12/29 Chanel AMPS 381 PMPS 292

Laura & Chanel

Laura & Chanel

Member Since 2019
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...thank-you-for-lev-advice.223501/#post-2500201

@Ti-Mousse oh, I do not use a toothbrush, just a piece of gauze but having a hard time to even do the brushing for more than a few seconds. She would not let me.

I am pretty sure at this point that every injection I gave her got into the skin (I have the cringing to confirm it, right?). How do you know when you give a fur shot? I wonder if she cringes because she feels the presence of the needle but maybe I am not doing it right. I need to understand what it is that I am doing wrong because her BGs are just not going down at this point and she looks miserable.
I gave her the Famotidine and Zobaline this morning. She has appetite but she is weak and lethargic. Not sure if the high BG values are affecting her more than expected (she was a kitten on blues) or something else is going on.
 
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Good Morning Laura, have you considered TR so that you can be a bit more aggressive with the increases. It looks to me like Chanel would benefit from an increase - however a few more days are needed for the SLGS protocol. You've been testing enough lately to have done TR...but she's still on the dry food isn't she? Too bad that she can't get off of that for a few days - or at least long enough to find out what her numbers would be like without the dry food on board.

If you feel she is weak and lethargic, perhaps a vet visit is in order - what are her symptoms of 'weakness'? Is she unable to jump or walk? Any interest in toys at all? Is she eating/drinking ok? Litter box ok?
 
If Chanel has gotten used to the normal (lower) numbers, the higher numbers can make her feel bad. I don't think you're doing anything wrong. I just don't think you've found a good dose yet. You're starting to see better numbers. It just takes time. When I've given a fur shot, I usually notice the insulin on my fingers.
 
Sue and Luci said:
Good Morning Laura, have you considered TR so that you can be a bit more aggressive with the increases. It looks to me like Chanel would benefit from an increase - however a few more days are needed for the SLGS protocol. You've been testing enough lately to have done TR...but she's still on the dry food isn't she? Too bad that she can't get off of that for a few days - or at least long enough to find out what her numbers would be like without the dry food on board.

If you feel she is weak and lethargic, perhaps a vet visit is in order - what are her symptoms of 'weakness'? Is she unable to jump or walk? Any interest in toys at all? Is she eating/drinking ok? Litter box ok?
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I understand your point of view Sue. It is not that I do not want to try TR, it is however a process of getting her gradually off. If for some cats it is easier to get them off dry food rather immediately, Chanel gets really bad diarrhea when she does not have any and, my guess, if the change is done sudden. I do my best in getting her off as soon as possible, but with all the issues we encountered lately like only changing from the high carb dry food to low carb dry food, her red gums and diarrhea, oh well, she goes through a lot.
This morning I tried again to figure out what is wrong with her and I think her ear infection might be back. While she had no issues with me cleaning her left ear, she did not let me touch her right ear. Eventually I managed to put some ointment in the ear, but this would be the third time when this happens and maybe the ointment is not the best solution to solve this issue (I know ear infections have a great chance to reoccur but I would like to increase the interval between relapses).
She does use the literbox (diarrhea), weak but walking OK, not jumping in bed (but that is again normal when she does not feel OK). No interest in toys, but Chanel never plays (except if it is my hand that she can bite on and do some bicycle on it). Not drinking too much water but she never drinks more than 100 ml (measured) and eating normally.
But we are trying to build our way to TR as fast as we can.
 
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carfurby said:
If Chanel has gotten used to the normal (lower) numbers, the higher numbers can make her feel bad. I don't think you're doing anything wrong. I just don't think you've found a good dose yet. You're starting to see better numbers. It just takes time. When I've given a fur shot, I usually notice the insulin on my fingers.
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Yes, I know the blues made her feel really spunky and happy. The yellows are not good, but the pinkies used to be OK. Now, I think that she has an ear infection that may affect her BGs as well. Thank you for the info on the fur shot. Nope, I do feel the resistance of the skin against the needle every time, I wish they were fur shots so I can explain her thigh pinkies much easier.
 
Poor little Chanel, I'm sorry she's not feeling great. An ear infection could definitely be keeping her in pink. Good luck Laura, it sounds like you're doing everything possible for her. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
Feel better soon sweetie. :bighug:
 
Laura & Chanel said:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...thank-you-for-lev-advice.223501/#post-2500201

@Ti-Mousse oh, I do not use a toothbrush, just a piece of gauze but having a hard time to even do the brushing for more than a few seconds. She would not let me.

I am pretty sure at this point that every injection I gave her got into the skin (I have the cringing to confirm it, right?). How do you know when you give a fur shot? I wonder if she cringes because she feels the presence of the needle but maybe I am not doing it right. I need to understand what it is that I am doing wrong because her BGs are just not going down at this point and she looks miserable.
I gave her the Famotidine and Zobaline this morning. She has appetite but she is weak and lethargic. Not sure if the high BG values are affecting her more than expected (she was a kitten on blues) or something else is going on.
Click to expand...
Good for the brushing with the gauze but if she has red gums it probably hurts!
To know if there is a fur shot or partial shot, smell the fur every time right after the injection; if the fur is not wet or doesn't smell, you had a good shot!
For sure if Chanel has infection, it will affect her numbers. If you look at Ti-Mousse's ss, you'll see that he started in BLACK and RED at the beginning on Lantus, then he started to come down slowly after switching to Lev. All this can be a long process...
Laura, you're doing everything right for Chanel, just give her a little time to get used to all those changes !:bighug:
 
Olive & Paula said:
I notice you are giving some 13% carb food when glucoses are not low enough for it. Is there a reason?
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it is just a small treat I give to her once or twice a day. That is the upside for her, the downside is that at that specific time she would go for the dry food and she does not get any, just this treat and just one pouch. But she does not get it every day, just trying to get her off the dry food. Not even sure why there is so high on carbs since it is only chicken. As per my calculations the carbs were 13%, but in their responses they claim 0.6% carbs.
https://www.chewy.com/fancy-feast-purely-natural-hand/dp/130369
 
Laura & Chanel said:
it is just a small treat I give to her once or twice a day. That is the upside for her, the downside is that at that specific time she would go for the dry food and she does not get any, just this treat and just one pouch. But she does not get it every day, just trying to get her off the dry food. Not even sure why there is so high on carbs since it is only chicken. As per my calculations the carbs were 13%, but in their responses they claim 0.6% carbs.
https://www.chewy.com/fancy-feast-purely-natural-hand/dp/130369
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I don't think those are very high in carb at all - the ingredients are 'chicken' - I've given that to Luci before - it's just a little tiny piece of meat with a little juice in a packet - good for individual snacks...handy in the car.
Laura & Chanel said:
low carb dry food,
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Please remind me, which low carb dry are you trying? I tried to feed Luci Young Again and she gets diarrhea every time. I finally passed it along to another member whose cats tolerate it better. Luci just couldn't ever get used to that.
 
Sue and Luci said:
I don't think those are very high in carb at all - the ingredients are 'chicken' - I've given that to Luci before - it's just a little tiny piece of meat with a little juice in a packet - good for individual snacks...handy in the car.

Please remind me, which low carb dry are you trying? I tried to feed Luci Young Again and she gets diarrhea every time. I finally passed it along to another member whose cats tolerate it better. Luci just couldn't ever get used to that.
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I did have her before on high carb dry food from Whole Hearted and Royal Canin, both for easy digestion because after the dental cleaning she could not eat the wet food for a while and the pate made her sick to the point of having cramps of worst kind and throwing up as well. Then we switched to Young Again and Dr. Elsey's CleanProtein Chicken Formula, hoping that combined with the wet food (she still tries to figure out how to chew at times and even her mouth looks funny). She almost immediately started to feel worse than before. Before, despite the dental cleaning and loss of 4 teeth, she managed to play at night and be friendly (despite of the stressful 6 ER visits in 10 days). Now, she is hiding in the closet and her face is sad and withdrawn. She refuses to come in the living room and if I bring her here, she just lays down on a side with her eyes wide open and breathing hard, purring also to comfort herself.
So, trying to get her off the Young Again and Dr. Elsey's as well and looking for something else in terms of dry food. It will take a long time to get her to eat wet food by herself. The wet food moments (breakfast and dinner) were our special moments when she would get her little face in the can and munch. Even my husband had to attend because she enjoys him talking to her while she eats. Then, after a few bites, she moves a little further and looks at you to come with the can there (sometimes she goes to another room and waits there). Now, the wet food stays in the shallow bowl but she would not eat it. I opened a new can and held it for her and she was happy to eat. It will be a long time before she will accept that some wet food meals she needs to eat alone.
As for the dry food, we try the best we can to make everything work for her. It would be great if Chanel agrees with TR because her chances of getting better will be much higher. However, sometimes we have to do our best with what we have and I cannot accept to get her to starve so she will go for wet food because she is hungry. Chanel can starve herself, she did that before the dental cleaning and got a fatty liver. Still the vet said 'oh, no, it cannot be. cats without any teeth in their mouth still manage to eat.' yup, got that. Chanel refused the food for 3 weeks, got a fatty liver and most probably a case of pancreatitis that the doctor did not find.
Like everybody says here, every cat is different. I am trying to work together with Chanel and listen to her needs and demands. She might be a spoiled brat at times, but I am not giving in to that.
As for dry food, at this point I think Chanel is allergic to pork (1st ingredient in Young Again and 3rd in Dr. Elsey's). She is also lactose intolerant (most cats are in their adult life) but we had to identify that because she always liked a little cube of cheese :)
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Have you tried Ziwipeak air dried food, or some of the freeze dried raw foods. They are lower carb options with crunch and novel proteins.
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I ordered the venison and the beef from Chewy. It will probably be here next week. I remembered you recommending them. This is not the food with the jerk texture, right? I would like to try that too, but I do not remember the name and most probably those are treats. The ingredient list on Ziwipeak dry food looks really good. I hope Chanel would accept it or should I say her tummy. When it comes to dry food, Chanel is not as picky except she did not like the Purina DM. That was the only dry food she did not like and I gave it away when I realized the ingredient list. It reinforced my motto about the medical world in general: do not trust whatever any doctor tells you (nor the pharmacists, me being one LOL or at least used to be).
 
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Paws crossed she likes the new food. I see they are coming out with small bags which makes the initial investment easier,
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Paws crossed she likes the new food. I see they are coming out with small bags which makes the initial investment easier,
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Money is nothing when it is about health. If I can get her to feel better and enjoy her food, mission accomplished because I know she will also participate in getting her diabetes under control. If she is depressed...
We keep all paws crossed and thankfully there is no pork in those recipes :) because my kitty does not like the piggy.
 
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