Hello, I am new to this board and I hope I posted in the right area. I usually post on the Facebook Group "Feline Diabetes Support Group" but no one has gotten back to me yet. Here is my JJ's (male Tabby, 11.5 years old diagnosed in Feb.) google spreadsheet. This morning's AMPS was at 181. I fed him and then retested about 10 min later and it dropped to 165. Do I skip his dose altogether or do I re-test in a bit and then shoot if he's 200 or over? He is on 1u of PZI. Thank you for your help. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...b3ICijIwUZFg38Mhm6V6Q7oOVM/edit#gid=361360320
I just tested him at 8:10. his numbers shot up to 385, 402 and 453! I'm not sure what's going on but he's never in the 400's and for it to go up that high so quickly? Do I need to give him his dose?
A gal in the FB group I am in said to go ahead and give him his am dose, which I just did. I guess I'm giving him his PM shot tonight now at 8:20 pm. I hope this schedule works better. I will continue to monitor his numbers today.
Take a deep breath, you're doing great! So he only got his shot about an hour late? The high number is probably just the food without insulin. Just wrote you a novel... then saw the comments about the two fur shots...lol... That changes a lot regarding gauging how right his current dose is. Hmmm...What can you do to avoid fur shots? Is he a longhaired cat? It helped that my vet shaved the right spot behind his scruff where it lands in the right spot to shoot when you tent the skin up. Is it possible to shave a little spot to make a better tent? If he's losing weight while on insulin I would be careful lowering it too much. My guy is struggling with weight too.
Sorry for just responding, my son came down with the flu. . If it's not my cat, it's my kids! Thank you, it's been quite a challenge, and nerve wracking but I guess we are all in the same boat with those feelings. I just want my fur baby to get better. He seems to have good days, and then not so good days, but thankfully he has a great appetite and going potty normal. I guess I had expectations that his numbers would come down quickly. I'm still not sure when I should increase his dose or decrease, since I get different advice on the FB page. I haven't had him shaved yet. I'm actually dreading going back to the vet because he had me give JJ 3U of Prozinc 2x per day, and the gals over on the FB board said that was insanely high dose to start off with. My gut instinct was to not give him his second dose of 3U and to join this page and the FB group to seek assistance. I'm glad I did. If I go back to the vet, I'm afraid I'll offend him and he'll give me a lecture . He even had me buying the Purina DM food, gave me the option of what kind to buy (dry or canned), and the gals at FB said it's not good food for the cats, to just feed them Fancy Feast Classic Pates and the Friskies poultry pates. It's like some Vet's tell us to do the exact opposite of what we SHOULD!
I am still very new to all of this but from what I've read here 3u of prozinc does sound like a high starting dose. You gotta figure out what's causing all those fur shots though. All you have to tell the vet is that your cat ...or your budget... prefers the FF if that's the food you've decided is best. Some cats just won't eat certain kinds of food anyway. And if you just tell him how you feel that 3u is too nervewracking for you until you can get used to doing this, understand how he reacts to insulin, and conquer the fur shots, etc and he should be understanding because what is the alternative? You can only do what you can do. When you do go back to the vet ask them to shave the area where you're supposed to give the shot and demonstrate how to do it to avoid furshots and to let you practice , thats what we did and it helped so much. Also, I would add in FS or something near where the dose is on the SS because its easier to see a furshot/missed dose pattern that way especially if you don't see the notes. And add your signature too, so you can put the SpreadSheet right in your signature. Hang in there.
I used to shoot soooo many fur shots when I started! One thing that helped was changing the technique. Instead of doing the tenting thing, I take a clump of fur, and kind of roll it/pull it up to make the gap between the skin and muscle. It also reveals the skin so I can see the needle as it enters. Then I started aiming the needle more straight-ish instead of shooting sideways. The more up-and-down angle meant that I was shooting into that gap between skin and muscle instead of just shooting through two folds of skin (in and out again). And finally, I got syringes with a shorter needle than the giant ones the vet sold me at first. Oh, and my cat stopped wiggling so much too which also helped a lot. As for the dose, it does look like your kitty needs more insulin. The 1u dose just isn't doing it. Although I'm also concerned that you are getting dosing advice from your vet, the FB group, and here. If you follow advice from one place today, and another place tomorrow, you could end up accidentally combining dosing techniques (there is more than one approach to all of this). So while I'd like to suggest an increase, I don't want to cause any confusion.
I was able to give JJ his shot this morning on his tummy, pretty down low where his fur isn't as thick, and I could see his skin better. He loves his belly rubbed so I pet him for a little bit before giving him his shot. He didn't give me any trouble, whereas when I shoot his scruff or the hip area, he's always trying to get away. I'll try this again tonight and see how it goes. I'll also keep in mind your technique about rolling his fur. JJ is a shorthair, but he has a LOT of fur, typical ginger tabby. . So yay, no fur shot this morning!
Hi Kim, Welcome to the board. I started in the FB group , but quickly made the switch. IMO the problem with that group is there are way to many people to give you advice. Also, I’m assuming they can’t see your SS? Please correct me if I am wrong. If you are open to suggestions, I would get advice from one place and the one place that you are the most comfortable. I was hesitant to get advice here in the beginning, but after a few conversations they earned my trust. Also, the people on here get to know you and your kitty. It helps.
I think you're right Tina. They can't see your SS on FB unless you include it yourself each time. Kim, welcome to the board! I've been out of town so I didn't get to say that earlier. We're glad you're here and happy to help!
