what do you think ? | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

what do you think ?

xelo y sinver

xelo y sinver

Member since 2023
What do you think? We’ve been switching from insulin to Prozinc for a month. We’d been on Lantus for 2 years and it wasn’t so bad. Now my vet advised us to switch to Prozinc but he seems more unstable than before on Lantus. There are people here who know me. I’ve had my diabetic cat for 3 years, but I’d like to see if anyone could advise me… I have my updated spreadsheet. A month ago, Sinver was in the vet’s emergency room, we ran tests and blood tests but didn’t see anything, it only appeared to be diabetic neuropathy because he wasn’t regulated. Looking at the blood tests, his potassium was very low but the vet didn’t give it any importance. I’m giving him potassium, B12 and chondroprotector supplements.
 
xelo y sinver said:
What do you think? We’ve been switching from insulin to Prozinc for a month. We’d been on Lantus for 2 years and it wasn’t so bad. Now my vet advised us to switch to Prozinc but he seems more unstable than before on Lantus. There are people here who know me. I’ve had my diabetic cat for 3 years, but I’d like to see if anyone could advise me… I have my updated spreadsheet. A month ago, Sinver was in the vet’s emergency room, we ran tests and blood tests but didn’t see anything, it only appeared to be diabetic neuropathy because he wasn’t regulated. Looking at the blood tests, his potassium was very low but the vet didn’t give it any importance. I’m giving him potassium, B12 and chondroprotector supplements.
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Hi Xelo, I’m sorry Sinver hasn’t been feeling well.

They tend to use methylcobalamin here in the US for neuropathy. A well regulated cat seems to have the best shot at resolving that.
Here is one product:
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6

I know @Karolina & Nestle had Nestle’s neuropathy corrected when he went into remission previously. And he is still is ok with that issue now. She could tell you more about her experience.

Perhaps @Suzanne & Darcy may be able to help you with Prozinc, she’s very knowledgeable.

I hope you get some answers to help Sinver ❤️‍🩹
 
I’m not experienced to give advice. My cat, Egon, had neuropathy - plantigrade walking (hocks on the floor), unstable, falling over (some of this was caused by vestibular syndrome), bad atrophy, not grooming, even couldn’t jump into the litter box for a while. This has gone away for him on its own with better regulation of BG numbers. He still doesn’t jump high, but the plantigrade walking, atrophy, and unbalance went away completely.
 
Hi @xelo and sinver

Sorry to hear that you're struggling to get Sinver regulated. Unfortunately that can happen with some cats. I was never able to get Bandit regulated but a big reason for that was that she was a kibble addict and I couldn't get her on a low carb diet.

I don't have any experience with Prozinc so hopefully @Suzanne & Darcy can help with dosing and see if he can be brought to better numbers. When I thought that Bandit was being too bouncy on Lantus, I switched her to Levemir and I thought that did help a little (as much as was possible with the food she was eating).

I think Sinver is on a low carb diet, right? And he had a dental in January this year? Are there any other health conditions that could be affecting his blood sugar. I am unable to understand the comments on your SS.

I looked at the labs on your SS (the last one being on 16/9/2025) and I see that in addition to low potassium, he also had very elevated WBC and Neutrophils. Did the vet not think he might have an infection? Low potassium can also cause weakness in the back legs. See this page on potassium levels:
Potassium – Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease

Let me tag a few senior members for their advice as well:

@tiffmaxee
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Wendy&Neko
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Hi @xelo and sinver

Sorry to hear that you're struggling to get Sinver regulated. Unfortunately that can happen with some cats. I was never able to get Bandit regulated but a big reason for that was that she was a kibble addict and I couldn't get her on a low carb diet.

I don't have any experience with Prozinc so hopefully @Suzanne & Darcy can help with dosing and see if he can be brought to better numbers. When I thought that Bandit was being too bouncy on Lantus, I switched her to Levemir and I thought that did help a little (as much as was possible with the food she was eating).

I think Sinver is on a low carb diet, right? And he had a dental in January this year? Are there any other health conditions that could be affecting his blood sugar. I am unable to understand the comments on your SS.

I looked at the labs on your SS (the last one being on 16/9/2025) and I see that in addition to low potassium, he also had very elevated WBC and Neutrophils. Did the vet not think he might have an infection? Low potassium can also cause weakness in the back legs. See this page on potassium levels:
Potassium – Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease

Let me tag a few senior members for their advice as well:

@tiffmaxee
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Wendy&Neko
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Hello Bohaam, if he has always eaten low-carbohydrate food and you have always followed the advice from the forum and from Gill, George's mother. The change in insulin is because my vet never trusted Lantus and told me that the cat was not regulated, which is true, but he had better numbers than with Prozinc. In August, I had another dental cleaning done and took him to the vet because he was complaining when walking and had lost muscle mass in his hind legs, but he doesn't walk on his heels, which would indicate diabetic neuropathy. He had tests done, which are listed in the spreadsheet. I currently give him methylcobalamin B12 chondroprotectors because the X-ray showed some wear on his spine. I also give him a vitamin supplement that includes potassium, folic acid, and many other vitamins. He is not complaining at the moment, but he walks very little with his head down as if he is afraid to walk. I think it was mainly the stress of the last trip that caused this. In the last blood test, it appeared that he had an infection and was treated with antibiotics and corticosteroids. The T4 came back fine and the sdma wasn't very high either. I'm going crazy trying to figure out what's wrong with my cat, because even the vet doesn't know what could be happening.
 
I'm hoping that someone with more experience will advice you, but it seems (from the webpage I shared with you) that the symptoms you are seeing could be due to low potassium:
  • Twitching, Trembling or Shaking
  • Weakness, Especially in the Back Legs
  • Stiff Neck or Inability to Hold Up Head (Cervical Ventroflexion)

The page also lists various causes for low potassium (besides CKD, which it doesn't look like Sinver has):
  • Metabolic Acidosis
  • Hyperthyroidism (not applicable in this case?)
  • Hyperaldosteronism

Is there another vet you can take a second opinion from? If this vet is ignoring low potassium levels... Was another blood test done after the course of antibiotics and corticosteroids (corticosteroids could also affect blood sugar)?

I'll also tag @Marje and Gracie and @Gill & George
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I'm hoping that someone with more experience will advice you, but it seems (from the webpage I shared with you) that the symptoms you are seeing could be due to low potassium:
  • Twitching, Trembling or Shaking
  • Weakness, Especially in the Back Legs
  • Stiff Neck or Inability to Hold Up Head (Cervical Ventroflexion)

The page also lists various causes for low potassium (besides CKD, which it doesn't look like Sinver has):
  • Metabolic Acidosis
  • Hyperthyroidism (not applicable in this case?)
  • Hyperaldosteronism

Is there another vet you can take a second opinion from? If this vet is ignoring low potassium levels... Was another blood test done after the course of antibiotics and corticosteroids (corticosteroids could also affect blood sugar)?

I'll also tag @Marje and Gracie and @Gill & George
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He was on antibiotics and corticosteroids for a week, after which we haven't done any tests. I'm waiting to do them as soon as it stops raining and I can take the cat to the vet, maybe at the end of the week. I'll talk to the vet and have them repeat the full test after a month. I want to know how he is without it.
I always thought it was potassium, but the vet told me that his levels weren't low enough for that. It could be because he hadn't eaten anything before the blood test or because of the stress of the car ride to the vet. He didn't see anything unusual there. I already looked at the link about possible causes of potassium deficiency, which is why I told the vet that I thought that might be it, because he has all the symptoms mentioned. He hasn't taken corticosteroids for more than 20 days, so I don't think that should have an effect with his high glucose levels.
 
Mady & Egon said:
I’m not experienced to give advice. My cat, Egon, had neuropathy - plantigrade walking (hocks on the floor), unstable, falling over (some of this was caused by vestibular syndrome), bad atrophy, not grooming, even couldn’t jump into the litter box for a while. This has gone away for him on its own with better regulation of BG numbers. He still doesn’t jump high, but the plantigrade walking, atrophy, and unbalance went away completely.
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Hi Mady, I think the vet said diabetic neuropathy, just to say something. I know that after researching the disease, my cat wasn't showing any of the symptoms that could indicate he had it. He gradually lost muscle in his hips and hind legs, was in a lot of pain, and couldn't stand up. He did groom himself and go into his litter box, but he didn't jump like he used to. His legs seem too weak to walk. I'm thinking of something like potassium, which was in the red in all his lab tests. Maybe he had a urinary tract infection. I hope to have him tested again soon. He lost weight, going from 5.1 kg to 4.7 kg. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
 
I have a kitty that got down to 3.4 in her potassium, and she was definitely showing signs such as weak legs. Sinver was lower than that in his labs. For my kitty, it was a GI issue (ileus) causing the low potassium. Treating that got her potassium numbers better.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I have a kitty that got down to 3.4 in her potassium, and she was definitely showing signs such as weak legs. Sinver was lower than that in his labs. For my kitty, it was a GI issue (ileus) causing the low potassium. Treating that got her potassium numbers better.
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What tests did they do to diagnose ileus? My vet doesn't know much about it and said that the low potassium was due to him not having any food in his stomach and that the stress of the trip could also cause low potassium. He still feels weak in his legs, walks very slowly, doesn't climb high places, and hardly feels like playing. Currently, he doesn't seem to be in pain, which is the most important thing, but I would like him to recover a little more and feel better. His hind limbs have no muscle, and his hips around his tail are also all bone. His spine is very prominent, and he has also lost muscle.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I have a kitty that got down to 3.4 in her potassium, and she was definitely showing signs such as weak legs. Sinver was lower than that in his labs. For my kitty, it was a GI issue (ileus) causing the low potassium. Treating that got her potassium numbers better.
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From what I've read about ileus, I don't think that's what my cat has because his stools were normal. It looked more like he had a urinary tract infection because he only urinated once a day and had trouble going to the litter box. He hardly drank any water, so I always had to add a little water to his wet food. Now he's a little better, he drinks a few times a day, he still doesn't go to the bathroom much, but I tested him for ketones and they were negative. He's a very stressed cat, he's afraid of any noise, and that doesn't help him want to walk either, because he's afraid and doesn't walk like a normal cat, he prefers to lie down all day.
 
My girl's ileus was diagnosed via ultrasound. Her stools were normal. But ECID, there are many things that can cause low potassium.

If you suspect a UTI, did the vet culture the urine to see what antibiotic he needed?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
My girl's ileus was diagnosed via ultrasound. Her stools were normal. But ECID, there are many things that can cause low potassium.

If you suspect a UTI, did the vet culture the urine to see what antibiotic he needed?
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I think I should repeat the tests, but it makes me a little sad because he really has a hard time when he goes to the vet, but that way I would be more at ease knowing that everything is okay inside his body. His potassium levels and other things. He had an ultrasound of his kidneys and stomach to rule out anything wrong, and the professional sonographer said everything was fine.
 
Vet visits are very stressful, but it would be good to check about his infection as well as his potassium levels. It's possible he needs a potassium supplement and will feel much better if his levels are normalized.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Vet visits are very stressful, but it would be good to check about his infection as well as his potassium levels. It's possible he needs a potassium supplement and will feel much better if his levels are normalized.
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The last time he visited the vet, they put fluids in his veins through a drip. In addition, every day I give him 2ml of potassium supplement three times a day, plus B12. But you're right, maybe I'll take my cat in at the end of the week for a complete blood and urine test. That way I'll be sure that everything is working properly. Even though it's hard for him, I need to think that everything is fine.
 
If everything is correct, I checked that they don't contain sugar. The vet suggested a complete one that had a lot of sugar, and I told him that it wasn't right for a diabetic cat. I searched online and found one that was ideal for him, without sugar. He takes the potassium supplement very well. The B12 methylcobalamin comes in 1000 mg tablets, and I give him half a tablet a day. And I give him the joint protector to prevent osteoarthritis, which was detected in an X-ray of his spine. I don't think it will harm him.
 
Mady & Egon said:
I’m not experienced to give advice. My cat, Egon, had neuropathy - plantigrade walking (hocks on the floor), unstable, falling over (some of this was caused by vestibular syndrome), bad atrophy, not grooming, even couldn’t jump into the litter box for a while. This has gone away for him on its own with better regulation of BG numbers. He still doesn’t jump high, but the plantigrade walking, atrophy, and unbalance went away completely.
Click to expand...
Just wondering if you could share where in Egon's journey did his neuropathy symptoms start to subside, and when did he have them? Did it start suddenly? Or was it a gradual onset.
Thanks
 
Gill & George said:
Just wondering if you could share where in Egon's journey did his neuropathy symptoms start to subside, and when did he have them? Did it start suddenly? Or was it a gradual onset.
Thanks
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Hi Gill & George, sure! Egon was originally diagnosed Feb 2022. He was OTJ March 2022 with diet change. Nov of 2024 he started losing weight and wasn’t cleaning himself as much. Between Nov 24 and Dec 2024 he developed a head tilt, a plantigrade walk, he was really lethargic and losing weight. The vet treated the head tilt as vestibular syndrome/ear infection with clavamox but didn’t think to recheck his diabetes at that time. Over the next month Dec his head tilt got a little better with the antibiotics for the ear infection, and he had a little more energy, but his walking got so bad he would sometimes fall over (especially running around corners), his legs were noodle-y or jiggly when he walked, he struggled to get in and out of the box, he was peeing on himself and constantly covered in litter. In January I finally had the epiphany (from googling about weird cat walking) that this probably has something to do with his diabetes. So I did a curve and sure enough his sugar was really bad. Got him back on insulin early January 25 and regular testing… somewhere around the beginning of March 2025, his walking started to get better. I wouldn’t say his numbers were even regulated then. He was still in the pinks and we weren’t testing all the time. But his walking was improving. Anyways by May his walking was 85/90% of the way back to normal. He plateaued around May and he's just at where he’s at now. Hes still a little slower walking than he used to be and he doesn’t jump up higher than onto a chair. But he has no wobbly-ness or falling over. Since being in the greens this last month hes started trying to jump into the window sill spot again, but his accuracy is bad. Works for me because I keep my other cats kibble in the window. But Egon is really trying to jump again and he may even get there.
 
I just got back from the vet and the test results are all fine. Except that the potassium level is still low. The vet has sent a blood sample to another laboratory to confirm this, as he's not sure that his equipment is working properly. I'm going to continue with the potassium supplement and I'm also going to look for wet food that contains potassium. For now, I'll continue with Prozinc, although I'm not ruling out going back to Lantus. It seems that the duration was better with Sinver, with Prozinc it barely lasts. As soon as I get the Auilite in the mail, I'll update the spreadsheet.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Hi @xelo y sinver , when you get the time, could you please update the latest test results in his spreadsheet?

How is he doing now besides his BG being unregulated?
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Hi, the vet still hasn't emailed me the results of his tests. As soon as I get them, I'll update the spreadsheet. Otherwise, he's fine and maintaining his weight, as I'm not feeding him much because this insulin raises his glucose levels a lot. He walks fearfully and seems to be starting to leave the room where he often stays. He seems to have weakness in his legs, which is why he doesn't jump. His coat is shinier and cleaner than it was last month. He goes to the bathroom on his own without any difficulty. When you approach him, he purrs and wants you to scratch his belly. He's doing something new that he used to do before he got sick, which was going out to dinner to ask for some food. I'm going to buy chicken and turkey meat, which I've read contains potassium, and I'll cook it for him. I'll continue with the potassium supplement, and when it runs out, I'll look for another one to see if I can raise his potassium levels and he feels better. He may have lost more potassium because before he got sick, he would vomit his food sporadically. I think the fish in his food was upsetting his stomach, but once I changed his food, he didn't vomit again. We're going to wait for the results of the potassium tests from the external laboratory to see if it's true that his potassium is low... One question I ask myself is... WHY IS HE LOSING POTASSIUM?
 
I am glad your vet is sending the blood out to a different laboratory. I hope he has requested a manual review (a blood smear) to have a technician or hopefully a pathologist look at the cells to see if anything is amiss.
 
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