Update on Kali

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nora

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Glucose test at vet today had Kali's level at 60; they rubbed a little Karo on her lips and had me feed her immediately when we got home. Her dosage will be adjusted down from 3 units to 2. I feel relieved that she's down from 500 and it seems I am finally getting more insulin into her. Watching the on-line videos helped.

Can I ask generally how often people are feeding their sugar cats (I like that term--it's less scary than the "D" word and the kitties are awfully sweet). Right now I'm feeding pretty much whenever Kali asks me (I'm retired so can do this throughout the day and night) but wondering if it's better for her if I give her bigger meals 3 times a day or what.

Once again, thanks to all who give so much help and inspiration here.
 
It's actually easier on a the pancreas to deal with small meals instead of big ones, so I feed China about every 3 hours. It depends on the cat though...some people try to get all their food in before nadir so that as the insulin is naturally wearing off, they're not adding carbs, so they'll feed at PS through about +6 and then nothing after that.

Have you been home testing? It's a lot more accurate than testing at the vet since the added stress of being at the vet can raise the blood glucose by as much as 200 points. We can help you learn how....and it's not anywhere near as scary as it sounds and actually can make your relationship with your sugarcat even closer!!
 
Can we get you started using our grid to record your glucose tests? It will help us give you better feedback. Instructions are here.

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning, pre-shot, test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening, pre-shot, test)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

The nadir is the lowest glucose between shots. There is a general period when it will happen which is specific to the insulin being used and testing then helps make sure your cat doesn't go too low.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
 
Higher numbers will usually lead to bottomless appetites. As someone mentioned above, smaller meals broken up over the day is easier for the pancreas to respond to. So you have options:

1) Break the meals up over the entire day.
2) Freeze small sections, so if you want to leave for a bit, you can set out a "puck of food" which will defrost over time & help spread out that meal.
3) Look at using automatic feeders. We went to using a Petsafe 5 model that we bought off of Amazon. They are expensive, but they work well & Ernie's #'s have shown the results as well.


Good up the good work
 
Nora, there is such a controversy over feeding schedules. Some feel smaller meals better for the pancreas and some feel two times a day so that you can get a better idea of the nadir (the lowest point of the cycle) so that you can adjust the insulin appropriately. I was doing the 3 -4 feedings with Bubba at first, then I switched to 2 /day 12 hours apart, right before insulin and I saw his numbers through the day time start to come down. From what I read, cats aren't grazer, cows are. Cats are carnivores and might only eat one meal (a mouse ) a day and that high protein sustains them till the next meal. Cats that have other health issues besides diabetes do need to be fed smaller meals and more frequently. It is something you'll have to experiment with and see what works for Kali. Every Cat is Different (EVID).
 
Really good information here, things I wouldn't have thought of (like "puck" food, automatic feeders which would be a help for me during the night, and giving only two meals vs. more frequent smaller ones depending on cats' needs and numbers--thank you Rusty). I know having the spreadsheet would be very helpful for me, you and my vet, but (and my therapist says with me there's always a but--I don't think she means it as a compliment LOL) I'm so old I've never done a spreadsheet before! Time to put on my big girl britches. I need to rent somebody's grandkid.

Chris, sorry to be dumb, but what's a PS and what does +6 mean? I'm not home testing yet BJM, but obviously taking Kali every week to the vet is not something I want to put her thru, altho she tolerates it well, but the $35 bucks for a test that may be skewed due to stress could be better spent on food and supplies, right?

I see how the lifestyle I've given my indoor cats is totally unnatural. I never thought about them not being cows (sounds silly, but that was a great example Bobbie!). It makes sense that in the wild they might only get one meal a day, and sometimes maybe not even that.

All of your cats are so beautiful and look happy and well-loved! I hope to get a photo of Kali up soon, too. Thanks again!--Nora and Kali
 
Hi Nora. I too had never done a spreadsheet (I'm technologically challenged!) but the wonderful people here did it for me. All I had to do was plug in the numbers! If you need help, just ask and someone will help you. PS means pre shot. You'll have AMPS-morning preshot. And PMPS evening preshot. + 1. Means one hour post shot, +2- 2 hours post shot... You should test the blood sugar, feed, then give the insulin. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for help on that spreadsheet!
 
Bobbie has a very good point. ECID!

While feeders and multiple small meals of Friskies Trukey & Gib Pate has served Ernie well, it might not be the best regiment for every other cat.

I would like to take credit for the frozen pucks and feeders. But that credit goes to those who came before me. And I picked up on it by researching through the board. And suggestions of other members.
 
I need to rent somebody's grandkid [/QUOTE]
Another good one, Nora, I am still laughing!!!
ETA: Someone can help you with setting up the Spread Sheet. Just ask in a post.
 
Hi Nora. I'm not technology challenged but I couldn't get the spreadsheet on any of my 3 gadgets. Someone here attached it to my signature. I can do it from my phone which is so tiny. On my desktop I have to use Google and it's so sloooow and freezes a lot. Can't use it on kindle at all.

I just enter my numbers and use a stylus (my fat fingers on tiny keyboard of the phone don't work together). I'm up and running now. Create a new thread and ask for help, someone will answer. You'll be stalked until you do!!!! Lol.
 
Because of my work schedule, I put down food twice a day- about 12 hours apart- I also pick up the food 1 hour before I test. so- put food out at 5am and put down new food at 6am. same for the evening. I did my pre shot tests at 6am and 6pm right before I put the food down and gave his insulin as he started to eat. Every cat really is different, but it helps to get a sense of what everyone else does so you have an idea- then you can adjust it to your cat and lifestyle :-)
 
Nora...I completely understand the feeling of technology being something that you really don't want to get into or might need help with. I'd ask for the help and let someone else set up your spread sheet for you (either a member here or "someone's rented grandkid"!!! Oh good heaven's, I laughed at that one!!!) And, *IF* you really don't WANT to do it (not everyone does)...keep a little booklet where you just physically write down the numbers you get and if someone wants to see them here or you need to have someone look at them, you can type them in in these posts until/unless you wish to have one set up for you. Don't be afraid to let someone else set it up for you though. People can do it for you here and you just type the numbers into the boxes with no hassle. :) Just be sure to keep a nice record going...even if written in a dollar store notebook with dates, times, numbers etc.. :) Something YOU understand and can translate. :)

As for the feeding...I think it depends upon your cat. If your cat normally "nibbles/grazes" all day, one thing that you don't want to do is "stress" the cat by changing up too much all at once. Whether we realize it or not...being hungry and not being able to get to food when they're used to doing that...IS a stress for them. "I want food! I want food! I want food! Why isn't she giving me food?!!!" So, if Kali has been used to being able to graze/nibble...try getting a timed feeder and keeping it that way for her. :)

The one thing that no one is really saying here yet is that cats don't tend to have the post-prandial (after meal) blood glucose spike that humans or dogs do so, it's ok to feed and depending on your cat...also allows them to eat when they want to if they're starting to decline in their blood glucose levels too far. It is easier on the pancreas to have several meals per day/graze than 2 or 3 larger meals. It depends on YOUR cat, your lifestyle and YOU...as well as what your VET tells you to do. :)
 
nora said:
I'm so old I've never done a spreadsheet before! Time to put on my big girl britches. I need to rent somebody's grandkid.
Click to expand...
I like to think of my age this way..........

.
crispy-cat.jpg
 
nora said:
Chris, sorry to be dumb, but what's a PS and what does +6 mean? I'm not home testing yet BJM, but obviously taking Kali every week to the vet is not something I want to put her thru, altho she tolerates it well, but the $35 bucks for a test that may be skewed due to stress could be better spent on food and supplies, right?
Click to expand...

Sorry!! PS is the "Pre-shot" test...you should always get a test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to have insulin at all. There's an AMPS and PMPS (morning and night ) and then any tests you get later in the cycle use the "+ system". Since we're all over the world here, instead of giving times, when you get other tests in, we want to know how long it's been since the last shot, so +6 is 6 hours after the last shot, +8 is 8 hours after, +3 is 3 hours after, etc....

Home testing is one of the best things you can do for Kali since it's the only way to really know how well her body is responding to the insulin and it's also the only way to keep her safe! Shooting insulin when you don't know what the blood glucose is doing is like driving down the highway with a bag over your head...You might be fine for awhile, but at some point, something bad is going to happen!

Here's one of the better video's on home testing

Most of us use human meters here because the cost of strips for the pet meters is around $1 each, and if you test 4-8 times a day, you can see how that would add up to a lot of money. The favorites around here are the Relion Confirm or Micro (both available at WalMart only) ....they're about $15 and the strips to go with them are $35.88/100

Lantus is an excellent insulin, but I see your vet raised Kali from 2 to 3U. We don't ever do increases in whole units, so it's important that you learn to test so you can keep Kali safe. Here we do increases in .25 unit increments so we don't go past what may be a "perfect" dose for your cat. Having syringes that measure half units is really helpful (and again, WalMart carries them as do some other makers of insulin syringes)

Keep asking questions! The people here are great about offering their time and experience to help the next guy! And for sure, if you need help with setting up your spreadsheet, just ask!
 
@Chris & China

Shooting insulin when you don't know what the blood glucose is doing is like driving down the highway with a bag over your head.

I don't know about you but, there are days when I FEEL like I'm driving down the highway with a bag over my head! ;)
Not sure I want to take it off some days as I really might see what's ahead of me and know when I'm in for the smash I'm going to end up getting into anyway! ;) :woot::blackeye:;)
And, I'm NOT talking about our Sugar Kittys' BG here! ;) :rolleyes::smuggrin:o_O
 
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