Starting Senvelgo soon- process

[Glassgoblin]

Hello, I have not received much instruction from my vet yet, but the meds are supposed to be delivered today and I am trying to get everything ready to begin. I have the ketone strips and got a new glucose meter, and even started a spreadsheet just now with the test from the Vet office and a home test from today. I am just trying to work out a process to dosing and tracking progress. I know to watch for DKA, and stop meds and get to Vet asap if I see signs of ketones or DKA. I know to check ketones and get a current weight before first dose, and to keep checking regularly. But that is about all I know after reading the posts about Senvelgo. We have our first eval Vet appointment scheduled for next Thursday, and I was hoping to start giving Electra the med on Monday afternoon so it will be when I am home to watch for any reactions for the rest of the night.

I am familiar with the insulin process; fasting tests and curve tests, and determining if bg is too low for a shot. How does that work for these meds though? I want to track BG but how often do you test, and does timing change? Is there is a BG test that would make you skip a dose, or is that just determined by development of ketones? Is there any way to determine if your cat is going into remission? All questions to ask the Vet probably, but I was hoping to hear from others who are dealing with it day to day also. I guess I am hoping someone might be willing to share their routine for dose/testing?

 

[BellaBlue82]

Hi Glassgoblin!
Sadie is about 2 and 1/2 weeks in, so we're fairly new to Senvelgo ourselves.

I approach it similarly from the testing perspective. I test her in the morning before I leave for work, and also try to test her ketones in the morning (that is when they will be the highest.) If I am home, I will do a midday test. Then I will test at dinner, and in the evening before bed. At the very minimum, I'm testing before AM and PM feeding. But it's good to have at least a few tests through the day to see if the Senvelgo is regulating her BG. This does not include days I do a curve; I have done one, and I tested every two hours for that.

The leaflet in the box for Senvelgo is also very helpful, I must admit. There's a lot of info, but if you have time I would suggest reading through most of it. That is how I found out about the best time to test ketones, how to administer the dose, etc. (Sad, I read more about my pets medication than my own lol.)

The dosing is pretty straightforward - the syringe is marked by weight in lbs. They recommend you monitor your ctas weight weekly in case you need to adjust the amount. You can also admin any time of day that works best for you and your pet, but recommend you give it the same time every day. I give Sadie hers every day around 6pm. This way I can almost guarantee I'll be home to give it to her.

I wish you luck! I know it is not ideal for every pet, but I really hope it works out for your kitty.

 

[Glassgoblin]

The dosing is pretty straightforward - the syringe is marked by weight in lbs. They recommend you monitor your cats weight weekly in case you need to adjust the amount. You can also admin any time of day that works best for you and your pet, but recommend you give it the same time every day. I give Sadie hers every day around 6pm. This way I can almost guarantee I'll be home to give it to her.

I am thinking I will be giving it in the late afternoon/evening also. One of my torties has Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome and she gets half her gabapentin and her clomicalm pill every day at 5 (or as close as possible), so it might be nice to group all the meds together and get it organized and taken care of at the same time. They get their second meal of the day around that time too.

*Have read the medication insert twice through, and I think I can see where her values were in the acceptable range to use this medication. Did a second ketone test (gotta catch her when she is going to pee) and negative again. I really hate how the negative and trace colors are so similar- negative more tan, trace turning pink on this test. I ordered another brand of strips to see if I can do a double check in case one gives a false reading. I have urine sample cups, test strips, my fitbit timer seems to be a great resource to watch the seconds, but of course when it comes her Electra's life I am still nervous about missing something.

 

[Glassgoblin]

First dose was given tonight; she was drinking water before, ate some food just after, rested for about an hour and 20 minutes and now is drinking again. No vomiting so far and she is vocal and sassing me/grabbing my hand (which is normal behavior for her). Negative ketone test earlier in day, got her weight, and was going to get BG but poked her four times without getting enough blood to test, so decided to wait a couple hours after dose to see if it will be down compared to the last few days tests pre-meds. Have been adding notes as we go, ketone test in morning if I can catch her; this is my early week for work which gives us over an hour less time in the morning, but good for afternoon/being home all evening after the dose is given. If all goes well, she will have had three doses before seeing Vet on Thursday.

*keeping notes on everything I can, but day two dose given. She ate after I got home, but shortly before her meds she vomited a little food (it was next to her so I think it was her and not my pukey kitten). Did a ketone test when she used litter box immediately after dose, negative, and she had a soft stool- I know that is supposed to be most common side effect. I ordered some probiotics I can add to her wet food and will watch/talk to Vet on Thursday. No vomiting in the hour since dose, and she is resting. I worry about everything.

 

[Glassgoblin]

Because there is such a lack of information and experiences shared about cats on this med I might just keep adding updates here periodically. Anecdotal is not the best, and Every Cat is Different, but even after reading the drug sheets and the manufacturer website and talking to our Vet, I feel unsure of what to expect, what to look out for, etc. and I am sure others feel similar when starting this process. I have been adding daily notes to my spreadsheet and shared with my Vet also. I have been trying for one ketone test daily, and one bg test daily; she had one Vet evaluation on 12/11 and will have second on 12/15, third scheduled for 12/22. Everything seems okay so far- attitude and energy is like usual, eating and litter use is good, still drinking and peeing a little more than usual. I am hoping that it continues working for Electra but am watching for any signs of DKA. If nothing else, it will help me keep track of dates for any changes I see and note.

If anything the one is distress this week has been Calypso (tortie with FHS) as she seems to be having little episodes even when her meds should be in full effect, but the changes in weather can be one of her triggers and we had a big snow and now cold advisories this week.

 

[BellaBlue82]

I'm thinking along the same lines as you. This is such new territory for folks, I'm happy to post our experience (Sadie and me) here for others.

One thing I wanted to mention that was conveyed by my vet in our last phone conversation about how she's doing; the manufacturer will cover the cost to switch cats to ProZinc if Senvelgo does not work in regulating BG within 30 days. They will also cover adverse reactions (meaning they can no longer take Senvelgo) up to $5,000. But you have to have your testing documented (ketone testing whether urine or blood, and glucose even if you are testing at home.)
Not that anyone wants to go down that path, but I think it's helpful to know they stand behind their product and are willing to help patients if it doesn't work out.

Sadie is still doing well with it, no ketones, eating well, and certainly playing a lot more. One thing I have noticed is she is peeing a little less now, but that is a good thing. It warms my heart to see her happier and getting back to enjoying life.
I'll still update after her blood work on the 18th.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Thank you so much for the updates of your experiences. We all want to learn so can share with other caregivers with newly diagnosed cats too.

 

[DaveR]

Hi, I am Dave, based in Manchester (UK).

We have just had our 11year old Main Coone (Vinny) diagnosed as diabetic after noticing rapid weight loss and an increase in water consumption.

He started Senvelgo on Friday.

He has a 85g wet pouch in the morning and one at night (Dry food is usually left out 24/7)

I have been mixing the dosage in his morning feed, which I beleieve is OK if he eats all of it. (He is leaving a tiny bit , so may have to resort to delivering the meds directly.)

We also have a 15 year old Tuxedo (Jack).

We already have a Petsure, chip controled feeder for our other cat, Jack, as he tends to graze in and out of his food all day and this has historically stopped Vinny eating Jacks food, but we have ust bought another to use for Vinnys food now we are medicating it, if he doesn't eat it all straight away, he can them come back to it later and Jack can't get to it.

I have been monitoring daily water intake on and off over a few months, both cats have access to the same water, so we do have to make some assumptions.

Vet did the urine test to make sure he wasn't in danger with respect to ketones, and I will periodically do them to keep an eye on progress.

(Again, both cats share the same litter box, so I have to wait and watch for him going and get in quick with a syringe before it all gets absorbed (We have flushable litter). I have 3d printed a guard for the end of the syringe so it's less likely to block with litter when trying to obtain a sample )


I have also bought some urine strips , so will periodically check ketones etc and make notes.

So looking to share experience of treatment and progress.

Hope it all works out well for out furballs!


Dave

 

[Glassgoblin]

Electra had her second vet evaluation yesterday afternoon and had an official bg test with the Vet; good numbers still and tonight at +4.5 she was at 99. She is still eating/drinking, playing and alert every day though not happy about the ear poking, and weight has been steady since diagnosis also. I have been testing ketones as often as I can get a sample (I can hold a sample cup under her in the litter box to avoid contamination if I spot her headed that way). I just get frustrated with the negative and trace colors being so similar on the guides. We have our third vet visit next week; Vet told us that the first two weeks are the critical ones to see if she will have an adverse reaction or DKA, so I am trying to be extra vigilant.