So I just need some help. My vet started out with 2 units of prozinc. He was diagnosed with diabetes on the 28th of December. It seems to be too much for him. If he gets the 2 units when he is in the 300-400 his blood glucose to me doesn't bad but I dont want to give him the the dose if it's below 100. Here is my spreadsheet of his blood glucose since the 1st https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-TUGKYOjqBvkaL7q_J5uTGYvX4QNdq9soPH7pgFy6yE
Hi there, and welcome! I'm afraid the screen shot is rather small and blurry - I can't quite make out the numbers on it. Would you be able to share the link?
Welcome! Yes, 2 u is too much. I'm not sure what's going on with your spreadsheet but it's small and not clear when I click on it. It should fill the screen.
Hi. 1 unit twice a day is the normal starting dose. You are correct that the 2 unit dose appears to be too much. I would drop to 1 unit and give that dose for a few days to see how he does on that. Dosing increases, ideally, should be made in .25 unit increments. Do you have syringes with 1/2 unit markings? If not, I suggest you consider buying some as it makes it much easier to accurately give partial unit doses. It is great that you are testing at home! It would be helpful if you could set up a signature and put a link to your spreadsheet (rather than attaching a screenshot of it). Then, when you post for dosing help, we will be able to better see your data and advise.
I should have added that you did well not giving the doses when he was that low. If you change to the lower dose, hopefully, the pre-shot numbers will level out more.
Ideally you want pre injection BG to be in the low to mid 200s and the nadir to be in the high 90s to low 100s. We put a lot of weight on HOW LOW a dose drops the BG when assessing how well a dose is working. The pre injection numbers might stay relatively high for some time and we don't often use those to decide on a dose.
I suspect a starting dose of 1 unit twice a day might have been better. If needed we would then raise it in 0.25 unit increments until we get better BGs numbers. Here's the basic testing routine we recommend: 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 test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture 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 post here for advice whenever you're confused or unsure of what to do. You're doing really well with testing so you have this part well in hand. Fractional doses are the next thing to learn about.
It's the point at which the insulin action is at its strongest so the BG is at its lowest. It usually happens somewhere around 4 to 7 hours post injection with ProZinc but that can vary among cats and even in the same cat day to day.
Rachel, it looks like you gave 2u this morning? I really hope that is just a typo. Two units is too much insulin for your kitty and he has shown you that he gets into hypo range at that dose which can be quite dangerous. Please do some extra tests today and be ready to give him some higher carb food if he gets into those lime green numbers. Post here or on the Main forum if you get a number below 50.
Is it normal that cats eat less at times? Every day when his BS has been all over the place he has been very vocal and eats his whole meal. Today is the first day his BS hasn't been on either end of the spectrum and he didn't want to eat his whole dinner this evening
Yes, a regulated cat will often eat less, and more calmly, than one who is swinging up and down. Do try to get those mid-cycle tests as much as you can. It looks like you're adjusting the dose based on the pre-shot numbers, but that alone is not a safe way to decide on a dose - you really need to see the nadir to know if the dose should go up or down.
How fast can a cat become taken off insulin. I haven't needed to give insulin for 2 days. I'll still be monitoring daily. Just wanted to know
I can happen quickly for some kitties, especially if it was caused by steroid use and those have been discontinued.
Hi everyone, My cat seems to be doing better in numbers finally. From 5-600 bg at every start and end of cycle up until tonight. He was 513 in the Am and 336 in the Pm. He is on ff chicken feast pate, turkey and giblets feast and beef feast only for 3 days straight. I was thinking about giving him wellness or Instinct food bc it has omega's and his coat is dull and full of dandruft. He is also FIV positive and Vet said he might be in early stage of kidney disease or dehydrated because his Bun on blood panel was high. All are welcome to give me advice. Thank you in advance!
Could you please start your own thread? So we can give you suggestions specific to your cat. This thread belongs to Rachel Dickinson. Your signature says you feed him wd/md dry food, left out 24/7. If that has changed, please update the signature. Dull coat, full of dandruff is a sign that your cat's diabetes is unregulated. My diabetic cat Wink had that, when he came from the shelter and was being fed the Hill's W/d dry food. Once I got him to eat the canned food, that coat grew shinier, the fur grew back and the dandruff went away. He had nickel and dime sized patches of dandruff. Huge! And the worst case of diabetic neuropathy imaginable. Getting the blood glucose under better control, will greatly help the fur condition and the dandruff. If you brush him, that will also distribute the oils in his fur and loosen some of the dandruff and make Kitty feel better. So, only 3 days on the canned food? So far? Did you just switch him from dry food? Please be sure to get a pre-shot test every cycle. To keep your Kitty safe. You need to know that the pre-shot BG test is high enough to give your cat insulin. Then, you need to test in the middle of the cycle, to find the nadir. You need to get at least 1 test in the PM cycle, after the pre-shot test. A before bed test every night would be good to get. You also need to be a bit more consistent on your shot times. As close to 12 hours apart as you can. Some days the shot was at 10 and others it was at 11:48. Why almost a 2 hour time difference in the shot times? I realize that you may not have test data for every single day, but please include a row on the spreadsheet (SS) for each day.