1/8 Taz, AMPS 404, +2 432, +6 200, PMPS 425

SaraMV

SaraMV

Active Member
Just took Taz's first reading. It is 404 right now and was 395 six hours ago. Does that mean it probably dropped more after his +6?

I was scared about 2 units before, but now that he's not in the 500s, I'm more so.
 
There is a 15-20% variance in meter readings so 437, 394, 404 etc are all pretty much the same number. He has been flat and high all night.
Let us give it a few days to see what the 2U dose does for him. And then take a call on dosing.

How is he doing otherwise? Eating okay? Any pain from the pancreatitis?

If you have any data between 1/2 and yesterday - insulin given, any BG data - please add it to the SS? Thanks :-)

Link to your previous post:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/1-7-taz-pmps-546-2-437-6-395.257589/
 
He slept well last night and acted decently until I gave him his pain medication and shoved 2 pills down his throat. Now he's irritable. He doesn't mind the insulin shot at all though. Piercing the ear is yet to be decided. He ate a little over a half of can of food, so I'd say he's only eating half of what he ate before he got sick. But as long as he keeps eating, I'm happy.
 
Do you have empty gel capsules? You can combine meds into one and then just need to shove one down his throat. They can be a life saver. Available on Amazon and other sites too. The size for cats is #3 or #4. The higher the number the smaller the capsules.

Did the vets say why he’s on an antibiotic? Not a standard treatment for pancreatitis.

It’s good to give a treat after each ear poke. Freeze dried 100% protein treats work well such as Pur Bites but there are many.

Thanks for starting a new condo and using the posting format. It makes it so much easier fir those trying to help. You are a quick learner.:)
 
tiffmaxee said:
Do you have empty gel capsules? You can combine meds into one and then just need to shove one down his throat. They can be a life saver. Available on Amazon and other sites too. The size for cats is #3 or #4. The higher the number the smaller the capsules.

Did the vets say why he’s on an antibiotic? Not a standard treatment for pancreatitis.

It’s good to give a treat after each ear poke. Freeze dried 100% protein treats work well such as Pur Bites but there are many.

Thanks for starting a new condo and using the posting format. It makes it so much easier fir those trying to help. You are a quick learner.:)
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It's the gel cap that he kept spitting back out at me. Lol. For my other cats, I have always put the pills in water and then gave it by syringe. I don't know if that would be easier for these or not. I've never really had to pill him before.

They didn't tell us why he's on an antibiotic but I'm assuming it might be because they feel it could be bacterial. I stressed that I was worried about bad teeth, so maybe they found some swelling or infection in there? The vet wants him on pain medication for the next two weeks. Is that standard procedure for pancreatitis?

Thank you for the suggestion on the freeze dried treats. I'll look into them. :)
 
Pancreatitis can be very painful. It also can make them quite nauseous. Every cat is different as to how long to keep them on meds for both. For example, Max always got nauseous and if his appetite ever decreased I started ondansetron right away. With pain medication it wasn’t needed as long. If he started to eat and act normal in all ways I would try and remove one medication and see how he did for a few days. If still good then the same with the next. If symptoms returned he went right back on them. Tapering works really well. Let the symptoms be your guide and see what works or doesn’t.
 


He's laying out flat today (he was just woken up in this picture. Lol). So I'm assuming his tummy is feeling better because he has previously been doing the meatloaf. He seems like he's resting comfortably. <3

I haven't seen him drink at all today. Is that something I should be concerned about? I can not stress how thankful I am to you all.
 
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He will likely drink less on an all wet diet and as he’s doing better. Also he was properly hydrated at the ER. To ensure that he gets enough fluid adding some water to each meal can help. Is he urinating less as well? Do you know how to check for hydration? Feel his gums to see if nice and slick. If tacky he’s dehydrated.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Oh and while feeling his gums make sure they are nice and pink rather than pale
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He's really anti touching his mouth right now. The cerenia dissolved in there when I tried to pill him earlier. I couldn't tell their color but they felt moist. We've always been taught the skin method, so it's nice to have another way to test hydration.

He's at 6 hours right now (after insulin) and he read at 200. After 6 hours, does it usually start crawling back up?
 
The moist gums is more accurate for older days than the skin test. As for checking to see if pink that was because I noticed his hemocrit was a little low but that was likely from fluids and not feeling well.
 
He's at 6 hours right now (after insulin) and he read at 200. After 6 hours, does it usually start crawling back up?[/QUOTE]

It depends on the cat. Many if not most hit the nadir between +5-7 but some earlier and some later, even at the next shot time. You can also get flat cycles with no nadir.
 
Hi Sara, im watching you n Taz...he looks sooo much like Ares. Glad he is eating at least a lil bit. I put water in Ares wet food to make it like a thich soup texture, and it keeps him very hydrated...and now he loves it, and doesn't really like it without.. it might work for Taz too.
 
@tiffmaxee last time we were at E vet for p'titis they gave Convenia shot (did not know side effects at the time). I have zero faith in that Dr as I've seen her twice now and (1) was told put him down for one thing and (2) no meds needed for p'titis - but she said for whatever reason sometimes the antibiotics help pancreatitis. Money grab or legitimate I'll never know, didn't look it up

Sara - nadir of 200 is pretty good starting out. Elise has you covered on hydration front
 
My internist does not believe antibiotics are needed for pancreatitis and neither does most literature. I definitely don’t think convenia is appropriate. If an infection is suspected I’d opt fir oral over convenia which if used I believe is only good for skin issues. My vet did give it after a dental extraction but I wish he hadn’t.
 
He was hungry earlier and I didn't feed him because I was scared it would mess up his night insulin if he didn't eat then. He just ate about a fourth of a can. Which is less than he's been eating. I'm freaking out. I only gave him 1 unit of insulin because I was told only half if he only eats half portion. I'm so scared. We can't afford another ER stay.
 
You need to feed him when hungry. The only time to pick up food is two hours before insulin. Did you test his bg before insulin? You need to give him his insulin based upon his numbers and not by how much he’s eating. That was enough to shoot. The insulin won’t kick in for about two hours.

What was his bg at shot time? It’s not on your spreadsheet.
 
tiffmaxee said:
You need to feed him when hungry. The only time to pick up food is two hours before insulin. Did you test his bg before insulin? You need to give him his insulin based upon his numbers and not by how much he’s eating. That was enough to shoot. The insulin won’t kick in for about two hours.

What was his bg at shot time? It’s not on your spreadsheet.
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Hi Elise, just wanted to check , did you mean to say That was enough to shoot or that wasn't enough to shoot, since she was giving 2 units and only gave 1 unit tonight and his PMPS was 425
@tiffmaxee
 
Bandit's Mom said:
With Lantus, it is not necessary that he has to eat all his food at the time of the shot. He can eat small meals through the cycle.
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That's really good to know. If I syringe feed, it would be ok to split it into 4 meals? Like some every 6 hours? Two of those would be with his insulin.
 
SaraMV said:
That's really good to know. If I syringe feed, it would be ok to split it into 4 meals? Like some every 6 hours? Two of those would be with his insulin.
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Diabetic kitties do well with multiple small meals. It's easier on the pancreas. And they are usually ravenous till their blood sugar comes to lower numbers so feeding more often keeps them happier. Most of us feed every 2-3 hours. An autofeeder comes very useful to feed at night and when not at home to feed.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Diabetic kitties do well with multiple small meals. It's easier on the pancreas. And they are usually ravenous till their blood sugar comes to lower numbers so feeding more often keeps them happier. Most of us feed every 2-3 hours. An autofeeder comes very useful to feed at night and when not at home to feed.
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I didn't know they made automatic feeders for wet food. Taz is used to eating 3 times a day but I think he would love 4 times. It was so hard on him to go 12 hours today. By the time he wanted to eat today, we were only a few hours from insulin time. I never thought about syringe feeding. It might make it easier to give his meds. Right now he is starting to walk away when he sees me approaching. :(
 
SaraMV said:
I didn't know they made automatic feeders for wet food.
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They do. Here are some posts discussing autofeeder options:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...1-2-101-5-pmps-208-160-2.253708/#post-2860391
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/11-26-milo-pmps-357-1-382.255948/#post-2882304
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...70-8-64-8-591-9175-10173.244004/#post-2752564

SaraMV said:
It was so hard on him to go 12 hours today. By the time he wanted to eat today, we were only a few hours from insulin time.
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You can feed till 2 hours before the shot. Is he getting food only twice a day? You want him to eat every 2-3 hours.

SaraMV said:
Right now he is starting to walk away when he sees me approaching. :(
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Give it time. He is probably feeding off your anxiety as well. :bighug:
 
Bandit's Mom said:
They do. Here are some posts discussing autofeeder options:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...1-2-101-5-pmps-208-160-2.253708/#post-2860391
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/11-26-milo-pmps-357-1-382.255948/#post-2882304
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...70-8-64-8-591-9175-10173.244004/#post-2752564


You can feed till 2 hours before the shot. Is he getting food only twice a day? You want him to eat every 2-3 hours.


Give it time. He is probably feeding off your anxiety as well. :bighug:
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He's currently hiding in a chair under our kitchen table. :( I didn't take his +2 reading and I'll probably skip the +6 one too for tonight. I don't want to stress him out anymore right now. I did leave some food down for him, and set my clock to pick it up at 5am.

I have a question about cerenia. In the past I've given a whole pill once a day, and also broken a pill in half and given it twice a day. Which do you think is best for a cat with pancreatitis?
 
SaraMV said:
I have a question about cerenia. In the past I've given a whole pill once a day, and also broken a pill in half and given it twice a day. Which do you think is best for a cat with pancreatitis?
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I have no experience with Cerenia. I am going to tag @tiffmaxee to help you with that.
 
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