10/6 | Darwin: PMPS=62, +1=39, +2=50, +3=70, +5=98. +8=126, +11=142

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Tasha & Darwin

Tasha & Darwin

Member Since 2017
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So...Darwin is having a little fun again today! o_O:eek: Any thoughts? The 38 definitely seems to call for a reduction, but this will be his third reduction in 3-4 days!

ETA: I was at work when my girlfriend got the 38. I had her feed 1/4c FF w/ 0.2ml Karo, and check before she came back to work. I am off for the afternoon, so just fed again, and will monitor throughout the afternoon.
 
I saw you comment on another condo so I checked to see how Darwin was doing with the reduction and :eek::eek::eek: at that 38!

I would take the reduction because 38 is just too low!
 
+5=92. On the plus side, Darwin used to be, I seemed to think, a little cranky when he was in the blues and especially greens, but he seems super happy and content. He's been super lovey for testing - lots of head bumps while he's in greens. It's a win, win....but maybe not 38!

Mandy & Rex said:
I would take the reduction because 38 is just too low!
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Agreed! I was so surprised - he would typically be bouncing today after skipping yesterday, but not this time...o_O

Doodles & Karen said:
Any time there is a big on the 30's it's an automatic reduction. Some kitties just make their own rules especially with the skipped shot yesterday. Worse case is you go back up in dose if needed.
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Thanks! This was pretty much my thoughts too. 38 is just not a happy number...especially after the missed shot. He would normally have bounced high, and been flat today, but he's changing it up o_O:p

Chubba said:
Yikes ... 38 ... point proven!
Congrats on the reducie ... hope it sticks!
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Thanks! Me too!
 
+1=39. Glad I checked him at +1. Rats. :blackeye: Hope I didn't make the wrong call by shooting. He's currently eating a snack if "homemade" HC food (he doesn't like any HC I've tried, so I mix MC gravy and a little Karo into his FF pate). :coffee::coffee::banghead:
 
+2=50. Coming up a bit. I think I'm going to end up checking every hour unless he comes up substantially.

He's hungry (went to civie's empty bowl), but he's being stubborn, as usual, about the Gravy Lover's FF even though I hid some in pate. Will wait before giving more Karo, but can mix that unto his favorite food, if needed.
 
Hi Tasha,

I don't think I've posted on your condo before. Darwin sure is on a mission! Have you tested again since +3? That's so early in the cycle that I would be concerned about his coming down again when he hits nadir.

Normally we recommend not taking reductions so close together, but in Darwin's case, unless he's in the rafters at AMPS, I'd vote for going with 1.0. As Karen said, the worst that could happen is you'd need to take him back up again if the reduction doesn't stick. Safety first.
 
Just an FYI - when you're steering low numbers with food, it's best to test every 20 - 30 min. This is especially the case if your cat drops below 40. There's just no wiggle room when numbers are that low and it's best to keep nudging the numbers up with HC. Because the HC can wear off, you want to make sure your kitty is in a safe range. This is the info from the Shooting & Handling Low Numbers sticky:

If your cat is testing in low numbers and you are not getting a quick response to your post, there are several things you need to do. (Low numbers are under 50mg/dL or 2.8 mmol/L.)
  • Depending on how carbohydrate sensitive your cat is, feed approximately a teaspoon or less of gravy from high carb food or high carb food only. (If you have a cat with GI issues, using a couple of drops of syrup plus low carb food is an alternative.)
  • Test again in 15 – 20 min. Depending on the numbers, give more HC food.
  • Repeat the above steps every 15 – 20 min. until your cat tests in the 50 mg/dL (2.8 mmol/L) or above range for 2 consecutive tests. Continue to feed in small amounts to keep numbers in a safe range.
  • Test in 30 - 40 min. and repeat the test and feed process until there are 2 consecutive tests where numbers are stable or rising.
  • Test in an hour and follow the same steps.
DO NOT become complacent. If number have risen after one or two tests, it’s important to continue testing. Numbers may bobble up and down as the HC food and/or Karo wear off. DO NOT get one test where your cat has risen from low numbers into the 50s and go to sleep or leave the house. You are putting your cat in a risky situation. When in doubt, leave HC food out.
 
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey said:
Hi Tasha,

I don't think I've posted on your condo before. Darwin sure is on a mission! Have you tested again since +3? That's so early in the cycle that I would be concerned about his coming down again when he hits nadir.

Normally we recommend not taking reductions so close together, but in Darwin's case, unless he's in the rafters at AMPS, I'd vote for going with 1.0. As Karen said, the worst that could happen is you'd need to take him back up again if the reduction doesn't stick. Safety first.
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A serious mission! I did test again (posted in the caption, but didn't bump by post as I was comfortable with where he was going). He's only come to 142 at +11, so I think I'm going to go ahead and give the reduction...he seems to be asking for it! He'd normally have bounced SKY high by now...

Chubba said:
Glad Darwin came up for you. Wow, that would have been scary at +1. Yikes!:bighug:
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Seriously! I didn't expect him to do that - in the past, he'd have bounced in this situation, not dropped. He's making some changes...

Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Just an FYI - when you're steering low numbers with food, it's best to test every 20 - 30 min. This is especially the case if your cat drops below 40. There's just no wiggle room when numbers are that low and it's best to keep nudging the numbers up with HC. Because the HC can wear off, you want to make sure your kitty is in a safe range.
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Thanks for the advice, but I did do this. I checked him q 20 min when he first dropped (just wrote those down on a post it), and when he reached 50, I checked him 30 min later, and then an hour after those two increased numbers. Then, as you can see on his spreadsheet, I checked him (and fed him) through the night/morning. I'd never be complacent about low numbers, but I do think you can tell by how your kitty is feeling and acting if you're up with them. I'm a vet tech, so I have (even recently - we had a cat in this week who's BG was 12 on our analyzer!) dealt with true hypoglycemia in cats - I'm getting pretty comfortable (and NOT panicking :p) with monitoring Darwin closely during these drops. :joyful:

ETA: I also continued to feed him through the night (as shown on his spreadsheet). I just didn't post on here, as no one was really on to help anyway - otherwise I'd have posted continuous updates.
 
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In the future, can you "stack" the numbers in the cell for when you test multiple times in an hour? You can look at Gabby's SS to see what I mean. For most of us who look at SSs routinely, if the numbers aren't there, we assume you didn't grab a test (and hence, my incorrect assumption). If you do stack the numbers, you have to manually color the cell. I'm really glad you were on top of things.

We have a couple of members who live in Europe and Australia. They are often checking in when those of us in North or South America are sleeping. If you should need help at an odd hour, don't hesitate to post. We also have some people on the west coast of the US who are night owls.

 
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