12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148 +4=142

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Amy & Papaya (GA)

Amy & Papaya (GA)

Member Since 2012
Yesterday Dec. 21, 2012

Papaya didn't have much of an appetite this morning, but is eating normally this evening.

Her BG is dropping quickly this cycle, so I'm going to try to test more frequently and head off the drop with food as suggested yesterday with almost identical numbers at the beginning of the cycle that did end up going rather too low. I have just been dashing in to test her between other things today, and just got home for the evening now to post her numbers. She ate 1/2 can of low carb Fancy Feast after I got the 148, so I am just about to test again to see if that has leveled things off or whether I am going to have to be trying higher carb options. (I will try not to overdo it, Siene!)
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148

Surf Papaya! We want to see you surfing the green lagoon tonight.
Yes Amy since she just finished HALF a can, easy does it.
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148

Just added to the spreadsheet, at +4 BG has dropped only slightly to 142 so hopefully the food was soon enough to level things out. I will retest in 1/2 hour.
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148

Good plan.

Also, one other consideration is to not over feed. I'm not sure how much Papaya usually eats but 1/2 can at +3 sounds like a lot. When steering the curve, you try to give small, frequent feedings. If a cat's numbers are dropping, they get hungry. If you give lots of food early and numbers keep dropping, they may be full. This is also why we use the gravy in HC food -- the gravy is where all the carbs are and it doesn't fill your cat up.

It looks like you may have gotten Papaya surfing. Don't get to comfy yet, though. How about another test in 30 min?
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148 +4

Nice. A teaspoon of food would be okay.

Carl
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148 +4

Looking at what she left but kind of spread around on her dish, it would have been more accurate to say it was 1/3 of a can of FF at the +3.3.

Usually eats 3 cans per day. 1/2 can at shot time, the rest broken into 1/4 or 1/2 can portions depending on whether I'm home to break them into smaller or more frequent meals, usually ending with 1/4 can around +6, when she usually goes off to sleep until the next shot. When she was first on insulin I was more letting her eat as much as she wanted since she'd lost a lot of weight, but now she's still gaining a bit each few weeks when we check in with the vet, so I likely need to cut back the portions a bit, but obviously don't want to change too much at once since I can't even get the amount of insulin right yet.

I understand what you're saying about not overfeeding in case they need to eat more, but wouldn't giving her LESS than her usual serving when her numbers are dropping just guarantee that they're going to keep dropping? If she eats the same portion as usual, at least the food is in her system starting to be processed and should keep her from dropping more, wouldn't it? Clearly there's a lot of fine-tuning to be done here so please be patient as I get a feel for it.
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148 +4

I understand what you're saying about not overfeeding in case they need to eat more, but wouldn't giving her LESS than her usual serving when her numbers are dropping just guarantee that they're going to keep dropping? If she eats the same portion as usual, at least the food is in her system starting to be processed and should keep her from dropping more, wouldn't it? Clearly there's a lot of fine-tuning to be done here so please be patient as I get a feel for it.
Click to expand...
Yes! That's exactly it. Try to spread the food out or switch over to HC as you need to. A great deal of this is your learning how Papaya responds. Just keep a few things in mind. The kind of food you use (HC or LC) may depend on when in the cycle numbers are dropping. Fast drops early in the cycle may require higher carbs than a slow, gradual drop. In addition, some cats are more carb sensitive than others. It's just like you said, you need to get a feel for how Papaya responds. It's all about knowing your cat. You can look at everyone's spreadsheet for ideas but that doesn't mean that what I do with Gabby will be exactly the same as what Papaya needs. We have a catch phrase here -- every cat is different (ECID) -- and it's absolutely true.
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148 +4

If she has a regular feeding routine, then you would stick with that. The only adjustment you need to make when you see a drop like this is to adjust the carb level to higher, which will give you more "bang for the buck" and raise her BG or stop it from dropping. And that would allow you to ration it. Like if she's used to 1/3 can at +3 of low carb, then you can give her two or three portions of higher carb between +3 and +4.5? The rationing allows you to feed the same amount, but the carb boost will last longer by spreading out the meal. The issue is that if she eats the whole portion at +3, and it's the normal low carb stuff, and her numbers drop further by +4, then she might not still be hungry when you want her to eat more.

Does that make sense?

Carl

edit - Sienne and I were typing at the same time so I hope I didn't confuse matters!
 
Re: 12/22 Papaya AMPS 394 +4=268 +7 340 PMPS 364 +3.3=148 +4

She's getting a little testy with all the ear-poking, so the time I actually get a reading is ending up at odd intervals . . . anyway, +5.75 is 81. I gave her another half tablespoon of LC. She shouldn't be going any lower past +6 as far as I can tell from previous numbers, so I am leaving a small amount of food out in case she wants a bit more and calling it a night as I have another early morning ahead of me tomorrow.

Carl & Siene, thanks, your advice basically harmonizes and gives me a good overall picture of how I should be approaching things.
 
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