01/04 WENDY = PMPS 380/ +2@374 / AMPS 114/ +3@97/ +6@101

Wendy and Eva

Wendy and Eva

Member Since 2022
Wendy has been doing well overall. She has maintained her weight between 10lbs - 11.6lbs, has been eating & drinking well. We started administering Ondansetron 4mg 1/2 tablet daily and it made a major difference in the intake of water. She no longer sits by the water bowl for long periods of time. Also, hasn't had any flareups and has randomly vomited a few times (quarter size). Mostly before AM shot.

There was a delay on receiving the shipment for Cabergoline, but we finally got it! I started the first dose 0.5ML yesterday and so far there hasn't been any side effects. Wendy has been extra alert, moving around at a faster pace and her numbers are lower.

The vet recommended I keep her on 10.5 units until I started Cabergoline and that's where we are at this moment.

Questions:
  1. Now that she started the medication and her numbers are looking better (as of today), do I continue at the same dose? I know I'm suppose to increase every 3 days, but when will I know when to stop the increase?
  2. When is it recommended to take her in to the vet for blood work? And what test should I request?
  3. Should I continue to feed her whenever she's hungry (which is all all the time) or every 2 hours?
  4. Any other recommendations now that she started this new medication?
Seeing her numbers in the green today gave me hope!!! December was a very difficult month for me which included 2 deaths and a depressed senior pup among many other issues:(. I can't thank @Cynthia & Merlin (GA) enough for always checking in on Wendy :bighug:.

Again, thank you all for taking time from your busy day to read my update and for all the great advise you continue to provide.

@Wendy&Neko @Chris & China (GA) @Marje and Gracie

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/12-07-wendy-pmps-329-2-324-amps-318-2-374-5-348.271611/
 
Congrats on finally seeing some greens!:D That is very exciting.

In the last post here, we discussed switching to Levemir. Did you put that on hold?

Doses with green nadirs we hold for 10 cycles/5 days. You could theoretically increase, say to 11.0 units to see if you can get her to spend a bit more time in green, as all you are seeing is upper greens now. This is where you have to guess a bit, as we don't know how long until the cabergoline will start working. The every other day dosing of cabergoline, instead of every day, usually takes a little longer to take effect. You could also hold the dose as is, and live with slightly higher numbers. It all depends on how much you can monitor. Note for any lurkers, an acrocat on cabergoline is a very special case, as is kitty Wendy. Caution is key as dose needs can change very quickly.

I took Neko to the vet every six months, unless she needed it sooner due to meds she was on. What is the vet suggesting?

I would try to feed mostly before nadir. After nadir, the insulin's work at reducing the blood sugar is waning, and extra carbs will slow it down more, possibly giving you higher preshots. If she is vomiting in the early AM, it could be from lack of food. You might want to give her a late night snack before bed, possibly even another one in the auto feeder (it can be very low carb), just so she has something in her tummy.

A couple other random things. Ondansetron can be given as much as 3-4 times a day. It doesn't last a full day. You could easily go up to twice a day. I see from the labs that she was low in B12, is that getting supplemented now? Could you update your signature with any meds she's on? That way we can stop asking. ;)

One last housekeeping item, details in this post:
12/31 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Please move your 2023 SS tab(s) to the left!
 
Okay, I've made the necessary modifications on SS and Signature. I hope that helps :cat:.

The vet hasn't suggested seeing her yet. He wants to see how Wendy reacts to the medication and then take it from there. As for the insulin, I decided to first put her on the medication. We didn't think it was going to take this long for it to arrive. How long do you suggest I keep her on Lantus before making the switch now that the plans changed?

During the night hours, we place a feeder for her and it's set to feed every 2 hours. The portions are 1/2 a can of Fancy Feast pate. Poor girl is ALWAYS hungry and has a belly on her. Do you recommend I stay away from any of the low carb dry food that's on the list? I stopped giving her any dry food as soon as she was diagnosed and found this forum.

I'm administering B12 once per week. Do you recommend I give the other half of the pill of Ondansetron in the evening if I see her sitting by water bowl? I'm thinking it wears off completely after PM shot because she drinks a bit more water but not as bad as before. I want her to feel good and if the pill is working then I'm all in :).
 
Awesome on the SS, and thanks. Also on the signature updates.

The question on an insulin switch really depends if she's bothered by the Lantus. Otherwise, there is no rush.

I would stay away from low carb dry if you can. It prevents you from following TR, plus we've seen a few cats actually get higher numbers from it.

Yes, you can give the other half of the ondansetron in the PM. It's always better to stay ahead of any nausea.
 
Last edited:
Wendy&Neko said:
I would stay away from low carb wet food if you can.
Click to expand...

I think Wendy meant to say to stay away from the low carb kibbles. Since you're doing TR you're not supposed to be feeding dry at all (even the low carb stuff) and although some cats do well on it, we've heard some horror stories too, especially with the Young Again. People have had to throw away an almost full bag because it caused such horrible diarrhea and the smell would peel paint off the walls (as well as some cats react to it like it was high carb)

Best to just stick to the low carb canned.
 
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