7/3 Harley 295 AMPS

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Harley and Pattie

Harley and Pattie

Member Since 2010
I think the rebound is over....the vet did not suggest an increase in his dose. She did suggest weight loss as Harley has gained 2# this last year - he is now up to 12#. She wants me to go back to just the FF and none of the cooked chicken. He is getting 3 cans of the FF and some of the chicken. Right now, by 5 am he is crying for food. I don't know if he is truly hungry or that he has gotten into the habit of having a snack then. I usually would give about 1 oz of the cooked chicken.

Any suggestions?

Pattie
 
Re: 7/2 HELP with Harley-rebound again

Hi Pattie

No advice here, but I having looked at your SS, would you be up for filling in a bit, for example, +3's spotchecks might be a good idea to see in either cycle
Just a suggestion there.

hopefully others can stop in to offer their feedback for you.
Have you been checking for ketones recently as well?
 
Re: 7/2 HELP with Harley-rebound again

I suspect this is a bounce. Without benefit of much PM spot checks, it's possible that Harley went lower during the PM cycle and then shot back up during the AM. With rebound, you want to wait until it clears before increasing a dose.

Is there any possibility of getting more spot checks in, especially in the PM? Harley has been on this dose for quite some time. My hunch is that he may need more insulin. Can you remind me how you arrived at your current dose and why you are shooting 6.5u in the AM and 6.0 in the PM?
 
Re: 7/2 HELP with Harley-rebound again

Harley's vet seem to think that since he was not active at night, a lower dose was better for him. I have 2 other cats that keep him going during the day. She also thought that since he was not eating as much at night, the lower dose again was better.

Pattie
 
Re: 7/2 HELP with Harley-rebound again

I'm wondering whether the different dose in the AM vs. PM isn't adding to Harley's bounciness. There's not a consistent level of Lantus in his shed.
 
Re: 7/2 HELP with Harley-rebound again

I agree with Sienne, usually we see higher numbers in cats who are getting a different dose AM and PM, because their body never gets a chance to adjust to a dose. Because Lantus works by building up overlap over a number of cycles, that can cause a big impact on numbers. Maybe your vet is more used to working with a faster acting insulin, like Vetsulin or N? That thinking would make more sense with those insulins than with Lantus. I would pick one of those doses, probably the 6 units, and shoot it day and night for a few days to see if Harley levels out.
 
I am not real good at editing stuff but I did change my original post to include comments from the vet.

I think the rebound is over....the vet did not suggest an increase in his dose. She did suggest weight loss as Harley has gained 2# this last year - he is now up to 12#. She wants me to go back to just the FF and none of the cooked chicken. He is getting 3 cans of the FF and some of the chicken. Right now, by 5 am he is crying for food. I don't know if he is truly hungry or that he has gotten into the habit of having a snack then. I usually would give about 1 oz of the cooked chicken.

Any suggestions?

Pattie
 
Begin a new thread :)

Hi Pattie

let's start a new thread for todays numbers.
and add your updates to the new thread ok?

Don't worry, computer stuff takes me forever to figure out :lol:

Like this:

ETA: you can also link your previous days thread to your new day, by copying and pasting the link into your new text box.
 
I am at a loss as to why your vet wants to keep Harley in these high numbers. I realize most vets probably err on the side of higher numbers, but Harley is in ranges that are well above renal threshold. In other words, there is a good chance with his numbers so consistently in the pinks, the FD can effect Harley's kidneys. Remember, that normal BG is in the 50 - 120 range. It would be good to see Harley in the blue number range.

As for food...

When is your shot time? You shouldn't be feeding within 2 hours of when you shoot. That aside, if you're not already doing this, you can spread out Harley's meals by dividing the food up over several feedings throughout the day. Just like with people, it will keep his metabolism stoked and you can always give him one of his snacks/meals at 5 AM (or around 3 hours prior to shot time).

Figuring that most cat foods are at least 90 calories for a 3.5 oz can, Harley is getting roughly 270 calories per day. (Check the cans for the calorie counts of what you're feeding.)

[url=http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm#Is_Your_Cat_Overweight:1afxnoc2][b:1afxnoc2]Feline Nutrition website[/b][/url] (Lisa Pierson said:
Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70

Most female cats should weigh a nice, lean 10 -11 pounds. Most male cats should fall into the 11 -13 pound range.

Using an optimal body weight of 12 pounds as an example, we come up with 233 calories/day as a starting point.

[13.6 X 12 pounds] + 70 = 233

This formula provides a very generous starting point (usually far too generous) so be aware that some (most) cats will not lose weight when eating the number of calories generated by this formula.
Click to expand...

Based on this overly generous formula, Harley is getting more calories per day than he would need (i.e., for a 10 lb cat, 200). The site I linked gives some solid guidelines for how to safely start a weight reduction plan.
 
Harley's vets (both at the U of M and his personal vet) have said that the numbers in the mid to high 200's are fine. I already had 1 civie (Winston) die of kidney disease, I don't want Harley to go the same way. I guess that is why I went to some of the cooked meats - they are lower in calories compared to a can of FF (95 cals).

He seems to be hungry all the time, and when he cries for food - the neighbors can even hear him.

This is the pattern I have used:

1 am - treat of cooked chicken (he actually wakes me up at this time and 4 am for food)
4 am - treat of cooked chicken
6 am - shot + 1 to 1.5 cans FF (2 K+ pills crushed into food)
noon - 1/2 can FF
4 pm - cooked chicken
6 pm - shot + 1 to 1.5 cans FF (1 K+ pill in food + 0.8ml budsondie mixed in)

Per day, I bet I am going thru a minimum of 3-4 cans FF.

Pattie
 
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