Starting Insulin Questions

[LokiMo]

Today I picked up a vial of ProZinc and an appetite stimulant for Loki. Tech told me if I can get him to eat tonight to go ahead and give him his first dose of 1 unit. I gave him the appetite stimulant and he only nibbled about 1/2 his can of food. I didn’t feel comfortable giving him the insulin and chose to wait and see if he eats better tomorrow morning.

We’ve been struggling with testing his sugars and getting him to eat more than a few bites since last week. This morning we poked his warmed ear 3 times and couldn’t get enough blood for a test on a GlucoGauge which has the 0.3 sample size. I was getting frustrated and I could tell Loki was done with being stabbed so I left him be and went to work.

I’m really stressed about this whole thing. I’m worried I can’t fit all this in with everything else I have on my plate, especially when Loki isn’t wanting to cooperate. I’ve been reading so much my head hurts and I keep feeling like I’m gonna screw this up.

My vet said I don’t need to test daily, just once a week about 4-5 hours after insulin so they can see how low his sugars go and adjust the dosage. I told her I prefer to test him more than that.

This is all so intimidating. I know Loki feels cruddy and I want him to feel better but I’m also scared to give the insulin with his appetite so low. Normally he lives for food. He is a pretty skiddish cat to begin with and the overnight stay at the vet last Monday (he had an empty bladder and they needed a sample to rule out crystals) plus the introduction of BG testing has just stressed him out. It normally takes him a while to adjust and this has been a lot of new things quickly.

I guess I’m just looking for advice and support. Here’s hoping tomorrow mornings blood draw goes better than today’s and Loki eats breakfast!

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

It is all stressful in the begins it is all so new. But it will get much better I promise.
Did you get some Ketostix and test the urine for ketones? If he’s appetite has gone off, I would definitely test the urine for ketones.

I think you are very wise to say you wanted to test more often than just once a week during the cycle. So much can happen in a week.
I would aim to try and test before every dose of insulin to see it is safe to give the dose. then if you can try and get in 1 test sometime between +3 and +7 each cycle. Vary the times. Of course if the BG low you would need to test it again to see Loki is safe.

I would offer a meal before the dose and then a couple of good snacks during every cycle.

It looks as if you are using a pet meter….is that correct ?
If so I would not give the dose if the Preshot BG is below 250. If this happens I would stall, don’t feed and test again in 20 minutes to see if the BG is rising. I would also post and ask foe help. Change the subject line to reflect your problem.
As you are feeding a low carb diet only I would start by using 0.5 units (1/2 unit) twice a day.

HERE is the link to prozinc basics

HERE are the two dosing methods. I would suggest you look at doing the SLGS method at the moment.

I am going to tag @Panic and @JanetNJ to see what they think about it all, as I am not a Prozinc user.

keep asking questions, we are very happy to help you.

 

[JanetNJ]

t. I gave him the appetite stimulant and he only nibbled about 1/2 his can of food. I didn’t feel comfortable giving him the insulin and chose to wait and see if he eats better tomorrow morning.

A half can in a sitting isn't bad. All my cats are grazers and would rarely eat a half can at a time. I think if he eats a half can and his numbers are over 200-250 then go ahead and shoot and just leave the food out to graze on. If it's closer to 200 and you're nervous you could also reduce the shot to 0.5.


You said you're having trouble getting a sample. What size lancet are you using? If it's 26-28 that's good. If it's 30-33 it's too thin and may be why you're struggling.

I know it's a lot and overwhelming. I promise once the new capillaries grow in testing becomes a lot easier.

 

[LokiMo]

A half can in a sitting isn't bad. All my cats are grazers and would rarely eat a half can at a time. I think if he eats a half can and his numbers are over 200-250 then go ahead and shoot and just leave the food out to graze on. If it's closer to 200 and you're nervous you could also reduce the shot to 0.5.


You said you're having trouble getting a sample. What size lancet are you using? If it's 26-28 that's good. If it's 30-33 it's too thin and may be why you're struggling.

I know it's a lot and overwhelming. I promise once the new capillaries grow in testing becomes a lot easier.

I am unsure what size the lancets were but I got some 28s from my vet (still using their borrowed glucometer) while waiting for ours to come in.

Loki has never been a grazer in his life. We have had to strictly regulate his portions because he has been very overweight most of his life. He is about 14 lbs now. Up until we went to the vet, his normal routine was to whine and cry at my daughter for his meals and eat an entire can of food at each meal. Then he stayed at the vet overnight and since home his appetite is very decreased.

 

[LokiMo]

This morning Loki ate his breakfast (the appetite stimulant helped) so we started insulin. I have to go to work but my daughter is going to test him 5-6 hours after to see where he is at. My plan is to test before both meals and at least once in the middle between the 2 shots. If I’m off I will try to get more testing done, maybe at +3 and +6. I appreciate all the help so far.