Also scared of seeing Red or worse Black

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RobbiesMom

RobbiesMom

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I posted this and some how it ended up as a reply to an older post of mine - not sure if it got buried or something - so this is a DUPLICATE posting I believe. It's very early and I'm sleep deprived so I could just be seeing things.
It's 4:45am here in our house and Robbie is screaming for food (not unusual) so up I get at basicaly PMPS+9.5 and test him. 399. OK if we follow any similar pattern I'll be waking up at 7am (AMPS) to a big RED number in the 400's -he just got about a 1/4 of a can or less of FF with lots of water in it - FF soup as we now call it and hope it keeps him sated - he also got a puff of albuterol on his inhaler as his breathing was a bit labored and congested sounding (we've had this checked 100 times - it's not in his lungs, it's upper resp. and it's a kind of asthma which is somehow triggered by his purring and is also somewhat seasonal in nature so probably allergy related).
My FEAR - I can handle red as long as it's a reasonably low numbered red but I've never seen him in the +500 black range. I cannot at this point check him for Ketones - I'm trying to figure out how to do that (he will NOT pee with me hovering, nor into those non absorbent pebble things - he peed in our laundry pile when I tried that 2 years ago) - and just like not wanting to see him dip down to some number under 45 and become a staggering, lethargic mess like he did that one time our first ride thru here - I don't want to be on that other end -
So I'm making sure I'm up in 2 hours to check him and praying it's not TOO bad but would love thoughts, support, advice, or shared experiences on this subject if anyone is feeling up to it.
addendum - it's now +10 (6am) and he wouldn't let me sleep till I gave him more food so I gave him 1/4 can with water after testing him at 372 which I'm guessing is'basically the same as 399 give or take?
 
Hi Ellen, i'm here for support/thoughts. It doesn't seem like Robbie's numbers are too scary? I'm curious about the big change in doses. It's been hard for me too figuring this out. I'm just starting to take into consideration that the #s we get may actually be higher. Question about his food, it's hard for me to tell how much he actually gets in one day. Maybe he needs a little more in one sitting? I've been laying it on thick with the boiled chicken snacks lately. I'm not sure if its holding him over during the day, but he loves them!

Hang in there, someone with good advice should be up soon ;-) Maybe you can get a little nap in

Laura
 
I understand not liking the high RED numbers of the BLACK. I don't like them, none of us do. First, be prepared that the food you gave at +10 may inflate your +12 test. Sometimes...okay, often ;-) ... Hershey will pull that "must...have...food" routine, but if it's past a certain point in the cycle, I will just keep him distracted and not feed so it doesn't artificially inflate his next test. Second, while those high numbers are scary, I've been told over and over that they aren't as bad as the hypo numbers. So, try to calm down.

Testing for ketones may require getting creative or even sneaky, to catch him 'in the act' but you have to find something that will work. Our first time with Hershey was the hardest - it took a couple of days to catch him in the litterbox!

Take care -

Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
Thanks all - appreciate the thoughts.
The changes in numbers is a long story - suffice to say my Vet feels 3/4 is a good range - he's had success with how he handles his diabetic patients and while I adore and trust the man I feel that there is more experience here and having read so many of the stories on here and all the literature I've been trying to decide where I feel my gut and Robbies history and particular situation should lead us. I've decided to start low and go slow now if I can stand it and he seems to be handling it. That's about all I can say about the dose info you see.
As for the eating - ... well I tried very hard this morning to not feed him more than a very small amount at PMPS +9 and 10 but he is VERY vocal and was waking up not only my husband who worked 14 hours yesterday but our tenant who lives upstairs. So while I have been sacrificing sleep I can't have him keeping the whole house awake - and trust me - if you've ever wondered what the term caterwalling means come here at 4:30 am when he's not being fed. When he was OTJ he ate as follows: 1 can between 4-5 am which he finished, 1 can at 7:30-8:30 with his metimucil in it which he ate most of and finished during the day at 5:30 a full can with more met at 10-11pm a full can - so he was on 3 (sometimes up to 4) can's spaced out in the day of low carb/cal Fancy Feast and he was doing great. I don't want to repeat the info on how and why (it's in my posts several times) but than he also started getting some high carb/cal FF by me (my bad) and figured out how to sneak his sisters food as well. I THINK that is what pushed him back but I can't be sure might just have been his time.
SO now he's still used to that food schedule and I've tried to reduce the AMOUNT he gets by adding water during what I consider the "snack" feedings and I've cut him back a bit but not much (doing it slowly).
so there is our story again and hope I'm not boring the hell out of everyone. He is at +3 322 - I have a meeting for work and will test again at +6 or have hubby test.
Thanks
 
I understand a vocal kitty - Hershey is VERY vocal! ;-) And, we live in a small house so I don't want him to wake my husband (who works a lot of hours) or my daughter (who goes to school and works). I have even been known to give Hershey 0% carbs to try to tide him over until it's actually meal-time. You know, he carries on and I want to keep him quiet - petting/extra attention isn't working at the moment - I'll take him to get a treat, sometimes two. Repeat as needed. :lol:
 
Your doing a great job! I wish i could get my DH to test. It sure would help a lot. But he refuses to have any part of it, except feed sometimes. So you are doing good to have some extra help!

lori
 
That's good to know Libby - what are the O% carb treats you give Hershey? Robbie- as big a pig as he is- has never liked "cat treats" - but he'll eat plastic bags, twist ties etc. We spend tons of time making sure he can't get to plastic stuff... and his sister is a string eater so.... My husband works a lot of hours too and odd hours so that's rough - I also work long hours and really can't keep up this schedule with him for too long before it takes a toll on my job - so figuring out how to get him on a better feeding schedule while still keeping his carb intake down is something I have to work on. We have an automatic feeder which I need to get up and running and I think if I can do that - and have it offer him something (FF low carb, 0% carb treats) in those wee hours of the morning we'll be in better shape.
Would love to hear thoughts and I'm going to post in the Health section and see what everyone there does when they have piggy/gobbler cats. :?
Thanks
 
Hi Lori
Thanks for that - I married at 45 years old and hubby and I are 5 years wed next month - part of the reason I gave up my blissful singlehood was how incredibly loving and caring he was about the cats (and people). He is a daddybean to the max. Being a control freak I was very reluctant to "let" him do this but finally realized for Robbie's sake I needed the back up and he was willing and so far so good - I think he was hitting more "vein" area (deeper into the ear) at first but I went over it with him again and he's doing great and he's a natural with the shots. So that is good news - however he has been working so much lately it's been hard since he's self employed he needs to take the work when and how he finds it so I have to get Robbie to cooperate a bit with letting his beans sleep.
 
Our treats are freeze-dried meats. We buy PureBites brand. They sell it at PetSmart and PetCo, but I'm sure you can find it other places or even order it online. They have several flavors, but we usually stick with the chicken or the turkey. When looking at treats, read the ingredients - you want just meat. Like this one says - "Ingredient: Chicken Breast." Hershey gets so excited that sometimes he'll bite your hand trying to get to the treat! :lol: Those regular treats are HIGH in carbs, so avoid those.

We have an automatic feeder, too, but hardly ever use it.

Take care -

Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
301 @amps+11 - he's eating dinner and was screaming for it. Very funny he's already learned that the pen and the meter mean a treat but has not figured out he needs to hold still and let me prick his ear. Comes running when he sees me pick up the stuff and click of the pen but than squirms around like a snake while I'm trying to get the blood drop off his ear. It's a lot better than the first time around however so I really shouldn't complain.
 
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