears right now. You'll be able to finesse it more once you and Rasmus are more comfortable. For now just getting the test is the most important thing - most of us pierce our kitty's ears fairly regularly in the beginning and they are all doing just fine.
 
I use an AT2, but I don't use the lancet device. I prefer to just take the lancet and poke him myself. It's gentler and I can control it better. It can be scary at first (I had a hard time originally because I was shaking too much!), but you'll get used to it quickly.

His numbers may actually be that high, so keep at the same dose and check his blood sugar every day before you give the insulin shot and then try to get at least a couple more readings at various points during the day to see how low he's dropping and find out where his nadir (low point) is. Keep all that information in your spreadsheet and then in a week do a curve and we can help you with dosing after that. It's a slow process so just take it one step at a time.
 
Thank you so much for getting back to me, Djamila! I shall plodd along as we are now and might adjust the dosage once I've done the bg curve, depending on what it says. Yes, he does get treats (plain baked chicken, which he loves) after every time I've tested him. :)
 
Thanks, Asiina!

Yes, I might try it freehand instead, I don't want the poor cat to start hating me. OK, I will keep the same dosage for now and do spot checks throughout the days, to find his nadir. And then do a curve in a week's time. I'm so glad I found this forum, you're all so helpful!
 
Welcome to our little group. The girls have pretty much said it all. Just wanted to reinforce a few things. Step one is chuck the lancing device and poke freehand- so much easier. Also rest assured that he will “forgive” you poking his ears once he gets used to it. Once you are more confident poking it will help him as well. We were all nervous wrecks when we started and it has now become routine. you’re probably thinking that sounds impossible but it I will. . I didn’t believe it either until it happened. It does and home testing really is the best way to keep him healthy. :bighug: Hugs sent to the UK!
 
Lisa and little said:
Welcome to our little group. The girls have pretty much said it all. Just wanted to reinforce a few things. Step one is chuck the lancing device and poke freehand- so much easier. Also rest assured that he will “forgive” you poking his ears once he gets used to it. Once you are more confident poking it will help him as well. We were all nervous wrecks when we started and it has now become routine. you’re probably thinking that sounds impossible but it I will. . I didn’t believe it either until it happened. It does and home testing really is the best way to keep him healthy. :bighug: Hugs sent to the UK!
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Thanks, Lisa! I will start to prick him freehand. I don't like the lancing device. I wanted to know what it helt like so i experimented on myself. I understand why he hasn't been too impressed!
 

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Ouch!

I've never actually tried using the device. Also the area to get blood on a cat's ear is so small and floppy that it's easier to hold his ear than try to line up the device. I can see the little lancet go right in. I use 33g lancets which are ultra thin and were originally harder to use because sometimes you poke and the hole is so small that you can't get enough blood, but he very rarely complains so I don't know if he can feel it much at all. He's more annoyed by me holding his ear still while I try to suck up the blood than by the actual poke!
 
Hi Kris, glad you found your way over here. Just seconding what others have said about using just the lancet - it really is much better on several counts than using the lancing device. It's the clicking sound right next to the kitty's ear that alarms them, I think (it would us, too!). So do definitely just go freehand.

Keep posting here, there are some very experienced and knowledgeable folk who will be able to help you with dosing issues as you go along.

Good luck!
Diana
 
Hi Kris! You've gotten great info and advice, so I just wanted to say hello and welcome!
 
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