Moving from Vetsulin to Prozinc

Hi all,
I'm new to the FDMB so I apologize if I'm posting incorrectly or posting a duplicate.

Anyway, our cat's name is Maui. He's a 14 year old and has had diabetes for a number of years. Up until recently, he was on Vetsulin with a 3u dose using a 40u syringe. As many of you have commented, Vetsulin is no longer available and we have been told to switch to Prozinc.
Since we made the switch, Maui has done terrible and I can only think it is the amount of insulin we are giving him. Our vet said to give him 1u initially and after the first round of blood tests, she bumped it to 2u. Maui is incredibly lethargic and now is showing severe signs of Neuropathy, which he displayed years ago when we started Vetsulin.

Yes, I am talking with vet to figure out the right amount of insulin, but I am wondering if any of you can chime in with ideas. I cannot seem to find a conversion chart that shows likely Vetsulin->Prozinc mappings. For example, if I was giving Maui 3u of Vetsulin in a 40u syringe, is there a likely amount that I should be giving him of Prozinc?

I hope that's enough to start my question(s). Any and all feedback is appreciated!

Maui.

 

Cats react differently to different insulins. That is why there is no "conversion chart" when changing insulins. You vet recommended the conservative approach of starting with one unit if the dose before was at lease one unit. To know what is going on it is recommend that you test the blood glucose level of Maui with a human meter. If you post your general location then maybe someone is near you and can help you test Maui's BG.

What are feeding Maui? Dry food requires more insulin since it is higher in carbs than canned.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I should point out that we were giving Maui 3u (Vetsulin) twice a day and are now giving him 2u (Prozinc) twice a day.
Maui's last BG levels were: 323 (am), 104 (6 hours post morning injection) and 313 (pm). The next day, the 2nd reading was 351 (6 hours post morning injection).

He has been on Science Hill M/D dry food for years (http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-feline-md-feline-weight-loss-low-carbohydrate-diabetic-dry.html)

Maui is a very big cat, length-wise and in his prime, he weighed near 17 pounds. He is now down to 12 pounds and is looking very gaunt.

When cats show signs on neuropathy, does that imply anything about the BG level? Does it mean that he is getting too much or too little insulin or does it not correlate so clearly?

I am very worried about Maui

Thanks again for the feedback. It is MUCH appreciated

 

You can improve Maui's blood sugar by changing diet to high protein low carbohydrate canned (or raw) food.

No dry food is good for cats.

Neuropathy happens with poorly controlled diabetes and not in every cat. Vitamin B12 (particularly "Methyl B12") can help improve neuropathy symptoms (given daily over a long time period) in addition to gaining better control over the blood sugar / diabetes. It is not an exact correlation and does not occur in every diabetic cat.

Allow as much low carb (grain free) canned food as Maui wants to help him gain back some of the lost weight.


When I have made insulin changes, I usually start at the same dose -- not dropping all the way back to 1u

If keep feeding dry food - increase the insulin

If you want to try lower carb food -- do not increase the insulin and pay close attention to blood sugar - especially at +6 (low point)

Diet change can have an IMMEDIATE impact (within hours) on insulin needs!!! Be on the watch for low blood sugar and reducing the insulin dose.

For further info on diet -- read www.catinfo.org about Feline Nutrition - published by a vet - Dr. Lisa Pierson, DVM
and check for carb content of cat foods on Janet & Binky's food charts (google it - i don't have the link handy)
(the labels on the cans do not have enough info -- avoid grains)