9/23 - Frosty - AMPS 337, +4 394, +6 379, +8 433, +10 384. Blood ketones trending up

Ana & Frosty (GA)

Ana & Frosty (GA)

Member Since 2018
Good morning, L&L,

I can't believe I am actually posting and thinking about his sugars. I never thought I would miss it, or feel so laid back about not so great numbers. But perspective is everything.

I am thinking this might be a bounce from the blue yesterday. It's also possible that those pill pockets (Greenies) have more carbs than I think. They're not that big, though, and the first ingredient listed on them is actually meat and not carbs. I don't know. Does anyone have any experience with them? Since they are the only way he's taking his cardiac meds right now, I don't think I'll be switching, but I could tweak his insulin dose to accommodate for it.

We are also in the process of switching from AlphaTrack meter back to Region because I bought 100 strips in attempt to save money. I actually think we will go back to AlphaTrack with Freestyle Insulix strips after this because they are even cheaper than the ReliOn. But I already bought 100 ReliOn strips and they're not returnable, and I am in so much dept with Frosty's bills that we are going to use whatever we have. I made a separate SS tab for human meter, and today I am comparing numbers between alphatrack and ReliOn. ReliOn always reads lower, by about 20-60 points so far. Maybe it will help us feel better about our numbers ;)

Frosty was meowing this morning almost like his old self, and even tried jump on the desk while I was preparing his food/treats. I think his belly, being full from food and still some ascites, makes it difficult for him to jump. I have been giving him 1/2 of his lasix pill twice a day since he started eating, but I am wondering whether I should give him a full dose tonight to see if it helps bring down some of the ascites. I don't want him to be uncomfortable. My only hesitation with that is that I'm afraid it will mess up his electrolytes, especially since his sugars are high right now and he's gonna be drinking/peeing more. Maybe I'll try to sneak some of the K powdering into his food tonight too.

I am also thinking of starting benazepril, although another option would be waiting til Wednesday to give him a full week of improved appetite. I wonder if benazepril will also improve his heart function and help him mobilize some of the fluid from his abdomen. I am assuming it's from the heart still... and hopefully not from some cancer brewing in the abdomen. I hope I am right...

I also looked into the 2 compartment auto feeders which seemed like they would be more sturdy and some even included ice packs, but I read the reviews and pretty much all of them say that there's at least one cat that was able to break into them . If any cat ever was able to break in, Frosty will definitely be able to break in. None of them are airtight, so if he can smell the food, forget it. Dan said to not even bother. We went through the ordering/returning stress once with the multi-compartment feeds, and Frosty defeated them all. He thinks we should just feed him in the morning and if he eats it all, then he eats it all. I guess we will see what he does tomorrow.

So that's our update for today. Hope everyone is having a good Sunday. I missed my 10 am yoga class (overslept), so gonna try to make it to the 11:15. This one is different, but I have been curious to try it. I haven't exercised for 2 weeks, so now getting back into it since Friday, I am SORE. :eek:
 
You can freeze small cubes of food and leave the cube out. It will keep it fresh, add a bit of water to his intake.
 
It sounds like Frosty is eating again, and that is really good news. Great update on your sweet kitteh. I am glad to hear that he has perked up.:bighug:
 
Ana & Frosty said:
I did that last time when we were trying out the petsmate 5 feeder. He broke into it and ate the FROZEN food. Yep, Frosty doesn’t mess around. :joyful::nailbiting::facepalm:

Ps. Love the new pic of Olive!
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Smokey always tried breaking into the 2 compartment feeder. He never was able to unless it was just about to open anyway.
 
Olive & Paula said:
Smokey always tried breaking into the 2 compartment feeder. He never was able to unless it was just about to open anyway.
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Which one were you using? I don’t think it’s worth trying any more for Frosty (we’ve tried 2 with no success) but I’m curious.

Frosty is Houdini. He breaks into things, opens cabinets, drawers. One time he got out of his t shirt and somehow it ended up in the top drawer in the kitchen pantry (that’s where we keep it, where the pet supplies are). Yep, he took it off and put it away. :D
 
Ana & Frosty said:
Frosty is Houdini. He breaks into things, opens cabinets, drawers. One time he got out of his t shirt and somehow it ended up in the top drawer in the kitchen pantry (that’s where we keep it, where the pet supplies are). Yep, he took it off and put it away. :D
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Sounds like Frosty has quite a unique personality :joyful: I'm glad to see he's getting his appetite back and I hope he can get back to his normal self as much as possible.
 
Ana & Frosty said:
Which one were you using? I don’t think it’s worth trying any more for Frosty (we’ve tried 2 with no success) but I’m curious.

Frosty is Houdini. He breaks into things, opens cabinets, drawers. One time he got out of his t shirt and somehow it ended up in the top drawer in the kitchen pantry (that’s where we keep it, where the pet supplies are). Yep, he took it off and put it away. :D
Click to expand...

Petsmate 2 compartment here's Smokey trying.
20160728_234130_kindlephoto-27873887.jpg
20160818_005330.jpg
 
Olive & Paula said:
Petsmate 2 compartment here's Smokey trying.
View attachment 39166 View attachment 39167
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Aww, how cute. He was such a doll ❤️. So smart too, goes right for the timer! I was gonna get that one bc it looked sturdy, but Frost broke into the 5 compartment one in a day. I also know it doesn’t have a cold pack. Not sure what I’m gonna do yet. Probably will try feeding him in the morning and see if he saves any for later.
 
Ana & Frosty said:
Aww, how cute. He was such a doll ❤️. So smart too, goes right for the timer! I was gonna get that one bc it looked sturdy, but Frost broke into the 5 compartment one in a day. I also know it doesn’t have a cold pack. Not sure what I’m gonna do yet. Probably will try feeding him in the morning and see if he saves any for later.
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I used reusable ice cubes in this one. There is room for small soft food pack. I put ice cube in the food now. Once the dial got close to opening Smokey could hit it and it would pop. But it close to it anyway so it didn't matter.
 
Boo. His PMPS is 360 on the human meter (we just switched today), but his blood ketones at 1.3. I forget when I tested them last, either yesterday or Friday, and at the time they were 0.7. Usually they are like 0.2 - 0.3. UGH. I wonder if with him being off Vetoryl, he is resisting the insulin and need more?

Of course, I wasted 1 ketone strip in the process, and now I am out. So won't be able to check tomorrow. Just ordered them on Amazon, they should be here on Tuesday. I know I have until 2.4 until it's a problem, but I don't like the upward trend. :eek: I wonder why this is happening.

I gave him the full 12.5 mg Lasix tonight, and he took his Cerenia and Vetmedin. I gave it with cheese as someone suggested, and I did it right before his feeding so although he spit out the pills a few times, he eventually look them. Hopefully not using the pill pockets will help get his sugars down a little bit.

I didn't wanna increase his insulin dose since we have been changing his dose a lot based on his intake over the past week. Also, we have been feeding him 4 small meals per day, and starting tomorrow I will be giving him all of his food in the morning, so I don't know how this will affect his appetite or his sugars.

His appetite really only picked up on Wednesday, so it's only been 5 days, and he hit a blue for me yesterday on AT. I guess I'll recheck his ketones on Tuesday night and make a decision at that point.

I also am debating whether or not to continue the appetite stimulant. Since I made a change in the lasix dose, I am inclined to continue it because I want to be making one change at a time - otherwise, if his appetite or how he feels changes, I won't know which medicine caused the change.

Perhaps we can stop the appetite stimulant Wednesday - after his appetite has been good for 1 full week. Then if he continues to eat well, we can add the Benazepril on Friday night.

I don't know what to do about the Cerenia. I might try decreasing the dose to 1/4th to see if that works. I am down to 1 pill right now.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:
 
Although he is creeping up a bit on the ketone meter, for cats that number is still no ketones.

I might have missed why you are changing his feeding style to one big meal in the AM?

I believe the pill pockets are high in carbs. There used to be ones for dogs that are diabetic but, I have been unable to find them. Maybe on line?


ETA: add extra water to his meals to help flush any possible ketones.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Although he is creeping up a bit on the ketone meter, for cats that number is still no ketones.

I might have missed why you are changing his feeding style to one big meal in the AM?

I believe the pill pockets are high in carbs. There used to be ones for dogs that are diabetic but, I have been unable to find them. Maybe on line?


ETA: add extra water to his meals to help flush any possible ketones.
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I know, but I am concerned about the upward trend.

We aren’t changing anything per say, it’s just that we can’t afford to have a pet sitter come daily during the day to feed him a mid-day meal. When Frosty’s appetite is at baseline, he eats everything in one shot, so you could say he put himself on a BID feeding schedule. :cat:We’ve tried multiple auto feeders and he was able to break into all of them.

Frosty drinks a lot of water on his own due to his sugars and also being on lasix, and due to his heart failure I don’t want to add any more fluid, I want him to regulate himself.
 
The allergy free, duck and pea dog pill pockets are diabetic friendly. Just break off a piece and wrap the pill. Of course, not all cats like the taste. Thankfully mine did and it was a strong enough taste to mask some of the uglier tasting meds.

Sending vines for Frosty. :bighug:
 
Ps. I just watched your video of Bubba, and I’m CONVINCED that Frosty is part Maine coon. That explains his size, how vocal he is, and also the pituitary tumor /diabetes. I feel like those breeds are prone. He doesn’t look it, especially with the lack of hair with Cushing’s, but I would be willing to bet!
 
Ana & Frosty said:
Ps. I just watched your video of Bubba, and I’m CONVINCED that Frosty is part Maine coon. That explains his size, how vocal he is, and also the pituitary tumor /diabetes. I feel like those breeds are prone. He doesn’t look it, especially with the lack of hair with Cushing’s, but I would be willing to bet!
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Does he have the ear points or the toe points? Bubba's mother was a HUGE short hair orange cat. IK have a picture of her thanks to my friend, Karen, you rescued all her litter and adopted them out. Bubba was the only long hair kitty in the litter. And the last one to get adopted. How lucky for me! He is my boy!
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Does he have the ear points or the toe points?
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No, sadly he barely has enough hair to cover his whole body. He doesn’t even shed. But he’s such a big cat, and he has such a personality that I just know it’s in his blood :)

Bubba is adorable, he reminds me a lot of Frosty. (Or Frosty of Bubba??)

Hard to believe no one wanted a beautiful long haired kitty! Ha, maybe Frosty is his long lost brother ;) you never know haha
 
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