4/7 Loudogg AMPS 300 +6.75 279 PMPS 275 - Checking in

Amanda and a Loudogg

Amanda and a Loudogg

Member Since 2017
March 24, 2019 Condo

Good morning everyone,
I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last posted. Lou's been on a run of unexceptional mediocrity, so there really hasn't been much to report. While he seems healthy and perfectly happy, his numbers are being held hostage by worsening bounces. It was bad enough that he started taking 4 cycles to clear a bounce, but now it seems like he's taking a full 6 cycles in between greens. I'll think he needs an increase, he'll finally have a few greens, and then back up he goes. :rolleyes:

I can't help but wonder, as usual, if there's something else going on. He seems perfectly fine, but could it be his remaining few teeth/roots acting up? The vet never said what the plan was for his remaining teeth, which they couldn't/wouldn't remove for fear of breaking his jaw. It probably wouldn't hurt to get him in for a check-up, but my vet moved/changed names without any notification, so I get the feeling it's probably time to find a new one.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and your kitties surf safely. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
That's so weird about your vet. You'd think they'd want to keep all their clients.

Amanda -- have Wendy and Sandy been stopping by? I'm wondering if you're just fighting the IAA. You might want to tag them and see if they have any words of wisdom.
 
I'm glad Lou has been a happy kitty. I hope his numbers flatten out for you soon. That's strange about your vet. It does sound like you need to find a new one.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
That's so weird about your vet. You'd think they'd want to keep all their clients.

Amanda -- have Wendy and Sandy been stopping by? I'm wondering if you're just fighting the IAA. You might want to tag them and see if they have any words of wisdom.
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Unfortunately, I have been so bad at posting lately, so I haven't really been giving them a chance to stop by. :oops: Regardless of my posting negligence, I'd absolutely be interested in what they would have to say.

I'm not super surprised about the vet. The last time I saw her she basically told me she's at the end of her knowledge ("I'm just a general practice vet.") and suggested a referral to an endocrinologist. That's all well and good, but the closest is in the cities 3.5 hours away. The funny thing is I wasn't even there for his diabetes, I was there because I was worried about his thyroid. She decided to make it about his diabetes instead. Part of me wonders if they informed anyone (I only know because I randomly saw a newspaper article), or if they just didn't send me anything. :confused:
 
Olive & Paula said:
Was vet part of a practice? If so her clients can't be told because it takes business away from practice.
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I'm not completely sure. It seems the original vet location has closed completely (they were located in the same building as a store that moved to another city). The entire "practice" has moved to another location and changed names. They only had two vets, and it seems only one (the one I saw after the first gave up on me) is at the new location.
 
I am not sure how much vet selection you have, but when/if you do find a new general practice vet, it'd be interesting to see if they know of any dental specialist vets who might be more willing to tackle any remaining bad teeth. Cats get full mouth extractions without the jaw breaking. Of course, I can smugly suggest specialist dental vets cause I just happen to live 10 minutes away from the only speciailst practice around here. Dental vets can be hard to find. But sometimes there is a general practice vet who does just dentals and has more experience, or if there is a vet teaching hospital nearby, they can be a good source.

As for Lou's spreadsheet, I can see how that would be frustrating. Greens are too far in between for my taste too. I know he's getting decent nadirs in between bounces, however.... If you are around to monitor closely, I'd be inclined to increase to see if you can kick those IAA's to the ground. Lingering on a dose overly long gives them the chance to "rally the troups" so to speak. At least his dose isn't "going stale" which is what I called it when the greens disappeared from the picture. Note that if you do increase, he may want to earn a reduction again so it would be good to try to anticipate that and feed the curve to try to prevent it, if you can. The goal is to increase the insulin a bit, and see if you can get him to spend more time in green. Note for any lurkers, this suggestion is strictly for Amanda and Lou. Lou has IAA, which can call for different strategies.

Another thought, what % carb is he getting? Just wondering if increasing the carbs a bit, while still staying LC, might help get a bit more insulin into him too.

On the flip side, good to hear he is otherwise healthy and seeming happy. That is the important stuff after all.
 
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Wendy&Neko said:
I am not sure how much vet selection you have, but when/if you do find a new general practice vet, it'd be interesting to see if they know of any dental specialist vets who might be more willing to tackle any remaining bad teeth. Cats get full mouth extractions without the jaw breaking. Of course, I can smugly suggest specialist dental vets cause I just happen to live 10 minutes away from the only speciailst practice around here. Dental vets can be hard to find. But sometimes there is a general practice vet who does just dentals and has more experience, or if there is a vet teaching hospital nearby, they can be a good source.

As for Lou's spreadsheet, I can see how that would be frustrating. Greens are too far in between for my taste too. I know he's getting decent nadirs in between bounces, however.... If you are around to monitor closely, I'd be inclined to increase to see if you can kick those IAA's to the ground. Lingering on a dose overly long gives them the chance to "rally the troups" so to speak. At least his dose isn't "going stale" which is what I called it when the greens disappeared from the picture. Note that if you do increase, he may want to earn a reduction again so it would be good to try to anticipate that and feed the curve to try to prevent it, if you can. The goal is to increase the insulin a bit, and see if you can get him to spend more time in green. Note for any lurkers, this suggestion is stringly for Amanda and Lou. Lou has IAA, which can call for different strategies.

Another thought, what % carb is he getting? Just wondering if increasing the carbs a bit, while still staying LC, might help get a bit more insulin into him too.

On the flip side, good to hear he is otherwise healthy and seeming happy. That is the important stuff after all.
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We have crap for selection here. No specialists of any kind that I'm aware of. But I don't think it would hurt trying to get him in to have the rest of his few teeth removed. Since he had root absorption, I imagine he'll need them removed sooner rather than later.

I've been thinking of increasing for quite some time now. When he hangs out in the blues, the cycle really feels more like not enough insulin rather than an extended bounce, but then he's hitting nadirs in the 50s, so that throws me off. I think your idea for increasing Lou and feeding the curve is sound. Something has to give, and perhaps an increase can give him the push he needs to find those green surfs again. Would you say full 0.25 increase to 3.75u or should I attempt to fatten up the 3.5u? (Which might be 3.75u anyway since I don't have a lot of room on my syringes for skinny or fat doses, haha.)

The majority of his food is 0-3% carbs, and he has some food that he gets on occasion that is 4-6% carbs. I think the next up in carbs that we have is his MC food, which is 12-14%. I think I'll try to see if I can find some 7-10% carbs to help feed curves. Almost all of his meals are FF right now, which doesn't seem to have any "high" LC options.

Thanks Wendy. I really appreciate your thoughts!!
 
His dose is big enough that fattening isn't much of a change. Of course, my girl was sensitive to small changes, but I used to increase by 0.25 units and decrease by smaller amounts. That's what worked for her, after some experimentation. Good luck with the experiment.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
His dose is big enough that fattening isn't much of a change. Of course, my girl was sensitive to small changes, but I used to increase by 0.25 units and decrease by smaller amounts. That's what worked for her, after some experimentation. Good luck with the experiment.
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Sounds good! Thank you! I think I'll increase for the PM cycle on Tuesday so I'll be home to monitor. Caleb has an early shift and an appointment, so I think it'll be easier to start Tuesday.
 
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