6/25 Jill AMPS 296 / +2.5 135 -/ +4 81 / +5 79 / PMPS 254 / +3 181

Debra and Jill (the cat)

Debra and Jill (the cat)

Member Since 2015
Yesterday's post >

Yesterday's BGs: AMPS 238 / +2.5 169 / +4 131 / PMPS 184 / +2 144 / +4 109

Back down to 1.5 units last night. I think she kinda liked the 1.75 other than that pesky 48 BG. Plus, the quarter units are harder to dose and she appreciates requiring a certain level of difficulty.
 
Hopefully this is the high before the bounce breaks :-)

A lot of syringes have their markings way off and that affects the accuracy of the dose. When you first use a syringe, push the plunger all the way in to see if it lines up with the printed zero line.
You could also look at using callipers. They are a bit of a pain initially, but once you get used to them, you realize how inaccurate/inconsistent dosing is when you just eyeball the dose.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Hopefully this is the high before the bounce breaks :)

A lot of syringes have their markings way off and that affects the accuracy of the dose. When you first use a syringe, push the plunger all the way in to see if it lines up with the printed zero line.
You could also look at using callipers. They are a bit of a pain initially, but once you get used to them, you realize how inaccurate/inconsistent dosing is when you just eyeball the dose.
Click to expand...
I have a big magnifying glass I use, especially when dosing in quarter increments. And I did get one syringe that had a faulty plunger which would have been a disaster if I hadn't noticed it. I read a trick about syringes - that you should plunge it up and down and turn it around so the bit of lubrication inside helps make getting the right dosage easier. I do think this helps. I've been thinking about getting calipers. I hoped we'd settle on a straightforward dose and I wouldn't need them, but maybe it's better to use them all the time anyway?
 
Calipers! Without them, even with magnifying glass, the unit marks printed on the syringes can be "off", so the 0 unit mark may not be flush with the bottom of the syringe (which means you will be pulling up more or less than you want even if you eyeball the 1.5U properly with respect to the marks on the syringe). You want to get digital calipers that "lock" so you can set the dose and leave it. I make sure it measures in millimeters.
 
Debra and Jill (the cat) said:
Maybe I'll order from Amazon today. Are the cheap ones ok? There is such a range in cost.
Click to expand...
Yes. I got the one in Marje’s video and saw them on Amazon yesterday. I bought mine from Harbor Freight. Around $15-20 with coupon. Just make they measure in mm if you get different ones and that you can lock them in place.
 
Debra and Jill (the cat) said:
I read a trick about syringes - that you should plunge it up and down and turn it around so the bit of lubrication inside helps make getting the right dosage easier. I do think this helps.
Click to expand...
This helps with moving the plunger while fixing the dose, but not really with accuracy and consistency since the markings on most syringes are way off!

Debra and Jill (the cat) said:
Maybe I'll order from Amazon today. Are the cheap ones ok? There is such a range in cost.
Click to expand...
This is the one a lot of folks here use.
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-digital-caliper-47256.html
 
Hi Debra (!), I tried the less expensive ones before and it's not really worth it because the digital measuring mechanism can be inaccurate and can be really frustrating. I got these and they work great. The measurements lock in really well and it's very sensitive.
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
Hi Debra (!), I tried the less expensive ones before and it's not really worth it because the digital measuring mechanism can be inaccurate and can be really frustrating. I got these and they work great. The measurements lock in really well and it's very sensitive.
Click to expand...
Same here. I bought and returned a lot of cheaper ones and then bought a more pricey one of better quality. And I'm glad I did.
 
Once you get used to the calipers, you'll wonder how you ever measured a good dose without them. It's awful how off the lines on syringes are.
 
Wondering if I could get some advice for tomorrow. I'm visiting family out of town for the afternoon, so we will be away from around Jill's +2 to maybe just before PM shot time. If I feed her something right before we leave, do you think she still needs another snack past that? I can leave her in a room with an automatic feeder, but when I do that she pees all over the room (and the feeder and the water bowl), so if I can avoid doing that, I'd like to. She seems to be surfing this afternoon - I fed her something at +4 and she's the same BG at +5.
 
She seems to bounce every other day so hopefully she will do so tomorrow. If you don't lock her up but leave food in an autofeeder for her, do you have other cats that would break into it?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
LOL. Even with a litter box in the room she's locked up in, she would pee all over?
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Yes! It's a new thing for her over the past few months. She was diagnosed because she started peeing in her food bowl after she ate and I knew something was wrong. I think she's been so hungry and thirsty that she doesn't want to share, but she gets nuts when she's closed in all day. It's not the end of the world, we have boy cats who pee all over, too (for other reasons), just would love to avoid it if possible. If you feel it's safer for her to stay in with her feeder we can do it.
 
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