Yum's high AMPS vanquished?

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MJW

MJW

Member Since 2017
Yum has been stuck at 2.75 units for over 2 months. She could do the "7 days of green" reductions, except for an erratic, high AMPS.
(1)Last week I tried increasing her dose from a fat 2.75 units to 3 units. I brought her nadir down, but the AMPS stays high.
(2)I have been withdrawing her food overnight for months, hoping that would help the AMPS. It hasn't.

She occasionally throws up foam around 4 AM, so I know it is hard for her to go without food overnight.
And she is a little bit cranky in the morning. Because of these behaviors:

(3)I had tried feeding her LC at PMPS+9 (3 AM), but that didn't help.
(4)Night before last I thought: what if I give her a zero carb treat (Purebites freeze dried salmon) in the middle of the night?

Woohoo!!! The last 2 mornings she has had normal AMPS AT2 numbers of 166 and 160. Those are equivalent to about 100 on a human meter.

I am going to rush out to PetSmart for a PetSafe 5, so I don't have to get up at 1:20 AM!!!

Hope I haven't jinxed it. My theories often seem to work at first only to fail after a few days. Hope is wonderful while it lasts.
 
Has she ceased the foam throw up (stomach acid)? I do the same thing. Gizmo's last turn is at +9.5 and he gets 2-4 FD instinct rabbit. I think he has had stomach acid foam twice (a.m. was the only time he had it) since I started the FD.
 
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LizzieInTexas said:
Has she ceased the foam throw up (stomach acid)? I do the same thing. Gizmo's last turn is at +9.5 and he gets 2-4 FD instinct rabbit. I think he has had stomach acid foam twice (a.m. was the only time he had it) since I started the FD.
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FD=freeze dried? Ha! I knew you had him on a feeder during the night, but I didn't realize the food was zero carb.
The foam throw up doesn't happen every night. And I had started giving her more LC food at PMPS+3.5 to try and reduce it, but that was possibly increasing her AMPS. We'll see what happens. I am just opening the automatic feeder box. Paws crossed.
 
MJW said:
FD=freeze dried? Ha! I knew you had him on a feeder during the night,
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Yes FD=freeze dry. I "disovered" by accident that they help with the stomach acid. He threw up foam one morning when I was getting his PS/snacks prepared for the day and grabbed a couple and gave it to him. He ate them immediately and then was still hungry and wanting his breakfast. If you think about it, soda crackers calm our upset tummys so why wouldn't it help theirs? ;)

Gizmo gets all meals/snacks from the auto feeder. I like it because he has learned when it is going to turn and, for the most part, eats within 10 min of it turning (panc flare being the exception).

I think this is wonderful that you have found a solution. Keep me posted.
 
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Hi may not be related, but in the past before Marvin was Dx, when he throw up foam, it seems to be related to fur balls. He eventually would throw up huge fur ball that looked like a piece of poop. Any chance that Yum has a fur ball issue?
 
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Marvin's Mom - Nat said:
Hi may not be related, but in the past before Marvin was Dx, when he throw up foam, it seems to be related to fur balls. He eventually would throw up huge fur ball that looked like a piece of poop. Any chance that Yum has a fur ball issue?
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Yum has never had a hairball. She loves being brushed and I love brushing her. The other 2 have big hairball problems, for which I am trying the egg yolk cure that has been promoted here recently.
 
MJW said:
(3)I had tried feeding her LC at PMPS+9 (3 AM), but that didn't help.
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Feeding carbs at +9 won't work unless they are on itty bitty doses and/or with a mostly functioning pancreas, ie. near to OTJ of an acrocat with a working pancreas.

No way of knowing that 160 is equivalent to a human meter unless you tested with s human meter. I have seen people try comparisons with quite wildly varying results. Typically the AMPS is the last to come down because of dawn phenomenon.

I am not sure why you reduced the dose, she didn't earn a reduction at 3.0 units. Getting her more used to lower safe numbers will help bring down the entire range.

Big hairball problems should be discussed with the vet. Often it's an early sign of an inflamed bowel that isn't big enough to let hairball pass.
 
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I reduced from 3 units because the increase to 3 was just a test to see if it would improve the AMPS number. When it did not, I took her back down (a .125u reduction). I am very happy with her nadirs (and ALL her other numbers) at lower doses.

I am not feeding her carbs at +9. I am feeding her zero carbs, to soothe the discomfort of her empty tummy. I think acid tummy is raising her morning BG.
This strategy has worked 3 nights in a row now!!! Woohoo!!!
The top "normal" bg on an AT2 is 175. She has been AMPS 166, 160 and 163 with the 1:20 AM treat.
Sadly (for my sleep needs) she hasn't caught on to the motor sound as a treat signal, perhaps because she is spending all day outside and we can't "train".
Maybe I will try putting frozen canned salmon in the tray, so when it opens---she will smell the treat.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Big hairball problems should be discussed with the vet. Often it's an early sign of an inflamed bowel that isn't big enough to let hairball pass.
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Both my civvies have long term vomiting issues. One is also long term constipated, although that has improved recently with the addition of probiotics and/or primal freeze-dried raw and/or egg yolks. I mention the vomiting issues to the vet and she says it could be something but she doesn't make any recommendations. I assumed that was because we can't do anything about it, but maybe I should read up on IBD. The vet did mention Mega Colon once.
 
Hi there. Hopefully the frozen food in the auto-feeder to open up around +9 or so will help with the empty stomach issue. I had to eventually do the same with Bubba as he was throwing up foam early AM before breakfast. I just reconfigured his daily calories and redistributed them across 24 hours.

Have you tried pumpkin for the constipation? I give both my cats 1 tsp twice a day. Also, Natural Moves by Pet Alive has really helped too.
 
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MJW said:
Maybe I will try putting frozen canned salmon in the tray, so when it opens---she will smell the treat.
Click to expand...
Try that one evening (when you are there). Put just a tiny bit (of something she really, really likes) in each tray and set it to rotate every hour or so and then let her hear it turn and take her immediately to the feeder. May take a couple of evenings but she will get the hang of it.
 
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Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi there. Hopefully the frozen food in the auto-feeder to open up around +9 or so will help with the empty stomach issue. I had to eventually do the same with Bubba as he was throwing up foam early AM before breakfast. I just reconfigured his daily calories and redistributed them across 24 hours.

Have you tried pumpkin for the constipation? I give both my cats 1 tsp twice a day. Also, Natural Moves by Pet Alive has really helped too.
Click to expand...
I bought a can of pumpkin, but I'm hoping the probiotic works.
 
MJW said:
I bought a can of pumpkin, but I'm hoping the probiotic works.
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I would try the pumpkin. I give probiotics too but the pumpkin really helps with constipation and diarrhea. I give it every day twice a day along with the probiotics. It adds extra fiber to their diet.

ETA: I divvy up the large can into smaller plastic containers and keep out in the refrigerator enough for about 4-5 days and freeze the rest and bring out as I need to thaw.
 
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LizzieInTexas said:
Have they started eating better with it in the food? I am having good results with 1/4 teaspoon of miralax in each cycle of food.
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If I only give them 1/4 capsule of it in the food it seems to be undetected. Bubba has started putting his nose up to his raw diet with supplements unless I crush a few pieces of YA on top. :rolleyes:
 
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