4/4;Gus AMPS=Still HI

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bev5477

bev5477

Member Since 2011
It sure is lonely here at the top! The Gus still won't give up any readable #s. He continues to improve behavior-wise. He is showing interest in the other cats and looking out the windows. Actually, acting like his healthy self. I've gotten a little more strict with the diet while holding at 2U. Any suggestions? :?
 
Personally I think it is time to take the dose up. Gus isn't budging at all and you've been on this dose for 6 cycles now.
And because his numbers have been high, I'd take it up by .50u (according to the usual protocol) and his new dose would be 2.50u.

[if the cat is producing continuously high BGs (nadir always >=300 mg/dl), only hold the dose for 2-3 days before increasing it by 0.5 IU.]


I read that you purchased a new meter, correct? And yet you are still seeing very high numbers. This is important to know. I wouldn't want to suggest a higher dose based on a faulty meter.
edited to add: She has a Relion Meter now.

I'm glad that Gus seems to be feeling better. He isn't crazy hungry or thirsty at those numbers? If he is, go ahead and let him eat more if he wants since the diabetes prevents his cells from properly utilizing the food. He may need a bit more.

Good luck! I hope Gus continues to feel better.
 
Good morning, Bev! Oh wait... 12:04 here, so good afternoon!

CD beat me to it! Stopped typing to take one more peek at Gus' spreadsheet, and CD posted exactly what I was going to say. :)

So glad that Gus is feeling better at least... our kitties are more than numbers, so that is good news!! I would also agree with CD on the feeding. When cats are completely unregulated, they are only pulling vital nutrients from tiny amounts of the food we give them. They can literally be starving on what seems like normal or even large amounts of food. So until you see some better numbers, I wouldn't worry about limiting his food intake. As the numbers come down, so will the amount he wants to eat.

Hope you have a great day!!

ETA:
SInce folks know about your meter issues, I think it will be helpful if you put in your signature what meter you are currently using. Might help if you put what you are currently feeding as well, so people will know and won't ask. :)
 
Hang in there. I agree that you could take Gus up a little in dose and then stick with that dose for the required time, to give it time to settle in. Gus's shed has been subjected to rises and falls lately, so we want things to settle down.
Good that he's feeling his old self again.

Ella & Rusty
 
Also some more questions for you.

How new/old is your insulin?
Is there any other health issue for Gus that you are aware of?

And from Jill (our resident guru) :mrgreen: , here is a very interesting thread to read regarding feeding. We shouldn't just arbitrarily overfeed our diabetic kitties in an effort to get them enough nutrition.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... sg-1613896

It puts feeding into perspective. Dr. Lisa, who comments in the thread, is a vet. She has a great website to study if you haven't been there yet.
http://www.catinfo.org/
 
I'm glad Carolyn (CD) gave you that link because I was just about to search for it and give it to you....it's very important to read it and be careful about overfeeding. Yes, they get hungry if they are unregulated and our tendency is to feed, feed, feed...but it's not a good idea.

Good luck with the dosecrease and I hope it brings him down.
 
Hi guys .. you got a lot of good advice here so I will just pop in and say keep up the good work .. I know it's hard to see our kitties so high, but you guys are doing really good ..
 
I read the 'nutrition' link and found it helpful. I was concerned that because Gus was eating more than usual that it might be messing up his numbers. He eats Friskies, canned Liver& Chicken @2oz after AMPS and a little more than that after PMPS. But he asks for snacks every 2 hours in between. I give him small amounts of chicken and he's happy with that. He's always been food driven but much worse now. And now I know why. He weighs 13 lbs. and looks really thin. Our insulin is 1 month old today. It is clean and clear and has always been refrigerated. I was also hesitant to go up in dose because his shed has had its ups and downs recently. But, after 6 cycles, I did think that I had some room to go up by .5, it's just nice to hear it from someone with a lot of experience in this field. Gus has no other health issues. Onward!
 
Good luck with the increase. It's nice to rad that Gus if feeling and acting better. It will get so much better once his numbers start coming down. The article on overfeeding is a good one. My guy was so hungry too when first diagnosed. That too will get under control once the need lessens.

I love your kitty's name/ Years ago I had a kitty also named Gus. It rally brings back memories/
 
If your Lantus is a month old, it may be an idea to get fresh Lantus.
Be sure to test for ketones; with such HI readings, you want to be testing his urine for any trace of ketones.

For the food, he is hungry because his body is not capable of processing the foods and extracting nutrients needed. Let him eat, and space out his meals through the day because just 2 meals will not balance out his blood sugars. You don't have to give him a ton of more food but just feed more frequently. Just stick to foods that are wet and low carb, under 10%.
My two cats were eating around 30oz and 24oz per day before they were regulated and now they are eating more like 12-15oz and 6-8oz. Let him eat.

You will have good luck with regulation if you follow the protocol, so if still high numbers at nadir, it's important to increase the dose and not wait too long.
Tight Regulation Protocol
Lantus & Levemir – Insulin Depot –AKA- Storage Shed
Lantus & Levemir – Data Ready to Shoot Low Numbers
 
FINALLY!!!! Got some BG levels today that show he likes the new dose. He is a happy boy but not happier than his Mommy. I took the advice about eating. I was letting him eat too much, too close to testing. Good advice and continued learning got us the results we were looking for. I am so glad that I decided to drop him from 3.5U to 2 on Friday even though the data didn't support it. Gotta trust your instincts and observations. My vial of Lantus has no particulates or cloudiness and is only out of the fridge for as long as it takes to draw up the dose. I'd pitch it if I thought there might be anything wrong with it. Gus gets his urine tested for ketones numerous times/day. I started to note that on his spreadsheet. Being patient with the really HI numbers is so hard. Thanks for the reassurance.
 
Good afternoon, Bev! I hope you'll start a condo for today with Gus' numbers... I know many of us were anxious to see the poor guy start heading downward!!

Keep a close eye on the lantus vial. While my first vial was handled horribly, I did better with my second vial, doing my best to limit exposure to light, keep in the fridge as much as possible, etc., I still only got about 45 days out of the vial. If you start noticing numbers creeping up that don't seem to correspond with where he's at, look at switching to new juice.

You may want to consider having the vet write you a script for the lantus pens in lieu of the vials when you are ready to start a new one. The pens are around $200 for 5 (about half that if you are getting it from a canadian pharmacy), and each pen lasts at least one month (some will stretch the pen until it is empty, others will discard promptly at 28 days). It tends to be more economical, and they are much easier to handle, IMHO. What I particularly like is that the pen body and cap really prevent exposure to light, which is something that allows lantus to degrade more quickly.

Hope Gus continues to show better numbers... can't wait to see what they are! have a great day!
 
hi bev, glad gus is responding!

just to offer 2 cents worth because i have a good sized kitty too - punkin weighs 14.3 lbs, is almost 13, and he eats 3 3oz fancy feasts can per day. his weight is stable on that - he's not very active but this is a good weight for him. plenty of ribs and bones can be felt, but he's not starving. i think he would be considered regulated now because his numbers are mostly in the 100-200's, with occasional 300+ or less than 100's. if i read you right you're giving him 4 oz per day - that just doesn't seem like enough for a 13 lb kitty. The FF cans have a suggested # cans per day on them for weight calculations - based on the label punkin would be getting 4 cans a day instead of the 3 he's on. maybe for an active cat that would be fine.

i give him 1 can of food with his shots, morning and evening and another 1/2 can at +3, morning and evening. seems to work here.
 
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