4/8/18/Ravan/amps392/+2.5 339/+6 385/pmps357/+2 256/+6 262

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@Judy and Boomer,
Looking at Ravan's spreadsheet I still can't determine when he's going up or Down.

I stopped going to Yoga when all this started.

His shot is at 9am I need to leave for yoga 45 mins later & would be home by 12:00.

Could he drop to an unsafe level in the 2.5 hrs I'd be gone.

He's more important to me, if there's a chance he might need me home I'm OK with that.
 
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@Wendy&Neko
Just checked bg +2.5 339 I am not happy with that! He had a trace of Ketones

I thought giving him 100cc of ringers each night was a good thing. To keep him hydrated & help flush out ketones?
 
JoyBee said:
@Wendy&Neko
Just checked bg +2.5 339 I am not happy with that! He had a trace of Ketones

I thought giving him 100cc of ringers each night was a good thing. To keep him hydrated & help flush out ketones?
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The SQF would be very helpful. If his numbers remain like that and especially if he will continue to sthrow traces of ketones - I'd took him to a vet for blood & urine work - to make sure that no infection is quietly brewing.

Pay attention as to how he eats - insulin +calories are necessary to fight off ketones.

JoyBee said:
I give his shot at 9am I need to leave for yoga 45 mins later & could be home by 12:00. Do you think it's safe for me to go? Could he drop to an unsafe level in the 2.5 hrs I'd be gone.
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In many but not every cases the Lantus onsets at +2.
It could be the drop-est time of the cycle for many cats - taking the +2 each cycle can often predict how the entire cycle going to be.
If yo u move your shot time slowly to an earlier time you might be ok with the Yoga class - and yet able to get the +2 before you leave.
If he is dropping - feed and leave some food - LC or MC depending on the numbers.
 
Tanya and Ducia,
Ravan is eating good. I'm confused about giving Ringers . Someone posted to me recently that it might be harmful for his heart.

I have a problem taking him to the vet. He gets VERY stressed out in the car & at the vet.

Last time it took a week before he was acting normal. I've also been trying to get caught up with the money situation.

Another problem, He's getting so stressed out from all this testing. He hid from me today. I was panicked! Couldn't find him. He's Never done that before.

I promised myself not to test so frequently but i get afraid of him dropping too low. This is VERY stressful for me & Ravan.

I need to go back to testing less. I feel this is just too stressful for him. He was OK for a while now he's ducking away when i try to pet him.
 
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Another occured when I was looking at Ravan's SS - on the march 31st you 've indicted that he ate 1/2 can FF Tuna with gravy. As far as I know the FF Gravy varieties are MC. If you accidentally feed him other than FF Classic types - he might be overcarbed and the BG could look like they do now.
You confirmed yesterday that he ate FF Chicken classic 3% carbs (per Dr. Pierson's chart )- but his numbers jump up anyway.
So perhaps it has nothing to do with the wrong food.
BUT.... I would like to ask you to check every can of food you bought and compare it w/ Dr. Pierson chart.
Vet's visits are $$ and before you might go there let's try to rule out any other possible causes for BG being high.
Again, all FF foods canned alike - hard to tell unless yo read the label - and you are relatively new to using FF.
 
JoyBee said:
I'm confused about giving Ringers . Someone posted to me recently that it might be harmful for his heart.
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yes - over flooding with Ringers overloads heart and could be very dangerous. I would certainly talk o a vet about amount/ frequrcy - over the phone.
It is my my understanding that if a cat does not have any kind of heart condition giving Ringer's for very short period of time is safe AND helps a lot w/ fighting ketones.
PLEASE CORRECT ME SOMEONE IF I' AM WONG HERE!!

Long term use is dangerous and to be done only with vet 's oversight.

JoyBee said:
I need to go back to testing less. I feel this is just too stressful for him. He was OK for a while now he's ducking away when i try to pet him.
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bribe him - give a treat at very attempt to test or just for sitting with you in his testing place/ testing position without been tested. He'll relax more if he gets something yummy afterwards, a tiny piece.

JoyBee said:
I have a problem taking him to the vet. He gets VERY stressed out in the car & at the vet.
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I understand that well - Ducia is just like that.
Unfortunately, since vets are the only ones licensed to run blood tests you might need to take him regardless of his stress.
Presence of ketones does not = DKA but is surely step one towards that wrong direction. Treating Trace amounts is very different than to deal with full blown DKA - and DKA treatment costs $$$$$$.
 
Before last year, Ravan has not been in a car or to a Vet In over 15 yrs.. He's been healthy no reason to take him to a vet.

I've been on social security disability for over 18 yrs. Finances never allowed for Vet visits & a lot of other things!
 
JoyBee said:
Finances never allowed for Vet visits & a lot of other things!
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I cannot afford vets either - so I do what I can here at home to keep the BG in good range, give pleanty of water with food - cats don;t drink enough naturally and observe Ducia like a hawk. Last BG check was done last year - it was my BD present, took me several months to save up .
I hope that Ravan is bouncing in High and eventually he will come down if no infection is present.
Great thing that he eats well! Food and water is everything for them.
Keep testing for ketones and increase his water intake by mixing water into each meal.
 
Tanya and Ducia,
I started using FFeast a few weeks ago when Ravan wouldn't eat. I bought 2 cases of the Chicken classic FF he mainly eats that.

Every few days I give a spoon of raw beef liver which he likes a lot. All the other brands of food i had, i returned to the store.

He also gets sardines in water once a week. I bought 2 cans of RAWZ Chicken He wasn't too interested in. And recently bought Stella & Chewy freeze dried Rabbit & Chicken By one get one free.

He ate a bit but wasn't too excited about it.Other than that there isn't anything else in the house.

Ravan & his sister Peggy Sue had blood work done 9 weeks ago. That's when I was told he has diabetes. There wasn't any infection reported.

My vet recommended the Ringers for Elevated liver enzymes. And said it would also be good to keep him hydrated.

It's not that easy to get my vet on the phone.He's a good guy but his "Ladies" that run his office always tell me to make an appointment.
 
One more question. How does everyone manage to check for ketones? Is there some trick that I'm missing?

If i see him going downstairs to his litter box i can get a test But i think he often goes in the night when i'm (trying) to sleep.
 
JoyBee said:
One more question. How does everyone manage to check for ketones? Is there some trick that I'm missing?
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I started as was recommended by Dr. Pierson - got Ducia used to presence in the bathroom when she was going. I just sat there on the edge of the bathtub and kept telling her that it is ok that I am here, that it was necessary for her recovery and she would get a treat. I would talk to her and show a long handled tablespoon, letting her sniff it but I would not take a sample with it right away. I think it was cuple od dais before I get the spoon underneath her. She was a bit insulted by it but once they start peeing they can't stop.
So try to desensitize slowly him to
a) your presence during his going ;
b) you holding strange object in your hands when you present without using it;
c) and slowly try to get the spoon underneath the stream a few sec after he started peeing - chances are that he'll let you do it rather than stop peeing and run. Do not forget a tiny treat afterwards.

After I collected a sample into the spoon I dip in testing strip - the latest price on CVS brand was $10 per 50 strips. It's good deal.
 
JoyBee said:
@Judy and Boomer,
Looking at Ravan's spreadsheet I still can't determine when he's going up or Down.

I stopped going to Yoga when all this started.

His shot is at 9am I need to leave for yoga 45 mins later & would be home by 12:00.

Could he drop to an unsafe level in the 2.5 hrs I'd be gone.

He's more important to me, if there's a chance he might need me home I'm OK with that.
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Sorry @JoyBee I just now saw the tag!
 
@Tanya and Ducia,

I have no problem taking the sample I have the strips & have been checking all along. My problem is catching him when he goes to his litter box. Are we supposed to check every day?
It's just recently that i see a trace of ketones. When i give him ringers it goes back to negative.

I just checked bg 3pm +6 385 his bg was +2 339 now it's going back up again. Why did it go to 169 yesterday? This has been 9 weeks & things are worse than they were not better! So Frustrating!
 
@Wendy&Neko
You had a lot of experience with Neko.

Any suggestions? I'm crying all day. Ravan is not responding to insulin today?

He's eating, but looks thin & back to drinking a lot of water. It seems back to where he was 8 weeks ago!

He now has a trace of Ketones. I was giving him ringers but was told not to. It can cause a heart problem!

I think the ringers was helping to keep the ketones away.

I'm worried I'm going to lose him.
 
Ravan did a big drop from AMPS to +2 yesterday. Big drops can also cause bounces. You just have to wait it out and wait for the depot to build to see what this dose can do. I know waiting is hard. FD is a marathon, not a sprint.

Your vet should be the one to tell you how much lactated ringers to give and whether it's safe to do so. Not someone who has not met your cat and listened to his heart. Yes, in a cat with heart disease, too much fluids can be a problem as I found out. If your vet suggested fluids, then he/she should have done so in full knowledge of whether it was safe for Ravan.

He's probably picking up on your stress. Try singing to him at test time. Sounds silly, but it'll relax you too.

Please start going back to yoga. It's essential that we as caregivers find something that helps us cope with this disease.:bighug::bighug: For me it was exercise - I would be gone for 2.5 hours at a time. People work and have diabetic cats. They work their schedule around it and leave food to keep the cat safe if they cannot be home when he might be low. The lowest Ravan has seen is in the 130's. he still has quite a way to go before he'd be in danger.

Neko was fairly predictable in her litter box habits. I just followed her into the LB room with the container of Ketostix. She wasn't shy at all.
 
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