01/31 Introducing Max

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critterlover

critterlover

Member Since 2012
Hello everyone

I'm Dawn and my Max was diagnosed just before Christmas. I've said hello on the Main Board and wanted to say hello to the rest of you.

Max is 13, has had complete urinary blockage from crystals in 2009 (he's been on Urinary SO food until now), and as a result of the diabetes lost a noticable amount of weight. At 9.5 lbs he's quiet boney now. I have noticed a difference since being on insulin, his spine isn't quite so protruding so something is working.

So far I've been managing to home test and follow the advice of my vet with regards to dosage but his numbers are all over the place. Lately high at pmps and low at amps. I got Max's ss up and running but other than the fact that his numbers are too high or too low, I don't really know what to make of them or what to do about it. Any suggestions on what's up with that? I've printed the protocal for both the Tight Regulation and the Start Low Go Slow and will read and re-read until I figure out what would be best for us.

Right now I'm feeding him the Merrick Grammys Pot Pie and Cowboy Cookbout, canned only. I may have to eventually switch to the Friskies, Fancy Feast or 9 Lives as I'm feeding 3 cats and find it expensive ( 2 dogs as well). I'll hold on as long as I can. I feed Max 1/2 can in am before shot, then 1/4 can mid to late pm when I get home from work, 1/2 before pm shot, and 1/4 can just before I go to bed, approx 3 hours later. Should I be spreading it out more than this?

Thank you all for being here, I don't know what I would have done had I not found you as soon as Max was diagnosed.

Dawn and Max
 
Hi Dawn,

Welcome to you and Max! You've come to the right place...It's amazing how much people here know. Kitten, like Max, was diagnosed at Christmas time. It's been now a couple of weeks that I've been part of the "relaxed" lantus (due to my inability to test and get good data as often as the TR recommends) and absolutely love it! The people are so welcoming and thoughtful and full of advice. It's a great community.

I have the same problem with Kitten as you are having with Max, but the opposite...Max has lower AM and higher PM PSs, and Kit has higher AM and lower PM... I've determined that Kit has a late nadir (lowest point in the cycle), sometimes in the +10 range. It's hard b/c it means he's really low at night, making me nervous to shoot (today was our first green!). My advice to you, since I dont want to give dosing advice yet at this point in my "career", is to get as much info as you can. I would never have felt comfortable shooting Kit during the times that I did if I didn't "know" him and I didn't have numbers to base my decisions on. There are many times when I say, "ahhh, he's fine, I dont need to test", but then regret it those evenings when I'm not sure what will happen b/c I dont have past information/data. Hope that makes sense!!

Reading all those protocols is so interesting. It amazing me how much I've learned in such a short period of time (and I still have sooo much more to go lol). When I change a dose, I like to hold it for more than the 3-6 cycles that the TR asks for just because I can't get enough testing in to feel comfortable. But that's me. Each person is different and each cat is different. Some take longer to settle into doses (which I'm also starting to see with Kit).

Keep up the great work with Max and I'm sure someone will be around soon to pass along some wisdom about his numbers. Hope you have a great night!
 
Welcome Dawn and Max!

After looking at Max's spreadsheet it looks like you have a lot of rebound going on, not so much a bouncy kitty as just plain too much insulin which is causing those roller coaster highs and lows. Personally, I would drop back to .5u and hold that for about a week and see if that smooths Max out some.

I have a diabetic Max as well...well a Maxwell actually.

I know what you mean by expensive to feed multiple cats. I have 13 of my own cats, one large 97lb drooler and now a foster momma kitty with her two newborn babes. Everyone here eats exactly the same thing just good old fashioned Friskies Pate. It was on that diet that my Maxwell went into remission, so if it isn't broke don't fix it...lol

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Hi Dawn & Max!
welcome! we're pretty new here too, and feel so grateful for this forum just like you do~ its ongoing, wonderful support. Louie was diagnosed last October, and what a journey it has been! What a labor of love :-D everyone here shares this same commitment to their sugar kitties!

I really understand the conundrum of the wet food expense, but I find myself being creative~ mixing in some special wet food with some FF or regular Friskies pate....or adding a spoonful of tuna to the mix. Adding hot water to the wet canned food to make a gravy seems to stretch a 5.5 oz can....all kinds of great ideas I've gotten from the folks here. but I know....I have 4 other cats, so its not just Louie to feed~

hugs to Max and sending good wishes for him to feel better~
Tracy & Louie
 
thanks for the welcome and the advice. It was also suggested on the main board that Max may be getting too much insulin and to drop it back to .5u. I'll start that tonight with his pm dose. Of course, after having numerous low amps, this morning he was up to 21.6.

After hearing your response on the food issue, it sounds as though a lot of you are feeding the Friskies and Fancy Feast so I'm going to look into that. The grocery store doesn't seem to carry much variety but I checked Wal-Mart this morning and they have lots, in the bigger cans so I'll check out the Binky list to see which ones to look for. My two civies are quite fussy when it comes to food, I'm having a struggle getting them off the dry. They haven't had any for 2 weeks and I have to practically follow them around with the food dish to get them to eat enough.

Up to this point I've been blindly following my vet's advice but it's time to educate myself and take control of Max's health. I know this is the right place for that.

Dawn and Max
 
The 3 flavors that I know Walmart carries in the big cans are all fine for diabetics. Turkey and Giblets, Ocean Whitefish & Tuna, and Mixed Grill. Other Friskies pate flavors that work fine for diabetics and seem to meet the approval of all 14 adult cats here are: Mariner's Catch, Classic Seafood Dinner, Country-style dinner, Poultry Platter, and Supreme Supper (although this one seems to be hit and miss with my bunch).

One thing I learned when trying to figure out how to divide up those 13 oz cans into multiple food dishes is that 2 level tablespoons works out to about 1/4 of a 5.5 oz can. They don't need to be completely level Tbsps. so what I do is use a tablespoon measuring spoon and level it on the edge of the can, then use a regular spoon to scoop it out of the measuring spoon. I can feed all 14 here on 8 large cans a day, which maybe a little more per day per cat than what you may need since I tend to grow them big around here, most of mine are large kids with ideal weights between 14-17lbs. I do have a few that are normal 10 pounders but they are the minority for sure. :lol:

The general rule of thumb is 15-20 calories per pound of cat, depending on age and activity level. Binky's list give you the total calories per can so just figure out what your kids are suppose to weigh and then figure out how many calories they need to eat to maintain that weight and you are good to go. The feeding recommendation on the side of the cans is normally way too much for the normal housecat. Those recommendations are based off a young, fully intact (not spayed or neutered) highly active cat. So they can cover all their bases and well I also think it has to do with appeasing the human and our lack of portion control in our own diets...lol We, as humans think that more is better, but we have to remember in the wild these guys would be dining on mice and small birds most of which don't weigh as much as a can of catfood, expending plenty of energy to hunt down that dinner and not always dining everyday. So they are just plain build to be very good about using a little amount of food per day to maintain excellent health, it is really just us that want to super-size their meals...hehe

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
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