3/8 Doodles AMPS 270 +3.5 248 +6.5 246 PMPS 244 + 3.5 270

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Doodles & Karen

Member Since 2015
Doodles 3/7 Nothing new with Mr. Flat Cat other than we did increase to 3/75 at PMPS. He was a bit cranky last night and decided it was a good idea to run from me at shot time. He should know by now that I'll always get him ;)

Lots of vines and prayers to all in need especially Elizabeth & sweet Gus, Elise & Mr. Max and dear Smokey for good ultrasound reports tomorrow.
 
LOL-- my BF has a 1 way ticket to the farm as well.... crazy how we manage to run businesses and deal with life BUT our furry babies with diabetes put us over the cliff!!
Somethings gotta give....come on Doodles!!!
 
:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: and scritches for Mr Cranky.
Doodles you can run but you can't hide.

We are keeping our paws crossed that he starts working the juice.
 
You have tried changing meters, right? Do you have a backup?

ETA: I take this back. Your vet would have gotten different values if your meter were at fault. And also, he would have reacted physically to the dose increases> And at some point, I think he would have seemed like a kitty with a very low BG after all those increases if the meter were the culprit.
 
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Have you given anymore thought on trying some Novolin R? With the way you test, you could manage it. It can bring down the BG as much as 50 then gives the Lantus something to grab onto. And the good news is, it is only 25 a vial at Walmart, no RX necessary for it.
 
Walmart is out of Novolin R but will have it tomorrow after 3:00pm. Now I have to figure out how it works and probably won't start it for at least 6 cycles of this dosecrease.
 
Walmart is out of Novolin R but will have it tomorrow after 3:00pm. Now I have to figure out how it works and probably won't start it for at least 6 cycles of this dosecrease.
There are peeps here who can help you with the dosing and how to do it. It has to be used very carefully . It only takes a small amount, if I remember correctly I was starting at .10 units. Maybe pose the question in a thread if he would be a good candidate for it and how to use it.
 
I really feel your frustration Karen.

I have just been looking at Doddle's ss, and granted he is flat and yellow, but there are less pinks and the yellows are more mid yellows, rather than high yellows before his AB shot, small consolation I know, we want to see him in blue and green but I think there is some, all be it small, improvement in his numbers.:)
Maybe the new dose will do it!

I really hope that he hits that goldilocks dose soon.
 
At this point it's pure sadness really. I try every day but this morning it's overwhelming once again.
The dosage now is just slightly higher than where you had to go last year before Doodles responded. I've looked at his ss and his numbers have come down.....there are a lot fewer pinks now than there were a few days ago! And he's only on his second cycle of the dosecrease so could be too early for him to respond to this one.
Whatever happened at the end of January.....everything (food, insulin, infection) has been ruled out....so now we have to find the right dose for him.
 
Now I just ordered a case of Ziwi Peak beef which is 24 3oz cans for $48. :arghh::arghh: Can't find it locally anywhere to try.
I always bought my ZP at Chewy.com and it (and her homecooked food) really was great for Gracie's IBD. I had just bought full cases of four flavors and spent over $200 when Gracie crossed. When I called Chewy about sending it back, they told me to donate it, they credited me the full amount of the food and they sent me this unbelievably gorgeous and huge bouquet of flowers with a sympathy card. They will forever have my loyalty.

We can teach you to use R (and would buy it at Walmart when it's in because the price difference is incredible). I know you know him well but be sure you can identify his onset, nadir, and duration because you will need to know that to use R. Usually, R is used for bouncy kitties and acro/IAA kitties but it can be used to try and get those numbers down also as we do with DKA cats or cats with ketones. You will still have to get a bit closer to a good Lantus dose to probsbly start seeing the full effects because even if the R gives him a better starting place for his Lantus to onset, if the Lantus dose isn't somewhat near a good dose, when the R wears off, he could just go right back up. I've had that happen...it's not the end of the world. But consistent use of R can really help and if you have the flexibility, the goal would be to try and continue to knock down the highs and then give it as numbers start up again in the hopes the next preshot will be lower.
 
I always bought my ZP at Chewy.com
That's where I ordered it from now lets see if Mr. Finicky will eat it. He's still into the S&C and actually picks it out of the FF even mixing it in with water:rolleyes:

We can teach you to use R (and would buy it at Walmart when it's in because the price difference is incredible). I know you know him well but be sure you can identify his onset, nadir, and duration because you will need to know that to use R.
I don't think we're ready for it yet but will pick it up. I don't even see him really having a nadir these days which is part of the issue. If we don't see anything good by 5 units then that's when I figure it's time for R intervention. Could be wrong but that's my thinking at the moment :)
 
That's where I ordered it from now lets see if Mr. Finicky will eat it. He's still into the S&C and actually picks it out of the FF even mixing it in with water:rolleyes:

I don't think we're ready for it yet but will pick it up. I don't even see him really having a nadir these days which is part of the issue. If we don't see anything good by 5 units then that's when I figure it's time for R intervention. Could be wrong but that's my thinking at the moment :)
That's your call and we support you when you are ready. If you look at Bubba's SS (and I'm sure you have), Bobbie started using R around Dec 9 when he was on 3.25u and she kept increasing the Lantus dose and using R and he hit a breakthrough at 4.75u. I'd like someone with an acro/IAA cat to chip in @Wendy&Neko or @julie & punkin (ga) because I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to have him checked. It doesn't really make sense to me because he literally changed overnight on the same dose. Literally. But every acro/IAA cat manifests it in different ways. My only thought was that it would allow you to rule out other possibilities or it would let you know what you're dealing with. Just a thought but I could be way off base.
 
In Canada, the Ziwipeak venison I've been feeding my civie just went up to $4.99 a can. :arghh:

I remember you had mentioned talking to your vet about Levemir. I'm mentioning it because you talked about him running away from you at shot time. Some kitties find Lantus stings as they get to higher doses. The downside with switching to Lev is that you start at a lower dose but will have to be prepared to fast track up again. A switch could still be a good thing if it is stinging Doodles.

If you aren't thinking R until he gets to 5 units, you can probably wait before you purchase it. I've seen enough scary condos (even one is too many) where people picked the wrong vial of insulin out of the fridge. :eek::eek: I've most often seen R started for ketones/DKA (like Bubba) or high dose cats, though I've also used it to knock off bounces. I'm a strong believer in getting to the right L dose as quickly as you safely can. If you add R in to the mix now, it would slow down how fast you increase the L. I know the vet wanted you to hold the last dose for the antibiotic to work, but the danger with holding a dose too long is letting glucose toxicity settle in.

To respond to Marje's comment about IAA/acro testing. It can't hurt to add it to the next blood work you have done. We have one member here whose acrokitty's good dose is 4 units BID. Each acrokitty looks very different. Unfortunately Marilyn lost Polly's original SS, but she was diagnosed diabetic when Polly went in for blood work for a dental. The more Marilyn increased, the more Polly stayed flat. She was called FlatPollyYellowPolly for the longest time. Neko was a much more, umm, colourful SS.:oops: She loves the rainbow. When Neko's acro tumor started revving up again in late last July, it was like someone turned on a switch and I had to race up dose in a kitty that had been relative well regulated. I felt like I was chasing a moving target. I'd get good numbers back for a few days, then off we'd go on the chase again.
 
I have always warmed up the lantus slightly by holding the syringe between my thumb and forefinger for a few seconds. I don't remember who told me to do that....whether it was someone on this board, the vet, or possibly someone on the diabetes facebook page. It is my understanding that warming it slightly reduces the sting.
 
I have always warmed up the lantus slightly by holding the syringe between my thumb and forefinger for a few seconds. I don't remember who told me to do that....whether it was someone on this board, the vet, or possibly someone on the diabetes facebook page. It is my understanding that warming it slightly reduces the sting.
I don't think that makes any difference in regard to the sting and I'm not sure it's such a good idea to warm Lantus. It's the solution itself that stings and it's ECID. For some cats, it doesn't bother them, some cats on,y higher doses sting. It seemed to sting Gracie even at 1u.

Regarding Wendy's post, I've also wondered if you might think about switching to levemir once you are done with this pen. We usually drop the dose back by 30% at first because some cats really respond to the switch even with the first shot. Gracie did not so I fast-tracked her and increased the dose after 24 hours and again after 48 hours I believe. I'm not sure if switching insulins is the answer because he was responding nicely to Lantus, although he's not now, but it couldn't hurt. I actually liked levemir so much more and Gracie also did so much better on it although she didn't stop bouncing.
 
In Canada, the Ziwipeak venison I've been feeding my civie just went up to $4.99 a can. :arghh:
If he eats it, I don't mind paying for it but if it's another toss out 1/2 can thing he can forget it. We'll see.

I know the vet wanted you to hold the last dose for the antibiotic to work, but the danger with holding a dose too long is letting glucose toxicity settle in.
I held the 3.5 long enough so we increase last night to 3.75 and will increase again in 6-10 cycles if needed. If she has a problem with it, too bad.

If you add R in to the mix now
Honestly I'm scared of this all together and not mentally ready for it yet.

IAA/acro testing
I'm assuming this is the link/test I have to give her for testing... https://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Bin/Catalog.exe?Action=Test&PAGE=11&Id=1401
 
I remember you had mentioned talking to your vet about Levemir. I'm mentioning it because you talked about him running away from you at shot time
He does this one and off with the running and only at PM shot. IDK anymore, like nothing at this point. It's on the table but don't think "tomorrow".
 
I know this has been discussed and I'm sorry I missed the outcome of that conversation but.....Is there a reason he started getting Stella and Chewys? Did he start refusing the food he was getting?
 
Now I just ordered a case of Ziwi Peak beef which is 24 3oz cans for $48. :arghh::arghh: Can't find it locally anywhere to try.

The food we're using is about $3 a can. :arghh: We're hoping to find something cheaper down the road. Hope your kitty appreciates the gourmet meals :)
 
Is there a reason he started getting Stella and Chewys? Did he start refusing the food he was getting?
He's been a kibble addict and I've been through hell trying to convert him to wet food since last July. I keep trying different food (every flavor/ brand) came across Stella & Chewy's and he went nuts for it and it's on the "approved" list. It's been noted that his numbers went crazy when we started feeding it. I try to only use a few as a topper at this point.
 
He's been a kibble addict and I've been through hell trying to convert him to wet food since last July. I keep trying different food (every flavor/ brand) came across Stella & Chewy's and he went nuts for it and it's on the "approved" list. It's been noted that his numbers went crazy when we started feeding it. I try to only use a few as a topper at this point.
For what ever it's worth, I test a lot through the day and each time Bubba gets one Stella and Chewy, chicken chicken dinner, dry. I don't know why that would increase his BG because it is pure protein. It doesn't make sense to me.
 
For what ever it's worth, I test a lot through the day and each time Bubba gets one Stella and Chewy, chicken chicken dinner, dry. I don't know why that would increase his BG because it is pure protein. It doesn't make sense to me.
I don't think it's the culprit but it has been pointed out a few times. Even if it is I don't care because my boy likes it and he needs to eat :) Pretty sure it contributed to his constipation a few weeks back but that's been resolved with miralax.
 
I don't think that makes any difference in regard to the sting and I'm not sure it's such a good idea to warm Lantus. It's the solution itself that stings and it's ECID. For some cats, it doesn't bother them, some cats on,y higher doses sting. It seemed to sting Gracie even at 1u.

Regarding Wendy's post, I've also wondered if you might think about switching to levemir once you are done with this pen. We usually drop the dose back by 30% at first because some cats really respond to the switch even with the first shot. Gracie did not so I fast-tracked her and increased the dose after 24 hours and again after 48 hours I believe. I'm not sure if switching insulins is the answer because he was responding nicely to Lantus, although he's not now, but it couldn't hurt. I actually liked levemir so much more and Gracie also did so much better on it although she didn't stop bouncing.
Well these days there's not much in the syringe so I get it ready while Boomer is eating and I figure it's warm enough by the time he finishes :)
 
Now I just ordered a case of Ziwi Peak beef which is 24 3oz cans for $48. :arghh::arghh: Can't find it locally anywhere to try.
I sure hope he likes it--I have not tried the beef but I have tried 3 flavors -he liked the rabbit / venison for a day--not so much on the others :(
I got a mixed case of 4 each --I was afraid to get a case--
If he keeps refusing I will send you the other flavors-
 
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