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sherrib

sherrib

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This Morning I started switching over to can from Hills MD dry.
I picked up his food at 7;30 , at 9:10 he got his shot AMPS 461 and some friskies poultry platter pate mixed w water, he just ate a little so about 30- 40 mins later he wanted more. broke down gave him more can, he ate the rest of it which was about 1/4 of the can

Notice I did 4.5 units ( judging by eye ) instead of 5 units

AMPS - 461 ( gave 4.5 units ) ( 9:10 AM)
+2- 266 ( 11:00 AM )
 
please look at his SS

at 3:15 or so I have to leave to pick up my daughter from school. School gets out at 3:40
 
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Just so I have the time frame right, you are on eastern time, right?

I would get a +4 test to see if he keeps dropping.
 
That is a pretty steep drop. I am glad you are testing. The food may let him surf along which would be great.

For reference: we generally consider a cat regulated if they are in the mid/lower 200s at preshot and in double digits at nadir (usually 5-7 hours after the shot) but not below 50 which is nearing hypo range. So that can be your first target.

If he would drop below 50 at some point, just feed regular low carb food. If he'd continue to drop into the 40s, then you can give him a teaspoonful of the gravy off higher carb (gravy Fancy Feast works well for this and should be in your hypo kit along with honey or Karo syrup). Test every 20 minutes or so till you get 3 rising numbers.

I don't see any scary numbers today necessarily. The wet food usually takes a couple cycles to really starting trending the numbers downward, although some cats have an immediate reaction. Regardless, congrats on making the switch and I hope you will see some real improvement in his numbers. I'd get tests as you can today. If you see a drop into the 50s, post for some guidance.

And remember to breathe - you want him out of those ugly reds and blacks. The food change is a huge step to getting there.
 
I have my alarm set to test him every 2 hours today

So if he is at or below 200 do I still give him insulin every 12 hours? Right now he gets it between 9-9:30 AM & PM

if he is at or below 50 I give him gravy from any Fancy feast? I am going to list all the can food I have on hand in the next post. I do have karo
 
sherrib said:
I have my alarm set to test him every 2 hours today

So if he is at or below 200 do I still give him insulin every 12 hours? Right now he gets it between 9-9:30 AM & PM

if he is at or below 50 I give him gravy from any Fancy feast? I am going to list all the can food I have on hand in the next post. I do have karo
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For now, 200 might be a good number to hesitate at giving insulin, and if you did, you would only give a much smaller dose than 4.5u
Depending on what his numbers do, you don't neccisarily have to wait until you see a 50 before "intervening". It also depends on where in the cycle you are when you see numbers that look too low. One step at a time though.
 
Don't panic, Sherri. 200 is a lovely number. The only caution we give is shooting below 200 for newbies at first.
I'd just get a few tests today - because you can and when it's handy - to see if the food is going to impact his levels in a good way.

You need a few gravy lovers Fancy Feasts in your hypo kit, just in case.
 
I am going to be using 9-lives or friskies because its bigger cans and I am feeding 2 cats ( I think, can i mix & match)?
These are what I have right now
Friskies Chicken in gravy Tasty treasures ( not on the safe list)??
Friskies Turkey & Cheese Tasty treasures pate
Friskies Poulty platter classis pate

Fancy Feast Kitten Turkey feast
fancy feast Chicken feast classic
 
OH.... he is at 45
and he put up a fight to test, so I got my finger too.

Do I give him food?
 
Yes, give him some gravy if you have some handy. and test him again in 15-20 minutes.
 
It'd be nice to get another test to be sure the first one was accurate, but I guess we should err on the safe side if that is impossible. Going from 200 to 45 that quick would be unusual.
I
Give him about a tablespoon of his gravy food and see if you can get another test while his mouth is busy.
 
I measured out a tablespoon of friskies Chicken,cheese in gravy Taste Treasures. the only food I had with any gravy.
going to test in 20 mins.
I am glad i lowered him to 4.5 from 5 units

Im calm & breathing LOL ;)
 
Calm and breathing is good. The gravy should bring him up. You do want to feed little amounts rather tha half a can. You want him to be willing to eat when you need him to.
 
"tasty treasures" sounds like it should be plenty high in carbs. :)
We'll be watching for the next test number.
 
Ok. tAke some of the honey and rub it on his gums with your finger. If he were mine, I would do that and head to the vet. They can give him glucose and bring him up faster than you can. He is dropping pretty early in the cycle and it is dangerous, IMO, to try to bring his numbers up over time.
 
Great. I'm thinking you might have to bring him to the vet really soon. Do you have anyone with you that can drive? If you do, great. That way you can keep an eye on Skittles. Bring the karo with you.
 
If the vet thinks you can manage it, then repeat the "rub karo on his gums" routine and test every 15 minutes and post the numbers.
 
I added the "911" icon to make sure people see this thread. I'll show you how to do that later in case it happens in the future.
 
just got back from the vet, he is okay now.I drove myself. I didnt use the karo I just left. he HATES the ride, when I got there he was tested and they said he was 96 then.

he gets no insulin tonight and goes back to 4 units in AM. I hated the way I was treated and will be switching vets. I will tell ya'll all about it when I get back, I have to go get my daughter from school ( tomorrow is her B-day )
where should I write up the way I was treated? I hate to say anything bad since Im a big Christian and shouldnt but the way I was treated was just not right. Three times staff has been wrong within a week.
 
oh... they didnt give him anything ( that I know of)
Was told "NO more curves, I will do them from now on!" ( said the vet )
 
I'd leave out some food for him. Sherri. The trip to the vet probably elevated his levels and they might have dropped since you got home. He should be fine, but I like to be cautious.

We can talk about the vet and dosing later. Have a good time with your daughter.
 
Sorry to hear that you were treated badly! You can post it here. Christians are allowed to vent, you know. I'm pretty sure Jesus got ticked off occasionally. :bighug:

Early happy b-day to your daughter!

The other thing I just noticed is the note in your SS that says "maybe trace ketones" this morning? That is something that you definitely want to keep an eye out for. Test when you can!

A new vet might be a good idea too. I think it's very important for all of us to have a good relationship with our vets. Maybe some of them don't quite "get" feline diabetes, but you have to be able to work with them regardless.
 
sherrib said:
I hate to say anything bad since Im a big Christian and shouldnt but the way I was treated was just not right. Three times staff has been wrong within a week.
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I think you can rightly take the "three strikes & you're OUT" attitude about this vet.
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA) said:
A new vet might be a good idea too. I think it's very important for all of us to have a good relationship with our vets.
Click to expand...
sherrib said:
I hated the way I was treated and will be switching vets.
Click to expand...
Absolutely! As for feeling bad about saying anything negative because you're a committed Christian, Sherri - Your vet/and the vet's staff clearly broke The Golden Rule. And the health and safety of your Skittles I know is of foremost importance in your mind and heart.
Sadly, many of us have encountered (too many times to count) vets who are poorly educated about the current "best practices" in caring for a diabetic cat. Some of the warning signs include:
- Discouraging you from home-testing, or only grudgingly agreeing to home-testing.
- Telling you that you "...only need to bring the cat in to the clinic every 2-3 weeks for a fructosamine test".
- Getting huffy and treating you like an idiot when you attempt to ask intelligent questions or question your vet's treatment recommendations.

Yes, find a new vet, pronto! (I believe you can find a savvy list of "vet interview question"s on a link in @BJM 's signature.)
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
you want him out of those ugly reds and blacks. The food change is a huge step to getting there.
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As Sue said before this too-low # situation began, the switch to low-carb canned food only can make a big difference in blood glucose #s, and you've already started in that direction. I've attached a document listing cat food carb content - scroll down to see the long list of Friskies choices. (Go for carb content of 10% or less.)

Please alert us of your preshot # tonight before you dose. As my concern is this: With the shift toward lower-carb food, shooting 4.5 units may be too much insulin for Skittles; we've seen this sort of thing happen with others. Keep in mind: Cats can spike much higher BG#s at the vet's clinic, due to stress hyperglycemia, than they will at home where they are feeling more comfortable and relaxed. Even 100+ points or more. This is one of the reasons we all find it so galling when vets say "you don't need to test before giving the insulin." (A human's doctor would never recommend a patient shoot insulin into his/her body without first checking blood glucose level. Doing that would be dangerous; and it's no less dangerous to our cats!)

We have a saying around here: Better too high for a day than too low for a moment. But that said ...
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA) said:
The other thing I just noticed is the note in your SS that says "maybe trace ketones" this morning? That is something that you definitely want to keep an eye out for. Test when you can!
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Carl is so right: Keep testing for those ketones, Sherri.

And don't worry: We have your back --- and it's easy to see how much you love your sweet Skittles - you're going to do just fine. :bighug:

P.S. I hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday tomorrow!:D
 

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sherrib said:
he gets no insulin tonight and goes back to 4 units in AM.
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Sorry, Sherri - When I wrote the above, I forgot that you weren't planning on giving any insulin tonight. (But if it were my kitty, even though skiping a dose, I'd still want to know what the BG# is at the usual shot time ...)

Anyway, please do let us know what his AMPS # is tomorrow morning - 'cause that was quite the drop today.
 
Since Skittles won't be getting a shot tonight and is back home safely from the vet, I removed the 911 icon.
 
I'd suggest definitely reducing the dose! 4.5 is too much with the wet food. He is very likely to be high tomorrow morning, because it will have been 24 hours since his last shot. It is always hard to decide how much to reduce. IMO, it is widest to start low and raise as your testing indicates. Maybe 2 units? Let's see what others think.

Scary day. You did brilliantly! Amazing the difference wet food can make.
 
Wow, what a day! I was at work so I didn't realize all this was going on...

Yeah I would reduce too. I like Sue's idea of 2 units honestly. That's cutting the dose a bit more than in half...should give us a good idea of whether we need to go up or down after a couple cycles.
 
Hi everyone!
I am going to follow the 2 unit dose. His vet said to do 4 units. I tried to explain to her that he hates riding in my suv and thats probably why he was at 96 ( maybe what saved him?) and that I was using a human meter.

Today was quite a day for sure. i had no idea he would drop that fast on can food. i started thinking it was going to fast. He has ate some more can food around 7 :15 and I am leaving food out tonight, the can food right? know what, he has NO dry food today....
 
It should be fine to leave food out. Just be sure you pick it up 2 hours before the pre shot test time.

I'm so glad he is okay. Hope you both sleep peacefully tonight.
 
You could even put it in the freezer for a little while, then just set it out before you go to bed if you're worried about it getting too warm overnight.
 
I just put down 2 cans since Im feeding 2. Im going to lay down because Im in a lot of pain. if 2 is not enough or to much , here is my number for a text 252-331-3928. i dont mind people having my number since I am a wild rehabber and my number is online anyway ( and the PA zoo has my number for wildlife questions)
 
That's sounds fine, Sherri. You need to take care of yourself, too! I hope you get some good rest tonight & relief from your pain. Just let us know what kind of an AMPS # you get in the morning. :bighug:
 
Sherri - What do you rehab? I work for Wild at Heart which is a raptor rescue, rehab, relocate and release center. I love it.

FYI regarding freezing food. I just add a little more water to Merlin's food and then drop a heaping tablespoon in my ice cube tray. I usually make a big tupperware container full in the freezer so it will last me about a couple of weeks.
 
Small world, I used to do a lot of wildlife rehab too! At the time, my ex was the only licensed rehabber in the county. Our specialty was opossums, but did other small mammals as well.
 
We have a lot of rehabbers! Carl, I never saw an opossum until I was in my 20's. One of my cats was freaking out at the sliding door to the patio and I turned the light on to show him that nothing was there...and an opossum stood on it's back legs and hissed at me. I yelled out to my BF that there was a giant, mutated rat on the back porch!! It was terrifying but so interesting when I found out what it was!
 
Looks good, Sherri. How about starting a new thread with that info so it is easier to keep track of you?

I would get a +2 if possible to see how the cycle is looking.
 
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