8/5 Sushi - MISC ?s - AMPS~250 | +4~293

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Didn't get any responses yesterday, so I'm reposting this:

Helloooo!! It's been a little bit! Here's our last post on 7/24. I had another episode with being super sick, so I was out of pocket for a bit.
Sushi's doing well, though his #s have been higher than usual. Could that be because of the antibiotics he's on?

A few other questions:
:?: There are many times where Sushi doesn't finish his second meal by +4. Should I always pick it up at +4 or is it more important to let him finish his food to keep his calories consistent? For example, during the work week, we do our AMPS at 6:30 with 3oz of food. He eats it all and I give him another 3oz at 7:45 when I leave for work. He usually eats a bit of that, but goes to sleep shortly thereafter and doesn't wake up until I come home for lunch, around +6. Should I let him finish his food then or pick it up?

:?: He's 15lbs and I feed 12oz of food; is that about right?

:?: This morning, I overdrew and attempted to squirt out an air bubble, but I pushed a little too hard and about .25u of the dose went with it. Can I stick the needle back in the vile and draw up more when this happens?

Thanks!! Hope it's a Sunday Funday for you and your furry friends!
:smile:

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'm sorry to hear you've been sick. I hope you're feeling better!

Regarding the antibiotics, are they tablet or liquid? Usually, a tablet won't effect BG but it may depend on what the ingredients are and how sensitive to carbs Sushi is. If they use something like rice flour as a binder, it might effect numbers. From what I've seen, it's rare that a tablet will effect numbers. On the other hand, if you're giving a liquid AB, they sometimes use a syrup base and that can effect BG numbers.

I don't think there's any harm in leaving the food out. Do you know if Sushi will eat spontaneously if his numbers are dropping? If he does, then leaving food out is definitely a good idea.

How much you feed isn't so much an issue of number of ounces as it is calories. Different brands of cat food contain a different number of calories. There's a formula on Dr. Lisa's site that can serve as a starting point. (She describes it as a "generous" formula.)

Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70​

If you're happy with Sushi's weight, then the amount you're feeding is fine.

It's fine to stick the needle back in the vial. You just need to be careful to only pull insulin out and not shoot any back in.

 

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Thanks Sienne!
I am feeling much better, thank you!

Sushi's antibiotic was liquid Orbax (orbifloxacin). It was a very thick liquid; I wouldn't be surprised if it used a rice or flour binder.

I'm not sure if Sushi will eat if his #s are dropping. I just know he sleeps while I'm gone. I'm not sure if low #s wake him up or not...? If I'm here, I'm monitoring his BG, and I make sure he eats if he's in trouble. Overall it just seems to take him longer to graze on his 2nd serving.
But I know eating after +4 can impact his BG, so I've been torn between that and just being sure he eats all of his food.

Thanks again for the great info & answers!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

On a weekend, if you see that Sushi's numbers are on the lower side, leave food out and see what he does. Try the same overnight.

It's OK to feed past +4. For some cats, it's best to not feed after nadir. Sushi's nadir doesn't look like its particularly early. I think it would be OK to leave food out until +6.

In looking at Sushi's SS, I'm thinking you need to increase the dose. The 3.0u dose doesn't look like it's having much of an impact at this point. What would you think about fattening Sushi's dose if not raising it to 3.25u?

 

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

I agree, Sienne.
That one reason I'm asking about our eating schedule--I'm wondering if that's causing his #s to be too high.
And I'm wondering if the antibiotics are to blame. He just finished them last night; I wonder if his #s will come down a bit now? Should I wait and see or just go ahead and increase?