Another Bounce for Max??? PMPS297 +4 315

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tiffmaxee

tiffmaxee

Member Since 2013
After such good numbers yesterday we are back to 291 AMPS. Another bounce ahead or just a normal rise? I ignored his 6 a.m. cries for food to test on an empty stomach. Is that necessary?
I tested Max and it was really high but it didn't look like I had enough blood so I tested again and it was 297. Not great, but not too bad. Does too little blood sometimes cause readings that are too high?

Elise
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Max's #s are starting to improve. Remember that with each new dose change that you do, there may be some bouncing taking affect. However, since you've been on this dose for a period of time, it could still be Max's body taking his sweet time to adjust, and his shed is probably taking its sweet time in filling up. If you feel unsure, or uncomfortable doing this on your own, please don't hesitate to ask if it's ok to go up the next amount, and ask what that amount is. It's always best to be safe than sorry.

I've tested my kitty, Blackie, on an empty stomach many times before her shots. Usually when you test after a kitty has eaten, the # would be a food influenced #, and it may be a false reading.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

So do you find that Blackie has a higher BG if tested after eating? That is why I didn't feed Max but being a pancreatitis kitty I hate to withhold food when he wants to eat which tends to often be 2 hours before his shot is due. Is l-l 1/2 hours enough time? Could the food effect start as early as 1/2 hour? Or is this just trial and error? Thanks.

Elise
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Good job grabbing the +1 and +2 after Max's lovely blue PMPS :cool:
tiffmaxee said:
I ignored his 6 a.m. cries for food to test on an empty stomach. Is that necessary?
Click to expand...
What 'plus' hour is 6am? What is is normal feeding schedule - (for example I fed BK at shot time, +4 and +8 )
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Max gets his shots at 7:30 so 6 a.m. is +10 1/2. He usually free feeds small amounts often. I leave a little food out when I go to bed but if he eats it early on I don't give him any more.

Elise
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

we know that carbs start affecting some cats in as little as 15ish minutes, because when we treat low numbers some cats the carbs will begin to show in 15 minutes. i noticed punkin's blood sugar didn't rise for closer to 20-30 minutes after giving him carbs. probably one of those ECID (every cat is different) things.

i don't think it could possibly hurt him to go 2 hrs without eating, though. Punkin had pancreatitis flares and i always fed him at preshot and again at +3. after that he only got bits of chicken breasts after he got poked. so 9 hours til his next meal, every time and he had acromegaly which makes the cat ravenous all the time. what i have found with my cats is that they want a schedule. we called it a Feed Me Contract with punkin. :lol: We had an agreed upon Feed Me Contract and no deviations were allowed, unless there was going to be more food. then that constituted a change to the FMC and after that, he wanted that extra meal every time.

I'd encourage you to give that 2 hours preshot without food so that you know you are not shooting a food-influenced number. i suspect he'll adjust to the new contract and eventually give up on wanting to be fed at that time. might take a while before Max gives up asking, though! :-D
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

I'm not familiar with pancreatitis, so I can't answer that question. All I know about the crying out for food is the fact that until the kitty is regulated, the body still demands food. It'll happen, but it takes time. It's ok to test before you give food, and to be honest, it's preferred so that you're not getting a wrong reading before you shoot the dose as Julie had mentioned.

Before Blackie was regulated as she is now, she did spike 1 hour after her food was given. Now, she seems to drop 1 hour after her food, and shot, and I'm fine with that.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Like Julie, we too made sure BK did not eat anything after +10 so that we were confident the PS number was not food influenced.
We also had a consistent feeding schedule and it was the same both AM and PM cycles.

When we discovered a digital programmable timed feeder with 5 compartments (Petsafe brand) it was a life saver.
We fed BK a full meal at shot times (no timed feeder used) and then set up the feeder to feed him mini meals at +4 and +8 and a chunk of freeze dried chicken breast at +10.

Besides providing confidence in the PS numbers, the feeder gave us some peace of mind that BK had food available overnight in case his numbers dipped.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

I think it's hard to know if this is a bounce. If it is, it's certainly not a bounce into the stratosphere. Let's see how Max does today. It should give you a better sense of whether or not this is a bounce.

In general, the idea is not to feed a cat that's not yet regulated 2 hours prior to shot time. Feeding close to shot time can give you false confidence in your pre-shot number. Likewise, if you feed after nadir, there's less insulin available to help to keep numbers where you want them. However, if Max's issues with pancreatitis necessitate feeding him later in the cycle, you do what you need to do to keep your kitty healthy.

Many people here feed several, small meals throughout the day. This strategy causes the pancreas to work less hard all at one time and it sounds like it's closer to what you're doing already.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Since I started home testing, I've been feeding Max 2 hours before his first shot IF he asks for food early enough. Then he gets food after the insulin. Then I feed right after the Nadir test, around 1-2:30. If he doesn't finish the food which is often the case it is left out until he does. I've been holding food 2 hours before his night shot, feed and then put out food again around 11 at night and he eats it when ever he wants. So he pretty much dictates when he eats. Max rarely eats a lot at one time so I am I understanding this right that the only time to withhold food is 2 hours before shots (except for his pure protein treats after ear pricks?) Thanks.


Elise
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Hi Elise,
Please forgive me if I am giving suggestions that conflict with what others may have advised. But I am wondering why you feed 2 hours before shot time. Most of us test, shoot, and feed within a time frame of about 10 or 15 minutes. Therefore there is no issue of having food influence the test. If Max is crying for food 2 hours before his usual breakfast time, perhaps you could move your shot time 2 hours earlier. If this conflicts with your work schedule, perhaps you could give him just a very small portion of food to hold him for those two hours.
The timed feeders are a great invention. We use the 2-compartment Cat Mate.

Ella & Rusty

P.s. yes, the general rule is not to give food during the 2 hours before shot time.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

Thanks for writing. I can't change his shot time because of scheduling issues and family obligations away from Max so that I can be consistent. I'm not home at 6:00 at night several days a week. Max never demanded food before but he is used to eating when he wants. The morning is the hard one. He is maintaining his weight, not gaining or losing and eating his normal amount. He just wants to eat at times that conflict in the morning. When he wants to eat at 5 a.m. it's not an issue except that I don't get to sleep and I'm already an insomniac. What would be a very small portion? He eats less than 1/4 can of fancy feast at a time usually. He's so skittish I think he would not eat from a timed feeder. I can't even get him to use a new scratching tree even with catnip on it.

Hopefully he will adjust soon.

Elise
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291

I would consider a small portion to be about 2 teaspoons (regular teaspoons, not measuring teaspoons). Mash it up and put a little warm water in. This is what I do for Rusty's +9 "snack". Rusty is also a "grazer", so he often has food left over in his dish. If it hasn't been out for too many hours, mix it up a bit, transfer it to a different dish, and add a little more warm water.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291 +6 292

Thanks, Ella. Well his +6 is the same as his PMPS. This makes no sense to me at all. Maybe in time I will understand why but I'm thinking Max is a cat and cats are NOT predictable!!! Sometimes it's tough being owned by a cat.

Elise
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291 +6 292

Maybe in time I will understand why but I'm thinking Max is a cat and cats are NOT predictable!!! Sometimes it's tough being owned by a cat.
Click to expand...
Exactly. The minute you think you understand, Max will change things up just so you can entertain him by being confused!

Levity aside, this may be what we refer to as a "flat, yellow cycle." With some cats, this can mean that within a cycle or two, their numbers will drop.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291 +6 292

I just wanted to pop in to say hello! I had flat yellow today too (till PMPS). Thanks for visiting us, I will have to read up on the L-Lysine. And you have just written what may be the most important thing to know...cats are not predictable ;-) . We have pretty good intel that they read their condos so they can keep us on our toes :lol: . I hope you see some nicer numbers later tonight. Have a nice evening!
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max? AMPS 291 +6 292 PMPS297

Rachel, l-lysine is fine for kidney cats. Tiffany had it and then too many other diseases--intestinal lymphoma, anemia, high BP, heart murmur, a few acute panc attacks, you get the idea. She never had any type of reaction. I used to put it in her baby food to make sure she got it. She started with watery eyes and then was sneezing a lot. Once I started her on it, 250 ml twice a day, she never had problems except when she was in the ER and they didn't give it to her. I started giving it to her myself and the runny eyes stopped. Thanks for popping by and I hope this works for you.
 
Re: Another Bounce for Max PMPS297 +4 315

Not a good day. I screwed up my link to the spreadsheet trying to add a link to the profile I wrote. I'm computer illiterate. Max's +4 tonight is 315 so he has been high all day and night. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Elise
 
Looks like you get a sleep pass tonight. :-D

To fix the first part of the spreadsheet link, you need to include the following part in between the quotes " ][/url] " just after the last t in the phrase Max's Spreadsheet.
 
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