Second Curve - can cats reject insulin as getting worse?

[Diabetes.sucks]

Hi everyone, we were going to change from caninsulin to Prozinc (we are from UK) but the vet earlier thinks she might be rejecting insulin so other treatments like oral could be looked at...has anybody had a cat get worse on insulin and reject it? Her readings are insanely high now and getting worse from her starting on insulin about 6 weeks ago, not better or more stable. This really sucks. She is hating life being jabbed and curve days really suck on us all She's on over 2 units now twice a day.

Also the vet thought higher fibre content than the one she's on would be good. We focussed on low carb and decent protein and picked one from the UK food list in this group.

Thanks
Ben, Mila and poor Lilly.

 

[CORKY]

Welcome to FDMF
Well one of the reasons your cat is getting such high glucose levels can be many factors, the first one, Caninsulin is a dog insulin it hits hard and fast in a cat and does not last long, glad to know you are switching ProZinc and Lantus are a 12 hour insulin and easy on the ats system however, I do not give dosing advice, but I can suggest that you ask your vet to start you on a slow dose, all cats are different and react differently to insulin, also other reasons that you are seeing such high levels can also be that Ketones are present, are you testing for ketones? also, there can be infection such a UTI, there can be fever as well, touch the tip of his ears, if you feel them unusually hot, it means he has a fever, cats hide illnesses quite well, I will tag a member that can also give you input on ProZinc, dosing and other concerns you may have, also if you are changing from high carbs to low cabs, the transition must be done slowly not to upset the stomach and cause for glucose levels to take a dive, diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, so kibbles, "prescribed", any dry food or treats, or grazing are out of the question. diabetic cats need a schedule, the main meals before shot and at least 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day to keep the insulin in check. The protocol for ProZinc is TEST-FEED-SHOOT, you can make the shot while your cat has his face in the bowl,
We are very numbers oriented, we would like you to create your signature and Lilly's spreadsheet, links below this way we do not have to keep asking yu the same question and we can all be on the same page
@Suzanne & Darcy

Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

If a cat has already been started on insulin, you are not able to use either of the oral meds (Bexacat or Senvelgo). This is our information on these newer treatments. Some of the guidelines are different in the UK so I don't know if this is the same but in the US, you can't go from insulin to an SLGT-2. Switching from Caninsulin to Prozinc is fine, though. We will be able to help you more if you can set up a spreadsheet.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Hello there. I am so sorry that your poor Lilly is having such a rough go of it. From the limited information on the photo you attached, it does look like the caninsulin is hitting hard and dropping her quickly and then she rises quickly. Caninsulin isn’t a good insulin for cats at all. In the US, it is not even recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association for use in cats anymore. ProZinc or glargine insulins will be far better for Lilly.

As has already been mentioned, it can be dangerous to go from insulin to the oral medications like Senvelgo and Bexacat. Those need to be tried first. I hope you have read the information that was linked above. It’s important to be aware of this.

I think it’s worth trying a switch to ProZinc. I can help you with that. We can get you set up with a spreadsheet as well.

With regard to testing, there are things you can do to make it easier. Are you giving her a treat with each blood glucose test?