Zobaline

[Molly and Sammy]

I started Sammy on Zobaline (1 tablet daily crushed in food) yesterday in hopes of helping his back leg movements. Are there any side effects to watch for? Does it affect blood glucose scores at all? And if his legs improve after a few months, can we go off of it, or does it need to be continued indefinitely? Thanks!

 

[Olive & Paula]

It will not affect blood sugar, It is formulated for diabetics. If neuropathy is bad you can give 2 pills a day, every 12 hrs is good but can be anytime. Once Sammy starts getting regulated the neuropathy with resolve.

With such high blood sugars as noted in spreadsheet, testing for ketones really should be done. You can get dipstick in any pharmacy and dip in urine. Or purchase a ketone meter, works like glucose meter, small drop of blood.

Looks like your doing the SLGS protocol. Have you considered the TR protocol? It will get those high numbers down so Sammy will feel better quicker. You can go back to SLGS once his glucose improve. They have been high for quite awhile now.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Are there any side effects to watch for?

Shouldn't be any side effects with Zobaline. And shouldn't be any adverse effect on blood glucose levels.
Once the neuropathy has resolved you would usually be able to stop giving the Zobaline. With some cats you'll see improvement just with the Zobaline itself; with other cats it may be necessary to also bring the blood glucose back into a better range before you see significant improvement. But neuropathy can resolve completely!

Couple of points to note (for anyone else reading this thread):
While Zobaline is normally very safe indeed it may not be appropriate for cats with later stages of kidney disease.

Potassium deficiency can also be a cause of leg weakness (postassium is lost through excessive urination, as B vitamins are). Potassium deficiency can only be determined by a blood test at the vets. But if the level is too low it can be supplemented under veterinary guidance.

Eliz

 

[Molly and Sammy]

It will not affect blood sugar, It is formulated for diabetics. If neuropathy is bad you can give 2 pills a day, every 12 hrs is good but can be anytime. Once Sammy starts getting regulated the neuropathy with resolve.

With such high blood sugars as noted in spreadsheet, testing for ketones really should be done. You can get dipstick in any pharmacy and dip in urine. Or purchase a ketone meter, works like glucose meter, small drop of blood.

Looks like your doing the SLGS protocol. Have you considered the TR protocol? It will get those high numbers down so Sammy will feel better quicker. You can go back to SLGS once his glucose improve. They have been high for quite awhile now.

Thank you! I am going to talk to my vet about changing to TR, and also will test again for ketones. She's very familiar with this forum and the protocols, we just wanted to try SLGS first. I am frustrated with the numbers, of course. Thankfully Sammy is vastly improved with diet and whatever insulin is doing - coat shiny, grooming himself, peeing and drinking back to normal, and gaining weight. Other than the neuropathy he is asymptomatic. I know I have to get glucose down, though, and appreciate the nudge.

 

[Molly and Sammy]

Shouldn't be any side effects with Zobaline. And shouldn't be any adverse effect on blood glucose levels.
Once the neuropathy has resolved you would usually be able to stop giving the Zobaline. With some cats you'll see improvement just with the Zobaline itself; with other cats it may be necessary to also bring the blood glucose back into a better range before you see significant improvement. But neuropathy can resolve completely!

Couple of points to note (for anyone else reading this thread):
While Zobaline is normally very safe indeed it may not be appropriate for cats with later stages of kidney disease.

Potassium deficiency can also be a cause of leg weakness (postassium is lost through excessive urination, as B vitamins are). Potassium deficiency can only be determined by a blood test at the vets. But if the level is too low it can be supplemented under veterinary guidance.

Eliz

Do you also suggest 2 pills a day? Thanks!

 

[Olive & Paula]

Thank you! I am going to talk to my vet about changing to TR, and also will test again for ketones. She's very familiar with this forum and the protocols, we just wanted to try SLGS first. I am frustrated with the numbers, of course. Thankfully Sammy is vastly improved with diet and whatever insulin is doing - coat shiny, grooming himself, peeing and drinking back to normal, and gaining weight. Other than the neuropathy he is asymptomatic. I know I have to get glucose down, though, and appreciate the nudge.

I understand the frustration. My 1st cat I was petrified of TR. I worked full time, he liked to drop fast and early. Husband would do everything but test. He was 16yrs and in awful shape when I inherited him.

My current kitty I adopted in February. As soon as she arrived I knew there was more going on with her. She was becoming a high dose kitty. Since I was now home all the time TR was the best way for her and with help here even had to go outside the protocol. I guess because with my 1st, I was new at it so it scared me to death. But now I'm surprised how well TR works.

Read the info on it, talk it over with your vet. Whatever you decide you will make one of them work.

 

[Molly and Sammy]

I understand the frustration. My 1st cat I was petrified of TR. I worked full time, he liked to drop fast and early. Husband would do everything but test. He was 16yrs and in awful shape when I inherited him.

My current kitty I adopted in February. As soon as she arrived I knew there was more going on with her. She was becoming a high dose kitty. Since I was now home all the time TR was the best way for her and with help here even had to go outside the protocol. I guess because with my 1st, I was new at it so it scared me to death. But now I'm surprised how well TR works.

Read the info on it, talk it over with your vet. Whatever you decide you will make one of them work.

Thanks for the support, Paula. I suspect that's where we're headed. I want to do a curve in a few days to be sure my Lantus hasn't lost it's power- I opened the vial three months ago now. If the Lantus is still good and the numbers still suck, I'll get the vet on board to try TR. I get so frustrated, but then I look at Sammy. He's a different cat after just a few months of treatment! But I know how serious those scores are, truly.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Do you also suggest 2 pills a day? Thanks!

Most give one pill a day, but some do start out with two.
Dosage of 3 - 5mg methyl B12 daily seems to be oft quoted for neuropathy. Giving B12 twice a day would certainly help to keep it in the system for longer if the kitty is peeing a lot. And it's considered a very safe vitamin as it's water soluble and usually excreted easily (kitties with impaired kidney function could be an exception).

 

[Molly and Sammy]

Most give one pill a day, but some do start out with two.
Dosage of 3 - 5mg methyl B12 daily seems to be oft quoted for neuropathy. Giving B12 twice a day would certainly help to keep it in the system for longer if the kitty is peeing a lot. And it's considered a very safe vitamin as it's water soluble and usually excreted easily (kitties with impaired kidney function could be an exception).

Thank you!