Serena (Fluffy Face) and I are back...

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Fluffy Face

Fluffy Face

Member Since 2016
Sad to say. Had a good fructosamine level check at the vet and thought we were out of the woods. I have continued feeding her Dave's 95% Premium wet food. Had blood work and a urinalysis done not too long ago just to check everything out, and the vet found glucose in her urine. I'm kicking myself for not getting right back on track with the insulin every day (kept trying to do a curve on the weekends but either something interfered or her levels were not bad).

Last week, on Monday, she was lethargic and not eating. Hoped it would pass, but when she wasn't better by Tuesday night, I brought her into the vet Wednesday morning. They found ketones in her urine as well, and I had to take her to the ER vet since mine was closing for the long Thanksgiving weekend. She had to stay 2 nights getting fluids and insulin. Brought her home Friday morning, and she slowly worked up an appetite again. I felt like I almost lost my furry baby and it was my fault. She's almost herself again, just isn't very playful. I wouldn't be either after going through all that (still not very "playful" myself either after dropping ~$1300).

Anyway, I'm back to the insulin routine, but I can't tell what dose she needs, if I'm giving too much or too little, if the insulin is still good, etc. I took yesterday off to do a curve and it was rather unsuccessful. I'm back to updating my spreadsheet as of yesterday.

Sigh...:(
 
Sorry you two are back, but glad she is on the mend. Posting in the PZI forum is a good idea if you want daily feedback. The one unit does looks pretty good. I would hold it awhile and see if she slowly lowers in levels.
 
Post-DKA it's a good idea to check ketones as part of Serena's daily monitoring going forward. Very relieved that the vets helped her and that her appetite is improving.

:bighug:


Mogs
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It is, and while the routine is not too much of a bother, the possibility that the insulin I've had is no good anymore IS! It's been roughly 6 months, and from what I've read all this time, that's about the max it can be good for. While I'd like to wait and increase dosage to see what's happening, I can't stand to leave her lingering in the upper 300's much longer. I'm currently working on getting a new vial. The "wallet" is awfully light...
 
My vet just asked if I'd be OK switching to Vetsulin. My boyfriend's cat is OTJ and that's what they used. She has an opened bottle that is less than a month old that she is offering, so I'm gonna see about taking her up on that and see how Vetsulin goes. Anything is better than an expired insulin that's not helping my kitty!
 
Danielle, please be aware that vetsulin can start to poop out anywhere from 21-28 days after first use. I learned that the hard way.
 
Fluffy Face said:
Anything is better than an expired insulin that's not helping my kitty!
Click to expand...
If you're considering an insulin switch it might be worth considering getting Lantus or Levemir if it's on offer in the Supply Closet. Not sure about Lev but properly refrigerated and handled Lantus can last for many months (members often cite Lantus lasting 6 months from first use of the pen/vial).


Mogs
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I'm going crazy today with this. Cancelling orders, reinstating orders...

The short life of Vetsulin is entirely unappealing. I think I'm going to continue with the ProZinc. I'd probably spend the same amount on Vetsulin as I do ProZinc over a 3 month period.

My vet must be getting so annoyed with my constant back and forth right now too! I drive myself nuts when I'm not at home with Serena and worrying about her levels...
 
Fluffy Face said:
My vet just asked if I'd be OK switching to Vetsulin. My boyfriend's cat is OTJ and that's what they used. She has an opened bottle that is less than a month old that she is offering, so I'm gonna see about taking her up on that and see how Vetsulin goes. Anything is better than an expired insulin that's not helping my kitty!
Click to expand...
Vetsulin is not a good choice for most cats. It is a shorter acting insulin that can have steep drops and wears off quickly. Better insulins are the longer acting ones such as Lantus, Levemir, BCP PZI and ProZinc. If you decide on the BCP PZI, your vet can order your first vial for free from the BCP website. http://bcpvetpharm.com/request-your-free-samples/
 
Thanks. I've already been using ProZinc and it worked well until now of course...it's probably best to stick with it. I'll mention the free sample to her!
 
Back again. Our testing and results have been frustrating so I haven't been keeping up with my spreadsheet or this forum, which I totally should have been. I just updated my spreadsheet with the past couple weeks of readings, although I wish I still had readings from before that when I was giving her a higher dose. All there would be to see though is higher numbers, basically all in the 300's. As you'll see from before she was OTJ for a bit, she wasn't needing much insulin, and when she had to get back on it, higher doses were not working for her.

I just CANNOT understand why I can't get her levels down again like before. I can't imagine she needs less than .2 or .1 of a unit.

I took her to the vet yesterday for a general checkup and a titers test. My vet wants to do a fructosamine check, and I'm extremely reluctant to drop $100 on a test that is going to tell me no more than what I already see. I could understand doing one if I wasn't already testing her 2x a day, but she insists it will give us a better idea of how controlled her diabetes is. A big reason we need to make sure she's stable is that she has bad teeth, and I understand that she needs to be in good condition if being put under anesthesia.

I'm so frustrated with the fact that I'm not getting results like the first time around. I love my furry baby, but she's making it hard to do things like take vacations! :banghead:
 
Hi Danielle. Sorry you're having a rough time. One thing you need to try to do is get some mid cycle test numbers. It's the only way to see how well the insulin is working. The PS numbers only tell you if it's safe to give the shot. Also if her teeth are in bad shape, that can cause the BG to go up. Please come to the Prozinc forum and post so you can get some help with dosing.
 
Hi Danielle. I can only imagine how frustrated you are but it's quite possible that Serena does need a bit more juice to get her back into better numbers.
If Serena needs a dental cleaning and/or extractions, that likely is responsible for the higher readings.

I know it's difficult to get mid cycle tests when one is working but and you may not be able to get tests right when you expect the insulin effect to be at it's peak but any testing between pre-shots would help you understand what is going on. I admit I am not a big fan of fructosamine tests either but given you haven't been getting mid cycle tests, it's really the only way to get a better sense of how well the current dose is working for Serena. :)
 
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