Our newly diagnosed cat Carlos

Our cat was just recently diagnosed with diabetes. He has been on 2-units twice daily since Monday March 19th
With the way i work i have only been able to check his sugar before giving him his insulin in the morning and evening but not in between. The readings pre-shot have been right at 400
Vet sold me Purina Pro Plan DM hard food and i thought that was likely best till i start reading this forum and see repeatedly "stop dry food" since, my wife has bought the Fancy Feast Patē and we been feeding him that in evenings and the DM in mornings.
I do have a few questions ..... Is it normal for my cat to lay by his water bowl ?

My vet started him out on 2-units every 12-hrs .. is this normal?

How often should we feed our cat? Vet said "1/4 cup of the DM every 12hrs after shot" that sure don't seem like much food. We been giving 1/4 cup DM in morning and a 3oz can of FF Patē in evening

Pre-shot readings have been 406-441 each time i check, will this start going lower before long with the lower carb food and insulin?

Normal for cat to not be very active when first starting insulin?

Thanks everyone, i will continue to keep updating here from time to time

 

Me and my wife are dedicated in doing everything we can for him and want to do what is best .. Carlos is my baby!

 

Welcome. Sorry your kitty isn't feeling well.

The normal starting dose is 1 unit twice a day, 12 hours apart.... but maybe your vet felt with his high numbers he needs it.

I work all day too.... So I can really only get mid cycle numbers in the evening and weekends /days off. I shoot at 5:30 am, and try to grab a reading 2 hours later just before I leave. Then in the evening her second shot is 5:30 and I get a reading at 9:30 or 10:30 before bed.

On the weekends I get readings throughout the day.

Really good that you are testing from the start.


The dry food should stop. That one is 14% carb which is too high for a diabetic cat. Best to just feed the fancy feast classic. You can feed whenever your cat is hungry but no food at least two hours prior to the preshot test. Most feed about 4 times a day. How much does he weigh? Is he overweight, underweight, or just right?

While her numbers are so high it is normal to be water obsessed. That should subside as the numbers improve. We have a ProZinc forum on here where experienced users can help you with dosing.

 

If you could set up a spreadsheet like the ones you see in our signatures that would be really helpful. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

 

Please set up the FDMB spreadsheet and log all your BG data on it as you get it.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
This is the best way to assess a dose's action - seeing it in context.

Here's the recommended basic testing routine:

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.

Yes, please do visit the ProZinc forum. We can help you there.

 

Great minds, Janet ...

 

Thanks for the reply!

His weight is at 13.5-lbs, a couple months ago he was over 20-lbs.

WOW!! why would a vet prescribe a food for a diabetic cat that is so high in carbs?

Bad part for me is i work 12-hr swing shifts 6am-6pm or 6pm-6am so i can't give shots exactly 12-hrs apart .. if i work days its 5:20am and about 6:20pm

 

ProZinc allows about an hour's latitude in dose timing so you shouldn't have a problem. It's an in and out insulin so there's little to no overlap from one dose to the next and that means you have a bit of flexibility in dose timing.

 

ProZinc is a little more flexible with schedule then lantus... It's OK to adjust the time by up to an hour as long as you can test.

You aren't feeding enough. My 17 lb boy used to eat 4-5 cans of fancy feast a day. Unregulated diabetic cats need more food then normal because they are not utilizing the nutrients properly so they are literally starving even though they are eating. Feed him AS MUCH AS HE WANTS... JUST NOT TWO HOURS PRIOR TO THE PRESHOT TEST. Consider getting a timed feeder since you aren't home during the day.

 

Can you recommend a timed feeder like you are talking about

 

Fancy one. TD Design Automatic Pet Feeder for Dogs & Cats | Dry & Wet Food - 5 Meals, 5 x 240ml https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMBEN6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Q.QVAbDQGB09M

Not as fancy but works

PetSafe 5-Meal Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder, Dispenses Dog Food or Cat Food, Digital Clock https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GEWHNS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hbRVAbDM8E2RK

 

Don't just stop the dry food cold turkey. It will drop his sugar. Since you are home at night and can monitor, you can give half the night time dry and work on getting that feeding stopped. Once that one is gone and out of his system then work on the daytime dry.

 

@Tadd68 you are in great hands with these wonderful and knowledgeable people here, they have helped bella and I so much

 

I made myself get up and check his sugar at 12:30am, i give him his shots at 6am & 6pm (+- 30 min) i work 12hr shifts so all week i was only able to do pre-shot tests

I just checked his BG at 12:30am which would be +6hrs post shot and his reading was 362.
Every time i check it pre-shot it has been over 400 (406-441)

When is the best time to check to get the low point? Say i give him a shot at 6am should the lowest BG reading be around 11am-12pm?

He is really peeing alot, i am giving him the Purina DM once a day (1/4 cup) and then the Fancy Feast Patē with added water another couple times a day

He seems to just want to lay around all the time and doesn't act like he feels good. He does have a good appetite and drinking.

I will start a spread sheet here soon, i have just been writing down his readings in the Diabetes Diary that came with my AlphaTrak2 meter

 

He probably feels ill from high blood glucose. Have I sent you my “new members handout”? Will do soon if not.

 

Please send to me, if you did already i didn't get it. Thank-you!
I am trying to stay calm through all of this and be positive. I have learned to test his BG with the AlphaTrak2 meter i purhased, i am also comfortable giving him shots twice daily (my wife is just kind of leaving this all up to me). This morning i just started a spread sheet and will update daily after AMPS and PMPS

Thanks so much to all of you, can someone confirm that you can see Carlos spreadsheet from link below

 

Yes i did get that over in the welcome section where i posted

 

I can see your ss. Looks like Carlos and my Olive are starting out the same this morning. He is feeling like you would after eating a huge thanksgiving dinner, sluggish and just want to take a nap.

 

OK. I won't send it again then. Maybe print it out and start a binder for Carlos? Here are some other info sheets for your binder:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...prozinc-pzi-insulin-for-diabetic-cats.164995/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/protocol-for-prozinc-pzi.165103/

I suggest you go to the ProZinc forum for dosing advice. I visit there often and there are other experienced people on that forum to guide you. It's a small forum so you won't get lost in the thread traffic.

Yes, I can see your SS.