So I now have Lola on 1 unit of ProZinc, and she’s not dipping much still. Her AMPS = 193 today, and she had +1 = 185 and +3 and +5 both of 178, which appears to be her nadir, although I’m going to test again to see that she’s going up again. Anyways, this obviously isn’t much of a cycle. After keeping her on 1 unit for a few cycles, I’m thinking I should probably go up to 1.25 units, gradually increasing by 0.25 units until her nadir is consistently between 100 and 150. But what I’m wondering is, at what point do I say “wow, I’m giving a lot of ProZinc, maybe I need a different insulin” and consider switching to something like Lantus? I realize the decision also involves considering when the nadir happens, but what I’m asking is how much ProZinc is consider “a lot”.
Hi there. I think the standard reply is that “they need what they need” But one unit is not at all high. In fact, I believe it’s what newly diagnosed cats are put on to begin with, with regular increases from there, typically every three or four shot cycles. If you take a look at various kitties’ spreadsheets, you’ll see many of them on much higher doses than Lola’s. I did notice on Lola’s spreadsheet that you are holding the dose for much longer than many folks do ... May I ask why? Just curious! (For ex, we hold our cat’s increases bc she is bouncy and takes a few days to “settle into” a dose — I think. Still tryin to figure it out )
Generally we suggest looking into other insulins if you hit 6 units or so. And that's just because some insulin can sting at higher doses and Lev is supposed to not sting as much. About 6 units we being to think about high dose conditions and while you can use Prozinc just fine with those, it's cheaper to get Lantus or Lev I think and sometimes they can be better for those higher doses.