9/25/11 PMPS 278 Need some advise

Status
Not open for further replies.
milo

milo

Member Since 2011
I finally got Milo's spreadsheet up, and have been testing him every 3 hours today. I went back up to his reg dose of 5 units i the Am 6 PM after I skipped a dose because I was "paranoid" of seeing a 206 number (which I know isnt low but somthing I was not use to seeing) So now what am I looking for, I'm reading alot of stuff that is posted, trying t get a better understanding of cyles, nadars etc.. but I must admit it I am still a bit confused so any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I was wondering if anyone had and good snack suggestions, Milo is basically prestty ticked off at me that he only is getting wet food now, and he use to love his treats, I bought some wellness jerkey from the store today but he doesnt like it, I read some people boil chicken for treats, is it ok to give him stuff like that?
Milo weights 15 lbs now he use to be 19 before the diagnosis, how many cans of food a day should he be eating? (and snacking)
I also notice he is not drinking as much, I could always tell his numbers were up with how much he woulld drink and urinate, I did notice today his urine smelled like food, is that noraml with the food change, and should I worry about him not drinking much water? I thought it may be from him eating moist food he is not as thirsty..
And one last thinbg..... can someone tell me a good BG monitor? like I mentioned befor I bought the one my vet sugested for cats & dogs that was &150 and the stips cost me $60 for 50, and I just cant keep up with that cost, and I have read on here that most of you use human ones, so please let me know what kind is good, and affordable!!!
Sorry so long....I'm really not as OCD "ish" as I sound.. just trying to transition from the life of pouring dry food in a bowl all day everyday for my cats... to now monitoring everything...Overwhelming to say the least but Milo is worth it!!
 
Yes, it's ok to boil, or steam chicken for treats. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and I cut them up into bite sized pieces, and steam them so that the chicken retains as much nutrients as possible.

With regards to a good monitor, some people are happy with the Relion, and the Freestyle type of monitors. I use a Maxima monitor. Some also use an Infinity monitor. I'm not sure what they have in the UK, though. You may need to do some shopping around.

With regards to the amount of food that you should feed Milo, here's a formula that we all use:

13.6x15 (the weight that Milo currently is)+70=274

The 274 is the calorie intake on a daily basis. If you're feeding him Fancy Feast Turkey & Giblets, the calorie content in each ounce is 32.3. The Fancy Feast cans have 3 oz. of food in them, totalling 96.9 calories per can. You can always start putting him on a feeding schedule, according to your own lifestyle. For instance, my cat, Blackie, gets fed AMPS, +2, +3, and +5 during the day, and PMPS, +2, +3 and about +4 to +4.5 during the evenings.

I hope that helps. Feel free to ask any questions, and we'll here to help. :smile:
 
First, remember to get spot checks during the PM cycle. At the very least, get a before bed check. Many cats have lower numbers at night.

What you are looking for right now is to get Milo's shed replenished after the skipped shot and the reduced dose. It will take a couple of days for the shed to refill. At this point, getting curves or mini-curves or just spot checks is to inform you as to when Lantus onset begins, where Milo's nadir usually falls, and the duration of his dose. Also, you said you went to 6.0u for the AM and PM shot. Your spreadsheet indicated you gave 5.u this morning.

Giving treats -- boiled or freeze dried chicken -- is fine. We all give treats at test times.

The amount of food is dependent on calories. This is a formula for calculating the number of calories your cat needs per day:
Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70​
Janet & Binky's list or the cat food can should have the number of calories in the brand of food you're using. If you're using small amounts of chicken as a treat, it shouldn't be making a big contribution to Milo's caloric intake.

With feeding canned food, Milo will need less water. A good portion of canned food is make up of water. I actually add water to my cats' food. They drink very little from their water bowl. I can't say that I've ever really paid attention to what their pee smells like other than it smells like cat pee.

Many people here use the Walmart brand meter -- the Relion. The strips and the meter are inexpensive. In a Consumer Reports review, the Relion was highly ranked. I use a Bayer Contour and buy my strips on-line. (There isn't a Walmart anywhere near where I live.)

I don't think you're sounding OCDish in the least. Keep asking questions! It's a great way to learn.
 
I forgot to add that you divide the amount of daily calories (274) by the amount of calories per ounce in the Fancy Feast Turkey & Giblets (32.3 calories/ounce...(if you were going to feed him that, that is), to get 8.4829 ounces per feeding.

Or rounded up you'd be feeding him 9 ounces of food at each feeding to maintain his body weight at 15 lbs.
 
I've not got any more advice but just wanted to send encouragement and to say that your Avatar of Milo is FANTASTIC!!!
 
Thanks for all the great advise, I will keep monitoring him tonight and then just before meals tomorrow to give him a bit of a break..
 
I just switched to the Relion from the One Touch Ultra Mini a little over a week ago for the same reason - the price of strips was killing me! I love the Relion...wish I switched a long time ago. Not only are the strips cheaper, but it takes way less blood - important when you're dealing with a fidgety kitty!

I just ordered strips here...they're even cheaper this way than they are at WalMart. I think it worked out to something liek 27 cents a strip...can't beat that!!!

Arkray Strips that are compatable with Relion meters

LOVE Milo's avatar!!!

Have a great evening!

Amy
 
you're doing just fine! don't worry about asking questions - we've all done it - how else will you learn!?

i give boiled chicken too - sometimes i use rotisserie chicken, which punkin LOVES! i do kinda wonder if it has anything added to it, though, so mostly i use regular chicken. usually i boil 2 chicken breasts, dice it fairly small, put most of it in a freezer bag and leave out enough for a couple days of treats in the fridge.

we have a freestyle lite meter which doesn't need very much of a blood drop either. i think most of the major brands will be fine. your best bet for strips is online - hocks, american diabetes wholesale or ebay. i'm a big fan of buying local but i do buy the diabetic supplies online - they probably cost half as much and it's already expensive.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top