1/8 Marley AMPS 245, + 3 255, +10 232, PMPS 258, +3 164, +4 104, +5 85

Jdubs

Member Since 2022
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...s-amps-255-3-241-pmps-244-3-140-4-106.272720/

Do you think if id have given HC at +4 he wouldnt have bounced? Would it have helped him stay in lower numbers?

2 nights in a ro hes been borderline in the sense I didnt know whether it was safe for me to go to sleep in terms of the [otential for him to hypo much later in the night. But was hes been with me and seeming well and slept next to me I feel I can monitor him. But wondering about the feeding before I go to bed.

Thanks in advance!
 
Looking at the SS I notice a few things.

When he drops into the low greens, like he did on the 1/5 you need to be testing until he gets up into safe numbers. If you have given high carb food, which I am assuming you have if he is dropping to the 40s and the 30s, you need to test for 2 hours after you have stopped feeding the high carb. if you don’t, and the BGs wobble about and drop again, which they often do, you could miss a hypo event. Don’t stop testing when he is still in low numbers.

It looks as if he drops at +2 quite often, in the pm cycle at the moment. And can continue to drop at +3 +4 and +5.
With this knowledge, I would suggest you give him a snack at +1.5 and again at +2.5 to see if you can stop these fast drops that are causing the bounces. It is a combination of fast drops and dropping into low greens that are causing the bounces. So to try and stop the bounces, I would try what I have suggested above, and see how that goes. It is trial and error to see if it works. But feeding at +4 is after the horse has bolted, if you are feeding to stop the bounce… however if he drops under 50 you do need to feed high carb to bring him back up to safe numbers.
Does that make sense?
 
Looking at the SS I notice a few things.
I hugely appreciate you having a look and sharing your knowledge with me.

When he drops into the low greens, like he did on the 1/5 you need to be testing until he gets up into safe numbers. If you have given high carb food, which I am assuming you have if he is dropping to the 40s and the 30s, you need to test for 2 hours after you have stopped feeding the high carb. if you don’t, and the BGs wobble about and drop again, which they often do, you could miss a hypo event. Don’t stop testing when he is still in low numbers.
I really understand this isnt ideal. But +5 is 1130 pm my time. I am someone that needs to go to bed by 9 to function properly. My alarm goes off at 6 am everyday to get up to do the morning test and shot. This whole year since he got diagnosed I am really having a crisis. I had to give up my job of 24 years as it requires me to be out of the house 15 plus a day. I am picking up bits of work here and there but because my job was very specialised and I had good experience in it, I was paid ok. Now I am doing minimum wage jobs and I am no way earning enough to live. I feel like all my life force is going to try and get Marley well, so I dont have energy to creatively think about my situation and what I can do about it. I have been in survival mode but really only just scraping by. With the whole world seemingly under attack with this not so great reset, our government - under the pretence that it has something to do with the war in Ukraine has upped electricity bills so high, that it is impossible for many to survive. As an example my last months bill was £475 which is $474 US dollars - for one month!!!! I am in danger of loosing my house. Most people around me thinks I should put Marley down and that I am wasting my life. There is no way I will but its just another pressure. I am not in anyway trying to put this on you or anyone that reads it, I know we all have our problems and stresses. But I want it to be known that while I do things really imperfectly, I am really doing my best and I am giving all I have to Marley. Even going to bed at 1130 on the 5th also having had 2 other late nights on the 2nd and 3rd, I was good for nothing by the next day I was meant to be using that day to find other work. I was useless. I cant stay up til 1 am and then function the next day.

I know it looks bad me going to bed when his BG is 45 but I do weigh up other things. When Marley is having a hypo he goes really wired and pacey. He is obsessed with food and looks uncomfortable in his body. All those nights I went to sleep he was super settled, he was beside me on my bed and I felt he was safe. Am I right? - I dont know, but I just reach a point where I hit a wall where I feel if I dont look after myself I wont be around much longer to be there for him, and even if that is going too far, I wont have a roof over our heads that is a nice space where he feels safe and happy with lots of nature to be in outside. So I am having to weight up so many things.


I desperately need to get more work but because he is so up and down I feel its not safe for me to be out of the house at certain times. I feel like I can say I can work from +5.5 to +11.5 (which in my time zone is 12-6 pm - but those are weird hours and people dont necessarily have work for those hours.

If you could see me now you would see my life is totally changed for Marley, unrecognisable. I am not really managing. I just pray that he gets more regulated so that I can get myself back to health and balance again and earning enough to live.

It looks as if he drops at +2 quite often, in the pm cycle at the moment. And can continue to drop at +3 +4 and +5.
With this knowledge, I would suggest you give him a snack at +1.5 and again at +2.5 to see if you can stop these fast drops that are causing the bounces. It is a combination of fast drops and dropping into low greens that are causing the bounces. So to try and stop the bounces, I would try what I have suggested above, and see how that goes. It is trial and error to see if it works. But feeding at +4 is after the horse has bolted, if you are feeding to stop the bounce… however if he drops under 50 you do need to feed high carb to bring him back up to safe numbers.
Does that make sense?

He used to drop at +2 but his new pattern is he drops (if at all) at +3. He does have timers set for food - So he gets fed at the shot time, then a small amount at +1, +2 +3 and +4. These timers are set for his daily schedule (twice a day). If he has a hypo I switch the food (or add the yoghurt which brings him up quickly) and if its out of his regular feeding slots he gets extra food and HC at that.

Please dont let that stop you telling me things and guiding me. I do want to know what you r exerience tells you. I want to factor it in even if I cant live up to it.
 
Hi Mai Lei. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
I totally understand the pressures you are under at the moment. Life is difficult for so many. And the cost of living has gone up so much.
All you can do is the best you can and no one is going to think anything if sometimes you can’t do them. And take no notice of people who say you should put Marley down….I had that said to me about Sheba as well… people like that just don’t understand the love of an animal and are to be pitied.

It sounds as if you have a timed feeder…is that right? If so that is great! I was going to suggest you get one, but if you already have one….good. So I would use the timed feeder to give some extra food to what you are giving now, early in the cycles, especially the night time cycles where he seems to like to drop lower. If you find as time goes by, he changes and starts to drop in the day time instead of the night time…and cats can do this….well just give the extra food during the early part of the day cycle.
If you find that he is still low at night and you have to go to sleep, give him a really good snack of some high carb food and then leave some low carb food out for him to eat later in. Would that work for you?
You are actually doing a really good job looking after Marley and he is lucky to have you. I hope you find more work soon and things improve for you. Please look after yourself too!
Tag me anytime you need to talk or want some help. I am here most days:)
 
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I totally understand the pressures you are under at the moment. Life is difficult for so many. And the cost of living has gone up so much.
All you can do is the best you can and no one is going to think anything if sometimes you can’t do them. And take no notice of people who say you should put Marley down….I had that said to me about Sheba as well… people like that just don’t understand the love of an animal and are to be pitied.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Don't worry I just would never put him down, its just not an option, it would be like killing a family member!

So true, it is their loss that they dont understand that connection and that they haven't had that.
It sounds as if you have a timed feeder…is that right? If so that is great! I was going to suggest you get one, but if you already have one….good. So I would use the timed feeder to give some extra food to what you are giving now, early in the cycles, especially the night time cycles where he seems to like to drop lower. If you find as time goes by, he changes and starts to drop in the day time instead of the night time…and cats can do this….well just give the extra food during the early part of the day cycle.
If you find that he is still low at night and you have to go to sleep, give him a really good snack of some high carb food and then leave some low carb food out for him to eat later in. Would that work for you?


Too be honest I have two feeders but they are maxed out. As they do +1, +2, +3 and +4 twice a day.


When else do you think I should feed him? Are you saying +1.5 and +2.5 too?

He also gets one feed directly after the shot and one very soon after that. So basically I am already giving him 6 feeds after every shot. I dont know if I can cope with more. I think I forgot to mention the 2 feeds I give by hand (not the timer) in the first hour after the shot...... Do you really think he needs more than that?

If you find that he is still low at night and you have to go to sleep, give him a really good snack of some high carb food and then leave some low carb food out for him to eat later in. Would that work for you?

I did the high carb on the fifth when he was at 45. ......I didnt leave a snack out - normal. That is a good idea. I can put it in the manual timer that isnt very accurate but It would do for this purpose perfectly. Thank you so so much again. I so appreciate it!
 
Too be honest I have two feeders but they are maxed out. As they do +1, +2, +3 and +4 twice a day.
When else do you think I should feed him? Are you saying +1.5 and +2.5 too?
If you are feeding +1 +2 +3 +4 there is no need to feed the +1.5 and 2.5 as well but maybe add a bit more into the +1 and +2.
What are the carbs you are feeding? Looks like you are feeding a raw diet.

He also gets one feed directly after the shot and one very soon after that. So basically I am already giving him 6 feeds after every shot. I dont know if I can cope with more. I think I forgot to mention the 2 feeds I give by hand (not the timer) in the first hour after the shot...... Do you really think he needs more than that?
Are you feeding him before the dose? The routine should be test, feed the shoot.
That does sound like a lot of food after the shot. How big are the snacks you are feeding him?

What are you feeding for the high carb snacks? I can see you feed a raw diet.
 
I feed him 20g x 2 (so total +40 within the first hour. Then +10g,each at +1, +2, +3, and +4

Total 80g in one feed of raw food. (160 a day)

Hes a big boned cat.

Treats (for when I test outside of a feeding time) are dried ox liver, dried other organs. Dried fish. And some thrive chicken and fish snacks that are no carb.

High carb are some thrive tins that have been listed as high carb and one really is, one is more medium high carb but seems to drive MArleys BG up higher than the really HC. But for a hypo I use dairy (but lactose free) plain organic yoghurt. That gets his BG up fast.


I shoot and immediately feed. Its all ready and there. the shot goes in and hes tucking in a second later

This seems to work well for us.

This morning because I'd read this first, I actually fed him the first 20g then shot, then fed him the second. It was awful. I think I did a fur shot. He now seems terrified of me.
He doesnt like change, and it takes him AGES to adjust.

If he is super hungry he is focused on the food and allows me to do the shot.

I will just ask before you give me advice rearranging my whole feeding schedule, can you just have a think if it really is going to make that much difference to his BG. Because for sure it is going to make a big difference to his stress and my stresss and its going to take weeks to settle.

It would be the 11th time this year this has happened, and I am clueless so I follow advice and then it doesn't change anything, but it has cost us ALOT. I really am on the edge of what I can cope with here.

I hope this isnt coming across as rude, I really dont mean it to be. I just want you to understand what it will mean to me and Marley. He is a cat that feels safe with habits.

I did do the feeding first thing and then shooting, and he was even worse. That is what the vets told me originally I must do. Then it got it drummed into me that the whole idea of feeding first and then shooting is nonsense. I am not saying it is. But sitting here in front of my computer I seem to get told all manner of things that contradict each other by really lovely good intentioned people that have the credence of having regulated cats.

What do I know.

But what I do know is I am trying to make out lives easier, not harder. At this point, a year in I would say that the only thing that has actually seemed to help with all the ways I have fed and shot, is adding the +1, +2. +3 and +4

It is going to be so hard for us both to change this to feeding first and then shooting. Are you sure that is actually better? IS it likely to make a difference to Marley? The person who drummed it into me, that though everyone says that you must do it in that order, it actually isnt true, and she used to get really cross with me for not being able to let go of that idea - she was the head guide of Diabetic Cat Care who like you has years of experience helping cats regulate.

So I'm just here going - I dont know- how can I possible know....


But I do know it didnt change much when I did it before and I do know that it is going to be really really hard for us to go back to that. Like almost tipping me over the edge hard. I do of course want to get him regulated and if it really did mean that it would, then that is different. But if it doesnt then id like to save that last push (if I even have that in me) for what might. Baring in mind ive tried it before and it didnt help.
 
So I gave him an extra feed of liver last night at +5 and then I had a timer go off an hour later with some normal raw food in it. He slept on my bed and didnt get the food at the time but did sometime during the night.
 
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