6/14 Trixie PMPS 126 +1.75 115 +3.5 95 +5 100

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Amy&TrixieCat

Amy&TrixieCat

Member Since 2011
Yesterday:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=45362

Thank you, everyone, for all the food ideas and suggestions. Before diving into the FF, I decided to take Christie's suggestion of mixing the BG and Wellness. I went for a 50/50 mix this morning and she ate it, so it seems she likes it - for now. My current plan is that I'm going to try and tweak it over a few days so that there's more BG than Wellness in there. As you know, though, Trixie can suddenly decide that she does not approve, and we'll be back to square one. You should have seen me at 5:15 this morning, trying to make this huge decision about what to feed her: FF? BG/Wellness Mix? EVO (which she did eat for hubby as a late night snack last night)? Too much for a barely-awake brain!

I know it doesn't seem like it, but I have been trying to be consistent with her food. The problem is that she and I don't agree on which food it should be! I want BG or EVO, she wants Wellness. Every time I decide I'm determined to eliminate Wellness, she has other thoughts and completely refuses the BG or EVO. I guess, in the long run, she has to win...I can't force her to eat something she doesn't want to eat, and the tough love thing doesn't work since she has to eat before her shot. I am pretty thoroughly convinced that the Wellness increases her BGs...she's not in a bad range, but she's not surfing the greens nicely like she did during her brief Wellness-free stint a month ago. It's very, very frustrating.

I know I asked about dose a few days ago, and since she had recently hit a nadir of 68, it was suggested we not increase just yet. She hasn't gotten near that 68 again...should we continue to hold to see what this latest food experiment holds, or consider fattening up yet?

Thanks again, everyone!

Amy
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 - Dose?

Hi guys .. sorry to hear you are still struggling with getting her food just right .. Like you said, we can't force feed our kitties, and they need food before their shots .. I hope it all works out for you .. Can't really answer your dose question .. I know it can take up to 72 hours for a bounce to clear and we often held mocha through the bounce and just as we were going to raise her, she would drop low again .. It's frustrating .. hang in there guys!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 - Dose?

Not a dosing expert, but I hope that whatever you choose works for Trixie :-D

Have a great day.
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 - Dose?

Food is such an issue with our kitties. They can be so in love with one kind and then just flip the opposite way in one meal. It is aggravating, especially when trying to buy in bulk or switch them to a better brand. I have found that mixing really helps me get rid of the food Tarrragon now deems unworthy. Sprinkling some chicken breast in there helps as well.

Hope you have a great day!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 - Dose?

I tried putting chicken dust on some straight-up BG yesterday...she oh-so-delicately managed to lift the dust off the top while barely touching the BG! Truly an artist at work :lol: !

Hopefully the mix will work out, as far as her numbers go...
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 +4 97 +6.5 107 - Dose?

I don't have any dosing advice - but I will send good thoughts and vibes your way - I'm sure someone will stop in soon that can help you!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 +4 97 +6.5 107 +9.5 133- Dos

No objection to her +8 snack being EVO...gotta love it. Unfortunately today will be her last +8 snack until the weekend or until her feeder arrives - whichever comes first.

Still wondering if we should fatten up her .50u...any thoughts are appreciated!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 +4 97 +6.5 107 +9.5 133- Dos

Amy: no dosing advice but here's a bump. I know you are trying to hard to be consistent with the food.

Keep in mind one thing that is most important: the best diet for a cat is the one it will eat. My renal kitties will not eat a renal diet; I got the list for other foods that are not the prescription diets but have lower phosphorus and have tried them. Just like you don't want high BG, I don't want high kidney values. But if they won't eat, it doesn't matter what their values are. So now I am attuned to the fact that the best thing for them is what they will eat to keep their weight on them and then I adjust other things....like giving phosphorus binders. Is it the best solution? No. But it is one we can all live with and our time together is not spoiled by me trying to get them to eat something they don't want.

I know you don't like seeing higher numbers with the Wellness but maybe instead of trying to get her to eat something she doesn't like for lower numbers, maybe you just need to tweak her dose up so that she's seeing good numbers with the Wellness. That is just my thought....it's not a recommendation or anything else and you know your cat best.

I really wish you luck and hope you can find a great solution because you are an awesome bean and she's doing great!!!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 +4 97 +6.5 107 +9.5 133- Dos

Thanks for talking me down there a bit, Marjorie. My patience pants are obviously wearing thin these days...maybe I need to work some meditation into my schedule!

I'm wondering the same thing, about tweaking her dose up a bit...
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 +4 97 +6.5 107 +9.5 133- Dos

Glad to hear the 50/50 mix was acceptable if not a hit!! Willie doesn't love the BG either, but once he's had a mix enough that he "forgets" that he likes the straight version of another food, he'll eat it. I definitely do my share of blends, and I actually don't think it is a bad thing. We see cat food recalls for all kinds of reasons, and I just feel better feeding a rotation of foods so that if there is something wrong with one of them, it is never the only thing he has been eating. You should also look at Wilderness from Blue Buffalo. It is a bit pricey, but I've been seeing good sale prices at Petsmart and I was able to get a case at a very reasonable price from Petflow. Willie likes it a bit better than the BG. Though, if he has 9 lives, FF or Friskies on the brain, all bets are off!

Fingers and paws crossed that Miss Trix stays with the food program and that the numbers follow suit!!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie AMPS 156 +2 162 +4 97 +6.5 107 +9.5 133- Dos

I have been thinking along the same lines as Marjorie....rather than tear your hair out trying to get her to eat something else, why not just feed her the Wellness and if she needs more insulin, give her more insulin? I'm still not totally convinced that the Wellness is that big of an issue, anyway.

I do think feeding on a consistent schedule will help you sort out her patterns. If you can't feed the +8 snack until the feeder arrives, that's ok...just try to be consistent with the rest of the schedule.

I think you have room for an increase, her nadirs are trending upward. I tend to like to increase by 0.25u, if you can monitor, but that's me. Others may think differently. If you are more comfortable fattening the dose, that's fine too.
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie PMPS 126

Thanks Laurie. Since I am heading back to work tomorrow and can't monitor past +4, I do think we'll go with fattening for now, and if we need to, we'll take it all the way up to .75.

I guess I'm spending too much time watching her data trends and trying to figure things out. It's been hard watching her number climb on the Wellness when she pretty consistently had beautiful green surfs at a lower dose while eating the BG and EVO. But she has made her decision; BG and EVO will NOT be her permanent menu.

For the most part, her eating schedule has been pretty consistent, with meals at pre-shot, and +2. Occasionally, she'll eek a +4 snack out of us, but not that often. At your suggestion earlier, I've been trying to split up her meals to also include a +1 and +3, but we (she and I) haven't fully settled into that schedule yet. It does get a little challenging with 5 other civvies that I have to referee at the same time, and I'm trying to squeeze in all the other tasks and chores I have to accomplish before I head to work. I love all my cats dearly and would walk to the ends of the earth for them, but I'm starting to feel like my own existence is completely slipping away as the FD games continue to grow.

She obviously pulled off a nice PMPS tonight. Hopefully she'll adjust to using the feeder.
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie PMPS 126 +1.75 115

Nice, slow decent.

Rough vet visit with my senior, Mario. He has hyperT, CRF, high BP, and arthritis. Tonight was a blood draw to check his thyroid and kidneys, a BP check, and starting him on Adequan. There was a very yappy dog there, and when the techs first took him out of his carrier in the back to check his BP, he was pretty upset. They waited for a while to let him calm down; in the meantime, I had no idea what was taking so long - and I'm a huge worrier. His BP is back to being too high again, despite twice a day amlodipine. It could be because his thyroid meds need to be increased; we'll have to wait and see what those results are in the next day or so. Either way, it looks like he'll have to go back again sooner rather than later, to have everything re-checked. Ugh.

That adequan needle is massive. Hubby did the honors for Mario's first injection.

I need to chill for a while...
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie PMPS 126 +1.75 115

Boy, when you said: "I love all my cats dearly and would walk to the ends of the earth for them, but I'm starting to feel like my own existence is completely slipping away as the FD games continue to grow." --I totally agree. My life is a ghost of what it used to be. This caretaking for a diabetic is not for the weak of heart! Still, they need us! What can you do?

Good luck with the food--an increase seems to make sense if she'll only eat the Wellness.

I'm really sorry about your older cat, Mario. What is the Adequan for? How often do you have to shoot him? Thank goodness you have a DH that gets involved. Sometimes I feel like I'm in this thing all alone. I cannot imagine trying to do this around a work schedule! And 5 other civvies??? You people amaze me! :o

Have a good evening!
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie PMPS 126 +1.75 115

(((Amy))) You have a lot on your plate right now. I'm sorry for the difficult day Mario had and the news that you have to up his amlodipine. What gauge needle did your vet give you for the adequan? I used 25g needles; much smaller than the squids needles but yes, much bigger than an insulin needle. Do you give Mario subq fluids? What gauge needle do you use for that?

I can tell all of this with Trixie is causing major stress. Yes..meditation will help. For so many months, I think Mike and I were pulling our hair out if we couldn't keep Gracie in green/blue. We were killing ourselves with aggressive dosing and wearing her out. Everyone told us to chill and just follow her lead. When my blood pressure started being high for me (not high but high for me), then I knew things had to change. I started meditating again and making sure that I got back to weight lifting and walking regularly. And Mike and I have tried to become more relaxed when we get high numbers. It's been hard because Gracie came down the dosing scale fast and then stalled out at .5u......three times. Taking her back up and getting all those flat yellows and pinks....VERY stressful. That's where the patience pants came in. :lol: :lol: And losing our former life....that's been really, really tough, too. Some days I wonder how much longer I can do this but I know the answer is "for as long as Gracie needs us to". That's why we have this group, in part. To support each other through those tough times whether it's over our sugarbaby or a civvie.

I know how very much you love your babies and you are doing great by them. Trixie is really, really doing well. I look at her SS and even with the increases in BG with the food changes, she is still doing great. Try to take time for you and breathe. We can't take care of our babies if we are sick or so stressed out. We're all here for you.
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie PMPS 126

Nice PMPS! I know what you mean about the cat's schedule ruling your life! I love my autofeeder, it really helps me. I hope it works well for Trixie.

About the schedule...if it isn't manageable, then modify it so it works for you....you don't have to marry it! ;-) It was a suggestion, something to try if you can do it. To me, it's less important that you do +1, +2, +3, but try to do the same thing every day...consistency is the important thing, to try to remove that variable if you can. If two mini meals works for you, try that and see how it goes, ok? Don't make yourself crazy!

Sorry about the vet visit for Mario, I hope you can get his meds/BP issue figured out and back on even keel. Ouch on the Adequan needle, I doubt I could do that! I'm needle phobic, giving insulin is hard enough for me. :shock:
 
Re: 6/14 Trixie PMPS 126 +1.75 115 +3.5 95

Thank you, everyone. Yes, the food issue was really stressing me out. It's kind of like watching a human diabetic eating something that you know isn't great for them...you really want to make them stop doing it! But, in the grand scheme of things, she's a feline diabetic, not a human diabetic, so I have to work with that. And, there are much worse things than canned Wellness...I am thankful that she's will to eat a diet of 100% canned as it is! If any of my other cats went diabetic, I'd be up the proverbial creek (anti-jinx, big time!!!)...

Sandy - the adequan is to help with the pain management of Mario's arthritis. He's on cosequin, too, and that has helped him quite a bit, but he still has some difficulty with his knees and hips. I want him to be as comfortable as possible. Fortunately, he doesn't get shots nearly as often as insulin. It's twice a week for a month, then once a week for a month, then every other week, then after that we play it by ear.

Marjorie - yep, the vet gave us 25g needles, too. They look gigantic compared to the insulin needles! The vet said, and I quote, "This will go in much easier than the insulin needles because they're so big." Um, the opposite is true! Those little insulin needles slide in effortlessly, whereas Mark said it took some pressure to get that adequan needle in - and I'm not surprised by that! Mario hasn't reached the squids level of CRF yet, fortunately. We've been able to manage that with his diet so far. As much as I don't like prescription diets, they did get his kidney values back into the normal range. I'm really hoping that his thyroid meds need an adjustment, and that will fix is BP problem. Just a couple months ago, we got his BP regulated, so I was pretty surprised to hear that he was high again so soon. He's on transdermal tapazole, so I do wonder if the back stock of meds I got have petered out, even though they technically don't expire till the end of the month. As for me, I do workout on a daily basis, and that helps me a lot. In the warmer months, I walk, and that helps even more - it's a great way for me to clear my mind. I miss the time I used to have for beading and reading, though...I keep hoping I'll find a way to work that back in. At least I do get to bead at work, since I own a bead store!

Laurie - for the most part, we had been doing the two mini meals (pre-shot and +2) all along, except when she's been irresistably pitiful. That is definitely what fits best in the schedule most consistently. Her feeder is on the way, so hopefully we'll be able to get the +8 feeding in on a regular basis. We just have the civvie issue, and Trixie's fear of the counter issue. I need to put the feeder on the counter so Mario doesn't get her food, and hopefully the other civvies, who aren't huge fans of canned anyway, will let it be. Of course, this will probably be the time they decide that canned food is the greatest thing ever - especially when it magically appears from nowhere!

Yep, 5 civvies...three (littermates) with digestive sensitivities (Noah, Petey, and Zen), and one with scarred corneas and sinuses from a bad herpes infection she had when she was 3 weeks old (Frankie), and our senior Mario. I wouldn't trade them for the world, but when people ask how many cats I have and I reply with "Six", I also quickly add "I don't recommend it." I love them, I wish I could rescue every cat out there because it really breaks my heart to know how bad the homeless pet situation is, but now with all of these issues, I am worn down to a nub.

Meltdown over. Thanks again!

Amy
 
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