Xuxu, 2/1/13 home and on Lantus

I don't know if I should keep switching back and forth, but since Xuxu is not on Lantus again, I'm back here. Maybe I should just be on the general health board?

Xuxu is back home with his feeding tube. Since I forgot and gave his mirtazapine the night before surgery, he's still eating on his own. Poor baby was ravenous when I dropped him off at the vet since I had to withhold food after midnight. And as soon as he woke up he was crying for food. Unfortunately they gave him AD through the tube with a liquid food. His BG went up to 750 early the next morning for the first time in days. How long does food affect BG?

Anyway, he's still eating on his own but with the neck brace seems to want me to hold the food on a spoon rather than bending down to get it from a dish. I may have to go out to get one of those elevated dog dishes for him. If he goes with pattern, his apetite will wear off today and I'll have to use the feeding tube late this afternoon. Does anyone know why you can only give mirtazapine every 3 days? One of the vet techs had heard there was neurological damage from giving it more often but couldn't remember where she had read it.

He has 5 more days on the Panacur, then we will see if it's made any difference. I admit I was so close to letting him go, but once the ketones were gone, he was a different cat. But it still stands that if the Panacur or steroids (as a last shot) don't work, then Atopica would be the only option, and some form as cancer the source.

But he is a fighter and it just doesn't seem fair if I give up before he does.

 

You may want to post those questions over on the General Health board, since I really can't tell you about any of those meds and this particular forum is pretty quiet for the most part...But you will get lots and lots of eyes on Health and I'm sure somebody over there has dealt with the meds you are using right now.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

You're dealing with more than diabetes and the appetite is variable. This meals the glucose levels are even more variable.

Because you are able to monitor frequently (at least, based on how often you are testing), I am wondering if ProZinc might work better for you. There is no carryover. It has a lower concentration (U-40) which makes micro-dosing easier. You can still use the U-100 syringes by using a conversion chart, or converting the dose (just multiply the U-100 mark by 0.4). And you can work out a sliding scale to handle all the ups and downs he's having.

 

I've wondered about ProZinc. That's the only insulin my vet has any real experience with. But I hate to just keep switching insulins. Am I jerking his immune system around by constantly switching. I am still having the same problem with Lantus, about every 3rd shot, it doesn't seem to enter his system, so he stays at over 700 the whole time.

 

That's why I'm wondering if ProZinc might work better now, with no carryover; you could adjust the dose a lot more easily.