? 1/31 Hendrick AMPS 504 +2 331 + 5 313 +7 335 PMPS 328 (time for increase?)

+2 came in at 331, bit of a steep dive so snack time is MC 13%

I'll see what other tests I can squeeze into my work-morning. Maybe a +5


We need a combination of a Surefeed unit and a timed unit so we can have only Hendrick able to eat from the feeder (RFID chip such as used by the Surefeed) but also have it NOT open for him after 4am. Doesn't seem to be anything like that out there.
 
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Hendrick's mom and dad said:
There is no doubt in my mind if I was actually following my vet's orders to only feed every 12 hours he would not be doing so well and actually gaining weight, hell he would probably have ended up back in the hospital again with another round of DKA.
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I have no idea on earth why vets will often recommend feeding twice a day!!!:eek: Perhaps they're thinking of some other animal??? Certainly not a diabetic human or cat! If you've done any reading at all on diabetes, it is very common for diabetics (of both species) to be advised to eat frequent small meals. It helps to regulate blood sugar. Hopefully not too high and not too low all day long! For cats, they are even more sensitive to this - as they have fast metabolisms and burn through that nutrition in a hurry.

Secondly diabetic cats are often 'starving'. By that I mean not only are they hungry all the time, but they are physically starving because the food they eat is poorly utilized due to the lack of their ability to digest/absorb nutrients in the foods. It just makes me angry to hear bad advice from yet another vet on how to treat FD ... grrrrrr...:facepalm:

I'm so glad you've decided to listen to the collective wisdom of this group of folks who've had many years of experience! I'm happy to hear that your kitty has even gained a little weight!

Save yourself $$$ and your sanity and most importantly your cat's life by continuing the course you're on! You guys are doing great - just keep testing and adjust the food and insulin according to the numbers! Yes, that's a huge drop...not sure if MC is needed just yet - I'd feed him some LC just to see if you can help him level off - a day in the yellows wouldn't be a bad thing for him at this point. Just steady as he goes is what you're looking for now.

Have a great day!:bighug:
 
so far we have seemingly learned that we can level him off with MC at +1 and small MC/LC snack at +2 and LC @ +4
 
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Hendrick's mom and dad said:
We need a combination of a Surefeed unit and a timed unit so we can have only Hendrick able to eat from the feeder (RFID chip such as used by the Surefeed) but also have it NOT open for him after 4am. Doesn't seem to be anything like that out there.
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I, too, am looking for the same thing! You'd think they'd have figured that one out!

Congrats on the weight gain!
 
Purrberry said:
I, too, am looking for the same thing! You'd think they'd have figured that one out!

Congrats on the weight gain!
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So the only thing I can think of would be a hackjob on the Surefeed to connect it to AC power, and then use a timer on the power outlet. So after a set time the power is cut and it doesn't matter if the cat has the RFID chip on their collar the device has no power and won't open. Unless the 'keeping closed securly' function requires power but I do not think so.

re: the Surefeed. There are so many things they could have done better -- it does not even come close to being smell-proof and to make it worse it's clear so they can not only smell but see the food that they can't get.
 
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Hendrick's mom and dad said:
So the only thing I can think of would be a hackjob on the Surefeed to connect it to AC power, and then use a timer on the power outlet. So after a set time the power is cut and it doesn't matter if the cat has the RFID chip on their collar the device has no power and won't open.
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Oh, wow, that is genius! If you ever figure out a way to do this, please let us know! I know @Liz & Minnie was looking for the same thing some time back.
 
The timed feeder was a lifesaver for us. When I realized that I had no idea if BK ate his +8 meals at +8 or left them for after +10 I programmed the feeder to advance at +10 and feed a chunk of freeze dried chicken breast. That way I knew the PS was not food influenced.
 
Sandy and Black Kitty said:
The timed feeder was a lifesaver for us. When I realized that I had no idea if BK ate his +8 meals at +8 or left them for after +10 I programmed the feeder to advance at +10 and feed a chunk of freeze dried chicken breast. That way I knew the PS was not food influenced.
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not sure how to make use of a timed feeder in this six-cat household without shutting poor Hendrick up at night in a spare room which honestly is not an option he would be miserable
 
+5 coming in at 313, definitely stopped that dive but looks like he is staying more pink today than yellow. I like the flatness though, at the moment
 
Hendrick's mom and dad said:
Not sure about other human meters but I have noticed that the CareSens needs a larger droplet than the AT2 or it will error out. That is one thing I can say about the AT2 that is a positive thing: it can get a reading off of the tiniest of droplets in my experience.
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Not knowing if you can get where you are but the relion meter takes a small drop...I'm sure there are some that take micro drops. I use the relion classic with the premier test strips. The classic strips take a larger drop than premier and both fit meter
 
guess he's just having a pink day, not great but at least flat?


But today might be all out of whack from eating that MC at 5am I guess


that didn't happen yesterday or the day before when he was more yellow
 
"if your cat is new to numbers under 200, it is recommended to hold the dose for at least 8-10 cycles before increasing."

I guess he is new to under 200 numbers so based on this, we need 1-2 more days before considering an increase to 1.5u? Do I have that right
 
Hendrick's mom and dad said:
I videod today's +5, which was asking for it to go horribly awry but it did not!

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Loved that you made a video and shared it with us! Thank you!

Also, I have a couple of suggestions for you - when you are ready to test - have everything laid out and ready to go. I use my kitchen counter because the light is good and I spread out a towel (it's actually half of an old bath towel, I cut it in half so it wouldn't be so big)...Luci jumps up there and the lancet is open, the strip is in the meter, the Neosporin ointment is there with the lid off. I use a baby sock that I filled the toe with about a tablespoon of raw rice - I warm it up in the microwave for 14 seconds (my microwave may be different from yours)...just get it where it feels warm to the touch, not hot. I used that to support Luci's ear (I got tired of stabbing myself in the finger or thumb! Ouch!)...and once I have that drop sitting there - I grab the meter (I use the OneDrop subscription system because I got tired of chasing strips)...and we actually don't need a lot of blood for that meter...

So that's how we do it. The same place, always with the same things in place at every test. She seems to settle at the familiarity of it all - and purrs while I test her. We didn't start that way - it was a really rough start for us because she hated us and everything about the whole idea of poking her ear multiple times a day...we've come a long way in 4 years.

Congratulations on having such a calm and lovely kitty! He's very cooperative isn't he? Great job on the video!!
 
Sue and Luci said:
Loved that you made a video and shared it with us! Thank you!

Congratulations on having such a calm and lovely kitty! He's very cooperative isn't he? Great job on the video!!
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Awww thanks. Yes he is mostly just a gentle sweet and loving cat that doesn't complain about much if anything. If we have a bad go of it, and it takes multiple stabs or if he is really hungry (like PMPS, sometimes) then it can be a little trickier. Thankfully my wife is usually there for PMPS to help hold him.

Sue and Luci said:
Also, I have a couple of suggestions for you - when you are ready to test - have everything laid out and ready to go. !
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you can't see it in the video but I completely agree, this is key. We started doing that last week, everything is spread out right in front of me -- gauze pads, meter, vaseline, treats -- all carefully positioned within reach. We've found his ears are generally quite warm and a little massaging by hand is all we've ever needed - plus he loves it. I do need to start putting something between my thumb and the back of the ear though - stabbed myself twice now. That is a great point and something to add to my kit!
 
Hendrick's mom and dad said:
Awww thanks. Yes he is mostly just a gentle sweet and loving cat that doesn't complain about much if anything. If we have a bad go of it, and it takes multiple stabs or if he is really hungry (like PMPS, sometimes) then it can be a little trickier. Thankfully my wife is usually there for PMPS to help hold him.



you can't see it in the video but I completely agree, this is key. We started doing that last week, everything is spread out right in front of me -- gauze pads, meter, vaseline, treats -- all carefully positioned within reach. We've found his ears are generally quite warm and a little massaging by hand is all we've ever needed - plus he loves it. I do need to start putting something between my thumb and the back of the ear though - stabbed myself twice now. That is a great point and something to add to my kit!
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We use a cotton round folded in half and it works well. What a sweet boy! Love the video.
 
Hendrick's mom and dad said:
oh I was counting *days* not cycles. Whoops. Was advised to hold off on increasing recently as well so just looking for some guidance here as I am very new to all this
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That was on Saturday :), when we didn't have any night time tests for the previous 3 days. You've had enough data for a few days now that you can see what the dose is doing, so you'd be fine to increase to 1.5u.
 
Don’t know if anyone has said this yet, but if it were by cat I would increase. The reason is that the blues from a couple of days ago were fairly high blues so I would increase. And I always watched my baby like a hawk.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
That was on Saturday :), when we didn't have any night time tests for the previous 3 days. You've had enough data for a few days now that you can see what the dose is doing, so you'd be fine to increase to 1.5u.
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ty, that was my gut feeling but wanted confirmation. He stayed really even today even though in the pinks, so..crossing my fingers increase doesn't trigger a bounce
 
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