12/16 Snickers AMPS 88, +3 76, +4.5 112, +6.25 81, +9 102, PMPS 110, +4.75 84

Snickers and Chrissy

Snickers and Chrissy

Member Since 2019
Yesterday
Starting green :) Today is day 7 of her dose reduction to .75. While her nadirs have been in the 70s, she's also gotten several 90s and a few 100s.

I think I'm going to hold this dose another week or so rather than increase or decrease. I have two reasons for this, but I'd like to know if others agree.

1. Snickers has been dealing with some constipation issues the last few days that may have affected her BG. I believe we are past these issues now, as she pooped last night. Continuing to monitor.

2. I changed her shot time this week, by one hour. So the last couple nights she's had her PMPS shot a half hour early. Which I understand can affect BGs.

So given these two things, I thought I'd hold the .75 and see what happens now that the dose time is adjusted, and her constipation has improved. Does this sound like the right move? Just wanting a little input.

Also, just fyi, this morning I had to give her an allergy pill, which I wrapped in a tiny amount of a high carb treat I use only for pills. I've been experimenting with new ways/treats to give her this pill (which is only as needed), but so far have failed.

I'm going to pick up some low carb cheese whiz next time I'm at the store and give that a try, as it was suggested by another member. Point is, the treat may give her a tiny spike later today. But the pill was absolutely necessary this morning as she was sneezing, and when her allergies get bad it can make her asthma worse.

Anyway, happy Saturday!
 
I'm curious to hear about the ways you've tried wrapping her pills, and if you find anything that eventually works. Kit is a fellow tri color (she's got tortitude in spades) and man is she a pill to pill. I'm always curious to see what other folks find that works.
 
Alicia & Kit cat said:
I'm curious to hear about the ways you've tried wrapping her pills, and if you find anything that eventually works. Kit is a fellow tri color (she's got tortitude in spades) and man is she a pill to pill. I'm always curious to see what other folks find that works.
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So far I've tried crushing it into tiny pieces and mixing with her favorite LC food. This used to work! But it stopped working several months ago.

Lately I've tried inserting small pieces into a bit of Applaws salmon filet, but the salmon sort of crumbled and she wouldn't touch any of it. She loves salmon, too! I tried taking the Applaws salmon mousse and rolling it into a little ball, which contained the pill inside, but that was another fail. I think I tried wrapping it in some beef lunch meat a couple times, but she just stared at it.

I have to be careful what I give her because Snickers has almost no teeth, and an allergy to poultry. I like the cheese whiz idea given to me by another member because it would be soft and probably appealing to her, but I'm worried the oils in it will upset her stomach. I think I'm gonna give it a try later today or tomorrow though and see what happens.

I also have an idea to make my own treats using pork, which she really likes. I thought I would take cooked pork and puree it in a blender or something, then stick it back in the fridge and let it firm up. Then roll it into little balls and insert the pill. I have no idea if this will work though, lol. The "recipe" might need some adjusting, but I'll try it if I can't come up with something else.

With my previous non-diabetic kitties I used to use pill pockets. If they didn't want the pill pocket, I would would smush their pill into a small amount of pill pocket anyway, then attach a different treat to it, like Temptations. If you smash the hard treat like Temptations to the soft treat like a pill pocket, they'll stick together. My cats would then gobble them up. Worked every time.

But of course, with Snickers, I can't do that. The HC treat I use for her pills now is like a pill pocket paste (not actually pill pocket though, just a similar texture) that I wrap around her pill. She loves it! Until recently, I thought such a small amount (like a jelly bean's worth) given once a week or so wouldn't hurt, but I've realized I was mistaken. Also, sometimes she needs the allergy pill more than once a week, sometimes not at all. So it really makes sense that I find something better for her individual needs.
 
I’m curious why the pill was wrapped in an hc treat. Nothing lc will get the job done? Is it daily? That could explain the blues. Which pill are you giving?
 
tiffmaxee said:
I’m curious why the pill was wrapped in an hc treat. Nothing lc will get the job done? Is it daily? That could explain the blues. Which pill are you giving?
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No, it's not daily. It's as needed. Sometimes once a week, sometimes more, sometimes not at all. This is the first one I've given her since 12/05. She usually needs it more in summer/fall, but has been sneezing again the last couple days. (Not a cold or anything, definitely just her allergies.)

So far, no, I haven't found any other way to get her to eat the pill, except with this darn pill paste. When she fell out of remission I didn't think too much about the paste as it's not daily and she gets such a small amount. I wasn't even keeping track of how often I gave it to her. But on 12/05 when I gave her some I realized her BG spiked and recognized my error. I should have been keeping track of this all along, and looking for something else. I looked at the ingredients again and it's all corn syrup and wheat flour. Ughhh! I know I should have thought of it sooner, but I just wasn't making the connection. In my mind it was such a tiny amount, and infrequent, so it just didn't factor in.

So now that I've realized my mistake, I'm trying to correct it. But nothing else has worked so far. She has a poultry allergy, so I need to be really careful what I give her. And also has very few teeth, mostly just her two front plus I think one extra. So it helps if it's something that is softer and easy to chew.

I'm gonna try the cheese whiz next time and see if that works. I'm just worried it might upset her sensitive stomach. I'm also wondering if I could figure out something with bacon, as she loves bacon and that at least is low carb. Maybe make a bacon crumble that I sprinkle over her normal food, with the pill powdered and mixed in. It's just an idea right now though.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I’m curious why the pill was wrapped in an hc treat. Nothing lc will get the job done? Is it daily? That could explain the blues. Which pill are you giving?
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I forgot to say the pill is chlorpheniramine maleate. Her vet recommended it a couple times and when I finally tried it, it worked really well for her :) Snickers is like me, she has seasonal allergies. So they're not too bad right now, which is why her last pill was 12/05 and not more recent.
 
I just checked her BG and the spike from the HC treat seems to have come down, which is good. I know I still need to find a better way to deliver her pill though. Especially before spring/summer when she needs it more often. (Just thinking ahead here, since it's still the middle of winter.)
 
I’m not familiar with that medication. I use Zyrtec with one of mine. I think she has seasonal and food skin allergies. I’m experimenting to see if a probiotic helps. Always looking fur alternatives should they be needed.
 
Your +6 should be green.bi think she’s been in this dose long enough to feed lc if she starts to go lower and see if she earns a reduction or it keeps her surfing.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I’m not familiar with that medication. I use Zyrtec with one of mine. I think she has seasonal and food skin allergies. I’m experimenting to see if a probiotic helps. Always looking fur alternatives should they be needed.
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I'd never heard of it either, but I've been very happy with it. It comes in 4mg tablets. The dose is half a tablet twice a day or as needed. I got mine from CVS. It's generic for some big brand, but I can't remember which one. My vet said I'd be able to find it anywhere but I went to like three stores before I found it, haha. I have since discovered you can order it from Chewy. They sell it by the pill. It's like .05 cents a pill or something, so pretty cheap. If you ever wanted to order a couple pills just to try. But I think they need approval from your vet. When I bought it from CVS it was pretty cheap, like $5 for a whole bottle. Just make sure it's the chlorpheniramine maleate only and nothing extra.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Your +6 should be green.bi think she’s been in this dose long enough to feed lc if she starts to go lower and see if she earns a reduction or it keeps her surfing.
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Oops! I don't know why I made it blue. So do you mean I should stay at this dose, and if she drops too low just give her some lc food? I've never actually had her drop low enough to give her the mc or hc wet food, but I have it on standby just in case.
 
Angela & Cleo said:
Maybe try giving the occasional allergy pill wrapped in the HC treat at PS time or right before onset at least until for can find a lower carb option?
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That's a good idea. I probably should have thought of that. For some reason the allergy pill thing has just gone under my radar until recently. I'll give it to her at shot time next time, until I find a better option :)
 
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