10/07-Dolly-AMPS 261 -232@2.75 -257@4.5 -258@7 -PMPS 239 -184@3

Any thoughts, suggestions. I feel lost. Increased Dolly today to 1.75. This all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. I know increases can cause increased numbers for a few days but what have I done wrong? I started giving her a small amount of air dried ZiwiPeak to snack on during the night. I started this after her numbers started rising. I needed to find a way to get my own health on track and start getting a good nights sleep. I am taking her to an IM doctor on Tuesday. I know there have been problems with her nasal assuages for a long time. Her problems with walking and her twitches I’m sure are neurological, her arthritis is mild. I get bloodwork often and if necessary address any problems the vets suggests for further testing. She eats lc canned and now a little air dried, is this considered dry food? To be honest after 2 years I still don’t understand Feline Diabetes as much as I would like to. I know I have reached out before and felt I wasn’t answered because I should know the answers to my own questions. I need help or help to understand what has caused this drastic change and how I go forward in helping Dolly.
@Marje and Gracie @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko
 
Our Dolly Girl said:
Any thoughts, suggestions. I feel lost. Increased Dolly today to 1.75. This all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. I know increases can cause increased numbers for a few days but what have I done wrong? I started giving her a small amount of air dried ZiwiPeak to snack on during the night. I started this after her numbers started rising. I needed to find a way to get my own health on track and start getting a good nights sleep. I am taking her to an IM doctor on Tuesday. I know there have been problems with her nasal assuages for a long time. Her problems with walking and her twitches I’m sure are neurological, her arthritis is mild. I get bloodwork often and if necessary address any problems the vets suggests for further testing. She eats lc canned and now a little air dried, is this considered dry food? To be honest after 2 years I still don’t understand Feline Diabetes as much as I would like to. I know I have reached out before and felt I wasn’t answered because I should know the answers to my own questions. I need help or help to understand what has caused this drastic change and how I go forward in helping Dolly.
@Marje and Gracie @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko
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That was nasal passages.
 
I'm glad you are going to an IM doctor. Neko's IM doctor gave me a sense of relief, and a way to organize multiple conditions. Hopefully this vet will find some answers for you.

I don't think you have done anything wrong. Dolly's insulin needs are changing. Just follow the protocol and increase/decrease as you need to per the numbers. That's really all that you can do, the rest is up to Dolly's body. :bighug:
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I'm glad you are going to an IM doctor. Neko's IM doctor gave me a sense of relief, and a way to organize multiple conditions. Hopefully this vet will find some answers for you.

I don't think you have done anything wrong. Dolly's insulin needs are changing. Just follow the protocol and increase/decrease as you need to per the numbers. That's really all that you can do, the rest is up to Dolly's body. :bighug:
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Thanks Wendy for keeping it simple. I do feel so much better for making her appointment, it’s taken me far too long. :bighug:
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
The only think I would add to Wendy's thoughts are that it looks like you were on target with raising Dolly's dose. Just remember to evaluate the dose every 3 days.
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Can you tell me if the doctor brings up her diabetes, I’m sure they would, do I just let them assume her vet lowers or raises her insulin? It won’t be on her records and there may be negative remarks from her long term vet who insisted I take Dolly off insulin and I was playing with fire with her life. Do I ever mention Feline Diabetes?

Do you know if ZiwiPeak air dried chicken, 5% carbs is okay and is it considered dry food? Sorry for needing so many answers.
 
ZiwiPeak is air dried raw food. It's not a "dry" food in the same way that kibble is. Think of it in the same category as a freeze dried chicken treat except that it's a nutritionally complete food.

Since this is a new vet, I would see how the conversation goes. This is a post on interviewing/screening a new vet. For me, the most important piece of data is my gut. Is this someone who is knowledgeable, confident in his/her skill but not arrogant, recognizes that you know your cat and are a valuable resource when it comes to observing your cat's health, and that you have a brain in your head. I won't tolerate any medical or veterinary professional who is of the "my way or the highway" school unless they are giving me information that would prevent me from harming myself (e.g., don't bend over immediately after hip replacement surgery or you could pop your new hip out of place). When I moved to Columbus, I interviewed a new vet. I really liked her. We spent a good amount of time talking about Gabby's care. I asked if she was familiar with TR and if she would have difficulty with my managing Gabby's dosing. The first time she actually saw Gabby, I showed her Gabby's SS. She them said I really didn't need her help with dose management. How and when you bring up the issue of dosing depends on the vet and your instincts. What I would also point out is that even an IM vet may not be an expert in FD. Internal Medicine covers a lot of ground.
 
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Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
ZiwiPeak is air dried raw food. It's not a "dry" food in the same way that kibble is. Think of it in the same category as a freeze dried chicken treat except that it's a nutritionally complete food.

Since this is a new vet, I would see how the conversation goes. This is a post on interviewing/screening a new vet. For me, the most important piece of data is my gut. Is this someone who is knowledgeable, confident in his/her skill but not arrogant, recognizes that you know your cat and are a valuable resource when it comes to observing your cat's health, and that you have a brain in your head. I won't tolerate any medical or veterinary profession who is of the "my way or the highway" school unless they are giving me information that would prevent me from harming myself (e.g., don't bend over immediately after hip replacement surgery or you could pop your new hip out of place). When I moved to Columbus, I interviewed a new vet. I really liked her. We spent a good amount of time talking about Gabby's care. I asked if she was familiar with TR and if she would have difficulty with my managing Gabby's dosing. The first time she actually saw Gabby, I showed her Gabby's SS. She them said I really didn't need her help with dose management. How and when you bring up the issue of dosing depends on the vet and your instincts. What I would also point out is that even an IM vet may not be an expert in FD. Internal Medicine covers a lot of ground.
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Thanks for the link and the information. I feel so much better just having you remind me my gut instincts are so important. I am sad that I had to leave her vet that has cared for her for so long. It goes beyond the demand about insulin. It had become a place where I ended up making all the decisions. Meds would be more about me telling her what I wanted for Dolly. She would write a RX for almost anything I heard about here and would mention. She rarely gave me any input on what she felt was best for Dolly. She gave me a prescription for Meloxicam although she said it could be dangerous for her, I never gave it to her. I am looking forward, with some fear, for some answers about her sinus track and then the possible/probable neurological issues. Thank you for reminding me I am not alone on this journey with Dolly.
 
When I first took Neko to the IM vet, he said her inappetance could be because she was going too low. I had to fight to keep quiet and showed him her spreadsheet on my iPad. He wanted to do a BG test on her (and charge me for it:rolleyes: in addition to other tests like ultrasound. Neko was having a flat day, I told him he could take one test and what range she'd be in when he tested. She was a good kitty and I was right, safe blues. We didn't talk about dosing after that and his clinical notes said Neko's diabetes was well managed. End of story. Just tell the IM vet you are not there for dosing help, but what you are there for.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
When I first took Neko to the IM vet, he said her inappetance could be because she was going too low. I had to fight to keep quiet and showed him her spreadsheet on my iPad. He wanted to do a BG test on her (and charge me for it:rolleyes: in addition to other tests like ultrasound. Neko was having a flat day, I told him he could take one test and what range she'd be in when he tested. She was a good kitty and I was right, safe blues. We didn't talk about dosing after that and his clinical notes said Neko's diabetes was well managed. End of story. Just tell the IM vet you are not there for dosing help, but what you are there for.
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Won’t have to worry about Dolly pulling a fast one and showing up low. We have gone back to Dolly’s numbers a year ago. Dolly’s ketone meter strips have gone up $20.00 for 40 in 6 months. I guess I should be prepared to check for ketones more often???
 
Dolly is not eating tonight. This is not something I usually have to worry about. Putting a damper on my long awaited playdate with my great grandson tomorrow. Paying $20.00 more for her ketone meter test strips does not make me happy. How do you go from charging $39.99 to $59.99 in 6 months for 40 test strips? “Because you can” I guess is the best answer. Really just talking to myself. :( Worried.
 
Our Dolly Girl said:
I guess I should be prepared to check for ketones more often???
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I'm so sorry Dolly's numbers are going up, and I hope it's as Wendy said and her insulin needs are changing and it's not due to some other condition. Dose evaluation every 6 cycles is a very good bit of advice too. For what it's worth, Ruby oncologist, who is double board certified in small animal internal medicine and oncology, has let me take the reins with Ruby's dosing after seeing her spreadsheet over the course of many visits to her. I have refused all expensive fructosamine tests. I am always very confident in talking with her about how I handle Ruby's insulin and though she is a top doctor and is used to lecturing to her patients and to me about Ruby's SCL, she backs off when it comes to the way I handle her diabetes. This is all thanks to this wonderful place on the Internet. :)

You know what you are doing. Just be more aggressive about increasing when needed and you will be fine. Her numbers don't warrant testing for ketones but you can do it every once in a while for peace of mind like I do.

I hope the visit with the IM goes well and gives you some clear insights. Hugs to you, dear Adrienne. :bighug:
 
I hope the increase works well for Dolly! You are definitely not alone. And I think you are just the best cat mom that Dolly could have! I hope the visit with the IM vet will be beneficial! Get some rest.
 
Our Dolly Girl said:
Dolly is not eating tonight. This is not something I usually have to worry about. Putting a damper on my long awaited playdate with my great grandson tomorrow. Paying $20.00 more for her ketone meter test strips does not make me happy. How do you go from charging $39.99 to $59.99 in 6 months for 40 test strips? “Because you can” I guess is the best answer. Really just talking to myself. :( Worried.
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Which meter do you use for ketones? Wow. I didn’t realize there was such a price increase. I hope BG strips won’t go up as well.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Which meter do you use for ketones? Wow. I didn’t realize there was such a price increase. I hope BG strips won’t go up as well.
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Ketodoc. I have no choice. I have 3 left. I have tried and failed many, many times, the standard way. It’s also impossible with my current physical limitations. Some major issues with my back on top of the other stuff. I sit on the floor to do her litter. It just almost seems criminal to raise something 50%.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I hope the increase works well for Dolly! You are definitely not alone. And I think you are just the best cat mom that Dolly could have! I hope the visit with the IM vet will be beneficial! Get some rest.
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PerfumedCatMom said:
I'm so sorry Dolly's numbers are going up, and I hope it's as Wendy said and her insulin needs are changing and it's not due to some other condition. Dose evaluation every 6 cycles is a very good bit of advice too. For what it's worth, Ruby oncologist, who is double board certified in small animal internal medicine and oncology, has let me take the reins with Ruby's dosing after seeing her spreadsheet over the course of many visits to her. I have refused all expensive fructosamine tests. I am always very confident in talking with her about how I handle Ruby's insulin and though she is a top doctor and is used to lecturing to her patients and to me about Ruby's SCL, she backs off when it comes to the way I handle her diabetes. This is all thanks to this wonderful place on the Internet. :)

You know what you are doing. Just be more aggressive about increasing when needed and you will be fine. Her numbers don't warrant testing for ketones but you can do it every once in a while for peace of mind like I do.

I hope the visit with the IM goes well and gives you some clear insights. Hugs to you, dear Adrienne. :bighug:
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Thanks Katherine for the kind thoughts. How easy it is to take something for granted even when you are not aware you are doing just that. I take nothing for granted when it comes to other things regarding Dolly’s health. I guess In spite of the fact that I live with the lives, up and downs, with all of you, you have all become extended family in so many ways, Dolly’s diabetes has remained fairly stable for almost a year and I did not see this coming. Of course who does? I am beyond grateful for all of you and your ongoing support. Sending good thoughts and prayers for all of you.
 
Ready to drop, eyes half closed, can I really go to bed right now? Sorry Bhooma that I don’t feel confident about anything right now. I wish I could help you like you helped so many of us. Ate tonight but not great. Leaving out lc and ZiwiPeak. Thank you in advance for your help, again. DQ:p
@Bandit's Mom
 
Our Dolly Girl said:
Ketodoc. I have no choice. I have 3 left. I have tried and failed many, many times, the standard way. It’s also impossible with my current physical limitations. Some major issues with my back on top of the other stuff. I sit on the floor to do her litter. It just almost seems criminal to raise something 50%.
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I agree about the price increase. I think we are going to see a lot more of that coming. The prices of fresh food is exploding, particularly meat. I ised the NovaMax blood ketone meter that I bought from ADW Diabetes Supply. The strips work out to be $1.90 each. :( I am so sorry to hear about your additional mobility problems. https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/20784/free-nova-max-glucose-ketone-meter
 
Thanks Suzanne. I’ll be fine just more PT. I am not smart about doing things that put strain on my back, hips and leg. I’ll grow up one day. :rolleyes: Thanks for all your input. Glad to know you are there. :bighug::bighug::bighug: Today is all about Chase, yay :joyful:
 
Our Dolly Girl said:
Thanks Suzanne. I’ll be fine just more PT. I am not smart about doing things that put strain on my back, hips and leg. I’ll grow up one day. :rolleyes: Thanks for all your input. Glad to know you are there. :bighug::bighug::bighug: Today is all about Chase, yay :joyful:
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What’s going on with Chase today? A game? Birthday? Take care of yourself!!
 
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