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Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin
Member Since 2009
Re: Bud's #s are all over the place....
Wow, you are in Costa Rica! I'm sure it is beautiful, you'll have to tell us or share pictures when you return!
It's pretty hard to tell what's going on for Bud Bud without any nadir numbers, but from the 89 at +7 on the 18th, I wonder if maybe her dose needs lower just a little, maybe to .8U or so. Do you think Kara could do that? Does she have access to the board?
Bud Bud's increased activity could result in lower numbers from higher energy output or if she is not eating as much when she is outside. If she eats more when inside, then it's probably the latter or combination of both.
It does sound like she's doing good and although the higher numbers are worrisome, your caregiver sounds on top of it. I hope you're enjoying your trip!
Food and insulin are a balancing act. Some cats do better if free fed. It might be good to try to give her food at regular intervals, rather than free fed. I'm not sure how you would plan to do that, since you're away and have someone sitting (is Kara there only twice a day or can she be there more often?), but a timed feeder might be the best option. You can get them with 2 spots for food or 5 spots. The 5 spot ones are expensive, but I love mine and highly recommend them. It's on sale at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-5-Meal-Electronic-Pet-Feeder/dp/B000GEWHNS/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
I hesitate to recommend that particular brand because of the review I read saying how easy it was for a cat to open and if you have a smart cat like Gandalf, that could be a problem. The one I use, the CatMate 50, doesn't get any better reviews, actually gets worse, but my experience with it is that Gandalf has NEVER been able to open it, although he even got it upside down once when he was uncontrolled and starving for food. He noses at the lid and if it's close to the time for it to open, it will, so he's learned that. He is not scared by it because there is no motor to turn the dish, he hears it snap when it goes off and he knows to check it. My worst incidents with it are actually operator error, when I forget to set the timer....
All in all, it does not seem like there is the perfect feeder, but the Pet safe one is cheaper and I have read others here on the board use it and love it, so that one is probably the most used.
Wow, you are in Costa Rica! I'm sure it is beautiful, you'll have to tell us or share pictures when you return!
It's pretty hard to tell what's going on for Bud Bud without any nadir numbers, but from the 89 at +7 on the 18th, I wonder if maybe her dose needs lower just a little, maybe to .8U or so. Do you think Kara could do that? Does she have access to the board?
Bud Bud's increased activity could result in lower numbers from higher energy output or if she is not eating as much when she is outside. If she eats more when inside, then it's probably the latter or combination of both.
It does sound like she's doing good and although the higher numbers are worrisome, your caregiver sounds on top of it. I hope you're enjoying your trip!
Food and insulin are a balancing act. Some cats do better if free fed. It might be good to try to give her food at regular intervals, rather than free fed. I'm not sure how you would plan to do that, since you're away and have someone sitting (is Kara there only twice a day or can she be there more often?), but a timed feeder might be the best option. You can get them with 2 spots for food or 5 spots. The 5 spot ones are expensive, but I love mine and highly recommend them. It's on sale at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-5-Meal-Electronic-Pet-Feeder/dp/B000GEWHNS/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
I hesitate to recommend that particular brand because of the review I read saying how easy it was for a cat to open and if you have a smart cat like Gandalf, that could be a problem. The one I use, the CatMate 50, doesn't get any better reviews, actually gets worse, but my experience with it is that Gandalf has NEVER been able to open it, although he even got it upside down once when he was uncontrolled and starving for food. He noses at the lid and if it's close to the time for it to open, it will, so he's learned that. He is not scared by it because there is no motor to turn the dish, he hears it snap when it goes off and he knows to check it. My worst incidents with it are actually operator error, when I forget to set the timer....
All in all, it does not seem like there is the perfect feeder, but the Pet safe one is cheaper and I have read others here on the board use it and love it, so that one is probably the most used.
eeraby
Member Since 2010
Re: Bud's #s are all over the place....
thanks for the reply, Vicky!
Kara lives there. She drives the school bus morning and afternoon and takes care of her horses and comes to let our dogs out when we are not there between AM and PM ... but she spends the evenings and sleeps there while we are gone. She is VERY capable of reducing to 0.8. She came over 4 nights before we left and practiced taking a 0.1u drop off (Bud was at 1.2u when we left)
OK.. what do you think of feeding her at 5:30 AM and PM and then putting out a bit at 10pm-ish? We do have another civie cat, Itty Bitty. Try that for a few days and see how it goes? and then decide about a 0.8u?
She can also log in here on my ID.
If I can put a link to a non FD site in here, I'll post the link to the CR pics for ya. Is that allowed?
~Beth
thanks for the reply, Vicky!
Kara lives there. She drives the school bus morning and afternoon and takes care of her horses and comes to let our dogs out when we are not there between AM and PM ... but she spends the evenings and sleeps there while we are gone. She is VERY capable of reducing to 0.8. She came over 4 nights before we left and practiced taking a 0.1u drop off (Bud was at 1.2u when we left)
OK.. what do you think of feeding her at 5:30 AM and PM and then putting out a bit at 10pm-ish? We do have another civie cat, Itty Bitty. Try that for a few days and see how it goes? and then decide about a 0.8u?
She can also log in here on my ID.
If I can put a link to a non FD site in here, I'll post the link to the CR pics for ya. Is that allowed?
~Beth
Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin
Member Since 2009
Re: Bud's #s are all over the place....
That sounds like a good feeding plan :thumbup I feed about the same duration, but I put more in the slot at 5 hours after shot, to last a while in to the afternoon.
Yes, you can certainly post links here. Just remember that anyone can open the link, so maybe make a separate folder or album for your "public" pictures.
That sounds like a good feeding plan :thumbup I feed about the same duration, but I put more in the slot at 5 hours after shot, to last a while in to the afternoon.
Yes, you can certainly post links here. Just remember that anyone can open the link, so maybe make a separate folder or album for your "public" pictures.
Lana & Yoyo
Member Since 2010
Re: Bud's #s are all over the place....
When my cat does not feel good, he does not want to go outside. When he feels good, he wants to go outside and doesn't want to come back in. If Bud has high BGs when she stays inside, then she probably feels bad. I would not make her go outside based on the assumption that something "inside" (eating all day) is affecting her BGs.
You really have to get some nadir numbers. You can't tell if those high pre-shot numbers are because her dose is too low --- or whether her dose is too high and she is rebounding off of mid-cycle lows.
You really have my sympathy trying to manage a diabetic cat at long distance --- it is hard enough when you are right there with the cat!
Lana
When my cat does not feel good, he does not want to go outside. When he feels good, he wants to go outside and doesn't want to come back in. If Bud has high BGs when she stays inside, then she probably feels bad. I would not make her go outside based on the assumption that something "inside" (eating all day) is affecting her BGs.
You really have to get some nadir numbers. You can't tell if those high pre-shot numbers are because her dose is too low --- or whether her dose is too high and she is rebounding off of mid-cycle lows.
You really have my sympathy trying to manage a diabetic cat at long distance --- it is hard enough when you are right there with the cat!
Lana
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