Switching from vetsulin to prozinc: Part 3

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Smokys PMPS was 228 but I noticed he is breathing very hard. I can see his nostrils flaring and his sides go in. It is very noticeable since he is still underweight, about 8.7 lbs last time I checked him. I am worried about his breathing as I've never seem him do that before today. I check him for ketones every Monday and he has been negative for weeks now.
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
Smokys PMPS was 228 but I noticed he is breathing very hard. I can see his nostrils flaring and his sides go in. It is very noticeable since he is still underweight, about 8.7 lbs last time I checked him. I am worried about his breathing as I've never seem him do that before today. I check him for ketones every Monday and he has been negative for weeks now.
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I don't know what to say about this, Lisa. He has allergies. Have you ever sensed there might be asthma involved? Does he seem to be in distress? How was he earlier today? Was this sudden in onset? Does your current vet have after hours at her clinic so you could call for advice?
 
I didn't think about him having asthma. He has had bad reactions to meds before but is only taking Denamarin for his liver and cerenia as needed for nausea.
 
There is only one vet in this area that is open and it is an emergency pet hospital.
I didn't notice him breathing hard earlier in the day, started about 6 hours after his am shot. His appetite is down a little, has eaten about 10 oz today compared to the 17 or 18 oz he has eaten daily in the last few days. I'm not sure about giving him his pm shot, feel I shld give him a much lower dose
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
There is only one vet in this area that is open and it is an emergency pet hospital.
I didn't notice him breathing hard earlier in the day, started about 6 hours after his am shot. His appetite is down a little, has eaten about 10 oz today compared to the 17 or 18 oz he has eaten daily in the last few days. I'm not sure about giving him his pm shot, feel I shld give him a much lower dose
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I wonder if it's a sensitivity reaction to something in the ProZinc. I read somewhere that it can cause a reaction in cats who are sensitive to fish or maybe it was salmon in particular. I've just been looking for that info but can't find it. The other thing that can be associated with rapid breathing is ketosis. Would you be able to grab a ketone test this evening just in case? His BGs have been good but you never know.

Your SS shows a 2.5 u dose for this evening. Have you given it yet?

Another thing you might want to try is posting on the main health forum with a question mark asking for info about onset of rapid breathing. If you feel it's urgent you could put a 911 on it.
 
I've just read in a few places that low BG can make them breath more rapidly and Smoky's was not hypo but much lower than he's had. Around 6 hours after the AM dose was when he nosedived.
 
Smokys breathing seems to have slowed a little bit but still too fast for my comfort. I think I will put him in my bedroom with me tonight with his water dish and litter box. I can keep a better eye on him that way.
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
I cld put him in bedroom with me and test him. I have beads I got from the vet which makes it easy to test urine sample
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I'd do that just to rule it out. Keep an eye on him to see if it subsides, stays the same or gets worse. You might want to do a BG at +2 and +3 or +4 to see what's going on.
 
No panicking allowed. ;) He'll probably be OK, especially if it seems to be slowing and you can keep an eye on him overnight.
 
I saw the AMPS of 264 on your SS, Lisa. Probably a tad higher because you lowered his dose last night. I suggest you stick with 2.5 u today after his dive yesterday. I know you're doing a curve today and will probably use the AT meter, right? I'm familiar with how those read so I'll keep an eye on your data.

How's his breathing this AM? You mentioned that he was wobbly yesterday when his BG was low. I wonder if he's extra sensitive to a drop like that and the rapid breathing is part of what he displays. More observations to keep track of for future reference.
 
Update on Smoky: His fast breathing has slowed down quite a bit. He is still breathing a little fast and feels quite warm compared to the other two cats.
I will call the vet back when she opens this morning. I took his AMPS using my relion and AT2 meter using the same drop of blood just to have some data for vet.
Relion: 264
AT2: 385

I have to do his am shoot soon so trying to decide what dose to give since he is a little higher for am.
 
His vet will holler at me for sure since I lowered the dose down from the 3.25u she had put him on two weeks ago. Not to mention the fact that she may not pay any attention to his BG numbers over that time frame since I used relion meter.
I think I still need to take him to the vet though and shld I still do a curve today?
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
His vet will holler at me for sure since I lowered the dose down from the 3.25u she had put him on two weeks ago. Not to mention the fact that she may not pay any attention to his BG numbers over that time frame since I used relion meter.
I think I still need to take him to the vet though and shld I still do a curve today?
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I suggested 2.5 u in my post above given his low BGs yesterday. What do you think?

I completely understand the dread you feel at having to face your bossy vet. :( Just keep telling yourself that Smoky's welfare comes first. The focus while you're there has to be on his breathing, not what meter you're using. If you can steel yourself for that and let her attitude roll off your back you'll be fine. BTW - the difference in meter readings is larger when the number is higher (264 v2 385) rather than lower like yesterday's 56 around nadir.

As for a curve - you could do a partial one depending on what time you're back from the vet.

Any luck finding out about other vets in your area who would be more collaborative than dictatorial? You'd be much less stressed about his care if you had a vet to lean on instead of dreading.
 
I did talk to one vet clinic near me already. They looked over smokys records except for those from cat clinic. I still have to get a copy of those records, they only ever give me a receipt for the bills.:mad:
I know they will give me a hard time about it but I paid for those services and I want his records
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
I did talk to one vet clinic near me already. They looked over smokys records except for those from cat clinic. I still have to get a copy of those records, they only ever give me a receipt for the bills.:mad:
I know they will give me a hard time about it but I paid for those services and I want his records
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Sometimes we have to be a bit "assertive". Hard to do but necessary.
 
He just hides in his carrier so he is not too bad usually. The vet said he might be a little anemic based on his results from his last bloodwork.
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
Smoky was 243 at +3 on AT2 meter.
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Good response to the dose. I'm glad you're going ahead with the routine of doing the curve. Standard advice but useful: try to find as many mindless tasks as you can to tackle today to keep your mind from running away with you.

How's Smoky feeling right now?
 
He ate some lunch and is sleeping in his cat bed by the baseboard heater. He is still having trouble with his breathing. I guess the spot on his lung cld be causing that.
The vet said to try to restrict his movements as much as possible. He is sleeping a lot so that's easy to do.
I'm surprised they didn't try to give him oxygen
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
He ate some lunch and is sleeping in his cat bed by the baseboard heater. He is still having trouble with his breathing. I guess the spot on his lung cld be causing that.
The vet said to try to restrict his movements as much as possible. He is sleeping a lot so that's easy to do.
I'm surprised they didn't try to give him oxygen
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It's odd that this was sudden in onset.
 
Me too. I'm just doing a mini curve today.
Smoky is so lethargic he didn't even make a fuss or try to get up when I tested him at +3. I'll check him at +6, +9, and then PMPS. I'm trying to keep his stress levels at a minimum.
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
Me too. I'm just doing a mini curve today.
Smoky is so lethargic he didn't even make a fuss or try to get up when I tested him at +3. I'll check him at +6, +9, and then PMPS. I'm trying to keep his stress levels at a minimum.
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Poor kitty. :( Did this downturn in energy, etc. coincide with the onset of breathing difficulty yesterday or was he under the weather before that?
 
He has been feeling sick since his diabetes was diagnosed. It's hard to tell between that and his allergies. He has been feeling worse since yesterday afternoon.
 
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