7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207; +3=137

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Deborah & Shasta

Deborah & Shasta

Member Since 2012
7/18 condo

Here's to another day ~O)

She ate a good breakfast at injection and a good snack at +3; all FF wet low carb. Still searching Binky's list for a mid-carb wet that would be acceptable for Shasta.

AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87

Happy Fursday! That's quite a drop for Shasta. Nice to see the green but a big drop like that can cause a bounce later. :roll: That's great that she got a snack at +3. Hopefully, she'll surf along in the greens but you never know. Can you get a +4?

Good luck with the food search. I think we tried every flavor of every brand and found 2 medium carb that Zener will eat. :roll: Crazy cat.
Liz
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87

Hi guys.. I agree, that's a pretty big drop! Don't be surprised if numbers are higher tonight .. I think for MC with mocha we tried wal marts special kitty cans, the beef dinner in gravy seems to ring a bell, but it's been awhile .. have a great day guys!
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79

I just posted her +4...79. A little stabilization and she just ate a little bit more on her LC wet snack. We also just had a round of "attack the mouse" with claws & teeth bared AND evil hisses!!!! Now she looks spent! :dizcat

Ok, off to spend a little more time with Binky's list! :-D
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79

I would also suggest a +5 and maybe test every hour until you see two rising numbers. You don't have much data on Shasta so you don't know if she will keep dropping or if she has an early nadir. This is a good time to get data like that when your schedule is flexible. You are doing a great job! Go Shasta! :mrgreen:
Liz
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

+5 = 82 :!:

I felt so bad yesterday for poking her SOOOOO many times, but I knew that I needed the data. I would have done a bit more this morning, but after the past few late nights...I needed more sleep after her AM injection! I-) Don't think my Principal would appreciate me bringing my cat to work every day! Forget the Principal...I don't think my cat would appreciate me taking her to work every day. Talk about a GRUMPY cat!

cat(2)_steam

Question/clarification: I remember reading somewhere (amongst Dr. Pierson's literature maybe?) that the ideal BG for cats is between 60-120. Is this correct? What is an acceptable range while trying to regulate? I mean, when I look at Shasta's numbers (which everyone says are nice), on average, she is anywhere between 60's (I'm ignoring that 39/34) and just under 300. Ideally, 200's are bad, right? I know there is still so much I need to learn/read/understand. I get easily side-tracked when bouncing around this site and the stickies and other condos!

Thanks for any advice/help you can give! ~Deborah
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

That +5 is beautiful. Hopefully she will surf along in the greens today.

I felt bad about the pokes too at first. Then I realized that a poke is much better than the damage to the internal organs that unregulated diabetes does. Then it was a lot easier. :smile: I also started petting Zener a lot before the poke and telling him how handsome he is and how much I appreciate his cooperation. So it's a nice time for us together. He doesn't mind the poke all that much now.

The normal BG range for a cat on a human meter is 50-120. It would be great to keep them in that range and all but impossible. :roll: Cats are really, really hard to regulate. So don't beat yourself up when Shasta's numbers are higher. The other important number is renal threshold which is around 200 or so for most cats. That is the BG where glucose spills over into the urine. We are happy when Zener is below that but he isn't today. :roll: The main thing is the whole cat: does Shasta feel good, look good, engaging in pre-FD behaviors? We call it the WCR, whole cat report. Like Zener told me, "More petting and less worry." :-D :-D

Truly, Shasta's spreadsheet looks great and she is responding very well to the insulin. You are monitoring her closely and figuring out the right food for her. Great job!
Liz
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

Thank you for making me feel better and for all the information. Shasta feels the same way about all the poking. She really enjoys the lovin' she gets before and after. But I think she may enjoy her naps a little bit more sometimes! :-D

I have never tested for ketones. (again, never mentioned to me by the vet.) Should I be doing this on a regular basis? :?
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

Yes, you should test for ketones. Cats can develop DKA quickly. You can buy ketostix pretty cheaply at a drug store. There are two versions. One just checks for ketones and one checks for both ketones and glucose and costs a little more. It might be nice to figure out Shasta's renal threshold with the second kind. We used to check every day but Zener has never had any ketones and now we check as often as we can. He was using piddle pads for quite a while so it was easy. Now he's going outside or in the litter box so it's not very easy. I would suggest that you check every day for a while and see if Shasta shows any signs of ketones. If she doesn't then back off to every few days.

By the way, are you keeping a notebook? It's nice to write down things for later referral, like ketones or weight. We write down everything, BGs, what he eats and % carbs. Another suggestion is a baby scale to weigh Shasta at regular intervals. We used to weigh Zener daily when he was losing weight. Then he gained that weight back and is stable. Now it's once a week to monitor.
Liz
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

Ditto on the range -- the normal BG range is 50 - 120. Ideally, while you're working your way down to keeping Shasta tightly regulated, you want her to be below renal threshold (i.e, below 220 but renal threshold varies for each cat). In other words, you don't want glucose spilling into her urine. The more time Shasta spends in normal numbers, the greater chance her pancreas has to heal and the more used to those numbers she'll become.
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

Hi Deborah

I read yesterday's condo and today's and Shasta IS doing wonderful. She's bouncing just a little but the great thing is she is clearing them quickly and coming back into normal numbers. Hooray for both of you!! :-D :-D

Great job on linking yesterday's condo!! You are a fast learner in all respects.
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

OK. Here's the million dollar question...how did I keep her below 220, but above 50?! She's seems to spend 1/3 - 1/2 the day in the upper 200s, and she's only eating LC FF wet with all natural treats. I guess I haven't figured out these bounces and drops and well...the whole kitten caboodle! :YMSIGH:

Latest readings...
+6 = 114
+8 = 209
+9 = 252 (first reading was 262)
+10 = 285 (first reading was 291)
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

Marjorie and Gracie said:
Shasta IS doing wonderful. She's bouncing just a little but the great thing is she is clearing them quickly and coming back into normal numbers. Hooray for both of you!! :-D :-D

Great job on linking yesterday's condo!! You are a fast learner in all respects.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Marje. I'm still nervous about all of this...highs, lows, bounces, drops, ketones, etc.! Just having a moment...

As for the fast learner...I have great teachers...thanks to you and the rest of the great people on FDMB!
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: AMPS=246; +3=87; +4=79; +5=82

If you're nervous, it doesn't show. You are really doing well. Pat yourself on the back!!!
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

So far, we are very yellow tonight. I tried her on some Wellness (1/2 can Chicken/Herring) with a mid-carb range; and snack of LC FF. Not sure what this will do to her numbers tonight.

Question: do I stick with the .75u in the morning? or go back to 1u?

I am very unclear when reading protocol. Sorry. :sad:
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

These yellows are probably a little bounce from the greens this morning. You just have to wait it out, up to 72 hours. Shasta isn't taking that long though, which is great. I would say stay with the 0.75u. She is hitting greens but above 50 on this dose and that is exactly what you want. I am not one of the dosing experts, though, and you should get input on dose from one of them. If you use the ? icon and put "dose question" in the subject of your original post, that will get attention to your condo. Great job!
Liz
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

Liz gave you the purrfect answer!!!! Just stick with this dose for right now until she earns a reduction or she quits getting down into those green numbers.

My crystal ball tells me she is going to come back down tonight....I'm a little fuzzy on how far but I'm thinking maybe low blue??

crstlbal.gif
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

Liz & Marje - Thank you, both, for being the voice of reason for me!! I'll stick with the .75u in the morning. I am curious to see how the mid-carb dinner will affect her numbers tonight...well, at least until I go to bed!!
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

There's blue on that SS!! Why did you opt to feed MC? I don't bump up the carbs unless I see Gabby's numbers are dropping faster or lower than I want. Have you tried giving a bit of LC to encourage surfing?
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

Sienne and Gabby said:
There's blue on that SS!! Why did you opt to feed MC? I don't bump up the carbs unless I see Gabby's numbers are dropping faster or lower than I want. Have you tried giving a bit of LC to encourage surfing?
Click to expand...

Just trying to find some food that she ABSOLUTELY loves...just in case I need a temptation?! She had ~1.3oz at dinner (MC) and once that is gone, she will only be offered LC. She was ready for a snack at +2, so I put down a tiny bit of LC which she ate...no problem. I guess I just don't know what she likes yet or will eat happily! Yesterday was tough with her... I had to bribe her to eat 4.5oz. Still figuring all this carb stuff out! :YMSIGH:
 
Re: 7/19 Shasta: PMPS=276; +1=247; +2=207

Sienne and Gabby said:
There's blue on that SS!! Why did you opt to feed MC? I don't bump up the carbs unless I see Gabby's numbers are dropping faster or lower than I want. Have you tried giving a bit of LC to encourage surfing?
Click to expand...

Just trying to find some food that she ABSOLUTELY loves...just in case I need a temptation?! She had ~1.3oz at dinner (MC) and once that is gone, she will only be offered LC. She was ready for a snack at +2, so I put down a tiny bit of LC which she ate...no problem. I guess I just don't know what she likes yet or will eat happily! Yesterday was tough with her... I had to bribe her to eat 4.5oz. Still figuring all this carb stuff out! :YMSIGH:
 
Marjorie and Gracie said:
What do you mean about her peaking early? Looks to me like she is still headed down to nadir.
Click to expand...

She seems to hit her lowest BG around +4, surfs a little and then starts rising by nadir. I know that I don't have much data, but just trying to figure out if I'm doing something wrong. Still trying to figure out a feeding schedule, etc.
 
Shasta may have an early nadir (lowest point in the cycle). Some cats are consistent with the nadir time, some are late, some are early. Every Cat Is Different (ECID). :roll: :lol: She is having great numbers and you're doing a fantastic job of testing.
Liz
 
Side note: I dropped by my vet's office to returned the unopened cans of Hill's Prescription Diet m/d (6 cans) and a bag of m/d dry. They gave me credit... no big deal, so I decided to pick up 2 packets of Fortiflora... $10 ... are you kidding me???? I can purchase 30 packets for $22 on Amazon! Oh my goodness!

Also, I got them to print out some of Shasta's previous records because I did not have any of her blood work or weights, etc. They didn't print far enough back for me to get her initial diabetes diagnosis numbers, but I did get the numbers from her downfall in March. :cry: BG=585 :cry:

I'm hoping that only counted for one of her nine lives.
 
$10 for 2 packets of Fortiflora! :shock: People around here know the best deals on stuff like that, including syringes, insulin, and other meds. Wow, 585. She is sure doing a whole lot better than that now. :-D Have you noticed any abatement of symptoms, like less peeing?
Liz
 
Oh my goodness...less peeing...absolutely! Of course, as I transitioned her over to wet food only, I'm shocked (on a daily basis) on how much water she's NOT drinking! I add a little water to her wet food to keep it moist (she always leaves a little to nibble on later). But other then that, she doesn't drink nearly what she used to drink...which was, on average, 1 cup!!!

She is losing weight, which is a good thing. However, I don't think she's taking in enough calories, yet. I'll be able to better estimate her calorie intake after I get a food scale. If I had to guess, she's eating ~4-4.5 ounces in a day...which I believe is within the suggested intake.

Such a difference!
 
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