super confused

Hi. I was on here when B.D. first got diagnosed.
We went from 2 units to 1. He's on Prozinc insulin.
We just got the testing kit.
My husband and I are both a bit clueless - there's quite a learning curve.
We just tested him, and heaven forbid, I think it's at 31!
Ok.. so.. should I raise his insulin? He's ravenous. I just put a bit of maple syrup on his gums, from a suggestion.
We're like the blind leading the blind.
Please inform me in laymen's terms if you can.
We're watching our $$$ - no work during Covid.
These are rough times.
Thank you so much!!!

 

Test again 20 minutes after the maple syrup.
31 is dangerously low.

Do you have plenty of strips? Any high carb food in the house?

 

I’m at work so can’t hang around but can you please add BG 31 and the 911 prefix to your thread title so you get eyes quickly. As you’ve gathered 31 is too low, but don’t panic and don’t let him eat too much all at once you may need to keep him eating for a little while. For now the maple syrup was good and a couple of teaspoons of high carb wet would have been ideal. You want to keep testing every 15-20 minutes and repeating a little maple syrup plus a couple of teaspoons of high carb wet until he’s at least in the 50-60 range then you will be able to slow down a little on the testing and someone should be here to guide you the rest of the way

ETA: Yay - red & rover is here to help already - forget the 911 you have eyes

 

Another question. The more information we have, the better we can help you.

How long after the 1 unit of Prozinc injection was the test of 31?

Is B.D. acting okay?

 

yes. I do.. Fancy Feast w/gravy good?

 

To change the thread title.
Scroll up to the top right hand corner of this thread.
Click on "Thread Tools" then click "Edit Title"


Click where is says (No prefix) or just below it. Then click on the 911.


You can also change the title of the thread to something like - Help. Prozinc. Low numbers. 31

 

Yes.. he's acting better after the maple syrup. It's been about 20 minutes. Should I test now?

 

Ideal. Feed him a tsp of the gravy. You can press down on the food with the lid to bring the gravy to the top. That's where all the carbs are.

And please take another test now.

 

Yes.

 

Introductory thread for anyone who is following.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/newly-diagnosed.237374/

 

Tagging a few Prozinc people for advice in regards to future dosing.
@Deb & Wink
@Panic

 

@Cee Sharp – how is everything?

Here are lots of testing tips.

• Hometesting Links and Tips - includes numerous links, instructions, pictures, & videos

You want to aim for the sweet spot.



If you are nervous, singing or humming helps.

 

The BEST way to keep costs down is to start one of these:
FDMB SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS

You will be GLAD you did.

When you know how insulin is working, it empowers you.

Being able to track your cats BG numbers will show you trends and will help in getting kitty regulated quicker.
If you have trouble setting it up NO WORRIES! We have really good and kind people to help you with it.

jeanne

 

How is everything @Cee Sharp
Did you manage to get another test?
Can you feed a bit more gravy with a few drops of maple syrup in it, please?

 

Oh dear I didnt know that 20 was world number or AT meter sigh. Glad you're here Kel.

 

Per the User ID profile, she's in the US, in the mid-west. So that 31 is a US mg/dL blood glucose (BG) reading.

 

@Cee Sharp
I have to go offline. There are a few people looking out for you.
If you post and do not get a response quick, change the title of your thread and add a 911 if necessary. The instructions are in this thread. Post #6.
I hope everything is okay with B.D., and with you. Thank goodness you tested tonight and caught that low number. We all realize that it can be overwhelming. Feline diabetes is a steep learning curve. We will help you every step of the way. It will all become second nature quickly.

 

Sorry for not responding - we're super confused about this and getting a 2nd opinion from a new Vet next week.
B.D.'s glucose reading has been around 400.. "that" being about 20 minutes after he eats.
We're still trying to figure out the feeding/testing/shooting order.
We have 2 other kitties - one overweight and one underweight - it's becoming a challenge to feed them exactly what they need.
Our old Vet initially told us to feed B.D. only 2X's a day - B.D. has always been a grazer, and the first 2 units of Prozinc made him vomit & lethargic.
Now, I'm letting him graze a bit - with the major meals 2X's a day - and I lessened his Prozinc to 1 1/2 units.
He's sleeping better - staying out on our patio (it's warm tonight) but, I still am confused.
We were told to bring him next Tuesday w/everything we've been doing - our charts/etc..
I'm just confused as to why we can't seem to bring his number down. He's lost weight - but, he is eating/drinking & urinating.
Diabetes is a hard thing to manage, from what I can see.
Thanks for any help. Again, I apologize for not responding. 2020 has not been my favorite year, needless to say - very challenging in many ways.

 

BTW... I'm not so sure the 31 was an adequate reading on Sunday. My husband and I are just learning how to use the glucose meter. He ordered the AlphaTrak from Amazon - but, we've poked our poor kitty to death. Yes - there's definitely a learning curve. Now I know why I'm a singer and not a nurse. (little humor)

 

From:
Sticky NEW TO THE GROUP: THE PROZINC BASICS. PLEASE START HERE.


The proper sequence for dosing insulin is: Test/Feed/Shoot. In the beginning, if your cat’s BG is not up to at least 200 mg/dL {11 mmol/L}, if your schedule allows, you can stall (without feeding) for 20+minutes, then retest the BG. You are looking for a number that is rising, not falling and up to 200 mg/dL {11 mmol/L}. If you stall once, but can’t do another round of stalling and your cat hasn’t reached a BG of 200 mg/dL {11 mmol/L}, you’ll need to skip the dose and wait until the next cycle. NOTE: Because pet-specific meters (such as the AlphaTrak2) often read higher than human meters, you may want to adjust the NO-SHOOT number to 225 mg/dL {12.5 mmol/L} or even 250 mg/dL {14 mmol/L} This gives you an added margin of safety when using an AlphaTrak2 or other pet-specific meter.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not feed your cat within the two-hour window right before the scheduled dose time; doing this can raise your cat’s blood significantly, giving you a higher BG number based on food. This could result in your giving insulin when you should not, or giving more insulin than you should.

You can find some suggestions about what to ask a vet here:

• Vet Interview/Screening Topics & Check List

Do click on the Vet Interview.

Tagging some experienced Prozinc users for you.
@Deb & Wink
@Panic
@JanetNJ

A bit of neosporin with pain relief ointment (not the cream) will help the ears. Also associating getting tested with a low carb treat helps. Freeze dried treats are low carb.

 

Thanks so much.