2/20 Ruben 131 pmbg +3 122

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RubenTheCat

RubenTheCat

Member Since 2013
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=89311&p=957057#p957057

128 ambg
is it ok to feel good about numbers that are under 150 even if they should idealy be in the green? i know on the alpha trax the high end for otj is 150, so under 150 is good and 128 is a great number in retrospect but im hoping so much for green.

i looked at mj and donavon's ss and he was blue for a while then came down to green on his own while otj? we can dream right!! i know he can do it and if i fed him nothing but seafood flavors he would, but i also crystals are a concern. he does great on 1%-3% foods, but they are all seafood, and nervous to switch brands such his gi track is sensitive.
any suggestions? stay the corse or switch brands?
either way send lots of green vines this way, please it helps me as much as ruben.
hoping to hear from ellen guys, keep fingers, tails, paws crossed. it would be nice to build up that llef and let people know they have choices when it comes to fd

also sending love to latte and latte's mom, what a great psa yesterday
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

Looking good this morning, Sam & Ruben! I don't know the answers to your questions, either...but sending "keep up the good work" vines your way!!!!
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

Donovan's "normal" range seemed to stay in high greens/low blues (usually blue AM and green PM). He held steady during his OTJ trial. I only got concerned when his BGs continued to trend upward, and they did when his dental issues got out of hand. A few weeks after surgery, they returned to "normal". Had they stayed high blues/low yellows, I would have re-started insulin.

Donny got a mixture of foods including his beloved Trader Joe's tuna and generally ate very well, but if Ruben tends toward having a sensitive stomach, you need to be careful about new foods. Have you tried any unusual proteins like duck or venison?

MJ
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

That's quite a lovely # for Ruben this morning! Hoping that you'll find a food that won't upset his system, and that he likes. It's always trial and error with regards to food, and everything else on top of it. Have a good day! :-D
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

i have not tried unusual protiens but ruben does have dental issues, but vet said its not pressing, ruben does not handle stress well at all and i worry about having teeth pulled in fear of pancreatitus again. trying to find a balence.
he seems much better than he was, his coat still looks a lil shelfy but think its age or me over analyizing it. :?
i'm really torn about what to do about his teeth, as of now i have no money at all so can't do it for at least 6 months-vet said that should be fine but who knows with her..lol
he is staying under 150 most of the time and is much happier. ugh i just wish there was a magic ball to tell me the right answers.
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

Everyone wishes for a magic ball to see what they can do for their kitties. Unfortunately, it's all trial and error, and more trial and error. Eventually, something will work, and at that point it may need tweaking, or it may not. For instance, I had to give Blackie a bunch more food than normal last Thursday as we had to make an appointment that was important. So, I gave her an extra 7 grams of food to help keep her from dropping too much more. When I got back home that afternoon, I tested her, and she was still under 100 (I think she was in the 60's). Totally unusual, especially for her. So, I kept her at that amount, and then decided to try adding a gram to the other feedings, except the +3, or maybe I did at that time, too. I don't remember. Anyway. by doing that it started raising her PS #s, so I took away those amounts, and left the +2 alone. Now, I'm trying another experiment with her +2 and adding 2 more grams of food at that time to see what happens. Right now, it's raising her PS (or this morning's anyway), but I expected that. I'll give this experiment some time (about 2 days), and I'll see what happens. If it doesn't help to bring those #s down, and whatever other # is high (usually her later midcycle #s are high, too), then I'll remove the extra 2 grams, and may or may not try something new. In the meantime, that extra 7 grams was pretty much a fluke with regards to how her body reacted to it. I was excited, yes, but cautiously so. I, too, am working on diet controlling her. I'm hoping that it'll work. All I can do is keep trying, and if I run out of options, and nothing works, then she'll be on insulin for the rest of her life.

You yourself know Ruben, and know what his needs are, etc. All you can do is try something, and if it doesn't work, try something else until you find something that works. :-D
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

Will leave the advice to those with the big brains :lol: but popping into say hello and great job -- seriously, three or so weeks ago, could you have imagined being where you are now? (I think that half of Lantus Land was tuning into The Ruben Show and pulling for you!)

There are no promises, of course, but it seems like Ruben is going to get himself OTJ one way or the other! If it takes a drop or so of juice for a little while longer or if you just keep monitoring from here -- it seems like he is doing so much better -- you have taken SUCH GOOD care of him.

All the best as you figure out what is next -- I've also learned that sometimes you just need to stick with the program for a little while and hold off on worry/panic/judgment at any one moment in time. So maybe give the plan a few more days, look at the big picture that the spreadsheet is providing and then figure out where to go.

Regardless, you really are doing great! :YMHUG:
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg

thank you guys for all the input,
there is no grey area, all black or white for me, its hard to find a balence, i used to just let him eat and drink as he wants, figured he knows him better than me, but now i'm over analyzing everything, poor cat can't sneeze without me getting all frantic nailbite_smile lol. im also very new to fd so i dont have that "go wih the flow" feel some people have. working on getting there tho. some people have a fear of hieghts or spiders i think i have a fear of hypo :oops: . i just would feel so responsible so i'd rather not shoot at all, but know that isn't right either. i'm grateful everytime i get a # under 150, i had a long talk with his mr.p today so hoping he listens ;-) as of now he free feeds except @ +9 i give him a tbsp of fresh food to help mr.p (seems to be working) :YMSIGH: just wish i could get it together more.
keep sending the vines < i feel guilty asking cause i know there are kitties in much worse situations than ruben but ruben in i one and i think he got sick when i did and when he got sick i got worse so we both need to heal for each other
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

+3 117 thats lower and better< look at me focusing on the good and not the what if's :razz:
now lets work on :mrgreen: for pmbg
i dont think he likes the flavor food he has today, he's hungry so i'm not worried, figure he'll eat it if he gets hungry enough.
my car is broke like everything else in my life jk lol but am going to market tomorrow to try to get some other 4% flavors
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

That's a very lovely, indeed! Good luck with trying another flavor or 2, or 3. :lol: We've all been where you're at, believe me. One thing I've learned is that it's always nice to think positive, however, just keep an open mind just in case OTJ doesn't happen right away. Some cats can get OTJ quicker than others, and there's no telling what Ruben will do. Just remember that every cat is different (ECID), and has different needs and ideas for the most part. :lol: In the beginning, they usually are quite hungry, until their #s get better, and then they stop begging so much for food. Blackie meows constantly, but that's just her. I know she's pretty much regulated... She just loves her Evo. :-D
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

I'm gone for a week and I miss Ruben going on an OTJ trial run?? Bravo, Sam and Ruben! :thumbup

:RAHCAT party_cat :RAHCAT​

One thing that helps me chill out is a Spanish saying my dad used to quote to me all the time: "Que Sera, Sera," meaning "Whatever will be, will be." I can worry about what might happen in the future or I can just accept that the future will happen however it's going to happen. Worrying won't change what will happen, so why waste my energy on future worries when my energy would be better spent on present circumstances?

When that doesn't work, I just remind myself of Schrödinger's Cat, Quantum Entanglement, and the Infinite Improbability Drive. By the time I'm done wrapping my head around the further possibilities created by those thoughts, I've already forgotten whatever it was I had been worried about but had no control over. :lol:
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

kpassa-perfect!! just perfect.
i know all these things you say and speak your language exactly. I've been a great creator of my universe and have applied a lot of the tools i know to have the happy life, but this thing with ruben has spun me off course (big time) and is really hard to get back on track. i put to much of my own importance on him. these reminders and words of encouragement make a difference. even if i still post crazy pants rants :razz:

side note (ever see the movie the quantum activist)right up our ally, very very good-about Amit Goswami
again thank you, i really just think i have a dependancy problem. i've said this before but it's so true, ruben is my mood altering substance, i don't do drugs, i do ruben :oops: :lol:
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

RubenTheCat said:
i dont think he likes the flavor food he has today, he's hungry so i'm not worried, figure he'll eat it if he gets hungry enough.
my car is broke like everything else in my life jk lol but am going to market tomorrow to try to get some other 4% flavors
Click to expand...

Food-wise, I've been going down Dr. Lisa's list, trying to stay under 5% carbs (Michelangelo is really carb sensitive). Mikey also has some peculiar allergies and can't eat any red meats like beef or venison and I just recently found out that rabbit is also on that No-Fly list. (Poultry flies, get it? :lol: ) Plus I try to only feed them fish once a week. On top of that, with two kittens in the house, I also need to make sure they're consuming higher protein. (Or is this just another myth that the cat food companies try to sell us and all cats need higher protein all their lives?) Anything over a 40% protein-to-fat ratio seems to work best for Mikey's BG levels. My cats also don't like the ultralow carb (<3%) food on their own (too low carb, perhaps), so I usually mix it with a slightly higher (~5%) carb food to get them to eat it.

  • Brands I've Tried
  • Friskies Special Diet (Turkey & Giblets is the only one I can find in bulk that Mikey can eat). At 5% carbs, this one is my absolute favorite price-wise and both the kittens love it. I use this as my base for most of the lower carb foods that I need to mix in order to get my kittens to eat them. Fancy Feast also has a lower carb Turkey and Giblets (3%), but it's more expensive for less of it and that extra 2% of carbs in the Friskies brand doesn't seem to make any difference with Mikey's BG.
  • Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie is another favorite with the kitties. Even though it has 8% carbs, it doesn't seem to affect Mikey as adversely as other 8% carb foods (like Friskies non-Special Diet Turkey and Giblets, which caused him to run higher). Maybe it's because this is one of the few foods out there that has more protein than fat (120% protein:fat)? They absolutely love the chunks and the juices, except they don't like eating it plain. So what I do is mix it with with a lower carb Pate-style like the:
  • Fancy Feast Chicken Feast (4% carbs). Another favorite (for the chunkiness factor, I think) is the FF Chunky Chicken Feast (5% carbs, but I just recently realized that it seems to contain fish??)
  • Tiki has only two brands that don't contain fish: the Puka Puka Luau and the Koolina Luau varieties. Both are 0% carbs, but I think they contain fish oil which is usually fine and doesn't fall under the general "fish" rule. They're hard to find around here or I'd buy them more often. Another plus is that the Tiki varieties are really high in protein (over almost 3 times more protein than fat).
  • Soulistic only has seafood varieties so they're not optimal for daily feeding. On top of that, it's the only cat food so far that has actually turned my stomach and made me sick, both by smell and by sight. :?
  • Evo is too low in protein and too high in fat (34% protein:fat for the 95% Chicken & Turkey at 2% carbs) and spikes Mikey's BG. Although...I haven't tried it in a couple of months and that might have changed now that Mikey is past the 10-month age and doesn't need as much protein any more?
  • Halo's Spot's Pate (4% carbs) has the same consistency as most other Pates (i.e. Friskies) but it's more expensive
  • Nature's Variety is greatly disliked in my house for some reason. Both the Chicken and the Duck (the only two Mikey can eat) sit around all day long, barely touched and I usually end up throwing out half of it by the end of the day, even after mixing it with other varieties to entice them to eat it.
  • Merrick's BG (Before Grain) is another despised food where they'll go on a hunger strike rather than eat it, even when mixed.
  • PetSmart's Grreat Choice doesn't seem to have the flavors Mikey can eat in the larger sized cans, so it ends up being comparable price-wise to Friskies for me. Plus, PetSmart isn't as close as my other pet store, so I don't buy this one very often.
  • I've also tried the LC Pro Plan, Purina One, and Authority brands: the slight difference in carbs is not worth the extra cost over Friskies. Pro Plan, however, does have a much higher protein content than most other LC foods.
  • BFF (Best Feline Friends) has only seafood varieties and I have only so many "Fish Fridays" to try the fish varieties on so I haven't gotten around to trying this brand yet.
  • Another brand I've yet to try is Wellness because I've only ever found it in one pet store and that was after I had already finished shopping. :lol:
  • Any other brand that carries LC options that I might be missing is because I haven't seen them sold in any of the stores around me...at least not yet.

Hope this helps save you some effort!
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

RubenTheCat said:
these reminders and words of encouragement make a difference. even if i still post crazy pants rants :razz:
Click to expand...

Why do you think my dad used to tell me "que sera, sera" ALL the time? Because I'd be a total spazz otherwise! haha_smiley And we're all allowed to post "crazy pants rants" (♥ it!) because sometimes we just need to vent like Old Faithful. :-D

Never seen nor heard of Quantum Activist, but that's going on my list! Sounds fascinating!
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

kk here comes crazy pants- nailbite_smile i've been feeding ruben some kind of fish everyday now for about 2 weeks, maybe longer (he loves he salmon) ugh.....gonna stop asap but it was all i had that was helping his numbers should i be nervous? what do i need to look for in ruben. ugh i hate this. nailbite_smile if fd doesnt kill em im gonna ...jk lol :oops: ohmygod_smile

kpassa-thanks that helps a lot, so what do you feed them and is it ok to feed him one flavor all the time? im sticking with the ff but gonna do the ones 4% and under and if he doesn't eat he'll get over it. he'll eat when he' s hungry enough, and didn't know fish was addictive, prolly why he doesn't want any other flavor....oh ruben :-|
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

Two weeks of straight fish?!? :o

I think he'll be fine. ;-) You're not chronically and consistently feeding it to him, so it's not likely he'll end up with any side effects from too much fish.

The current basic staples of my cats' diet is the Friskies SD Turkey&Giblets and the FF Chicken Feast and I mix other foods into those first. Just a reminder that my selection is limited due to Mikey's food allergies, but even still, I try not to feed them the same food all day, every day as cats can grow tired of it. Then, every couple of days (I don't want to upset their tummies by changing foods every day), I'll mix it up and try a new brand or flavor out. Sometimes it's an immediate failure (like Mikey's upchuck from eating rabbit for the first time last week). Sometimes it's a partial failure and I have to tempt them into eating it by mixing in even more of the Friskies or FF or even sprinkling parm. cheese on top. And sometimes it's a delayed success, like with the Grammy's Pot Pie where they weren't very enthusiastic about it the first couple of times but now they love it, especially when mixed with the Friskies Pate.
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 128 ambg +3 117

lol your the best kpassa. i just printed out my list and gonna return some of my ff (5%) and get more of the 4% (not fish as i have a lo already lol) but ill grab some friskies. i printed out your post as well. it really helps. thank you.
i love this ((((((((FDMB)))))))) place so much. omg it hurts how bad i love you guys here. could not do this without you and most certainly ruben would have paid the price if i had not of found it. the vet was just like shoot 1u bid and use keto stix...ugh :o angels everyone of you o:-)
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 131 pmbg

pmbg 131 <he does better on the 3% but thats usually fish flavors and im gonna stop that but once a week...come ruben you can do it :mrgreen:
have i told you all how much the bf sucks lately :evil: ...ugh i moved the food to ruben so he would eat and i had to listen to a full on rant about how he hates the smell and how he's sick of this...like he couldn't move his seat...ugh just buying my time
 
Re: 2/20 Ruben 131 pmbg

Still under the 150, so still doing well - keep it up Ruben!
:RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT

I have a fish-loving cat also - Minkie - pretty much won't eat anything else, except beef and I think he's allergic to that (bad diarrhea for weeks over Xmas).
I try to give him chicken with some smelly fish mixed in - hit & miss if he eats it.
 
+3 122
still with in normal
have told everyone how grateful i am for this place. love you guys very very much!!
ruben i love you most of all. my best friend, my soul kitty. he's so stinkin sweet, never in a million years would i think he would be so good at testing. i dont even have to hold him, he just lets me do it, i swear he knows its out of love and that it has led to him getting better. best cat anyone could ask for. oh i love him. cat_pet_icon
 
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