1/19 Bandit PMPS 102 +3 111 +6 107 Question

1/17 condo: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3002

1/18 condo: AMPS 163 PMPS 108 +3 123 +6 96 +8 122

I wasn't able to post yesterday because school started again, and I didn't have time to update. I'm thinking since Bandit's numbers have been pretty straight on, as we're just maintaining his dose right now, that maybe I would start posting every other day unless something urgent comes up?

Spoke to vet about Bandit's numbers today...she actually wants me to decrease his dose a little (a drop less) if they stay in a normal range for the rest of the week, and see where he goes. She said it's better for him to maintain steady numbers in mid to low 100s (pretty much where he is now) for a while than hit low numbers below 100 (she was concerned with the 57/59 he hit last week, followed by his bounce up to 200) when I'm not there half of the time to monitor him. What do you all think? It's slightly different advice than I'm getting here. Would keeping him in the low 100s instead of below reduce his chances of going otj?

 

Re: 1/19 Bandit AMPS 150 Question

Hi Julia,

If Bandit were mine I would actually be considering increasing the dose to try and bring the range down, as the nadirs are not falling in the 50-80 range overall. We aim for BGs between 50 to 120 as often as possible to promote pancreatic healing. BGs in the lower to mid 100's are still above the non-diabetic range in the majority of cats.

Has your vet read the German Tight Regulation Protocol with Lantus or Levemir for Diabetic Cats/Rand's Protocol? If not, you may want to familiarize her with it. It is published and is considered by the majority of the vet community that are familiar with Lantus/Lev dosing to be the most successful way to promote both remission and regulation.

Here is the information you can share with her: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581

 

Re: 1/19 Bandit AMPS 150 Question

This is something my vet would have said too :roll: , however, I agree with Cassandra.

I'm not sure what your school schedule is like, but Sarah/Velcro had long days at school too and a lot of us on this board also work day jobs. Maybe you can send Sarah a PM and ask her specific questions.

 

Re: 1/19 Bandit AMPS 150 Question

Bandit is clearly doing great. I'm not sure what reducing his dose would accomplish.

Personally, I think most vets are so not used to having clients who test their cats the way we do that they do not want to see cats with BGs under 100. For the vet, this is a safety margin. We test. We know how to steer numbers so they don't go to low using food. A vet is trained to administer a sugar solution. Your vet is advising you based on what she knows about cats in general -- not based on how you are managing Bandit's FD. I guess that's my long winded way of saying I agree with Cassandra.

 

I did share the protocol with her, and I do think she's coming from a typical patient pov, who may not be testing all the time. I understand that the 50-120 BG is ideal, but as Bandit's numbers are starting to creep lower and lower on the current dose and I'm starting to worry more about hypo incidents with me not being there. I work a full time job during the day, a part time job at night, I'm in grad school, and I'm worried about where he's going to go when I'm not there during the day or a night shift. I hate to say it because I love Bandit to death and I want to do whatever I can to make him better, but I simply can't keep going all day and night without sleep so I can test him because the exhaustion is overwhelming me, impacting me negatively at work and personally.

I'm not ready to decrease his dose yet, and I told the vet that today. He seems to have some pretty flat numbers lately, and I'm ok with that. But what to people who have full work/school plates do to monitor their cats when they're not home? I don't have anyone here who can help me bloodtest (DBF tried, and said he just can't do it). Isn't it better to keep him a little above the ideal rather than risk killing him with a hypo incident?

 

hi julia. i agree with the others about the dose being increased slightly rather than reduced, but i can certainly understand the concerns you have since you're gone so much. one of the ways others have helped to circumvent this problem is to use a timed feeder. another option is to have food available... free feed. when kitties feel themselves drop they want to eat.

perhaps you can work with dbf til he feels comfortable testing?

 

I have an autofeeder, but I couldn't get the logistics of it to work with my other cat. Whoever heard it first got all the food, and the other got none. I ordered a second one that hasn't arrived so I have yet to see if that solves the problem.

I can only free feed dry food because Bandit will gorge himself on wet food (and sometimes dry, too) and eat until he pukes and then eat some more. That just seems like it would counteract the dose increase. I tried leaving frozen wet food out, and both cats just licked and licked at them for an hour until they were thawed enough to scarf down.

DBF tried to help me with testing once, and he insisted that he never wanted to do it again. He does help out with their afternoon feeding while I'm at work. My brother is moving in with us in a few weeks, and he might be willing to help out, so maybe that will allow me to do it. Until then, though, I think I want to keep him where he's at.