? 6/9 Alti (NEW MEMBER in Canada) AMPS 403.2 +6 407.6

AltiKitty

AltiKitty

Member Since 2023
Hi there, I'm new to the board and new to having a diabetic kitty.

I just want to confirm that you would typically hold a dose for 6 cycles (3 days) before increasing, and to increase only 0.25u at time?

Still new at this so I'm finding it very frustrating/confusing :(

Thank you in advance.
 
Hello and welcome. Usually we get people to post in the Feline Health forum first, but I see you've got your signature and spreadsheet set up an working, so I'll say it's OK to post here.

I do have a couple questions to start. How did you find Alti was diabetic? Any other medical issues? What food are you feeding him?
AltiKitty said:
I just want to confirm that you would typically hold a dose for 6 cycles (3 days) before increasing, and to increase only 0.25u at time?
Click to expand...
This depends on what dosing method you want to follow. We have two dosing methods here, one is the Tight Regulation protocol (TR) and the other is the Start Low Go Slow (SLGS) method. We have a Sticky Note that describes the two. Give it a read if you haven't already. Based on your answers to my above questions we can advise on dosing method and answer the question about increases.

One question not related to dosing. What country are you in? If not in the US (I'm guessing), you can enter the BG values in the World tab spreadsheet and it will automatically convert them to US numbers for you. We don't really care about the decimal points in the conversion. And it'll be less work for you.
 
Thank you for your response, Wendy.

Diagnosis: He was peeing a lot and that's how we found out. No other medical issues.

Food: DM pate cat food (wet)

Dosing: SLGS for now as I can only test periodically due to being in classes full time (I'm a student).

Country: I'm in Canada. I didn't realize that there is the World tab in the spreadsheet for pet meters (I use Alphatrak). So I will switch to this tab. Thank you for the tip.

I look forward to your advice on dosing :cat:
 
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Waving at you from the west coast of BC. :)

A couple tips that might help the student budget. First and foremost, the Alphatrak is not necessary. Those test strips are so expensive. Our dosing methods actually discourage the use of pet meters, as they were developed with caregivers using human meters. The AT's are a fairly new invention. In Canada, the Freestyle Lite is one popular option. Similar blood drop size needed. But there are other human meters that work well too. Ebay is one source of cheap test strips. Tip number 2 - many cats get tired of DM. Ingredients aren't the best. It's not really diabetic food anyway. You'll see it's called dietetic. The manufacturer was forced to change the name. There are loads of commercially available pet foods under 10% in carbs that you can use instead and again are cheaper. Note, you can use the AT and feed DM if you want, they will just cost you more.

Since you are feeding low carb wet food, you can use either dosing method. The choice is based on your lifestyle and goals for Alti.

But I see you made some changes to the spreadsheet and the US tab is now missing. Lots of people who help with dosing here are in the US, and need to be able to look at that tab to help. Plus the server is hosted in the US so we use their numbers by convention. The spreadsheet also shows just 1 dose given a day. I presume you are doing two? The previous version of the spreadsheet I saw had more data I think?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Waving at you from the west coast of BC. :)

A couple tips that might help the student budget. First and foremost, the Alphatrak is not necessary. Those test strips are so expensive. Our dosing methods actually discourage the use of pet meters, as they were developed with caregivers using human meters. The AT's are a fairly new invention. In Canada, the Freestyle Lite is one popular option. Similar blood drop size needed. But there are other human meters that work well too. Ebay is one source of cheap test strips. Tip number 2 - many cats get tired of DM. Ingredients aren't the best. It's not really diabetic food anyway. You'll see it's called dietetic. The manufacturer was forced to change the name. There are loads of commercially available pet foods under 10% in carbs that you can use instead and again are cheaper. Note, you can use the AT and feed DM if you want, they will just cost you more.

Since you are feeding low carb wet food, you can use either dosing method. The choice is based on your lifestyle and goals for Alti.

But I see you made some changes to the spreadsheet and the US tab is now missing. Lots of people who help with dosing here are in the US, and need to be able to look at that tab to help. Plus the server is hosted in the US so we use their numbers by convention. The spreadsheet also shows just 1 dose given a day. I presume you are doing two? The previous version of the spreadsheet I saw had more data I think?
Click to expand...


Oh hi to a fellow Canadian! :bighug: Nice to 'meet' you Wendy.

Spreadsheet: I've entered both AM and PM numbers. Do you no longer see it? Spreadsheet is here.

I am using the "World mmol/L" tab as that is the measurement I use (as per the vet's suggestion). Are you saying that I have to fill out both US and World tabs at the same time? Apologies as I am new to this.

If using the US tab also, this means that I have to convert the measurement every time.

Switching from AT to human meter: I actually just asked in an another post if there are issues caused with switching from AT to a human meter.

Since you are also in Canada, @Wendy&Neko , may I ask what meter do you use?

I am thinking about using a human meter only occasionally, such as for verifying low numbers to avoid hypoglycemia, and using a human meter on a regular basis.

Thanks so much!
 
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AltiKitty said:
Thank you @Bron and Sheba (GA)! I've been finding managing feline diabetes to be overwhelming, but I'm glad to have this board (and have you!) to guide me.
Click to expand...
It is overwhelming in the beginning but everyone here understands and is very friendly. Ask all the questions you need to.
Re the spreadsheet, if you fill out your world SS it will Automatically transfer the numbers to the US SS, as long as the US SS is set up. If you are having trouble we can help you with it.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
It is overwhelming in the beginning but everyone here understands and is very friendly. Ask all the questions you need to.
Re the spreadsheet, if you fill out your world SS it will Automatically transfer the numbers to the US SS, as long as the US SS is set up. If you are having trouble we can help you with it.
Click to expand...

Oh right! Thank you so much. Spreadsheet is now fixed. :cat:
 
I know it’s overwhelming but you are in the right place for the best support and advice you can get. Waving to you, my fellow Canuck, from north of Toronto! :smuggrin:
 
Amy & Herman said:
I know it’s overwhelming but you are in the right place for the best support and advice you can get. Waving to you, my fellow Canuck, from north of Toronto! :smuggrin:
Click to expand...

Ahh so nice to meet another fellow Canadian! :bighug:

I just have to ask (as I'm thinking about switching away from Alphatrak 3):

Dear @Amy & Herman , I see that you are using Contour Next, do you find it to be reliable? In other words, are you happy with it?

Thank you! :cat:
 
I see more data in the spreadsheet now, thank you. I must have been looking mid edit. As for the US tab, it has to be there, but the World tab will auto populate it for others who need to see numbers that way. So you just have to enter the World data.

Unfortunately, my Neko is no longer alive. I actually live close to the border, and use to cross border shop for supplies. I had a post box just across the border that I had the much cheaper test strips delivered to. My backup meter was the Bayer Contour. But there are other brands out there now. You just want one that uses as small a blood drop as possible. Back when I started here, only one person used the AT, it wasn't even the AT2 yet. Our dosing methods tell us what number is too low and when we have to give higher carb food. All in human meter numbers. Some people keep the AT in case their vet wants curve numbers, but it's also a good idea to have a backup meter in case something happens to the primary one. Human meter test strips are also much easier to obtain should you need them quickly.

Back to the dosing question. There are two answers, depending on which dosing method you'd like to follow. Once you decide, please include either SLGS or TR in your signature, so we stop asking. If you are following SLGS, you hold the dose for 7 days, and increase by 0.25 units at a time. If following TR, and you nadirs are under between 200 and 299 (11.2 and 16.6), you can increase the days after 6 days or 3 cycles, and by 0.25 units.
 
AltiKitty said:
Dear @Amy & Herman , I see that you are using Contour Next, do you find it to be reliable? In other words, are you happy with it?
Click to expand...
It’s finicky in some of the lower numbers, I expand here: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-4-indigo-amps-63-2-63-4-60-6-79-pmps-73.281251/
But it does the job. That said, Costco, Walmart, Shoppers all carry it, I’ve never had trouble getting strips. Also…..I’ve had shoppers give me the reader for free a couple times with the purchase of test strips, worth asking.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I see more data in the spreadsheet now, thank you. I must have been looking mid edit. As for the US tab, it has to be there, but the World tab will auto populate it for others who need to see numbers that way. So you just have to enter the World data.

Unfortunately, my Neko is no longer alive. I actually live close to the border, and use to cross border shop for supplies. I had a post box just across the border that I had the much cheaper test strips delivered to. My backup meter was the Bayer Contour. But there are other brands out there now. You just want one that uses as small a blood drop as possible. Back when I started here, only one person used the AT, it wasn't even the AT2 yet. Our dosing methods tell us what number is too low and when we have to give higher carb food. All in human meter numbers. Some people keep the AT in case their vet wants curve numbers, but it's also a good idea to have a backup meter in case something happens to the primary one. Human meter test strips are also much easier to obtain should you need them quickly.

Back to the dosing question. There are two answers, depending on which dosing method you'd like to follow. Once you decide, please include either SLGS or TR in your signature, so we stop asking. If you are following SLGS, you hold the dose for 7 days, and increase by 0.25 units at a time. If following TR, and you nadirs are under between 200 and 299 (11.2 and 16.6), you can increase the days after 6 days or 3 cycles, and by 0.25 units.
Click to expand...



Dear Wendy, I'm sorry to hear that Neko has passed. Neko was a lucky kitty to have you as a mom.

I've added SLGS in my signature now, thank you for the reminder.

Thank you also for the tip regarding human meters. I have the Freestyle Lite on hand and will give that a try, while keeping the AT as backup.

When using the SLGS, seeing high numbers yet having to hold the dose for 7 days is very nerve-racking :nailbiting:

I ended up increasing the dose by 0.25 units tonight, after holding the 1.5u dose for 6 cycles and still seeing high nadirs (>299) and PMPS 342 (which a TR method and not SLGS). I'm new to this and am very worried for kitty's health :arghh:
 
AltiKitty said:
Dear Wendy, I'm sorry to hear that Neko has passed. Neko was a lucky kitty to have you as a mom.

I've added SLGS in my signature now, thank you for the reminder.

Thank you also for the tip regarding human meters. I have the Freestyle Lite on hand and will give that a try, while keeping the AT as backup.

When using the SLGS, seeing high numbers yet having to hold the dose for 7 days is very nerve-racking :nailbiting:

I ended up increasing the dose by 0.25 units tonight, after holding the 1.5u dose for 6 cycles and still seeing high nadirs (>299) and PMPS 342 (which a TR method and not SLGS). I'm new to this and am very worried for kitty's health :arghh:
Click to expand...

Welcome to LLB. Are you thinking you will give TR a try? You test enough.
 
What you might consider is TR until you get the BG under 200 most of the time and if too difficult switch back to SLGS. Of course you could stop TR. any time if too difficult with your schedule. You need a minimum of AMPS. PMPS, and another test every cycle, so 4 in all. More tests would be needed if the BG were to be under 100.
 
Welcome to LLB, it’s information overload in the beginning but rest assured with help and support from members here it does get easier!!
 
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