Hi from Harry and Lisa, just diagnosed

Hi, Harry (9 yrs old) was just diagnosed about a week ago. BG at vet was 460. We started 1 unit of PZI twice a day. Vet says I need to do a glucose curve after two weeks on insulin. (so in about a week) Out of curiosity and feeling I need to get the both of us used to testing he BG, I tested him two days ago prior to giving him his shot. BG was 442. I tested again two hours later, BG = 129. Felt like we had stressed each other out enough for the day so I didn't test anymore that day. (OK, probably stressed me out more than Harry. He's a really laid back cat.) Tested once today. He didn't greet me at the door when I got home which isn't normal. BG=457, 7 hours after insulin. Not sure what all this means yet except that 1 unit twice daily isn't going to be the right amount.

Right now, I'm feeding Harry a combo of Fancy Feast and Evo dry food. Vet wants him to be on Hills M/D, but most things I've read seems to say that's not the best for him. I'd switched both my cats to Evo dry two years ago trying to avoid the high carb dry food they had been on previously. I tried to get the cats to eat Evo canned which seems to be really low carb, but they just don't like it. They both really like the Fancy Feast.

After doing lots of searching on the internet, I'm so glad to have found this forum. It's such a great resource and it's nice to know I'm not alone.

 

Welcome to FDMB and sorry to hear that Harry has been diagnosed with diabetes. This is a great site with lots of information and experienced people to assist you as you go along.

Good for you to have started home testing!! Tests should always be done before giving shots to make sure that the numbers are safe for the dose and then again once or twice in between shots to see how the insulin is working for your kitty. You said you had tested before his shot and got a reading of 442, then tested two hours later (that would be +2 on the spreadsheet once you get one set up) and got a reading of 129. That is quite a big drop for so early in the cycle (time between shots). PZI insulin can bring the numbers down even further during the cycle, which can cause "bouncing"...when the glucose numbers go up because of too quick a drop or too low a number. It would be very useful if you could do routine testing and set up a spreadsheet so that you can get a clear picture of how the insulin and dose is working.

There is a Prozinc/PZI forum at:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/

where you can post questions and concerns. There are not as many members who use Prozinc and PZI as with some of the other long acting insulins so you caould also post on the Main Health Forum, which gets a lot more traffic at:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/

There are lots of experienced people on this site that can help with any questions you might have.

 

Hi Lisa and Harry, welcome! Harry sure is a handsome boy! It's great that you are already home testing. That is the best way to keep Harry safe. Setting up a spreadsheet will help you to see how well the insulin is working and if you need an increase or decrease in the dosage. Here are the instructions to get it set up
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
If you have any trouble, please ask and someone will be glad to help you.

 

I can tell already this forum is going to be so helpful! Thank you for the responses! Just tested him again since he was acting kind of playful, which doesn't happen much these days. BG=468. I'll try to do more tonight. I've downloaded the spreadsheet so I can start using it. Unfortunately I work during the week, so I won't be able to do really good testing till Friday when I can spend the full day dedicated to testing. (that's when the vet is expecting me to contact him too so he can decide on the dosage) Would it be helpful to test in the evenings before and after his 2nd daily shot; up until Friday when I can do it all day long?

 

Yes, always test before you feed and give his shot. Then when you can, get some mid cycle tests, before you go to bed is good.

 

If you are up early enough in the morning it would be useful to do the preshot test and one at +2 or +3 hours after the shot is possible, depending on your schedule. In the evening if you do a preshot test and then another at +2 or +3 after the shot that should give some very useful data on how the insulin is working for Harry. On Friday if you are going to be home doing a preshot test then tests at +2, +4 and +6 would give a very good picture how the insulin works through the cycle. When there are only the odd test done it can be hard to see the pattern and random tests may not give a true picture on how well the dose is working.

By feeding low carb wet food and home testing you are well on your way to getting a good treatment plan for Harry.


ETA Always test before giving the shot. Glucose levels can vary throughout a 24 hour period even in kitties who are not diabetic.

 

Hi and Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. You are all ready on your way to helping Harry and he is lucky to have you as his bean to test and keep him safe. You have all ready received some good advise as to when to test. I would like to add that you could save yourself money and Harry lots of stress if you do your own curve at home and give the results to your vet. The numbers you get at home without Harry being super stressed out being in a cage without you all day will be more realistic numbers as the kitties numbers came jump as much as 100-150 points when they are at the vetty office.

I see that Tuxedo's Mom, Mary Ann gave you the link to the ProZinc forum and if you start posting there you can get dosing advice and those peeps are really knowledgeable with ProZinc.

Ask all the questions you need as that is how we all learned.

 

Thank you all! I have some good ideas of what I will try to shoot for as far as testing over the next couple of days before I can do the full curve on Friday.
Thanks!

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

Hi - we're waiting for you on the Prozinc forum - let us know how you are doing - we're anxious to help

 

Heading to the Prozinc forum now. Just finished testing over the past few hours and not sure what to do. I've added my spreadsheet to my signature.

 

Let me just say before you head over to Prozinc that Harry sure is a pretty baby boy.

 

Thank you!

 

I was thinking the same thing: Harry is an absolutely be-yooooo-tiful cat. Welcome to you both @Lisa & Harry!


Mogs
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Aww, thank you!