Buddy's SS up and going 8th part about dosing

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wolfey said:
I need help!! I cannot find the right dose for Buddy cat.
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You'll get there, Teresa. Try not to panic. Slow, careful increases are the safe way to do it. You can increase after 3 cycles if a dose isn't working. Every 2 days (4 cycles) is also good so you can increase for an AM dose. If Buddy needs more insulin it's not a failing on your part. He needs what he needs.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
You'll get there, Teresa. Try not to panic. Slow, careful increases are the safe way to do it. You can increase after 3 cycles if a dose isn't working. Every 2 days (4 cycles) is also good so you can increase for an AM dose. If Buddy needs more insulin it's not a failing on your part. He needs what he needs.
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I was joking, but I would like to find the correct dose. I keep wondering about what he is eating, if it is causing a problem. Buddy did have part of his pancreas taken out, maybe he needs more insulin because of that. I just don't know. I am always no drama, I will not panic.
 
Djamila said:
He had part of his pancreas removed? Why? I wonder how that impacts all of this?
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Sorry, I did not see your post until this morning. Buddy has a history of pancreatitis, I believe that is why he is diabetic. I found out on 12/26/16 he was diabetic, at that time he was hospitalized. On 3/3/17 he was also hospitalized for being sick. His doctor saw something on an X-ray and decided he needed surgery. In that surgery the tail of his pancreas, spleen, surrounding tissue and fat were removed. All of these were inflamed, he said that he removed all of the inflamed tissue. He thought that this would help Buddy, but he did not how it would affect it have on his insulin needs. Since his need for insulin is going up, I thought maybe this has something to do with it and maybe eating too much. I really do not know how much he should be eating, but I have an idea on how much.
 
I was trying to be funny when I put on this thread, HELP!!!. I do wish someone had a magic ball and would let me know what dose to give Buddy to make his diabetes well controlled, but don't all of us.
 
I am curious if the missing pancreas parts might be a factor. Just keep going with the methodical increases and I guess we'll find out in time, huh?
 
I came across a formula to figure out how many calories a kitty should eat per day. :cat:
Cat's weight (or desired weight in lbs) x 13.6 + 70 = Required calories per day
If you feed more than twice a day, divide by that.

Example on Maury: 14 x 13.6 +70 = 260.4 calories per day. I feed him 4 times a day so he should get at least 65.1 calories per meal.
 
Yong said:
I came across a formula to figure out how many calories a kitty should eat per day. :cat:
Cat's weight (or desired weight in lbs) x 13.6 + 70 = Required calories per day
If you feed more than twice a day, divide by that.

Example on Maury: 14 x 13.6 +70 = 260.4 calories per day. I feed him 4 times a day so he should get at least 65.1 calories per meal.
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That is wonderful !!! I am not for sure how much Buddy weighs at this time, I do know how much he did weigh before all this started in December 2016.
This will give me a good idea how many calories he should have until I can get him on a scale. Thank you.
 
Djamila said:
I am curious if the missing pancreas parts might be a factor. Just keep going with the methodical increases and I guess we'll find out in time, huh?
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The doctor said he did not know, but it would seem that he would need more insulin if part of his pancreas is gone. Djamila, your kitty is doing well.
 
Yes, he seems to be headed in the right direction, but only time will tell. And he survived seven cycles with the pet sitter (meaning hardly any insulin since she couldn't monitor) without too much trouble. Although his poor ears were badly bruised, and still look kind of awful. I'm trying to be very gentle with his tests right now to give him some time to heal.
 
For Maury's weight, I weigh myself a few times to make sure the reading is more accurate. Then I pick him up and do the same. The difference is his weight :cat:
 
Djamila said:
Yes, he seems to be headed in the right direction, but only time will tell. And he survived seven cycles with the pet sitter (meaning hardly any insulin since she couldn't monitor) without too much trouble. Although his poor ears were badly bruised, and still look kind of awful. I'm trying to be very gentle with his tests right now to give him some time to heal.
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How do you keep their ears from getting badly bruised, is that where the inside of their ears are kind of a rosy pink. If that is bruised, Buddy's ears have been bruised for a long time.
 
wolfey said:
How do you keep their ears from getting badly bruised, is that where the inside of their ears are kind of a rosy pink. If that is bruised, Buddy's ears have been bruised for a long time.
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Sam has dark colored ears, so I can only see the bruises when there is a light shining towards his ear (flashlight, window, lamp, etc.) Then I can see dark spots along the vein/edge of his ear. I scoop the blood and then immediately apply pressure to his ear so it doesn't bruise. The pet sitter was just learning (and I'm super proud of her!), so trying to juggle the strip and the meter and the poke and the blood was a lot already. Plus, Sam now (mostly) sits still for me, but with her, he was running off the second she let go of him, so she couldn't quite manage the "apply pressure" part. The bruises will heal - he's going to be fine. They just make me cringe a little when I see them.

I don't know how Buddy feels about the vet, but my vet lets me stop by with Sam to weigh him on occasion. I do the same method as Yong at home, but sometimes it's nice to have a more precise number since Sam is a little prone towards chubby.
 
Djamila said:
Sam has dark colored ears, so I can only see the bruises when there is a light shining towards his ear (flashlight, window, lamp, etc.) Then I can see dark spots along the vein/edge of his ear. I scoop the blood and then immediately apply pressure to his ear so it doesn't bruise. The pet sitter was just learning (and I'm super proud of her!), so trying to juggle the strip and the meter and the poke and the blood was a lot already. Plus, Sam now (mostly) sits still for me, but with her, he was running off the second she let go of him, so she couldn't quite manage the "apply pressure" part. The bruises will heal - he's going to be fine. They just make me cringe a little when I see them.

I don't know how Buddy feels about the vet, but my vet lets me stop by with Sam to weigh him on occasion. I do the same method as Yong at home, but sometimes it's nice to have a more precise number since Sam is a little prone towards chubby.
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I cringe when I see Buddy's ears and I am the only one doing all the poking. Since Buddy's surgery he is really scared at the vet. The last time I took him in to the vet he was shaking and really scared. He cried all the way there, this is really a shame because before surgery he did not mind going to the vet. I think the reason was whenever I took him to the vet before it was for pancreatitis and they gave him something to make him feel better.
 
Probably not worth taking him in just to get weighed then! Hopefully as a little more time passes he'll settle down again. Sam doesn't mind the front of the vet, but when they take him in the back you can hear him roar and growl like a lion. I alternate between laughing because it's such an incredible sound, and crying because I know he's scared. The couple of times he's had his dental, they always call me to come get him early since he's so loud! :rolleyes:
 
Djamila said:
Probably not worth taking him in just to get weighed then! Hopefully as a little more time passes he'll settle down again. Sam doesn't mind the front of the vet, but when they take him in the back you can hear him roar and growl like a lion. I alternate between laughing because it's such an incredible sound, and crying because I know he's scared. The couple of times he's had his dental, they always call me to come get him early since he's so loud! :rolleyes:
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We love them sooo much.
 
Some people purchase a baby scale to weight their kitty, so you can still say you truly don't know your weight because you can't fit on baby scale :joyful:

I also think Orange / buff / lighter kitties may show a little more "damage" because their skin is a little more sensitive. I could be wrong :p but I think it's like people. Fairer skin is thinner and bruises and scratches easier than darker skin, which tends to be thicker.
 
Yong said:
Some people purchase a baby scale to weight their kitty, so you can still say you truly don't know your weight because you can't fit on baby scale :joyful:

I also think Orange / buff / lighter kitties may show a little more "damage" because their skin is a little more sensitive. I could be wrong :p but I think it's like people. Fairer skin is thinner and bruises and scratches easier than darker skin, which tends to be thicker.
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I have thought of the baby scale, just have not got one yet. Buddy is blonde and I agree about the skin tones.
 
wolfey said:
I have thought of the baby scale, just have not got one yet. Buddy is blonde and I agree about the skin tones.
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Hi Teresa,

I bought a digital baby scale online when Teasel was diagnosed and it works really well for tracking his weight and also his brother's. His brother isn't diabetic but has been on a very slow, safe weight loss program since last July 2016. We've been successful with that. :) Here's a link to a scale like Teasel's:
https://www.amazon.com/Health-meter-Toddler-Scale-Growth/dp/B0009MFUZE/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

Teasel's ears are white on the outer edges and they do show little bruised spots in the testing area. These seem to heal quickly. I always put some pressure on the area after each poke.
 
Hi Teresa,

Time to try 4.2 u I think. He IS making progress - there's a lot more yellow on his SS and the PSs are lower. Don't be afraid of the higher dose. Buddy needs what he needs and that partial pancreas removal might well be having an effect.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Hi Teresa,

Time to try 4.2 u I think. He IS making progress - there's a lot more yellow on his SS and the PSs are lower. Don't be afraid of the higher dose. Buddy needs what he needs and that partial pancreas removal might well be having an effect.
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I just got a chance to enter Buddy's info, this morning I gave him 4.2. Yesterday before I left for church I gave him some extra food and you can really tell it in his BG numbers. For some reason I am not afraid to up his dose anymore, but I am afraid of where this is going to stop at.
 
It might be possible once he's on a higher dose for a while you may start coming back down. That's what is happening with Maury. :bighug::)
 
wolfey said:
I just got a chance to enter Buddy's info, this morning I gave him 4.2. Yesterday before I left for church I gave him some extra food and you can really tell it in his BG numbers. For some reason I am not afraid to up his dose anymore, but I am afraid of where this is going to stop at.
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I'm glad you're OK with increasing his dose but don't worry about where you'll end up. Once you crack through that ceiling they can often start coming down as Yong said
 
Yong said:
It might be possible once he's on a higher dose for a while you may start coming back down. That's what is happening with Maury. :bighug::)
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What is the highest dose you gave Maury and what is he taking now. Hopefully, this will give me something to look forward to.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
I'm glad you're OK with increasing his dose but don't worry about where you'll end up. Once you crack through that ceiling they can often start coming down as Yong said
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For some reason Buddy is not eating as much as usual today, but at PMPS his BG number was 324. I know he has been much higher, but with that much insulin and not eating as much today, you would think he would have some lower numbers. Maybe one of the reasons why I am OK with the increase of his dose, with the u100 syringes it doesn't look like much.
 
wolfey said:
For some reason Buddy is not eating as much as usual today, but at PMPS his BG number was 324. I know he has been much higher, but with that much insulin and not eating as much today, you would think he would have some lower numbers. Maybe one of the reasons why I am OK with the increase of his dose, with the u100 syringes it doesn't look like much.
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There are many things that affect BG, Teresa. How much he eats is only one. It's almost impossible to explain individual numbers. Just look at his SS as a whole to assess how he's doing.
 
wolfey said:
Buddy finally went blue today at AMPS +7, he was at 127. He has not been eating as much lately. He wants FortiFlora on his wet food sometimes or he will not eat. He has been eating some YA also.
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YES!!!! I knew he'd get there! :D You're not out of the woods yet, Teresa, but this is a lovely blue nadir. Do you think he's not eating as much because he doesn't feel well? It could also be down to better BG numbers. I'd use the FortiFlora if it helps.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
YES!!!! I knew he'd get there! :D You're not out of the woods yet, Teresa, but this is a lovely blue nadir. Do you think he's not eating as much because he doesn't feel well? It could also be down to better BG numbers. I'd use the FortiFlora if it helps.[/QUOTE ]
I have been using the FortiFlora, because I do not want him to go with out eating. I also have been giving him nausea meds. He has not thrown up or had loose stools, they can still be painful and nauseated without these signs.
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Yay we knew you'd see a blue soon, Teresa! Like Kris said, not out of the woods yet but this is a good sign! Maury's appetite decreased with better BG numbers. At least, that's what I'm attributing it to because there are no other signs of an issue :)
 
Yong said:
Yay we knew you'd see a blue soon, Teresa! Like Kris said, not out of the woods yet but this is a good sign! Maury's appetite decreased with better BG numbers. At least, that's what I'm attributing it to because there are no other signs of an issue :)
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I am hoping that is true with Buddy also.
 
It looks like that's the lowest number he's seen in awhile! Sam holds out for the fortiflora sometimes too. Our kitties are so spoiled! (but hey, whatever it takes to get them to eat!)
 
Djamila said:
It looks like that's the lowest number he's seen in awhile! Sam holds out for the fortiflora sometimes too. Our kitties are so spoiled! (but hey, whatever it takes to get them to eat!)
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It is 1 of his lowest numbers. The fortiflora is like everything else, too expensive. With Buddy you cannot just sprinkle a little bit on his food, he wants it to cover everything.
 
I feel that Buddy needs a dose increase. My problem is that I will be gone most of the day today and again on Sunday. Does anyone think my holding off a dose increase until Monday would cause a problem, or should I go ahead with a dose increase on Saturday. I will be home on Saturday but not on Sunday.
 
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