Vet---aaargh, diabetes---aaargh

Long post, my apologies. I hope everyone will forgive me for the table I will attach to this post. I do know that BG levels are to be tracked +hour from shot. My spreadsheet is up to date and you'll see the information there. The AM/PM format of the attached spreadsheet is to capture the minute by minute fun of a hypo event and the nail-biting decision of whether to make the 30 minute middle of the night drive to an emergency vet.

Things to note: yes, this is the same adorable cat in jammies you may have recently seen on the FB page. The jammies were because she kicked off her first Freestyle Libre on the way home. The vet re-applied it because it seemed undamaged. We ended up getting not even 1 reading from it. What I learned after the fact is that not only was this the first Freestyle Libre my cat had ever received. It was also the first one this vet has ever applied! I lost half a day on 7/22 driving to the pharmacy/pet store/vet for things that a little research tells me they should have had on hand. For example, they had no shirt or jammies to cover the unit. Instead, they used the world's stickiest band-aid style tape to make a giant X across her back. This just gave her something to get ahold of to pull it off. I'm still awaiting word whether the vet will eat the cost of a replacement unit (or get it from Abbott who apparently had a rep at the clinic the day it was applied and advised on where to place it). Abbott has told me they will not replace it because they don't warrant it for animal use.

This background is to say that on 7/23/20, sweet Peaches endured a record 11 ear pokes as I tried to figure out what to do. I will share that the good thing this vet, that is new to me (we moved), did is put her back on thyroxine. Since doing so, she purrs and plays, which hadn't happened in 2 years. This is awesome. It seems to have reduced her need for insulin since we got her from 5 units twice a day to 2 units twice a day. I think she needs a dose reduction since uncomfortably low and/or hypo events seem to happen more lately. Last night's hypo caused me to make an executive decision to lower her dose 1.5 2 x a day to see if that provides steadier numbers.

Please have a look at the table below which shows every test taken before/during/after the event, as well as her spreadsheet in my signature and offer opinions. I wish there was a diabetes vet expert in my area. But it is rural and I think my best bet is to make nice with this vet and try to figure it out in partnership. Thanks for the amazing support of this group.

 

Its always best to work WITH a Vet. I guess that goes without saying. You're reduction looks good so far.(I am NO expert)
I had a vet that worked with me from the get go but I hear so many horror stories about vets that fight their clients even when they are the ones wrong. I hope your new vet is willing to cooperate. I'm not on FB so cant see Jammies but your Peaches is just adorable.
As you know hold on for more replies.

 

Jammie picture. Wasn’t nobody happy by the time this picture was taken.‍♀️

 

I am too new to this to offer any advice and I don’t know about Prozinc. I’m just here to say that photo of Peaches in her jammies is so gosh darn cute, even if neither the photographer nor the subject were happy at that point in time. What an adorable kitty. I sympathize with the problems you are having with the vet. My own plan is to try and make nice, but to run anything that they say by the people on this forum. The collective knowledge here is astounding.

 

I am not a big fan of the Libre or clothes for cats. Not gonna look at your chart but i agree with JT, you should work with a vet

 

Huh?? Abbott will not replace it because they don't warrant it for animal use, but they had a rep at the clinic that day to advise where to place it?

God Bless Big Pharma <insert heavy sarcasm

 

Awwwwwwwwwwww Shes a cutie pie

THANK YOU!!! hee hee hee whatta sweetie!
j.

 

When you are referring to a "hypo" event, was Peaches having symptoms of hypoglycemia or are you meaning she was in low numbers? We make a distinction.

Is Peaches hypothyroid? If she need a thyroid supplement, I'm assuming this to be the case unless your cat was hyperthyroid at one point and your had her treated. If that's the case, she should have been on thyroid replacement therapy after the treatment.

You might want to take a look at the dosing guidelines for Prozinc. It looks like your executive decision was a good idea!

 

Sienne, sorry for the delayed response. Yes, she is hypothyroid. She was hyperthyroid and several years ago we did the radiation treatment. That resulted her in becoming hypothyroid. But when we moved a few years ago, the new vet felt it wasn't a big enough deal to treat and we discontinued the medication. While I am annoyed with this new vet (moved again) and the Freestyle Libre experience, I am glad she put her back on levothyroxine. It has allowed us to reduce her insulin by a lot and she clearly feels better (purring/playing).

I will keep referring back to the Prozinc guidelines. Right now, I am giving 1 unit 2x a day and her pre-shot readings tend to be around 270 with a nadir (5-7 hours after) of 77. The vet had her on 2 units and the nadir was scary low, so I adapted it. I'm hoping the gap between high/low will reduce over time. Thanks for your input. I have learned so much from the moderators of this group and I am grateful for you all!