? 10/13 Jasper AMPS 400 Spreadsheet Question

[Lolli&Popi]

Hi all. We’re nearing the end of Jasper’s current monitor-it’s done tomorrow night and he will get the next one put on at the vet on Thursday.

He’s not looking as frail as he was 2 weeks ago, so I am seeing some improvement. But, I’m sure his insulin will be increased because he is still quite high.

I’ve been working hard on his spreadsheet and I was just wondering if someone could take a look and let me know if I’m missing anything or if I should make any changes? I want to make sure I’m doing this correctly.

Thank you!

 

[Seth&Bell]

Spreadsheet looks good to me, Lolli! You've even got the labs in there, nice! Great to hear you are seeing some improvement in Jasper. You'll want to link your previous post (if you have one) in this one, so folks can quickly look at Jasper's history.

I can't give dosing advice, but you may want some input from experienced members on the ins and outs of TR, if you still want to follow that protocol. I would have expected to see an dose increase by now.

Jasper is such a pretty cat, love his eyes

 

[Bandit's Mom]

Welcome to the LBL forum! I'm linking your first post on Main for continuity:
New Member Introduction-Jasper

What food is he eating? I see "Combo diet" in your Signature.

With a history of ketones/DKA, it will be good if you can follow the TR dosing method. It will help you get him to a good dose sooner and also help him spend more time in the normal range of numbers. Also, with cats trying for remission again, it helps to be more aggressive with dosing and get them to good numbers faster.

Is there a reason you are using a Libre and not a regular glucose meter? Will he not let you test him? The Libre can read much lower in normal numbers, so we suggest verifying Libre lows with a ear poke.

It's been 8 cycles (tonight's the 9th) since you saw green. I think you are good for an increase to 1.25U.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Since you saw some numbers in the 40's on October 8th, that might tell me this dose is too high. However, those 40's occurred on the Libre, which often reads lower than a blood glucose meter. Do you have a hand held BG meter that you can double check those low numbers with? TR uses the BG values to determine reduction points.

Have you been testing his ketones at home? Presence of ketones in a previously DKA kitty is a factor in dosing decisions. Speaking of which, could you put "DKA on Dx", which means diagnosis of FD, in your signature so it's easy for people to spot.

Can you tell me what "combo diet" means in your signature?

One last bit to explain the mix of high and low numbers you are seeing, and it's that Jasper is bouncing. From the New to the Group Sticky Note:

Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles).

 

[Bandit's Mom]

What food is he eating? I see "Combo diet" in your Signature.

I noticed only after I posted that there's a comment on the SS for 10/7 about transitioning from Purina DM to FF Classic pate. Was the DM dry food that he was on? DM wet food is low carb, but dry is not.

 

[Lolli&Popi]

Welcome to the LBL forum! I'm linking your first post on Main for continuity:
New Member Introduction-Jasper

What food is he eating? I see "Combo diet" in your Signature.

With a history of ketones/DKA, it will be good if you can follow the TR dosing method. It will help you get him to a good dose sooner and also help him spend more time in the normal range of numbers. Also, with cats trying for remission again, it helps to be more aggressive with dosing and get them to good numbers faster.

Is there a reason you are using a Libre and not a regular glucose meter? Will he not let you test him? The Libre can read much lower in normal numbers, so we suggest verifying Libre lows with a ear poke.

It's been 8 cycles (tonight's the 9th) since you saw green. I think you are good for an increase to 1.25U.

Hi. For the Combo Diet, he is eating wet food-FF Classic Pate and we do feed him 1 serving of Purina DM hard food at lunch time.

I will review the TR dosing schedule-honestly, being a newbie, I’ve been relying so heavily on what my vet tells me to do and scared to make changes without asking them.

That also goes with the Libre. It’s just what they’ve told me to do. Honestly, I didn’t even know I could put it on and take it off myself. The vet has me come in for an appointment to do that (believe me, my wallet is bleeding). I do feel confident that I can test him after reviewing the site here, so thank you!

 

[Lolli&Popi]

I noticed only after I posted that there's a comment on the SS for 10/7 about transitioning from Purina DM to FF Classic pate. Was the DM dry food that he was on? DM wet food is low carb, but dry is not.

It is indeed a serving of DM dry food at lunchtime-time for me to review the food list again. I’m honestly just so disgusted and feel tricked into buying this DM cat food by my vet. Thank you for letting me know-I greatly appreciate it.

We do like to give our kitties hard food for their teeth and sometimes we aren’t home at lunchtime and we have an auto feeder, so we will do that. I’ll be changing this food brand out today!!

 

[Bandit's Mom]

It is indeed a serving of DM dry food at lunchtime-time for me to review the food list again. I’m honestly just so disgusted and feel tricked into buying this DM cat food by my vet. Thank you for letting me know-I greatly appreciate it.

We do like to give our kitties hard food for their teeth and sometimes we aren’t home at lunchtime and we have an auto feeder, so we will do that. I’ll be changing this food brand out today!!

If he can manage without dry food, you want to switch him entirely to FF pates. In some cats, even low carb dry food has been found to cause BG to go up.

Some people also make "cat-sicles" by adding water to canned and freezing in ice cube trays. Most cats won't eat it frozen (although some will!) so after it melts, it's like offering a fresh meal. Some use the frozen food in the auto-feeder.

Hard food being good for the teeth is a myth, BTW! From Dr. Lisa Pierson's website:

"Dental Disease: Long-standing claims that cats have less dental disease when they are fed dry food versus canned food are grossly overrated, inaccurate, and are not supported by studies. This frequently stated (among veterinarians and lay people) myth continues to harm cats by perpetuating the idea that their food bowls need to be filled up with an unhealthy diet in order to keep their teeth clean.

The idea that dry food promotes dental health makes about as much sense as the idea that crunchy cookies would promote dental health in a human.

First, dry food is hard, but brittle, and merely shatters with little to no abrasive effect on the teeth. Second, a cat’s jaws and teeth are designed for shearing and tearing meat – not biting down on dry kibble. Third, many cats swallow the majority of their dry food whole."
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.


If you are able to ditch the dry food, you could switch to TR.