10/12 Buddy AMPS 468, PMPS 368

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M

Mad Scientist and Buddy

Member Since 2010
Yesterday

So, we skipped the PM shot yesterday cause he was at 50mg/dL and half hour later was only at 53mg/dL. Not scary low, but too low to shoot on. This morning, gave 0.75 units Lantus-100. Waiting for him to adjust to the new dose. I'd be happy if he hovered between 100 and 250 for a while. . . .
The only way to get him to let me take blood w/o much fuss is to start feeding him 15 min before, after the frenzy, he slows down a little and I can warm the ear and poke him. He's still eating 1X5.5 oz can for breakfast and 1/2 can (either of a 5.5 oz or whole can of 3oz) within 30 min. Hopefully he will level off a little and I can fine tune him after that.

Tony and Buddy
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

Can you try spreading out the meals a bit? With Lantus, you don't need to have tons of food on board before shooting. I suspect Buddy will be less frantic if he gets either mini-meals or snacks. I believe that others had suggested freezing food or an automatic feeder. Either of these strategies may help. If spreading the food out during the day isn't feasible because of your work schedule, maybe you can experiment with it during the evening cycle.
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

be interesting to see how long it takes to get bg's down as you will need to rebuild shed (my lucky did used to hold hers even if skipped a shot but very rare)
why do you want buddy between 100-250?
you want him under 180 for as much of the day as possible.

15 mins food before pricking-you will probably have a food affected bg number.
as sienne has suggested try spreading food out across the day.could Also use a small throw to wrap him in to restrict movement and help calm him.
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

Sienne,

My girlfriend is back in town to leave a little food for him at 8:10 when she leaves for work and also put out the "kitty pop" to give a snack even later if he wants it. This is a far better method than with me leaving at 6:25.

Kate,

I dare not ask for too much right now. Ultimately, under 180 most of the day would be great. Baby steps, small wins. . . .
Oh, and I've tried the towel/wrap method, seriously he's a wrestler until he gets his belly full. Last week was ultra stressful on both of us, now that he is calmer he bleeds better too.
Tony
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

I see you tried freezing some food...that is good! Good luck with the new dose. Hopefully you will be able to shoot that amount 12/12.
My mind likes the Evo 95% chicken/turkey with its herring oil and good ingredients. My two grew very tired of it even when I mixed it with Wellness chicken. Now they won't touch it. It is good to try it out, but if they don't like it, maybe mix it with another brand. My two like the Fancy Feast chopped grill feast in the kelly green label.
It is so true that the food are made with us in mind. In an attempt to give them low carb food, I tried so many different brands. It is good to use the Binky's chart as a guide.
BTW, do you have a supply of gravy foods...canned High Carb gravy foods? I use the Friskies Chicken and Tuna dinner in gravy...19% HC for when I need to bring their numbers up. HC gravy food is on the list for the Hypo Tool kit in the sticky at the top of the page. We should always have a supply of test strips and HC gravy and karo syrup on hand at all times.

Soon enough he will realize that he will get food after the test. So, try each day to test him before he eats. One day he will put it together and allow the testing with no problem. It is best to get the ear test on an empty stomach. You are doing great! There is a lot to think about in the beginning...keep up the good work! :thumbup
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

Pat,

I have 2 gravy FF cans in the kitchen along with the syrup and phone number of the emergency vet. I used Binky's chart last night to pick up some 9 lives and FF cans at the grocery store last night, man did I get some strange looks.... I mean, they must have thought " who reads ingredient lists on cat food?", well guess what, WE DO. I got a kick out of it, so sad that marketing/economic gain is keeping so many cats away from a more ideal diet. Ok, gotta log off for a while and get some work done.

I wish you all happy green numbers and a great day!

Tony
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

Hi, Tony! You're a scientist? I work in a laboratory!

I see you're doing a great job dealing with newly diagnosed diabetes. Good job testing, especially. Doing it while he's distracted eating is a good technique to start with but you don't want it to become a habit. You can look into using healthy treats, and he'll learn to put up with the ear pokes in order to get the treats. Most cats here go nuts for Halo freeze-dried chicken, aka kitty crack. Mine heads right for his testing spot as soon as I shake the jar. You'd be surprised how quickly most cats learn the drill, once they know what to expect.

I use frozen treats too - just a can of Fancy Feast frozen and left out when I leave for work. You're not alone in being unable to test during the work day. Most of us in that position test three times a day during the work week: morning and evening preshots and a spot check before bed. (And you could give a snack then too, as Sienne suggests. It's a good idea to have food available as the insulin works and bg drops.) That said, you really need to do some curves to get an idea of when Buddy's nadir is - when his blood glucose is lowest after a shot. This will help you a lot in eventually knowing when to shoot low numbers and when you do or don't need to stay up and test in the future. A curve once a week would be just fine.
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

Great plan with having a 'tag team' to make sure there's food around. I used to make "catsickles" for Gabby. (Then I changed my schedule so they are less necessary but still make sure I have a stock in the freezer if I have my petsitter taking care of Gabby.)

I couldn't agree more with Camille. There are a variety of LC treats around. Gabby's not a fan of the freeze dried treats. She really likes the Wellness jerky type of treat or anything that is jerky style. Rewarding Buddy with a treat any time you test is key -- even if it's a failed test, give a treat. Here's a link for info on treats.

Getting a curve over the weekend will give you a great deal of information. Knowing when Lantus onset and nadir occur as well as duration are all important pieces of information. There are instructions and an hour-by-hour description of what a curve looks like in the New to Lantus/Lev sticky. (You don't need to test every hour. A curve is an every 2-hour test; a mini-curve is every 3 hours.)
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

Sorry to see the red number poke his head out this morning, but I know Buddy will start to come down soon enough. You got lots of good advice here regarding foods so I'll leave that at that ... You guys are doing great!
 
Re: 10/12 Buddy AMPS 468

I'm with you on the small wins :mrgreen:

Another thought then on the bellyfull requirement. How about fresh boiled chicken treats (or the freeze dried you can get in USA?)
This is negligible carbs and also Buddy will associate test with a nice experience (that's the theory)

Have a good day :mrgreen:
 
Buddy is all injected and satiated now. Whew. Found a local Pet Valu that sells 95% EVO in large 13.2 oz cans for 1.89 each. Very nice price for a premium food. He likes the chicken, tomorrow we'll see if he likes the beef. Going to use FF as snacks during the day. Just to switch up flavors a bit. Can't wait to see what his blood sugar is going to do tonight and tomorrow morning. Hoping shed will fill up after PM shot tonight and will go to work again. . . .

Tony and Buddy
 
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