Is it better to use big doses of Prozinc or switch?

We're up to 3 units and am just not seeing any progress. Do some cats need constant 4-5u doses? Or is it more indicative that it's not the right insulin.
It seems to me that Keaton's numbers are getting worse as we increase his dosage, though from the onset his demeanor is much improved. It doesn't seem like switching to wet food made a difference at all.
I am leaving for a week for work, so unless husband is home to test wouldn't want to increase very much, but would welcome any thoughts and feedback.

 

You are still very early in this. I personally would not change insulin yet. Some cats do need higher doses.

 

Here's the basic testing routine we recommend:

1. test every day AM and PM before feeding and injecting (no food at least 2 hours before) to see if the planned dose is safe
2. test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes
3. do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture
4. if indicated by consistently high numbers on your spreadsheet, increase the dose by no more than 0.25 u at a time so you don't accidentally go right past a good dose
5. post here for advice whenever you're confused or unsure of what to do.

 

I agree. You're still in early days...switching to a new insulin might be an option down the road, but I'd wait and give Prozinc a chance to work first since you've already started with it.

 

I think you just haven't found your breakthrough dose yet.

 

It looks like you've been changing the foods around, and from your note, aren't sure on the carb level of the IAMS. If you click on the food list in my signature, you can sort by brand and find the carb level for the exact type of IAMS you're feeding. Most IAMS are too high in carbs, or on the highest end of acceptable, but I believe they do have a couple that are okay.

The Blue Wilderness are okay on carbs (except Mature Chicken - that one is too high), but they are also pretty low in protein and high in fat. Since I believe you're trying to get your kitty to gain weight, that might be okay for a little while, but you'll want to look for something with a bit more protein as time goes on. Oh, and I also just realized that there three types of "Blue Wilderness" and some are good, while others are too high in carbs, so again, you'll need to check the list for the specific ones you're feeding (if you haven't already).

Food choices can be pretty challenging, but they are also one of the most important parts of this journey. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help with that.

 

Can you make them like the food for 2 days in a row?! I should remove the "not picky" from my signature! I am pretty sure there is some funny business with that IAMS (it's the one Purrfect that is suspiciously low carb- only 2), so it's going to the shelter. They decided on can 3 that they were over the Wilderness Turkey, so we're back to Friskies Pate and Fancy Feast. They consistently will eat the seafood FF, but I know I shouldn't give them just that. I'm going to just rotate some of these back in and maybe if they're "new" again, they'll eat it. I should get my Young Again on Wednesday and I bought an auto feeder to give them a 1/4 c mid-day and overnight. I'm hoping if they snack a little more overnight, then it won't be so hard to get the AMPS.


Thank you everyone for your feedback. Even though Keaton is acting more like his normal self, I am so worried about him getting better and potential damage from not getting his BG lower, faster. He and Buster are the center of our lives.

 

Oh, how I wish I had that superpower!!! I have often joked that I run a little kitty restaurant here with the menu of choices I keep in the cupboards! I've found that if I keep rotating things around, my boys do better. The same food two feedings in a row inevitable leads to a hunger strike. Or Sam's favorite: pulling down a dish towel and using it to cover the food he doesn't want.

My new trick is nutritional yeast. It's super cheap at the grocery and a little sprinkled on top has received rave reviews from both of my kitties. They are mostly raw fed with one cat eating Rad Cat and the other eating homemade raw (super easy - just meat and FoodFurLife supplement powder). They seem to be less picky on raw food than they've been on canned foods, but Sam still needs a little "topper" of some sort to get him going.