Vet advice

[Breanna H]

So Tigger had a vet check tonight. It was supposed to be for a fructosamine check but I turned that down since I do home testing with mid day checks and showed her my spreadsheet. I've been trying to find the right dose for Tigger and have a thread in the Prozinc forum but I had a general dosing question. I went from .75 to 1 to 1.25 units. The advice I've been given by several members is to hold the dose for 3 to 6 doses and reevaluate. However, the vet said tonight that with Prozinc, a cat's body needs at least 2 to 3 weeks to adjust to a dose and for his numbers to change to see if it is the right dose.
My question is, is 6 doses enough to see a change? Or does he need more time like she says?
She also told me that I am stressing myself out by testing too much and she wants me to put my glucometer away for 2 to 3 weeks and then do a curve at home and email her the results, simply watching for hypo signs. So clearly, I have a hard time believing her and following her advice because I am not comfortable just injecting without testing. She also says dry DM food is good and I should only use an alphatrac machine, so like I said, hard time believing her and following her advice but she's been the most accepting vet so far and I feel this site is far more reliable and makes much more sense to me.
This was just one thing that I was questioning and always like to have the right information to back up reasons for doing things. If anyone has any information on this to throw my way, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Breanna, your instincts are spot on.
You are not stressing yourself out testing as you are. It makes me really angry when I hear vets say this.....it just goes to show how little some of them know about FD.
What you are doing is keeping Tigger safe and finding the best dose safely.
Keep testing before every shot and also during the cycle. You don't have to tell the vet what you are doing. Just nod and smile and go home and test.

You do not need to use an Alphatrak meter. The human one is fine, a lot cheaper to run, and what our dosing methods are based on.
Until the last several years, all vets used a human meter if they were testing in the surgery. The human meter numbers are lower than the Alphatrak meter but using the human meter consistently is absolutely fine.....it is what most of us use here.

I can't find the carb content of the dry DM but I know it is high. Keep feeding low carb wet food. Your vet needs to brush up on the latest care for FD cats and stop listening to the big cat food manufacturers.

I am not a Prozinc user but I'm sure Prozinc is like other insulins. In the beginning of insulin treatment it can take time in some kitties for the insulin to take affect (that is why it is so important to be testing, so we can see how each cat reacts to the insulin). But where you are up to now in the journey, holding the dose for 2 or 3 weeks and not testing is just plain dangerous. By the time most cats are showing hypo signs, they are dangerously low........no way I would use that method to monitor my cat.
I would read the yellow stickies at the top of the Prozinc page again if I were you. And I would continue doing as you have been advised here about when to increase /hold the dose.
You are doing a good job looking after Tigger

 

[Breanna H]

Keep testing before every shot and also during the cycle. You don't have to tell the vet what you are doing. Just nod and smile and go home and test.

This is exactly what I did. When she told me to test less, I tried arguing about keeping him safe but she just insisted and I quickly gave up, smiled and said okay. Same with the DM. I know it's garbage and I never plan on using it even though she suggests it. Smile and nod. I plan on having a spreadsheet to email her and my own, haha.
I also don't plan on using the alphatrac. A dollar per strip?! No thanks! Tigger is already sucking my bank account dry
I'll give all the documents a read over again. Just to refresh myself.
Thank you for the info! Just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing with dosing. It's so crazy how out of touch vets are with the best treatment.

 

[Deb & Wink]

The advice I've been given by several members is to hold the dose for 3 to 6 doses and reevaluate. However, the vet said tonight that with Prozinc, a cat's body needs at least 2 to 3 weeks to adjust to a dose and for his numbers to change to see if it is the right dose.

I'm not finding anything to support or refute what your vet said.

Perhaps, your vet could provide you with a link that substantiates their contention that a cat needs 2-3 weeks to adjust to a dose. No idea what your vet is basing that on. What was their source for this information "that a cat's body needs at least 2-3 weeks at a particular dose to adjust to the dose?"

Perhaps your vet is talking about the time needed to regulate a cat on Prozinc. Found this on the prozinc website:
"When you start managing your cat’s diabetes at home, keep these two things in mind:

1. The time it takes to regulate a diabetic cat’s blood glucose varies from cat to cat.
2. Typically it takes up to a few weeks to become regulated on any insulin, including PROZINC."

Becoming regulated is not the same as making adjustments in the dose.

Could not find anything on the Prozinc website that agrees with what your vet said.
http://www.prozinc.us/prozinc/prozinc_product_info.html

 

[Breanna H]

Could not find anything on the Prozinc website that agrees with what your vet said.

I read their website up and down after the appointment as well, just to see and I couldn't find anything either. I was just curious where she was coming from but I guess we will never know.

3 to 6 doses it is!

 

[Deb & Wink]

I was just curious where she was coming from but I guess we will never know.

Ask your vet. Tell her you need some clarification on what she said. Ask her to provide the documentation that she got that information from.

Maybe we'll all learn something new.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Stress is a part of any illness but putting away your meter is not going to solve anything. If your vet wants to write an alternative medicine book with a forward by Oprah that's her business but not at the expense of your cat. She's wrong about that, the dry food and God only knows what else. This isn't stupidity, it's incompetence and possibly unethical. We have a well worn cliché here, "If that was your child would you....?"
Take a deep breath and do what you know is the right thing. Our members have a vested interest in the well being of both you and your cat and ask for nothing in return.
There's always someone who finishes at the bottom of the class and you may have just met one. Amateur psychiatry on your vet's part was never part of the program.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Breanna, Vets don't have as much time to spend with each individual patient as they would like. Just like human doctors, they are overburdened with trying to treat as many patients as they have in their vet practice.

We have more time here, to guide you on the day to day management of Tigger's diabetes. You could never find the level of help and knowledge base we have here from most vets. They do not have the time. We do.

We may not know everything about feline diabetes and every situation but we do know an awful lot. We have based what we tell you on not only our own personal experiences with our own diabetic cats, but on the experience from decades of helping other diabetic cat owners. Many of the documents you find here, such as the various insulin protocols, were developed by teams of experienced and passionate and knowledgeable members.

We have links to some of the more current vet journal research and try to keep ourselves up to date, not only by reading what we find here, but by researching for more information elsewhere.

There are numerous ways to treat feline diabetes. "Our way" is not the "only way." Vets are advising their clients based on the 'lowest common denominator" or what they think the "majority" of their clients will be willing and able to do. So many cat owners elect to euthanize their cat instead of treating a very manageable disease such as feline diabetes. Feline nutrition is a huge neglected part of vets knowledge base. We know that the vet practices sell those foods "only available at the vet" as part of their business model. There are many food alternatives to the DM and you are using those foods with Tigger.

We here, are more committed to helping our diabetic cats than most vets are used to. We and you, are among a real minority of diabetic cat owners. Knowing you can do better than your vet suggests with that "lowest common denominator" advice you are getting. For you and Tigger, finding first our sister site facebook feline diabetes group and then this FDMB message board is probably the greatest resource you will ever encounter.

We are glad you are here.

So, that was my "rant" for the day.
What can we help you with today?

p.s I see that Tigger got down into the yellows at pre-shot. Good job Tigger. Looks like some bouncing at first when you increased the dose to 1.25U , and now he has settled down a bit.

You may be getting close to learning how to shoot Prozinc if the pre-shot BG is <200. Happens eventually. Getting those +11's become more important.

Ask if you get there. Maybe a curve this weekend? Or next day off?
Learn how to stall.

 

[Breanna H]

p.s I see that Tigger got down into the yellows at pre-shot. Good job Tigger. Looks like some bouncing at first when you increased the dose to 1.25U , and now he has settled down a bit.

You may be getting close to learning how to shoot Prozinc if the pre-shot BG is <200. Happens eventually. Getting those +11's become more important.

Ask if you get there. Maybe a curve this weekend? Or next day off?

I really, really do appreciate all the help I get from everyone. I just feel like a crazy person sometimes having to completely ignore the vet and need reassurance at times, haha. I'm sure everyone has been there.

And thanks for the update on advice for Tigger! He was only 203 at AMPS then was 232 at his +6 (when he should have been lower?). Is that considered a bounce? Still trying to understand that more.
I'm nearing the 6 doses, but I'll continue them and get a curve this weekend for sure.
Thank you. You really are a life saver! I don't know what I would be doing without everyone and their advice!

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

You really are a life saver!

Oh you're welcome. You mean me right?
Mr. Thoughtful

 

[Breanna H]

Oh you're welcome. You mean me right?
Mr. Thoughtful

Of course! Everyone that has offered me advice is!