1/14 Toby's AMPS=388+4=241+5=148+6.5=197 PMPs=385+4=292+8=186

[Peg and Toby]

Marilyn, Julie ,and Wendy Thanks for all of your support. I have R insulin that you had me get before
but, never used. Would that help to keep him down? He is free fed wondering to if I am feeding him too
much. He eats 3 to 4 3oz cans of fancy feast a day. He's always begging for his chicken freeze dry treats
He weighed almost 18lbs when dx . He went down to 12.3 and is now up to 14.8. I feel he is at a good weight now. He always seems like he's hungry. Don't know if he really is or just a habit he's gotten in to.
When he eats he does leave food in his dish and goes back to it later to finish it off. I feed him before I go to bed about half a can around 8.30-9.00. I get up again around 12.00 to-1.00 and feed 1/4 can. He gets
1/2 can at 6.00 am then at 8.00 am the other half of the can. when I test at 10.00 am he gets 1/4 can. at
12.30 pm he gets 1/4 can at 3.00 pm and then his half of can at 6.00 pm. Sometimes he gets a tsp in between if he is really hungry. Guess I'm kind of rambling but, trying to think of something that might help get him in better numbers. Happy hump Day, Peg and toby

 

[Wendy&Neko]

I haven't used R insulin, but Julie, Sandy and Suzanne have with their high dose cats. Lantus and Levemir both work better when numbers are lower to start with so the idea of using R as a short term insulin, is to bring down the highs. Maybe they can comment on it better than I could.

As for weight, I think the best think is to weigh Toby regularly and see if there are any changes. If he's at a good weight now, then just check every couple of weeks and adjust food as needed. When he's seeing some more under renal threshold numbers, he'll be less hungry. Neko's much better now that she doesn't see pink very often. To reduce impact on his numbers, try to feed the majority of his food before his nadir.

I saw your note on Polly's condo yesterday. Prednilisone does affect the dose, but not that much. Melissa's Tarragon is getting 5 mg a day for his asthma, and he's currently up to 3.5U. The three high dose conditions are acromegaly (hypersomatotropism), IAA (insulin auto antibodies) and Cushings (hyperadrenocorticism) with acromegaly the most common. Cushing's can be caused by steriod use, but you'd see other symptoms than just high dose, and it's quite uncommon. The good thing about knowing what is causing a high dose is knowing what else to expect or look for. With Neko, I know I'll see some things due to her growth hormone, so I pay extra attention to the condition of her heart and kidneys and I expect some soft tissue growth. Both Polly and Neko had SRT, but the majority of people with acrocats do not, so manage the symptoms, most importantly the blood glucose.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Hi Peg!

What time do you shoot? I agree with Wendy in that feeding the bulk of his food in the first half of the cycle when the insulin is strongest seems to help some cats. If a cat is a grazer and just nibbles throughout the cycle it doesn't seem to matter as much when they eat. Just depends on the cat. I fed Punkin only at preshot and +3 and after that just boiled chicken breast that's 0 carbs. Some cats seem to react strongly when you give very much food in the second half of the cycle as the insulin's strength is waning and it can have the effect of putting the brakes on the insulin, causing the BGs to rise at the next preshot.

Best way to know what works with Toby is to try a couple of different options. Since you're already feeding throughout the cycle, maybe give it a try feeding more of his food in the first half of the cycle.

I'll get back to you in a hour or so about the R. I think it's a good idea to know how to use it with a high dose kitty.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Sandy & I were talking just now about how it might be most helpful for Toby. We both are looking at the second half of the cycle - he's often rising considerably from nadir to the next preshot. Doesn't look like the L is lasting quite long enough for him. Seems to me that improves as you get the dose to the point where you've got green nadirs.

Using R doesn't substitute for getting to the right dose with the basal insulin (Lev, in your case). I think he still looks like he could use an increase there.

When you begin using R for the first time, you want to start with a tiny dose. Probably won't do much, but it's good to make certain what the response is to a small amount. We usually start with a 0.1u dose. What syringes are you using? the thinner the barrel, the easier it is to measure 0.1u. There are photos on the New to the Group sticky. You might want to use colored water (tea, coffee) to practice until you are confident you can measure 0.1u. R is cheap and it lasts for just about forever - we only used 1 vial for punkin. So you can afford to waste some. Generally, people draw up something like 1.0u, then count out drops to see how many to waste to leave 0.1u in the syringe. You point the syringe needle towards the ceiling and "screw" the plunger to work out one drop at a time to see how many are in 1.0u. Then you can figure out how to get 1/10th of that.

Do you want to try it this weekend? Maybe Saturday?

 

[Peg and Toby]

You had me try it once. you said to push the plunger all the way in and release it and I got 1 drop. I gave it at am+pm with the lavermir. Only tried it twice . Then I guess we decided to try an regulate him without it. I went up to 14 units tonight to get him onto the lines. We did get into the blues again today. Do you think it will help to use the R? Would like to get him in better numbers. If you use the R and he drops is it harder to get his bg back up? I give his shot at 6.15 am+pm. Peg and Toby