Some questions before starting first dose of ProZinc

[Chicklet's mom]

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone is having a nice Friday. So Chicklet will have her first insulin shoot tomorrow morning. She was prescribed 1 unit of ProZinc, every 12 hours. I am aware that I have to give food right before the AM and PM shoot but what other times should Chicklet eat? My husband will be with me this weekend but I will be alone to insulin to give the insuline shoots during the week. I really fear that she will start biting and scratching when I try to do it during the week. Has anyone accidental ever injected ProZinc into themselves? If so, what happened? I could see both myself and Chicklet needing medical care.

I don't know when the nadir (lowest point) will be, so should I test at a certain point (other than before each shoot) or should I just do additional BG tests if I notice any signs of hypo? My hpo kit is ready in the kitchen and I have the emergency numbers on hand. Am I missing anything?

LM

 

[Larry and Kitties]

One unit of insulin should decrease a human's BG to cause problems.
You can try injecting when Chicklet is finishing her food. I do that with my Patches II

Welcome.

Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

[Ferndoc]

The lowest point for Prozinc is normally about 5-7 hours post shot. On the weekends (read when I can because of work) I try to check at noon on at least one day since shot times for me are on the 6s. I also will often check at 10p during a weeknight as well. If you can do a curve Sunday or Monday morning (BG at least every 2 hours) so you can see how the insulin is working in Chicklet. I wouldn't do it day 1 as Prozinc is a depot insulin and should react differently after a few days.

I started out keeping Fern in his pictured straight jacket so he could not get away or bite me while I was learning to give shots but now that I'm comfortable with the technique I don't use it. I think he once was going to nip me, but more to get my attention because he wanted his head petted then because I was giving him a shot.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

One unit twice daily should be a good starting dose. There is a protocol we put together for ProZinc in my signature in blue that should be helpful.

Check out the links Larry gave you about home testing. Ask lots of questions; we all have tips that worked for us. The two that helped me most were getting a large enough lancet at first (25-27 gauge usually works better than the 30/31 gauge people use) and warming the ear enough. It helps getting the blood flowing in those capillaries you are aiming for. Some people put raw rice in a thinnish sock, knot it and heat it in a microwave until very warm. Others put very warm water Ina prescription pill vial. Hold it up to the cats ear until it is nice and warm