Tabby diagnosed with diabetes worried and scared

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QUOTE="Tucker&Me, post: 1481164, mmber: 12939"]Did you respond to @Sue and Oliver (GA) yet? Let her help you with your spreadsheet! You can even access on your phone, since you have limited internet access. (I KNOW you have a smartphone)[/QUOTE]
I set the SS up on the computer, but I usually access it via the Google Sheets app, which you can download free. I have the SS bookmarked on my computer, too. And I have FDMB bookmarked on the computer and the phone.

It's a lot to take in Matt, and totally overwhelming at the beginning. The first day I dropped Martian at the vet to start on insulin, I burst into tears as soon as I walked out the door without him.
But it's only taken a couple of weeks for me to feel more comfortable managing his diabetes. I took the time to read lots of the information here and ask people for their advice. I had a couple of robust discussions with my vet. We still don't agree on everything, but we're on the same page and working together to help Martian.
YOU WILL GET THERE!! :bighug:
 
Ok question tabby was at 496 this Morning at 8:25 am before her shot. Just came home now and rested her it's 5:50 PM and she tested at 224 BG lowest home test yet. She hasn't really eaten much today and gave her some wet food finalky with a little dry food. Also she has not pooped at all today yet which is strange. Any feed back and help right now woukd be great as I'm suppose to give her second shot her soon of 2 units of prozinc but scared may take her low maybe
 
It does look like she is starting to use the insulin and wet food together and gradually get into better ranges. It might also be that her not eating lowered the numbers a bit. You are at +9, right? I think I'd make sure that she goes up - dropping further is a possibility - but if she rises, maybe reduce to 1.5 as it is overnight and harder to monitor? Or if you can keep a eye on her tonight, and she is back in the 300 range, go with the 2. You hold the syringe, you get to decide. I am big on going with your gut.

Please also post on The PZI forum. I am following you and saw this, but you will be much more likely to get dosing advice there where everyone is familiar with your insulin.

Have you been able to access the spreadsheet I sent? We need a history of dosing/levels when you need dosing advice and the spreadsheet would be a big help.
 
yes i have not had time to fill out the spread sheet with my work schedule makes it tough. wish i had more time... vet said 100-200 range im ok but i am still unsure how she is responding to this prozinc she ha been high past 2 day in 400 range and was eatting alot it seemed of the dry foods... should i test her again see if she comes up i dont know. i can take a pic of my recording of blood tests and shoots i have been logging in a notebook
 
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They can really drop when you get rid of the dry food, so that could be part of her lower ranges or the fact that she hasn't eaten.

She is not in any dangerous ranges, but you do want to watch out for a general lowering of numbers once she is on all wet. Generally, we consider a cat regulated if they are in the mid200s at pre shot and double digits at nadir (but above 50 which is approaching hypo range)

If I have any time tonight, I'll see if I can add your numbers. (I still have access to the spreadsheet I sent you)
 
Matt, looking at your numbers, have you been giving her shots at 5:45 and 8:30? It is important that she get shots 12 hours apart. It looks like she has been getting some shots after 15 hours and some hours after 9 hours? That will really mess things up. The overnight cycle is too short and the day one too long. During the day, her insulin is gone 3 hours before you shoot. If that is what you are doing, is there a way to get on a 12/12 schedule?
 
vet told me every 10 hours.... her shots are based off of my work schedule. Mondays i work 6:30am-4:30pm Tuesdays 6:30am-6pm, WED 6:30am-6pm, Thursdays 6:30am-8pm, Fridays 6:30am-6pm, saturdays 7:30am-4:30pm. sundays im off... so tring to base it before and after work the best i can. im still new to all of this so being exact every me has been challenging
 
Will you be around for another hour? My thinking is that it is far from ideal to shoot off a 12/12 schedule. ProZinc is flexible, but shooting more than 30 minutes either way will make it really hard for you to regulate her. So if you'd wait an hour, it would at least be 11 hours. I am worried as you have gotten a lower number than you are used to and she still has 2 hours of insulin that could be working. Shooting too early can be a problem because of overlap. If the insulin isn't gone, you don't want to add more insulin in.

It looks like you could do a 6 or 6:30 schedule almost every day except Thursday. I would at least start doing that.
 
yes i will be around im at home right now.... so should i be shooting insulin at 6am and 6pm? and Thursdays i will be later then that cause of work... so if i wait till 7:30 thats 11 hours for today... i cant test here again and see if she has gone up or not
 
Yes, I would wait until 7:30. Why can't you test again? It is important to know whether she is rising or falling. You don't want to shoot a falling number as the insulin won't be gone yet.

I don't know why your vet said 10 hours. It is standard practice to shoot every 12 hours with all insulin I know about. There are other possibilities once you have lots of data with ProZinc and some of the other in and out insulins but never in the beginning - only after you know how she is reacting and that the insulin isn't lasting 12 hours. I think she has been bouncing all over the place, sometimes getting insulin too late and sometimes too early - both screw her up.
 
no i meant i can test again... i can test at 7:30.. if shes going up or around the same should i do 2 units or back off to 1 unit or 1.5 to be safe.
 
Wait. Has it been 11 hours since her morning shot? If so, then I think I would give insulin. She is rising. BUT, I would give a little less, maybe 1.5. If the plan is to get on a 12/12 schedule, then her morning shot would be 11 hours from now, right? 6:30 am. It would be safer to drop the dose as you are shooting an hour early 2 cycles in a row (tonight and tomorrow am) then we can get back on a good track.
 
Totally agree with Sue regarding the shot times. I just read all the posts and I see quite a few quick improvements you can make to help out Tabby. Just to summarize; 1) get to a 12/12 schedule, 2) set up spreadsheet and 3) transition to low carb, wet food; all as soon as you can. Just with those three changes, you should possibly see some improvements fairly quickly.

Prozinc is one of the most flexible insulins out there and you need to follow the 12/12 schedule (because that is how long the insulin lasts in your kitty) however depending on your kitty, you may be able to move your shot time up to 60 minutes either way but this should never be the norm at all i.e. once in a while. Once you get some solid data, you will then be able to determine if you need to go outside of a 12/12 schedule but only after you have collected enough data. That is why setting up a spreadsheet (asap) is sooooo important.

Maybe tomorrow, you can go shopping for some low carb, wet food. Do you have any questions on what to get? You must also make a "hypo kit" that includes several cans of medium to high carb food, honey, karo or maple syrup. You can print off the following document and post it on your refrigerator so you will know what to do if Tabby should go below 50 (below 50 could be a hypo situation and is critical). I make sure that everyone in my household has read it so they all know what to do...just in case. Here is the link to the "hypo" article that you must read: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hypo-links-be-prepared-just-in-case.48385/ This link can be found in the Prozinc Forum along with a couple of other links that are important to read such the Prozinc Protocol.

Just holler if you need additional information.
 
which means i will need to set my alarm to wake up at 6:30am to shoot her.... its now 7:30 pm here now.. her morning shot was at 8:30am this morning
 
Yes - you will need to set your alarm for 6:30am tomorrow. That way you will have at least a longer cycle of 11 hours. But I am wondering if it needs to be earlier say starting on Monday when you go back to work because don't you have to be at work at 6:30am or do you leave your house at 6:30am? If so, you probably will want to get on a 6am to 6pm schedule. I think tomorrow at 6:30am would be good because if you do change your schedule with Prozinc, it is better to do it in small increments. Some say it is best in 15 minute increments however I have done it in 30/60 minute increments but that is only because I have lots of data. Does that make sense?
 
Yes. It is important to get on a 12/12 schedule. (We'll figure something out for Thursday). So set the alarm, plan to test and shoot tomorrow am at 6:30 if she is over 200. (You both can then go back to bed) Get in a test if possible tomorrow 5-7 hours later and then again at 6:30 pm.
 
Merlin said:
Totally agree with Sue regarding the shot times. I just read all the posts and I see quite a few quick improvements you can make to help out Tabby. Just to summarize; 1) get to a 12/12 schedule, 2) set up spreadsheet and 3) transition to low carb, wet food; all as soon as you can. Just with those three changes, you should possibly see some improvements fairly quickly.

Prozinc is one of the most flexible insulins out there and you need to follow the 12/12 schedule (because that is how long the insulin lasts in your kitty) however depending on your kitty, you may be able to move your shot time up to 60 minutes either way but this should never be the norm at all i.e. once in a while. Once you get some solid data, you will then be able to determine if you need to go outside of a 12/12 schedule but only after you have collected enough data. That is why setting up a spreadsheet (asap) is sooooo important.

Maybe tomorrow, you can go shopping for some low carb, wet food. Do you have any questions on what to get? You must also make a "hypo kit" that includes several cans of medium to high carb food, honey, karo or maple syrup. You can print off the following document and post it on your refrigerator so you will know what to do if Tabby should go below 50 (below 50 could be a hypo situation and is critical). I make sure that everyone in my household has read it so they all know what to do...just in case. Here is the link to the "hypo" article that you must read: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hypo-links-be-prepared-just-in-case.48385/ This link can be found in the Prozinc Forum along with a couple of other links that are important to read such the Prozinc Protocol.

Just holler if you need additional information.
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i have karo syrup... i just bought a few cans of frisky s pate to see how she does with it and so far shes not really eatting much of it.. if there is other kinda out there im all ears on that..... i gave her about a half can this morning and a little bit of dry hills as i was tring to be careful with numbers falling.. we have a follow up vet visit this friday for her 2 week recheck since she was first diagnosed. altho this vet doesnt seem very knowledgeable on the other stuff out there besides the perscription food they sell by hills.. vet also thought i was excessive with testing her as much as i do. but im tring to be on top of this and learn as much as i can
 
also how do i save this spread sheet to my computer so i can update it and what not and post back to u guys.. sorry im not good at this stuff.. im more of a have to watch and learn kinda person
 
Hi Matt! Yeah, you may need to set an alarm. I used to do that....I often went back to bed. Or napped on the couch if I couldn't get back upstairs! :) A 12/12 shot schedule is much better and safer for your cat than 10 hours. That's odd that the vet suggested that.
 
Cindi, if he needs to do 6am/6pm, that would be an easy switch tomorrow night - jusT changing by 30 minutes. Matt, what is better 6 or 6:30?

Some tricks to get her to like the wet food: add about a tablespoon of warm water to it to make a gravy. Put a favorite treat on top - PureBites and Bonito flakes work well for this. Put a teaspoon of dry Parmesan cheese on top.

As you are changing to wet, we want to be very careful with her dosing. Our Oliver went down 100 points from pm to am when we switched. If we had given him the usual dose,mhe would have hypoed.
 
yes alot of things my vet says has me kinda concerned and worried. im pretty much trusting all of you guys from first hands on experience. onlie would think a vet should know this stuff. but like i was saying in last post we have a follow up visit this friday with her. if things dont improve or shes not really giving me advise along with what you folks are saying i am going to be looking for another vet
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Cindi, if he needs to do 6am/6pm, that would be an easy switch tomorrow night - jusT changing by 30 minutes. Matt, what is better 6 or 6:30?

Some tricks to get her to like the wet food: add about a tablespoon of warm water to it to make a gravy. Put a favorite treat on top - PureBites and Bonito flakes work well for this. Put a teaspoon of dry Parmesan cheese on top.

As you are changing to wet, we want to be very careful with her dosing. Our Oliver went down 100 points from pm to am when we switched. If we had given him the usual dose,mhe would have hypoed.
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i have to be out the door by 6:20am so sooner the better
 
Ok. So 6:30 tomorrow am, a test during the day and 6pm tomorrow night. Then 6am and pm from then on. Rachel and Cindi, any ideas about Thursday's?
 
Yep Sue - that is what I was thinking. Good to do the 6:30am tomorrow morning and then get on the 6pm/6am schedule starting Sunday night. Small increments is the way to go and Tabby will feel much better once you get her on that 12/12 schedule.

Your testing is great and much needed in order to figure out how Hershey is responding to the insulin so you are doing great in that department. I don't know why vets say that we shouldn't be testing as much. My question to the vet was; humans test throughout the day don't they? So why wouldn't you do anything different for an animal? My vet also said not to test as much too and I fought it at first and tried things that she suggested but it just wasn't working so I switched vets after the 2nd visit. I ended up going to another vet within the same office and I loved him. He was very trusting on what everyone was saying here and he was always open to new ideas and questions. Vets have to know so much about a lot of different problems and it is probably hard for them to get fully informed of any one disease, so probably no fault of theirs.

Your vet may suggest a fructosamine test and if I were you, I would decline it. Your data and taking tests throughout the whole day gives you better information than one of those fructosamine tests and it will save you some money. Your vet will also try to sell you their cat food. Graciously decline that too as there is much better and cheaper food out there for Tabby.
 
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Matt's Work Schedule: Mondays i work 6:30am-4:30pm Tuesdays 6:30am-6pm, WED 6:30am-6pm, Thursdays 6:30am-8pm, Fridays 6:30am-6pm, saturdays 7:30am-4:30pm. sundays im off

Just putting it on paper for you all to review and revise. Essentially for the most part, Tabby will mostly be on a 11:45/12:15 schedule instead of a 12/12.

Monday - 6am/6pm (I am wondering if we should make all 6pm (Monday & Saturday) on 6:15pm ... maybe easier to remember?
Tuesday - 6am/6:15pm
Wednesday - 6am/6:15pm
Thursday - 6am/8:15pm (Thursday PM dose may be on a sliding scale i.e. smaller dose since next shot will be in 10.15 hrs)
Friday - 6am/6:15pm
Saturday - 6am/6pm

Matt - Is there anyone in your house that could help you out on Thursdays?
 
Okay, Matt, the spreadsheet is in your signature. It will come up each time you post, updated. I added your insulin and food info.

Have you signed into Goggle and gotten the one I sent you. I'll help you figure out how to add info as soon as you get it into your Favorites or bookmark it.

Cindi, I like it. Matt, does it look doable?
 
i will get it set up tom morning. i gave tabby her 1.5 units and we are gonna relax a few. makes my head spin information overload lol... i will be on here tom and im sure with more questions. will be doing her test and shot at 6:30am tom morning
 
Merlin said:
Matt's Work Schedule: Mondays i work 6:30am-4:30pm Tuesdays 6:30am-6pm, WED 6:30am-6pm, Thursdays 6:30am-8pm, Fridays 6:30am-6pm, saturdays 7:30am-4:30pm. sundays im off

Just putting it on paper for you all to review and revise. Essentially for the most part, Tabby will mostly be on a 11:45/12:15 schedule instead of a 12/12.

Monday - 6am/6pm (I am wondering if we should make all 6pm (Monday & Saturday) on 6:15pm ... maybe easier to remember?
Tuesday - 6am/6:15pm
Wednesday - 6am/6:15pm
Thursday - 6am/8:15pm (Thursday PM dose may be on a sliding scale i.e. smaller dose since next shot will be in 10.15 hrs)
Friday - 6am/6:15pm
Saturday - 6am/6pm

Matt - Is there anyone in your house that could help you out on Thursdays?
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p.s you missed sunday.. whats should sunday be??
 
I like that schedule too. We'll be around to help you figure out some doses Matt. I'd do 6AM and 6 PM Sundays since you're home. Just to keep it the same so doses are 12/12 as best as you can. :)
 
Monday - 6am/6pm
Tuesday - 6am/6:15pm
Wednesday - 6am/6:15pm
Thursday - 6am/8:15pm (Thursday PM dose may be on a sliding scale i.e. smaller dose since next shot will be in 10 hrs)
Friday - 6am/6:15pm
Saturday - 6am/6pm
Sunday - 6am/6pm

Whoops...how's that?
 
perfect... this is stressful to me i can honestly say. been living and breathing worrying about tabby and right way to do things. thank you all as your very so kind and caring on here. as far as tabbys being smaller dose on thursday any suggestions maybe.. also time i get home from work on thursday wont be till 8:30pm
 
question if tabby tests 200 or below tom morning at 6am what should i do and what should i do about her shot then.. just planning ahead of the game so i am prepared... thank you
 
Anytime you get a number under 200, you stall. Don't feed her (because food raises the blood glucose levels) and retest in 20 minutes. If she is sure rising and above 200, then shoot but maybe a smidge less than the shot the cycle before. Your goal is to have two shootable numbers two times a day.
 
I like your new spreadsheet! :) What did you get for your PMPS and how much did you give? You will want to put your PMPS number in cell 8O and your dose in 8P. Then if you test tonight before you go to bed say at +2, then you put your test result in 8R.

If you don't mind, could I suggest one more thing for your spreadsheet? In your comment section, could you put the time that you tested for your AM & PM pre-shot for each day? Since you are on a slightly different schedule (other than a 12/12 schedule) on different days, that will help us help you. I have to do that because Merlin's shot times are a little different too. You can check how I do it on my spreadsheet. I just don't want the advisors on this site to assume that you are on a 12/12 schedule because it could make a difference on what we suggest.
 
tabby tested at 241 this morning... i am unsure if i should give her 2 unit or 1.5 units of the prozinc.. suggestions please
 
Matt & Tabby said:
tabby tested at 241 this morning... i am unsure if i should give her 2 unit or 1.5 units of the prozinc.. suggestions please
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Matt,
What did you end up giving Tabby? It's best if you post in the prozinc or general health forums to get a response...more eyes on those.
 
ok i made a goggle account now how to i get this spread sheet on there so i can edit it and that it will show up on here when i edit
 
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