Update on Benny

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Ben&Squirrel

Ben&Squirrel

Member Since 2022
I was concerned about the match between our old vet and the up to date care Benny needs, so I went for a second opinion today. The vet was much more informed about current treatment. She spent over a half hour with us, talking Benny's history and future options through. She explained everything thoroughly and answered all my questions.

She put Benny on 2 units of Glargine, 2x/day. I feel relieved that she is giving us the insulin with the best chance of remission, and that she's giving it twice a day rather than just one. She also talked about the Freestyle Libra as an option for the future. I'm interested in others' experiences with glargine and the Freestyle Libra and am going to search the forums for that once I recover from the drive to the vet. I really hate taking the cats out of the house!
 
When switching insulins, we take into consideration the dose of the previous insulin. It's hard to say without any tests at night, but it looks like 4U of Prozinc was barely moving the needle.
When do you start on glargine?

The Libre is becoming more and more common and can be a useful tool, but it doesn't take place of testing with a blood glucose meter. Even the Libre instructions tell you if you get a very low or high number, you should verify it with a re-test with a meter. Also, the Libre will occasionally produce an icon that looks like a magnifying glass next to a blood drop which is it's way of telling you that you need to verify the number. The biggest complaint seems to be the sensor quitting before the 14 days is up (we've had them fail in the first 24 hours) as well as the cat knocking it off through scratching or rubbing against anything it can find. When it works, it's a nice adjunct to testing with a meter and takes some of the pressure off newly diagnosed cat caretakers who are already overwhelmed at the idea of giving shots twice a day.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
When switching insulins, we take into consideration the dose of the previous insulin. It's hard to say without any tests at night, but it looks like 4U of Prozinc was barely moving the needle.
When do you start on glargine?

The Libre is becoming more and more common and can be a useful tool, but it doesn't take place of testing with a blood glucose meter. Even the Libre instructions tell you if you get a very low or high number, you should verify it with a re-test with a meter. Also, the Libre will occasionally produce an icon that looks like a magnifying glass next to a blood drop which is it's way of telling you that you need to verify the number. The biggest complaint seems to be the sensor quitting before the 14 days is up (we've had them fail in the first 24 hours) as well as the cat knocking it off through scratching or rubbing against anything it can find. When it works, it's a nice adjunct to testing with a meter and takes some of the pressure off newly diagnosed cat caretakers who are already overwhelmed at the idea of giving shots twice a day.
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Hi Bhooma
@Bandit's Mom
Just in case you weren't aware Catherine was giving 4 units of prozinc only once per day
 
Bandit's Mom said:
When switching insulins, we take into consideration the dose of the previous insulin. It's hard to say without any tests at night, but it looks like 4U of Prozinc was barely moving the needle.
When do you start on glargine?
Click to expand...

As soon as I can get some today. Benny has already gotten his 4u Prozinc today; should I start the glargine tonight (if I can get it) or in the morning? If I wait until the morning, it will allow me the whole day to monitor him rather than being asleep, but I hate to wait one more day. He did get tested at the new vet and did not have ketones.

Good to know about the Libre, thank you! Worth a try; he may dislodge it, though. I have a cat sitter who comes in sometimes and I am hoping it will be easier for her than the paw pad stick.
 
Ben&Squirrel said:
As soon as I can get some today. Benny has already gotten his 4u Prozinc today; should I start the glargine tonight (if I can get it) or in the morning? If I wait until the morning, it will allow me the whole day to monitor him rather than being asleep, but I hate to wait one more day. He did get tested at the new vet and did not have ketones.
Click to expand...
You might want to start tomorrow so that you can monitor. It's 2U twice a day, right?

Ben&Squirrel said:
I am hoping it will be easier for her than the paw pad stick.
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He will not allow a poke in the ear?

Has he been transitioned to low carb food?
 
Bhooma - I advised no food transition yet because the ProZinc dosing was too high and only once a day, and not enough data. I believe Diane linked past threads - I advised first moving to 1.5U twice a day dosing, and giving that 1-2 weeks to see how the ProZinc was doing. Then once we had the data, begin a food transition (obviously considering any dose changes beforehand based on numbers).
 
Bhooma, yes, it will be 2U twice a day, down from 4u once a day on the Prozinc.

My previous vet told me that the paw stick is as valid as the ear poke; is that inaccurate?

He is still transitioning away from kibble but is eating low-carb wet food.
 
Good to know. He is very cooperative with the foot stick, but the ear hurts him, poor baby.

Got the Glargine this morning and the pharmacy asked me if it was for a family member, for insurance purposes. It should be, he's my baby!
 
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