11/17 Tiki PMPS 351, +5 302, Dose Increase???

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Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

So here is where I stumble and hold on to a dose longer than I should. Last night he came down into the Greens but is now bouncing high. Should I hold or increase?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

so i think you've already shot tonight.

i think i would increase .25u. he's been pretty high, although great to see that little 94 last night. you've had 8 cycles on this dose and most of the nadirs have been in the 100's. The protocol gives you the option of holding another couple of cycles, so that's an option too.

i'm looking at the protocol here:

Increasing the dose:
Hold the dose for 3 - 5 days (6 - 10 consecutive cycles) if nadirs are less than 200 before increasing the dose by 0.25 unit.
if your cat is new to numbers under 200, it is recommended to hold the dose for at least 8-10 cycles before increasing.
when your cat starts to see nadirs under 100, hold the dose for at least 10 cycles before increasing.
After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 200, but less than 300 increase the dose by 0.25 unit.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I hold the dose hoping he levels out but that never happens. It's always up and down. And yes, I did shoot tonight at 3.75. It seems like I am always going up and down dose wise between 3.5 and 4.0. Is that normal? As if there is a normal in this world of FD! LOL It's as if no dose ever works. Very frustrating.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

((((tonya))) it is like trying to deal with aliens, sometimes, isn't it?! :lol:

think about the range that tiki was in before he went OTJ. the narrower the range, the less the bouncing. you might try to hold up the bottom numbers with this new dose, and see if the high ones will come down. thinking i might've said something like that last week, but i haven't looked. does that make sense to you?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I get what you are saying, but how do I MAKE that happen?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

yes, it should lower them. you keep the lowest numbers up by feeding tiki. i don't know what your feeding schedule is, but tinkering with it to keep him from going as low as he might otherwise go.

when do you feed him now? preshot and when?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Maybe that's what's different from last time. Last time I fed him a full can of FF classics twice a day at shot time. Then after he went OTJ (or maybe before, I can't recall now) he wouldn't make it through the night without driving me bananas for more food so I started to feed him one more can when I went to bed.

Now I give him a whole can of FF classic at bfast (830a to 9a-ish). Then I sometimes give him a half a can in the afternoon (anywhere from 3p - 6p depending on work which is different every day), sometimes a whole can, depends how hungry he is and then the other half at his PM shot (830p to 9p - ish). Then another whole can when I go to bed (anywhere from 12a to 2a). To offset the low numbers would I stay with the regular FF Classics or change to a higher carb count?

One of the things I've struggled with is the fear of feeding him too much and making him fat, which I fear only exacerbates the diabetes. The vet last weighed him at 17lbs but wanted him less at 15lbs. But I am always sensitive to his higher numbers and knowing he isn't really getting the nutrients he needs so when he acts hungry its either due to low numbers or cuz he is actually hungry.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I agree with Julie. I'd try and flatten his curve with food by feeding his normal food in anticipation of the low times in his cycle. Over time (it takes patience), you'll start to see an improvement. As you flatten the curve, it might come up. If so, raise the dose to bring the overall curve down.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

getting rid of the food in the second half of the cycle might help.

stabilizing the amount of his food might help, too. you want consistency in the food + consistency in the dose to be able to get good results.

if i were you, i'd try something like this - you'll want to note what you're doing on his ss so you can see what's affecting what. some people put an asterisk in the + column when they feed.

i gave punkin 1 can of fancy feast classic at preshot and 1/2 can at +3 - every cycle, both am and pm. you could try that. you could also try 1/2 can at preshot, 1/2 can at +2 and another 1/2 can at +3 or +4. we used a timed feeder - the Petsafe 5 compartment one. I just gave the rundown on it to Ophie's bean. it's a good feeder and it lets you put all the food out at preshot and magically, he'll get it at the times you set into it.

so to start with i'd do 3 things - get consistent on the time in the cycle when i fed tiki, get consistent on the volume of the food, and put most of the carbs in the first half of the cycle. i wouldn't try changing food carbs just yet. although that's a great plan to add to the toolbox if you need to try something else.

does any of that sound reasonable to you?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

oh, and the reason for moving the food away from the second half of the cycle is to have the carbs arrive in his body while the insulin is most effective. after the nadir the insulin's strength is waning.

when he was going OTJ before, you were feeding around +9 to help bring down the preshot. at this phase, that's not as important.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

We cross posted and I didn't see your longer post, Tonya. I was wondering how Julie knew all that about how you feed cuz it wasn't on the SS :lol:

The other thing I would suggest is figuring out how many calories he needs (which relates to Julie's statement about volume). You can start with weighing him, feeding 20 calories per pound for a week, and then weighing him again. If he gains, decrease the amount of food; if he loses and you are ok with it, it shouldn't be more than 1-2% of his weight in one week; if you don't want him to lose weight, increase the food. if he stays the same and you are ok with his current weight, then you are at the right amount of food. If you have to adjust the amount of food because he's losing or gaining, keep weighing him every week so he doesn't lose or gain too much.

The other way is to figure out how many calories are in what you feed now if he's maintaining his weight ok.

Then take the approach Julie suggested.....be consistent in when you feed and how much you feed.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Yes I can do that, but will have to get an auto feeder to manage steady times. Just tell me what you think is best timing wise.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

i'd probably start with preshot, +2 and +4 and see how that goes after you're able to get some tests in.

do you know when his nadir usually is? you might need to do a couple of mini-curves (every 2-3 hrs until past the nadir) to figure out when that is. your goal would be to get the carbs (food) into him before that point to keep it from going as low.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

How do I know how many calories I am feeding? Are those on the Carb list too? Forgive me - I am an absolute idiot where math is concerned, my brain hurts just thinking about this.... @-)
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

No I probably dont know exactly when his nadir is but I suspect it might sometimes be early in the cycle based on some early drops I've seen him have. Other than that he is normally bouncing all over the place so its hard to say but seems to be low is the +5 to +7 range (...ish). Maybe next weekend I can do a full day's curve to see where he is throughout the day.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

i love math (i tutor in it - but only elementary school!!) and can go figure it out for you. but if you think his weight is stable right now, you could feed that same amount per day to start with. i'll go look.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

It should be on the can of food. It might say, for example, that there are 120 kilocalories in a 3 oz can. That would be the same thing we calories. So that's 40 calories an ounce.

If you want him to have a total of 150 calories per cycle and there are 40 calories in an ounce, then you would feed him 3.75 oz per cycle.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Lately I've been thinking he seems skinnier than normal, and his hind legs look ganglie (is that a word???) so I wonder if he has actually lost weight. I'll try to weigh him and see what I get. He's a BIG cat no matter what he actually weighs.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

aw, c'mon marje, you know i'm psychic! that's how i knew all that about Tiki! ;-) :lol:

okeydokey.

so he's 17lbs - marje is suggesting 20 calories per pound per day, or 340 calories. according to the catinfo.org site, fancy feast chicken classic (nom nom punkin's favorite) has 91 calories per can. that would suggest that Tiki could have 3 and 3/4 cans of it per day. of course, if he's really active, he might need more, and if he's really inactive, he might need less. the test is going to be if his weight holds stable.

i think i'd try 4 cans of food per day, just to make your life simple, and see if he can eat that much without gaining weight - so that would be 2 cans in the morning cycle and 2 cans in the pm cycle. if he's plaguing you in the second half of the cycle, you might try giving him some plain boiled chicken. almost no carbs and not many calories and that might make him happy. some meaning not much - i cooked the chicken breasts and diced them in 1/2" cubes, froze most of it and kept some in the fridge for treats. he might be insulted by a 1/2" cube, so you could give him 2 and hope it makes him happy. :-D

if you're wanting him to lose a little bit of his heftiness, you could try 3 cans of food (1.5 per cycle) then add in some more of the chicken breast. slow weight loss is very important in kitties.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Ok, that was scary. For BOTH of us!!! He is approx 19.5 -20lbs. Clearly I am not starving him.... :shock:
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

this is what happens when i take too long to post - i miss the party! :lol:

if he's looking skinny, i think i'd go with the 4 cans.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

oh my. tiki is a BIG kitty! i had one that was 24lbs and he almost hurt me when he stood on me. all that weight concentrated on 4 itty bitty paws.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I couldn't find any calories listed on the actual can. I buy him the 24 packs -
Classics...Chicken, Turkey and Giblets and Beef and sometimes the other one that has the chunky chicken, chicken and roasted chicken (I save the roasted one for when his numbers drop as those have mid range carb counts).

He hates fish so I don't bother with those.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

20 lbs x 20 calories per pound would be 400 calories per day. 4 cans would be 364. you probably want to start there and try to get him to lose weight.

has he always been big? or is this more recent?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I know! How ridiculous is it that I think he looks skinny!!! I must be blind.... :oops:
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

oddly enough, the chicken feast is the only classic FF that isn't fish that is listed. but i suspect those are all very similar, so i'd just go with it.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I am trying to remember but vaguely think he was 14lbs when he was first diagnosed with FD. But I could be way off, as I barely recall what I had for dinner yesterday... :roll:
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

That just cant be - he doesn't look like he is 6lbs more than he used to be. That's HUUUUUUUUGE!!!!
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

That's pretty big :roll: :roll: of course...what do I know. Gracie weighs 8 lbs soaking wet :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

why don't you give your vet a call tomorrow and double check on it. that's a lot of weight gain - but maybe your scales at home are off.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Yeah, that's it. They are off! Would explain the number on my weigh in too! LOL

I've been trying to avoid more vet bills after Sasha's "episode" a couple of weeks ago. My vet is ridiculously expensive. In Sept I got socked with a $400 bill for a run with diarrhea.

This reflects back to my internal battle of fearing that I feed Tiki too much but being afraid at the numbers he mainly stays in that he isn't getting enough nutrients. Plus he can sometimes be relentless (mostly in the early morning hours) bugging the CRAP outta me until he gets fed. When he does this I am convinced he is starving to death. he doesn't do this all the time, but often.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

tell that self-critical voice that you're doing the best you can - which is a lot more than most people would do with a diabetic cat. :YMHUG: it's hard to find the balance - i did it all the time with punkin. he always wanted more and you feel like a mean human being not giving them more food. but fat is the enemy of the diabetic - you just do the best you can finding the happy balance.

hopefully the vet's office won't charge you just for giving you weight info from his file!!! :shock:

maybe a timed feeder would solve your early morning problem with him being hungry. set it to open at +9 during the night and have some plain chicken in it.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Hmmmm, good idea!!!

Oh and get this -the same day as Sasha's episode I was to take in a follow up urine sample to make sure her UTI had cleared up. Well the UTI was gone but instead there was sugar in her urine! I need to bring another sample in for follow up as they attribute it to the stress she was under from whatever it was that happened to her. But still....

Just what I need, a diabetic cat AND a diabetic dog! At least I already have the insulin! LOL
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

hopefully it's just stress! but if sasha is diabetic, dogs are so much easier than cats to treat. my neighbor has had a diabetic dog on the same dose for years. she doesn't test. one of my friends has a diabetic dog - same thing. they don't metabolize insulin like cats do.
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

I'm praying it's just stress too! Thanks for all of your help tonight. It will be a few days before I get totally in line with these changes. So in the interim - do I increase him to 4.0 in the morning?
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

your choice, tonya. i guess it depends on if you can monitor.

and you're welcome!
 
Re: 11/17 Tiki AMPS 419, +7 171, PMPS 351, Dose Increase???

Work tomorrow is gonna be really busy so no, effective monitoring is probably not going to happen. So I will hold off. And will try not to feel guilty too! LOL
 
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