7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+8-331,+10-379,PMPS-396

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Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294 Dosing help please

Hi Donaleen. Yes, that could be a bounce from the fast drop yesterday evening. He's just not used to being in green yet, but he's on the right track! He definitely needs his shot this morning as usual.

Ozy did not go low enough to need a reduction (that would be if he dropped below 50, but he only went to 64), but since he did drop into green it doesn't look like you need to increase right now either. I think you're fine to stay with the same 2.5 units you have been shooting for now. See what he does today and later on other members may have some more input on how long you should hold this dose.

You're doing great with testing, all the data you are collecting really helps to find the right dose for Ozy. Keep it up!
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294 Dosing help please

You're fine with shooting this #. Be sure to get a +1 and +2 test this morning for starters to see how he's doing with this shot. Will you be home today to test throughout the day?
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294 Dosing help please

Thanks, Amy. I am more than a little groggy this am. Wanted to be sure before I shot.

Thanks for the encouragement. He is doing well today.

Yes, Angela, I will be home to monitor him. I work from home (when I work). I am on a work break right now anyway. I don't know how people who work away from home manage this.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294 Dosing help please

At this time, I don't work, so it's easy for me to monitor Blackie. Bless those that work outside the home, though, and still do this.

I normally shut down my computer during the day to save on electricity, however, I can leave it up and check back periodically, if you wish.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294

Hi guys .. that 64 was a purrfect number! This mornings bounce should clear out soon .. work that juice ozy! have a great day guys!
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294

Thanks Angela. It would be nice to have you look in after his plus 2 number and see what you think.

Peter, thanks for the encouragement.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294

Twenty minutes till his +1... His schedule got shifted last night since we stalled his PM shot by an hour watching his numbers. I shot at 8:30 am. After that great post on scheduling that Marje wrote yesterday, I know more about how to get him back on schedule.

His pre shot test was at 8:07... Am I doing it wrong? I thought you tested about 15-20 minutes before the shot, then feed, then shoot. Today I wanted time to get feedback on how much to shoot and whether to shoot.

I was a little nervous last night. But he obviously felt soooo good and that helped. We programmed the Garmin with the emergency animal hospital. Got out the karo and the syringe. Had the low number print out.

The worst part was when the FDMB site got hard to access for a bit last night. I was afraid I was going to be alone because I couldn't get the site to refresh for a bit. Wendy was there but our "link" was iffy.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294

With regards to the amount of insulin, I can't advise on that. If you want input on the dose for this evening, please change your subject line to click the "?" button (next to the yellow OTJ), and then type in "Dosing Question", or something similar, and someone with more knowledge than I have will come by to help you.

With regards to shooting times, be sure to shoot as close to the exact time each day. Remember that Lantus is a 12 hour insulin, and requires, and works best, on consistency.

With regards to how you shoot, and feed, and test, it all depends upon what you're comfortable with. Some people test, feed, and then shoot, and others (myself for instance), test, shoot and then feed. If you decide to do the latter, try and get Ozy fed as close to the shot as possible, as quickly as possible (much less than 5 minutes). You can always prepare his food before you shoot him that way you'll be able to readily hand it to him when you're done shooting. The main thing is to make sure that he has food on board as soon as possible when the insulin is given.

Hope that makes sense.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298

Oh, his food is ready. One of the hard things is not feeding him for two hours pre shot. He is wanting that food. So as soon as the test is done and before the shot, he eats.

Is there any way to get notification of replies to posts? The only way I know is to look for them and keep refreshing.

Does anyone see any trends in Ozy's SS? He had seven cycles before he dropped this time. Does that say I should hold him longer than six cycles in general?

If I had listened to the vet, he would be on 3 units and I wouldn't know he was low last night because I am "testing too much" they say...
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298

Don't be alarmed with that +1 test as that could be a food spike. Please be sure to get the +2, though. It'll give you, and others, more information to work with, and advise you with regards to dosing, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any way about getting notifications via email. I hope that someone can help you with this. I go to the website to check out Blackie's condos in the a.m., and sometimes at night, depending.

Ozy's looking great so far. I hope that someone can come by soon to advise you on dosing. You're both doing a great job! One thing I forgot to mention is that be sure to give the insulin every 12 hours. If you shoot at 8:15 a.m., then be sure to shoot again at 8:15 p.m., or as very close to it as possible.

I used to test a lot, and then slacked off, and then back to testing at least 6x/day. It's easy to become a testaholic, though, which isn't a bad thing. :lol: Just be sure to get at least the PS tests, and at least 1 test during the mid cycle (between shots). I like how you're testing like you have been as you're providing a lot of information on how Ozy's doing with each new dose that you give him. The information that you provide in the remarks section is also good for others to see what's going on, etc. You're doing an awesome job with his care. Keep up the excellent work, and remember if you want to have your dosing question answered, please be sure to change your subject line to something similar to "Dosing Question" (or even use those exact words if you'd like), and then click on the "?" which is located next to the yellow OTJ button at the top of the message thing. I hope that makes sense. :lol:
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298

Thanks, Angela. We are very careful about the timing of the insulin.

I did a lot of readings yesterday because it was suggested his nadir might come early. It also seems as though his insulin may be wearing off faster than 12 hours, though I have no idea what one would do about that.

So far today looks high and flat. But it started that way yesterday and then dropped. Ozy is being a real trooper and sweetheart about all this.

When I get the courage, I intend to test everyone in the household, even me. I think Harpo will be hard to test. He started life as a feral baby and still has a bit of that jumpiness in him.

I feel more than a bit guilty about Ozy and not figuring out he had diabetes sooner. I did so many google searches on his symptoms and never found that. I did find possible thyroid issues associated with his symptoms which is what caused me to finally get a blood test. I think he has been diabetic for months and months, looking back at his symptoms (I have a lot of emails with the vet and also sometimes kept a SS when he had bad patches). I think he suffered needlessly. All his health problems have been on my watch, as far as I know. I don't think he got any "health" care or vaccines in his first four years. Then the humane society shot him up for everything. And then when I got him, he had to have a required rabies shot, which the vet said caused all his autoimmune issues, etc,etc. His health issues have earned him a pass from vaccines.

I am not a huge western medicine fan and I am still a little scared of how he will do with the Lantus, but what choice do I have? Surely he will die if not treated.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298,+2-283

Don't feel bad about feeling guilty. The main thing is that you got him in, had him tested, and now you're taking care of him to the best of your ability. Lantus isn't harmful to Ozy. There are many cats that are on it, including my own sugarbaby, and many of them have been on it for many years. Blackie's been on it for just over 3 years now, and in my opinion it works a lot better than anything that is made for them. Ozy's #s will come down over time, and a lot of patience is definitely needed. It will happen. Ozy will get used to this new routine, it'll be just another thing that you both do each day. He knows that you're doing the very best for him, and I know that he appreciates it very much. :-D
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298,+2-283,+4-238

Ozy's looking good. It's a nice, steady drop. Better to be on the flatter side than seeing a lot of hills and valleys. What was your # at +3.5? All I see are **s. It'll be interesting to see how he does throughout the day until your next shot time.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298,+2-283,+4-238

I didn't read at +3.5, just fed.. I was backing off a little on the testing today. I just did +5 and it is 300

The two ** mean I fed him lunch... real meat, ground chicken which I cooked in duck fat. He adores real meat. I've been making him a ground meat lunch of a few tablespoons of ground dark chicken, dark turkey (yesterday)... for a while ground lamb. The vet doesn't think I should feed him raw since he has so many issues. I use meat we would eat. It seems to satisfy him better than the canned food. He isn't hungry as soon. And he has gotten so he knows when lunch time is. He is sleeping off lunch now.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298,+2-283,+4-238,+5-300

I'm not familiar with feeding raw as opposed to canned. I think that there are some on here that do feed raw, and you may want to asking if supplements are to be added to the raw meat so that he gets the all nutrients that he needs, and if so, which ones to get, how much of each, etc. The lunch may be spiking his +5 test, which can happen.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+1-298,+2-283,+4-238,+5-300

He gets Wellness except for his lunch, when I cook him some meat or give him some chicken broth I make for him with only chicken in it.

My plan is to eventually move him to a home made cat food, but probably cooked with supplements such as taurine added. I imagine that ANY human quality meat is better than what the cat food companies use. For now, I am sticking with a routine of what he eats so there aren't so many variables. After his glucose is under control, I will try more real meat.

I did order some Taurine powder because 1) cooking destroys the taurine and 2) taurine is good for pancreatitis, or so I read. The taurine should be here soon.

I would like to hook up with some other folks whose cats also have pancreatitis and see what they are doing for the pancreatitis diabetes combination.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+7-241,+8-331

I hope that you'll be able to find other folks on here whose cats have similar issues (diabetes and pancreatitis combined, that is). It's always good to share a common thing, and get more information. After all, knowledge IS power. :-D

Just updated Ozy's SS, and he's showing much less pink, and more yellows and blues, which is a good sign. You're both making progress. :-D
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+7-241,+8-331

Ozy certainly did see green last night!! It looks like he may be doing a bouncette today, though.

I would not advise you to add whatever you think is right to raw/cooked homemade food. Dr. Lisa's site has a huge amount of information on a raw diet including a recipe for making food. It is nutritionally complete. There are also pre-mixes that you can buy an add to food. I fed raw for about a year. The cats did well on it. (They should have done well, they were getting really good quality chicken!)

I wouldn't worry too much about where Ozy's nadir falls. Even with an early nadir, it doesn't mean that he's not getting good duration.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+7-241,+8-331

Thank you Angela and Sienne. I wasn't planning on changing anything in the near term except that I would like to find something to help with his pancreatitis. Taurine is one of the things that can help the pancreas heal. I am interested in finding something to help his pancreas. I think he has chronic pancreatitis with occasional acute episodes.

Question: Tonight will be his tenth cycle on 2.5 units. Would it be okay to leave at 2.5 for a bit more? Didn't last night show that 2.5 units can bring his glucose down far enough?
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+7-241,+8-331

Since Ozy got to the 60's last night, I'd leave his dose for a bit yet. Let's see where he goes when this bounce clears.

I've noticed that the board seems to be a bit slow between 11 and 11:30 PDT most nights. I suspect that is when they are running backup or something as it's pretty regular. If you have patience, it does come back. As do the notifications. Mine were off few a few days but I got them all back today - 153 new messages. :shock:

My cats get raw, but I buy manufactured raw. Like Dr. Pierson's recipe, they add things to the meat, like organs, ground bones, etc. to make a complete meal. A treat of a bit of meat to supplement the main meals should be fine. The raw food manufacturer I purchase from gets organic, non medicated meat for their product, so I think the cats often eat better quality than I do. :lol: :lol: Heart is a good source of taurine. A couple of the treats I serve are freeze dried chicken, duck, or turkey heart.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+8-331,+10-379

Thanks, Wendy. I am not ready to up the dose so I am glad you agree it isn't time.

These days isn't most meat contaminated in processing and unsafe to eat raw? That is my concern. I did find a place that offered supplements in powder for for both raw and cooked diets.

here is the cooked one:

http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/cat_food_u-stew

Do you know anything about this stuff?

I think I could maybe get Ozy on raw food but not my other two cats.
 
Re: 7/29Ozy AMPS-294,+2-283,+4-238,+8-331,+10-379

Here's the link to Dr. Lisa page on making your own raw food. She addresses many of your concerns, and has a section on the bottom that lists good supplements if you make raw. Nature's Variety raw medallions come in a sample pack, so you could get one of those to try raw without investing a lot of time in effort in the preparation.
 
Thank you Wendy. I won't be making any diet changes for a while (not until his glucose is under control). But I can educate myself in the meantime.

His pancreatitis is harder to treat and even more of an issue for him. Today we start B12 shots.
 
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