Pet Wellbeing Products

Good Morning from snowy Virginia!

I'm interested to know if any of you have used the "Blood Sugar Gold" product from Pet Wellbeing. My 12 yr old Freddie has been diagnosed for 3 yrs (going on 4). He's on a two-dose/day of proZinc and a wet diet. The problem is that he's started to have rather wide swings in Bg numbers over the last 6 months. He can start the day around 250, then spike to 350 around noon, then 2 hrs. later go down to 191 and by feeding at 6pm, he's back up to 260. Then, by 11pm he's at 150!! I use Relion 30/10 needles (100 iu) and give (now) 2.5 u am & pm.

I was wondering if these drops Pet Wellbeing drops might help with regulation. I've tried adjusting the insulin AM/PM but my vet thinks the body responds best to regular injections of the same amount twice a day. We sometimes adjust the dose slightly but keep it there until our "test day" once a month. (I do that every two hours at home.)

Of course, all this bad weather makes him get little exercise - and that doesn't help! Would appreciate your thoughts.

Kati, Fred & Bella

What you may be seeing is an inverse curve. This can be a sign the insulin dose is too high.

Have you tried reducing him 0.25 units or so to see if that helps?

Would you be willing to record his glucose tests in a shareable grid format? We have a Google Docs template that can be uploaded into your Google Docs account, then shared in a read only mode so others may review and give feedback. Instructions are here.

Can you explain an inverse curve? His numbers seem to be highest after shooting, then taper down during the day.

I tried posting the numbers but couldn't get the grid to work for me. I'll try again if that will help.

Thanks,

Kathleen & Fred

With a normal curve, there should be a gradual decrease in glucose to the middle of the cycle, then usually an increase towards the end and the next shot.

An inverse curve is when it goes up at the middle of the cycle and back down, which I thought you were describing - but if I'd seen the grid, I might've realized you weren't describing that.

If you find that you skip shots due to being too low to shoot safely, that also can be an indicator that a reduction could be needed or, it could mean you might loer your no shot level if the nadir tests are still high enough to be safe (over 50 mg/dL on a human glucometer, 80 mg/dL on a pet-specific one).

Hi Kathleen and extra sweet Fred!!

I'm interested to know if any of you have used the "Blood Sugar Gold" product from Pet Wellbeing

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This comes up every now and then, and the answer is "save your money". I realize the testimonials on their site sound fantastic (almost like a MIRACLE cure!), but with diabetes approaching epidemic proportions in humans, if something this simple and easy actually worked, I'm sure we'd ALL have heard about it. This is a case of "If it's too good to be true..."

I've tried adjusting the insulin AM/PM but my vet thinks the body responds best to regular injections of the same amount twice a day.

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From the PZI/ProZinc Forum: ProZinc and PZI are unique in that they can be dosed in two ways, depending on how the car responds. Some cats seem to do best if a specific dose is held for several cycles. It seems to take that long for their numbers to really change. Some cats respond to a sliding scale, getting a different dose for different preshot numbers. Collecting data will help you see which regiment works best for your cat. If you need help with a sliding scale, ask people on the PZI forum to guide you.

Which brings me to my final bit of advice...

"test day" once a month.

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You would get much better (and safer) results if you'd home test, every day. Testing only once/month really isn't going to tell you anything, especially since cats are cats. If you happen to test on a day that they got excited or upset over seeing a bird outside the window or a dog barked at them, your tests results are going to be skewed. All kinds of things affect how cats react to insulin, so only testing once a month just isn't going to give you enough information to know what's really going on.

We strongly suggest home testing before each shot, and again about half way through the cycle, so in the morning, you'd test before shooting, feed and shoot, and then sometime between 5 and 7 hours later, test again to see how far that dose is dropping Fred. In the evening, you'd repeat, with testing, feeding/shooting, and get a test either before bed, or if you're schedule allows, between 5 and 7 hours after that shot. The dose you'd give would depend on those numbers.

There are quite a few members here on the ProZinc Forum. You might want to try posting over there with your questions to get the most experienced eyes, but they're going to suggest the same thing I have..that you need to test more often so you get a clear picture of what the insulin is doing

Whatever you decide, I wish you and Fred the best of luck, and the best of health!

Since I work, the best I can do with testing is 6:30 am (shoot, feed, shoot), then test at 3pm, 6:30pm (test, feed, shoot), then test again at 10:30pm. I could test more often on weekends.

I will try to post my results on the chart you all use, but on the past I've had trouble using it.

After I have more data, I'll post the results on the ProZinc board and we can go from there.

Question: Should diabetic cats get small meals throughout the day to keep sugar levels more stable? If so, how is that best done?....bigger meals early & late with snacks mid-am/pm?? Or is it best just to feed twice? Fred is 16.5 lbs (a large male of 12 yrs.). When first diagnosed (12/31/10) he weighed 18 lbs and I've been slowly getting him down. The vet suggested 2.5 5.5 cans per day - that's 13.75oz per day, which seems like a lot to me. But maybe spread out over several meals would be good for him. Would like your thoughts. Somehow I think eating is the key.

I've tried raw food and he just gains weight, plus it strips my savings account. I'm not into making food, yet - too daunting, but maybe I should give it another look. Right now I feed Fancy Feast & Friskies, using the FD food chart....mostly.

Sorry to be so long-winded.....but appreciate your expertise.

Kathleen, "Fred" & "Bella", who are mourning the death of our dear "Lucy-Fur", who died of kidney failure at 15.4 yrs on February 12th. There is a big empty space in our home today!

Feeding smaller meals more frequently may help the pancrease recover by not burdening it too much at one time.

You want the 2 hours before the next shot to be without food so you get a better idea of how well the glucose is being controlled.

The insulin is wearing off after the low point (nadir), so feeding most food in the 1st half of the 12 hours may work best. You'll experiment to find what works for your cat.

The PetSafe 5 is a good timed feeder to use in spreading out the food in small amounts. It is harder to break open.

Another option is to freeze part of a meal and leave out both fresh and frozen at feeding time. The frozen may be nibbled as it thaws.

First of all, my deepest condolences on the loss of your Lucy-Fur. No matter how long we have them, it's never long enough.
Fly free Lucy-Fur and Land Softly. There are many at the Bridge to welcome you. wings_cat

As for feeding, several small meals is actually better than 2 big ones! Smaller meals don't stress the pancreas the way big meals do, so by all means, spread out the feedings! There are a couple of ways to do it. One is to buy an automatic feeder that you can program to open at a set time during the day while you're away from home. This Pet Safe Auto Feeder is a favorite here, but they also have one with just 2 compartments. The other option is making food-sicles. Take a can of food, mix with water and put into ice cube trays or muffin trays and freeze. Most cats won't eat what they can't smell, and frozen food doesn't usually smell. As it thaws, it will once again smell like cat food, so it's another way of leaving food out for "later". Only rule is that no food for the 2 hours prior to pre-shot tests.

If you're feeding the Fancy Feasts and Friskies under 10% carbs from the Food Chart you're doing fine. It's not necessary to go broke to feed your sugarcat.

As for "how much to feed", a general rule is about 1 oz per pound, so if he's 16lbs, 13.75oz/day is fine..especially if you're trying to take a little weight off. There a lot of great info on Feline Obesityregarding how to safely reduce.

If you have problems with getting the spreadsheet set up, please let us know. We have people here who can get it set up and started for you so all you have to do is sign in and enter your results. You'll need to have a Google Account, but that just requires an email addy and password. If you haven't already gone through How to set up your spreadsheet, give it a try. I'm a total techno-nerd so when I first looked at the directions I became overwhelmed, but I just kept trying and ended up getting it done!

Keep asking questions, and let us know if you need help with the spreadsheet!!

As for "how much to feed", a general rule is about 1 oz per pound

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Yeah, well maybe some cats need to eat that much. But if I fed my 3 cats 1 Oz per pound, they would be overweight in no time. I don't want to go through that weight loss diet again with my civie Monet.

My 3 kitties eat just a little over 0.5 oz per pound and maintain their weight nicely. I do weigh them 2x a week to check their progress. They are all eating the Fancy Feast and Friskies pates.

It's all part of that ECID (Every Cat is Different) mantra. Some cats need more food, some cats need less food.

Hello Kathleen and Fred,
I never heard of Pet Wellbeing Products before.
I giving my cat MIKO try PetAlive - UTI-Free and it's Really Work.
I have searching online & asking PetAlive Experts to know more about the product.
We are happy they have International Shipping.
They also have GlucoEnsure to help maintain normal insulin levels and blood sugar.
If you like to know more about this product you can try to Ask PetAlive Experts.
GlucoEnsure: http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/ ... cats.html/

MIKO having UTI-Free already 9 months, his urinalysis test still maintenance normal range every month.
He eat smaller meals every 3 hour am-pm (canned food & steam chicken breast ).
I have write my reviews on the link below,
http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/products/uti-free-cat-dog-urinary-tract-infection.html
Hope my experience can help you. ;-)


mikomeow
My cat MIKO is 15 years old male cat. He had a diabetic already 4 years & urinary tract infection. His urinalysis test showed leukocytes in the urine continue to be 3plus and WBC up to 500/ul. After multiple vet visits and had try 5 different brand antibiotic for 5 months, there hasn't been anymore bacteria in his urine but the leukocytes are still 3 plus & WBC are very high (up to 500/ul). Antibiotic make him vomit & tired. I live in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. After doing some research online and see all good review from PetAlive I decided to give it a try and purchased a bottle of UTI-Free. I'm so glad I did! I pouring some into the cap and then to a small spoon mix with wet food. My cat love it and now I give him twice a day. After giving him the UTI-Free for 7 days, full analysis of his urine including culture and sensitivity again. This product is a miracle! It really works! The result show leukocytes not-detected and WBC is 0/ul. Me and my family are very happy to see this great result. UTI-Free has improved the quality of my cat life tremendously and we highly recommend it. We will keep on purchase this amazing product for keep my cat healthy & happy always.
Thank you very much PetAlive for your great products.
Thanks again (=^ェ^=)

I'm really struggling with this spreadsheet. I set up a google account and entered the info for Fred under "Fred's BG Chart". Now I can't find the file anymore! This is frustrating. Where could it be stored? I must not have saved it correctly, but Google says I now have an account.....I may give up and try tomorrow, keeping hand-written notes for a while.

By the way, do cats " mourn"? Fred hasn't been himself since Lucy-Fur died on Wed. His numbers are up and he seems lethargic. She was sick for a while and not interacting with Fred or Bella, but they knew she was around, of course. Maybe I'm just imagining things and it was just the melting snow slamming off the roof, then all the rain & cold that has him off his game. Bella seems fine, but she's just 10 and not diabetic.

He was scheduled for a blood work checkup tomorrow, but I may cancel until he's more himself. Warmer weather this week may get him out for a little exercise, which never hurts sugar cats!!

Thanks for the tips on foods....that part is always a struggle for me.

Kathleen & Fred

Kathleen, try going to Google Drive. Your spreadsheet should show up there.

Yes, absolutely cats do mourn!! They have to work through it just like we do. About all you can do is talk with him and let him know you miss Lucy-Fur too and you know he has to be upset. Try to get him interested in things he enjoys, but don't be surprised if he's not ready yet.

Since we can't see the spreadsheet, how high do you mean when you say his numbers are up? Are you testing for ketones? If not, and he's acting lethargic, it could be his way of dealing with the loss of Lucy-Fur, or he could be sick. It's important for you to check.

Hopefully you'll be able to find your spreadsheet, but if you still have trouble, maybe you could just post his numbers for us until you get it straightened out.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

I did the spreadsheet and came up with this site. The file is "Fred's BG Chart", but it wasn't clear that it was being uploaded. See if you can get it.

I'm not good at tech stuff, but this file is out on the Google Drive and I haven't put any restrictions on public access. If this doesn't work, I may try to go to
tech side of Feline Diabetes and see if I can get some help.

Hope you can see it.

Thanks,
Kathleen and Fred

I can see it just fine. You don't need to do a thing.

Yippee!!! But, can I do it again?????

Now, you want to copy and past the link for sharing the spreadsheet into your signature.

In Google Docs, you'll do a File, Share and get the link to use in allowing viewing access only.

Here, in User Control Panel, you'll edit your signature and add that in.

No rush, but will someone look at this message and see if I've entered Fred's chart so that it can be read. Trying to do this tech stuff while tired from work and watching the Olympics does not make for good results!!

Also, I went into Avatar to post his picture and it wouldn't let me because it's too big -- but I don't know how to reduce my pic for posting. Very frustrating.

His numbers are all over the range....don't know why. He's calming a little from losing Lucy-Fur, but these numbers seem off. Holding steady now at 3u until I can see a clear trend.

Thanks,
Kathleen and Fred

That's why we have a Tech Support section. Here's the post on Avatars. Note: do the adjustment in pixels, not ration; the maximum width and height is 90 each.

Yes, I have read only access to your SS now from your signature. You did well with the setup. Thanks so much.

Looks like Fred is bouncing off that low of 94 from last night. It can take up to 72 hours for a bounce to clear, so you need to be patient with these high numbers.

You know that 3U can drop him way down into the greens, so you certainly don't want to increase at this point. Let's see what happens in a couple of days with Fred's BG readings.

Deb....thanks. It's a relief to know you can read it. I'll deal with the avatar thing later.

Fred was scheduled for routine senior blood work panel at the vet this week. I've cancelled that until things get back to a more normal routine. Also, he likes to go out and watch birds from the front porch, but cold has kept him in. Temps are expected to go up today and tomorrow, so his general well-being may also improve.

He hates to be tested (doesn't mind shots), but I'll do the best I can to get the information we need.

Thanks again,

Need some help!! Stressing out!!!!

Before I left for work, I did a quick check on Fred. I can't enter the results on my SS because my office computer won't open Google docs for some strange reason. Anyway, +2 he was at 412. That's a huge jump from the AMPS number. I gave him a little snack as I left.

This is just so strange -- is he still stressed? Why are the numbers so nuts????

Kathleen and Fred

Did you give 3 units this AM since it is not listed in the SS?
Based on previous AM readings, a +2 is usually higher than the PS.

I'd say that Fred is bouncing. Last night he got down to 94, which is probably lower than his body is used to.

When they drop into lower numbers than their body has become accustomed to, they can "bounce". The liver thinks there's something wrong and floods the system with hormones and sugars to bring it back up to where it's used to. It's a leftover "survival mode" from when cats lived in the wild. It can take up to 72 hours for the effects of a bounce to clear.
As they spend more and more time in "normal numbers" (50-120) the liver slowly has to re-learn what normal is so it doesn't over-react each time.

3 units is a HUGE dose for most cats. We usually suggest starting at 1 unit and only increasing .25 unit as we gather data on how each dose is doing.

I have been using 2.5u for many months, but when his numbers went into the 300's this last week, I thought he needed help. Now this!

I don't know how to handle a "bounce". What should I do -- feed less/more; shoot less insulin? He's already stressed and I'm just making things worse!!

HELP.

Kathleen and Fred

Yes. He got 3.0u around 7am. SS should be updated now.
Also, he ate normally at 7am (about 4 oz.) then another ounce around 10am. Ate both, no problem - even played with his ball, which is why I was so shocked to see the big number at +3.

Bouncing just happens.

It's your cat's liver's way of protecting Fred when the blood glucose goes too low, and doesn't understand that normal numbers are NOT too low!

All you can do is just hold on and wait for it to clear.

Keep testing as often as you can. Data will tell us if you need to adjust the dose

You also might want to move over to the Pro Zinc Forum. You'll get the most experienced Pro Zinc user's eyes there to help you learn how best to control Fred's BG

Thanks...that was calming.

I'll move over to ProZinc now. Appreciate your help!