4/26 George AMPS-585 +4-380 +8-329 +10-314 PMPS-433

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Alaina and George

Member Since 2012
I don't think the 1u dose has held, although he's never really come down from the bounce. I got a negative ketone test yesterday. I'm wondering if I erroneously took the reduction because of the change in meter?

I think I should go back to 1.25u this morning. Thoughts?

I purchased a self timed feeder from Amazon for the middle of the night and he's using it fine but whenever the food is gone he is just constantly crying. I feel like I have a newborn baby. It's really wearing me out. I'm also not sure how much food I should be putting in the compartments. Right now I've been putting .25 of a 5.5oz can in each slot. I have two cats and was concerned that the other one might be eating the food but with how ravenous he has been, I don't think the other cat could get the food if he tried. Right now the feeder is dispensing at +5 and +8.5. Today after the +8.5 feeding he was crying for more an hour later.

He's not overweight in the least bit so I'm not worried about that but he thinks he's starving ALL the time.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563 +11-526

If you're going to be around today to test and monitor, then I would go back up to the 1.25 dose this morning.

How much does George eat total in a day? I don't know a lot about how much food to give, but others who do will be along to help you, especially if you add something like Feeding? to the end of your first Subject Line.
Maybe if you gave him smaller meals, but more often, he would feel more satisfied. Just a thought.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563 +11-526

Usually in the AM he get a little less than 1/2 of a 5.5 ounce can. I then give the remainder of the 1/2 can about 11am if I'm home. Then he gets a 1/2 can for dinner and in the evening feeder it's a 1/2 can between the 2 feeding slots. So that's about 1.5 5.5oz cans. But I must say, I have two cats and during the night I'm not sure who gets what. For meals AM and PM I separate them so George can't eat all of Buddy's food because he will...
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585

I went with the 1.25 this morning. I will be here the majority of the day to test. Usually when he drops a lot it's by +4 so we'll see. Those high numbers are scaring me.

The only other thing I thought of is that he could possibly be bouncing from 1u too, but I think the chances of that are unlikely.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585

Mine wanted more food with high numbers as well as with low numbers.
Maybe he isn't getting his share in the night. Whomever gets to the feeder first would likely get the food and if George is sleeping....

Hope he comes down a couple of floors out of those yucky high numbers....
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585

I hope he comes down too!

Well when I've watched them go at the timed feeder, George pushes Buddy out of the way. My thought is that he's definitely getting at least half of it but probably more.

Rhiannon, do you have any feeding guidelines for over night? Do you think what I'm giving is okay?
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585

hmm.
I find that I am often giving my one cat 1/4 of the friskies can in each of her autofeeder slots and you are giving the same amount to two cats....
Maybe you could experiment with a little more.....
Especially if they are leaving you clean dishes....

Lately mine isn't eating all of hers so I've reduced the amount so I'm not just throwing food away ( or I add water and give it to her again or to our outdoor cat)
I adjust to her.

George should slow down after he gets in regulation numbers ( below 200) but while his numbers are high, his body isn't getting the nutrition it needs so he really is hungry.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585

The rough rule of thumb regarding food is 20 calories per pound. Dr. Lisa's site uses a formula:
Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70​
Regardless of which approach you use, it will give you a ballpark for the number of calories per day that George needs. Until he's spending more time in lower numbers, chances are that he's going to be hungry.

I think bringing the dose back to 1.25u made sense. Just one thought, though -- remember that you want to base your dose changes on the nadir and not on the pre-shot numbers. Those 500s are uncomfortable to see. However, George is dropping into the 200s mid-cycle. That's still a sizable drop in one cycle. Bounces don't just occur due to a drop into lower (i.e., blue or green) numbers. A bounce can be triggered by a fast drop even into the yellows. A drop of almost 300 points may be what's causing the bouncing.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585

Just checked him at +4 and we're at 380.

Depending on how the cycle goes today, do you think we should go back down to 1u? I've noticed a lot of water drinking today which worries me a little.

I never really thought about bouncing just from a big drop...

I am not sure what George's "optimal lean body weight" should be... He is 10 lbs right now and really bony... If I use 10 lbs in the formula, He comes out as needing 206 calories a day. One can of Friskies has 187 cal. Right now I've been feeding about a can and a half give or take a little since I'm not sure who eats all the food. So I think that's about right... Maybe I should put smaller portions more frequently throughout the night...
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585 +4-380

Nope. I wouldn't decrease the dose.

One thing about Lantus to keep in mind is that it's a gentle, long-acting insulin. Unlike the shorter acting types of insulin, is doesn't "squish" numbers down. When numbers are in the upper ranges, it's harder for the Lantus to grab on and bring numbers down. What you sacrifice in the harsh kind of potency, you gain with its long duration. In other words, this is one of those times where you need to try to ignore those high numbers and give the depot a chance to catch up.

There is also one other quirk to Lantus and Levemir -- new dose wonkiness (NDW). For whatever reason, there are times when you raise the dose and the numbers go up, not down. This too will pass. If nothing else, Lantus will teach you patience.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585 +4-380 +8-329

I am not sure what George's "optimal lean body weight" should be... He is 10 lbs right now and really bony... If I use 10 lbs in the formula, He comes out as needing 206 calories a day. One can of Friskies has 187 cal. Right now I've been feeding about a can and a half give or take a little since I'm not sure who eats all the food. So I think that's about right... Maybe I should put smaller portions more frequently throughout the night...
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585 +4-380 +8-329

You said he is really bony
He is 10 lbs right now and really bony
Click to expand...
, so that probably means he is a little underweight. I think you should increase the George's food intake by 1/4 to 1/2 can of Friskies a day.

Underweight so guesstimating ideal weight more like 11 pounds. (11 * 13.6) + 70 = 219.6 calories per day.
This is for a normal, non-diabetic or regulated diabetic cat. Unregulated diabetic may need up to 50% more calories.
219.6 +50% = 329.4 calories per day.

One can of friskies:
187 calories per can/4 = 46.75 calories per 1/4 can
329.4 calories needed/ 46.75 (calories per 1/4 can) = 7.04 quarter cans

So George should be getting at least 1 3/4 cans of Friskies all to himself.

Make sense? I bet George will like my math skills and more food. ;-)
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585 +4-380 +8-329

Thank you sooo much! I've just been afraid of feeding him too much and having his glucose sky rocket!

I'm going to separate the cats at night and see if that makes a difference....
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585 +4-380 +8-329 +10-31

FWIW, I believe the "average" (whatever that is) male cat weighs about 12 lbs.
 
Re: 4/26 George +10-563+11-526 AMPS-585 +4-380 +8-329 +10-31

oh my. I guess Shadow really is a big girl then. The vet says so. She's not fat... but she's just under 16 lbs. I think of her as average. Guess everyone around me has really big cats.
 
Gonna start feeding him more and separating the boys at night!! Thanks for all the help today. After all these sleepless nights I've been going crazy!
 
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