7/11 Skooter 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121 +3.5 130 +6.75 181

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MollynSkooter

MollynSkooter

Member Since 2014
Yesterday's Condo of Info:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=121561

Looks like Skooter is trying to hold it steady for tonight with another pink start to the day...He got 1/2 can of 5.5 oz Nature's Variety Chicken and he actually left a little more than usual for his second round....oh well...

My plan is to put his dry food in a different place than normal, so he has to go find it so hopefully he doesn't eat it all when I leave for work....

I am thinking that I will NOT be stopping home today as I really have a bunch of things to get done at work, unless based on his numbers, y'all think I should come home and then I can try to find some time. I have A LOT that needs to get done before the new person starts on Monday and I am not comfortable going in tomorrow and leaving Skooter since he will not be getting any wet at all.....

I am still trying to figure out how much he should be eating at each meal when he goes to all wet tonight....typically he has been getting 1/2 of a 5.5 oz can and then 1/4 cup wet...and also need to know if I am changing his insulin dose tonight or not.....a mix of anxious, nervous, scared and excited for tonight!

Thanks all!

P.S. FINALLY got a pic up of my Skooter in my profile :)
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

So since tonight is the "big night" (this feels almost as exciting and nerve racking as I assume going OTJ will HOPEFULLY feel like)....

We all know I am bit of a paranoid mommabean, so my plan was to not really do anything for the next couple of days while he goes full on wet. Here is what I have, please let me know if there is anything else I should pick up:

Karo syrup
2 small cans of FF gravy lovers chicken
5 cans of 5.5 oz Nature Variety chicken - do I need more? He is currently getting 1/2 can at each meal, should he be getting more now that he is not going to be on dry?
2 each of 3 oz Nature Variety - beef, duck and rabbit (which many ppl have said not to use as we don't have the carb count on it)
Test strips (I have a 100 pack I have not opened and then another 50 I have not opened and the opened container)
Lancets
Neosporian
Baked chicken (for treats at testing time)....

I am thinking of picking up a few things for myself ha ha ha....

Generally speaking, I think the only two things I do not have yet that I need to get would be a scale and an autofeeder....which will hopefully be ordered this weekend, so thinking I will have to do the freeze food trick for Monday.

I am also deathly afraid of him having a hypo during weekdays....so I am thinking of by passing his IBD med tonight and starting that as part of his AM cycle....my only concern is I would have to give it around the same time as his insulin, will they contradict one another?
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

I would get a few more cans of the FF Gravy Lovers chicken. Better to be safe than sorry.
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

Maybe you should call your vet and ask about giving IBD med and insulin at the same time. I think it is a good idea to give it in the morning to cover him while you are at work.
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

I agree with Linda that I would get more FF and I'd probably just have a little extra food around. The one glaring thing I see you forgot is chocolate. It's important to have a good bar of chocolate for yourself .....and coffee if he decides to pull an all nighter. ;-)

Insofar as amount of food, you should be able to determine how many calories he's been getting with what you've been feeding him. If his weight is steady with those calories, then I'd figure out how much more of the canned food he needs to make up for the same number of calories in the dry portions he's been getting.

Once you get him switched completely, then you can determine if the number of calories needs to be changed. Dr. Lisa suggests you weigh him, feed him for a 3-4 days on the portions he's been getting, and then weigh him again. If he's gained or lost and you didn't want him to, then you can adjust the amount of food but you typically don't want them losing more than about 1-2% of their body weight a week (per Dr. Lisa).
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

And for you extra nervous beans, a little Bailey's Irish Creme to calm the nerves is always a good idea (of course, when isn't Bailey's a good idea? :lol: )
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

Excellent idea, Chris! :-D Of course, one sniff of Bailey's and I'd be dead asleep :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

Good luck with the food changeover tonight! And maybe I am the weird one in the group, but I like to have at least 500 test strips and lancets around, just in case...I know, OCD ohmygod_smile And yes to chocolate or other treats for yourself in case you are up late! :-D

P.S. Nice job adding the pic, Skooter looks very sweet - I didn't see your question yesterday,s orry!
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

Looks like no one answered your question about dose for tonight. You should probably post his latest BG number and request help in the subject line.
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

lovely picture of skooter all upside down! :-D nice job on figuring out the avatar size.

how's it going today? i know we didn't give you a dose to go to yet. i'm thinking if you've got something still 300+ i'd give 3u tonight, take away the dry, get a +2 and see how it's going.

punkin weighed about 12ish lbs and ate 9oz per day of regular cat food (fancy feast), plus a little bit here and there for low numbers. maybe that would help you have a starting place for the volume of food for Skooter, depending on how much he weighs. i would only use the chicken as pokey treats - 1/2" dice, literally. one or two pieces per poke. if he's begging in the last half of the cycle, i would give up to a tablespoon.

you want most of his food coming from the cat food, or an appropriate raw blend. chicken is good, but it's not complete nutrition for cats. Most cats are only eating 200ish calories per day, so you can imagine having many calories from chicken would either make him gain weight if you're adding calories on to his cat food allotment, or taking away needed nutrients if it's replacing too much of the cat food.
 
Re: 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379

hehe i see linda just posted about the dose question while i was typing the previous post. the reason i'm suggesting 3u is because that dry food from today may last in his system til tomorrow.

depending on what he does tonight, you may need to reduce the dose again tomorrow, but we probably need to just watch his numbers in each cycle and make decisions pretty close to preshot time.

on the one hand, we don't want to reduce too soon and have his numbers go high unnecessarily.

on the other hand, we don't want to keep his dose too large for the reduced number of carbs he'll be getting with the switch to low carb canned food. so it's a balancing act.
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

I feel like an idiot I am sooooooooooo nervous and excited....


I was not able to come home during the day, so instead of getting supplies, I came home to check him first...I figure I can feed and shoot him then run out fast as typically they spike the first hour due to eating....(learning something)

His PMPS is 214....it does not look like he ate really any of the dry I left him,...

I was thinking of 3U myself because I didn't want to go too high or too low on him.....I actually haven't drank caffeine in about a year...so instead I shall be picking up NCIS Season 3 and watching seasons 2-3 all night if need be :) I am gonna get a few snacks for myself and then hunker down...I am going to be doing TONS of cleaning as well....
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

Cleaning is probably a good way to work off stress! :lol: :lol: Paws crossed for you and Skooter (especially) during this transition.
Liz
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

With 214 as his number....is 3U too much?

Poor guy is starting to get super hungry, so I want to feed and shoot soon.....
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

so are you wanting another idea? i'm not sure what your subject line means about "dose reduction help!!!"

you can give 2u if this is making you nervous. many cats on canned only get 2u - this is a bit of trial and error, so even though you don't have a lot of experience, it's ok to go with your gut on this.

you're going to be able to steer his numbers with carbs if he gets below 50. just get a +2 for certain, a +1 isn't a bad idea. we'll go from there.
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

Everything makes me nervous and scared lolol

I want to do what is best for him

If 3 is the number, then I will run my errands later (Walmart if open 24/7 after all)....
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

refresh your browser often when you're waiting for answers. i think i've already answered and you haven't seen it.
 
7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

I chickened out and gave him 2U


Watch, it ended up being a fur shot with my luck, though I don't think it was....I will get a +1 and a +2

I shall refresh ALL the time lol
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

2u is just fine.

it's a little less nerve-wracking going up the dosing scale than going down. this is a good start. :-D

see ya in an hour. :-D :-D
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

I gave him a little over 1/2 the can, since his not getting any dry food....he ate a majority of it up....maybe 1/4 left....and just like that he is back it and it is almost all gone.

I did check with the vet and they said it would be a-ok to move his IBD medication to the morning, even if is at the same time as the insulin....since the IBD meds make him spike, I think I will feel better having that spike happen while I am at work vs the thought of him having a hypo when I am not home. I would rather get less sleep at night testing him, then worry about him during the day.

From what I can tell, 1/4 cup of his dry food is between 85-100 calories, based on the information I could find. This may be a dumb question but is the calorie ratio for wet and dry the same? I think I remember someone saying that they get fuller on the wet food than the dry.....I was thinking of doing 1 5.5 oz can (222 calories) and 1 3 oz can (121 calories) per day. Is that too much or too little? He currently weighs about 12 pounds 8 ounces.....which is within a pound on either side of what the vet would like to see.
 
Re: DOSE REDUCTION HELP!!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214

Woo Hoo on the switch to all low carb canned tonight!!

And very cool that he didn't eat much of his dry....looks like he's figured out what REAL food is! (it contains meat) :lol:

A calorie is a calorie...doesn't matter if it's a "dry calorie" or a "wet calorie"...LOL

Sounds like a good plan to start with. Maybe while you're out and about, you'll run across a garage sale and someone will have a cheap bathroom scale you can grab so you can start monitoring his weight.

If he starts to gain, you reduce the food..if he starts to lose, you increase it .....just like us beans!

Congratulations on this new journey!!
 
Re: ALL WET DIET, HERE WE GO!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 21

I am so looking forward to watching the Skooter show tonight. :-D

Calories from dry and wet are still the same type of calories. FWIW, Neko is on raw food and gets about 1/4 lb of raw a day. Depending on the protein she is eating that's around 180-250 calories a day. She's 15lb and could lose some weight (Maine Coon X) but not very active and the excess growth hormone from her acromegaly is a consideration. Her partner in crime gets the same amount of food and is maintaining around 13 lbs. If you are talking a total of 340 calories a day, that might be a bit much.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

I am assuming I should be happy about his +1 number....I am not sure if I should be freaking out (if that is too quick of a dive and I am in for a treat tonight or what)...but I am going to do my best to just roll with whatever happens....he seems to be doing fine....I would prefer him to stay upstairs with me, but if he is more comfy downstairs, then so be it....
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

Has he eaten all the wet food he's due tonight? If not, you might want to feed him a little bit to slow down the drop. No rush Skooter! Plenty of time to get to where you are going.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

I could probably give him a little more....should I give it to him now or should I wait a little bit?
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

You want him to be willing to eat later in the cycle if you need him to. Maybe 1-2 tsp of his LC wet food now. You don't want to fill him up.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

in a typical active lantus cycle the +2 is about the same as the preshot, and the +1 in many cats shows a spike in numbers from the carbs eaten.

when we see a +1 that's significantly less than the preshot, that's often an advance notice that you've got to monitor extra - which you already are planning. that's why Wendy is suggesting a little more food.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

I gave him about 1.5 teaspoons and he ate it all up, even licked the plate from earlier lol
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

You also have to remember that he's still working on the 4 unit depot

It'll probably be a cycle or two before you see what the 2 unit dose really does ...but looking great so far!

Go Skooter Go! (but you don't have to do it all in one cycle!...lol)
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167

I concur about not having to do it all in one cycle....

I am starting to realize he has the "Go Big or Go Home" mentality....

I would be perfectly ok with "Go Medium, Hang out for a bit then Go Home" mentality.....
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

Officially his lowest number EVER since testing began....


I feel the freak out rising......
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

he's no where near danger zone yet, molly. i think, though, just because he's dropping fairly quickly, i'd give him a teaspoon of the high carb food. don't squeeze out the gravy at this point, give him mixed food and gravy - the gravy will slow him down and the food will help it sustain.

recheck in 30 minutes.

he's fine - you should have a bite of that chocolate now. :-D
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

It will have to be pizza instead....I didn't have time to go to the store, so I ordered pizza....

Ugh....my head is telling me that this is good and normal and not near crisis HOWEVER the irrational side of me who has never seen numbers like this before, is indeed, freaking out....
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

Might want to give him another teaspoon of food now (if you have higher carb, I'd give him a little)....see if we can slow him down a little, but we also need to be careful that we don't fill him up so if we NEED him to eat later, he's so stuffed he won't do it

He's doing fine, but you'll want to get a +2.5
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

Are you going to give him his IBD med tonight or wait until tomorrow morning?
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

Normal number! Woohoo! It is a bit freaky, but remember that you are in control, you're testing and have many options of carbs to keep Skooter safe. And you have excellent folks here to help you out. :-D :-D And lots of cheerleaders, most are not posting so as to avoid clogging up the condo. Remember to breathe. :-D
Liz
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

He will get his IBD med tomorrow morning

And yes, I am starting to freak out a little bit....God knows what I will do if he goes to double digits...(I wont' cry and freak out. I won't cry and freak out. I won't cry and freak out. I wont' cry and freak out. I wont' cry and freak out. I won't cry and freak out. I won't cry and freak out. I won't cry and freak out. I won't cry and freak out.)

Who are we kidding?!?! I will TOTALLY freak out....

So the results I am seeing is this a combo of the insulin and the food or mainly just the food?
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter AMPS 379 PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116

Take a deep breath. Remember, you CAN stop the plunge. It takes about 20 minutes. And while he is in these lower numbers, his pancreas is getting a chance to heal.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121

non-diabetic cats often test in the 40's. that's our action zone - we want cats on insulin to stay above 50 so there is a margin of safety, but skooter is fine. when he gets in double digits you should celebrate - he's been too high too long!

did you give him some HC? looks like he's flattening out.

i think you can wait 1 hr to test now. So +3.5. See ya then.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121

Yes, I did give him 1 teaspoon of the HC food.....had no problem eating it lol
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121

Molly, I completely freaked out the first time Oliver went low. Now, if he tests at 95, I get upset. He still spikes when I give him his prednisolone and he went up to 116 the other day about 4 hours after his pred. I was not happy. That just shows how your perspective changes.
 
Re: ALL WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121

Great job, Molly. Just remember to breathe. And take a bite of pizza. But not at the same time.

Linda makes an excellent point....you are in control because you are testing and you have food/HC/karo. You have a lot of eyes on the Skooter show tonight so don't hesitate to post for support, help, etc. If you get a low number (say below 50), retest using a backup meter (if you have one) and then post. We'll tell you what you need to do.
 
Re: WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121 +3.5

WooHoo!!! I could get used to seeing these numbers!!!

He has been snugglin with me since about +1.5...
 
Re: WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121 +3.5

Nice! :-D I hope you do get used to these numbers and so does Skooter. He sure is a handsome guy.
Liz
 
Re: WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121 +3.5

Thanks Liz! I sure do like him :)

Sadly it is not an upside down pic....he was just laying on me and I couldn't resist taking a photo :P It is one of my favorite pictures of him!
 
Re: WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121 +3.5

Hoping I might be able to get a few hours sleep.

I am starting to feel sick to my stomach (guessing it is more the stress than anything)...nonetheless hoping for some advice that might include getting a little sleep?
 
Re: WET!! 7/11 Skooter PMPS 214 +1 167 +2 116 +2.5 121 +3.5

well . . . i'd say not yet. when we know what his patterns are, then you will be able to.

For now, if you're tired, i'd set an alarm and test again at +4.5.

did/does he have another meal scheduled after his preshot meal tonight?
 
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