Starting a new thread per request. The former is here: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-here-prozinc-starts-tomorrow.258741/#post-2911416 Just took Gizmo’s BG at noon - she got one unit at 6:15am. Was 377. I’m wondering if you all think I should increase the dose again to the vets recommendation of 1.5u. We just started yesterday with 1unit. Is it too soon to up it?
Too soon to say without any other data. Today could very well be a bounce from lower numbers last night or the day before. I know you're just getting up and running with everything! So once you have about 3 days worth of pretty good data (preshots plus whatever spot checks you can manage) we can take another look
I’ve only been able to get random spot checks. The feeding times she’s been far too frantic. I know you guys put the most emphasis there, but she’s been absolutely frantic about being fed and way hungry that I can’t get her to sit still or cooperate. Will keep trying.
I’m just discouraged that the numbers I have gotten don’t seem that the insulin is working at all. Maybe I’m just not patient enough. She’s been like this for so many weeks now, I’m just panicked I’m going to kill her if I don’t act soon.
How quickly does she eat? If she eats pretty quickly, like less than 5 minutes perhaps, I'd just say don't worry about it, test as soon as she's done eating. Something is better than nothing, but I get it. Or - at what point does she get frantic? You could do a +11 test and go off that...again not ideal, just trying to get something for consistent data
I understand. These numbers aren't horrible...not ideal obviously, but not horrible. Just keep testing for ketones, that's the only real risk right now at these numbers. But keep the opposite in mind - a hypo can also kill. Take a look at Wolvi's spreadsheet before he switched to Lantus - just a few days ago he went from 400s down to 77. That is my concern, and why I just truly cannot offer sound/safe advice yet. I don't mean it any particular way, I would just rather him run high for a few more days than risk a hypo.
the frantic is relegated to the morning, I get woken up like the world is caving in, and I have to give her at least a half can before she calms down (meowing like crazy, jumping in furniture, running in front of me - just generally not handleable) And eats it immediately. And as things calm down I kind of dole out more food as the morning wears on and we get closer to shot time. I can probably start getting them in that first 30 mins in the morning as she’s finished eating the first round. the afternoons are easier because she’s calmer about being fed then.
Well done!! I certainly understand that frantic cat thing! Since doses need to be based upon the nadirs, do you think you could at least try to get a +6 reading? Since afternoons are better? I know you don't have a spreadsheet yet, but do you have a written log or anything of your tests? Now, back to the frantic hungries... I wonder if you would consider buying an auto feeder to feed her during the night. A lot of people use auto feeders around here for various reasons. One reason is to keep their kitties from dropping too low during the night. They program the feeder to open at specific times and, believe me, the cats KNOW what time they open. If you had it programmed so that it would open during the night, she could eat and maybe wouldn't be so frantic in the morning. If she ate at maybe, +9 or right up close to +10 (as long as she eats the whole thing) then maybe she wouldn't be so frantic at AMPS and you could get a test in and then feed breakfast. Or just give her a couple of Pure Bites Chicken or Shrimp or something and test her (unless the treats get her too riled up!) What do you think? I don't have an auto feeder (too many cats) so I don't know what kind people like around here. @FrostD do you have an auto feeder recommendation? You might be able to sleep better too, Rachel
hey - yes, the mid cycle reading are easy to get cause I just do it while she’s sun napping. I have been getting those the past few days. They’re usually high 300s. I did actually figure out the spreadsheet but I downloaded it to excel and have been using it. Idk how to get it on here and don’t have the time right now but I can probably screenshot it etc. I didn’t know they could eat overnight? Are there auto feeders for wet food? I’ve only ever seen them for dry. Before all this was accustomed to having dry food overnight that she would nibble at to help with the frantic panic. It was like a high fiber GI food to keep her regular. We stopped that.
Yes. There are auto feeders for wet food. If the concern is that the food would spoil I doubt it would spoil in a few hours (especially this time of year) but they have auto feeders that accommodate a little ice pack to keep the food chilled if necessary.
A lot of people have cats who tend to drop lower at night (many cats do) and if they drop low, they get super hungry and will want to eat at night. I don't think you're at that point yet, but kind of have the opposite problem -- but still extreme hunger.
lord knows I need to. Only getting about 4 hours a night and the hallucinations are setting in. I just found her on the counter with her head in my McDonald’s bag
I have this one, but shop around! https://www.petsmart.com/cat/bowls-...xiPZ5kYyVMpQ6jDfHPFELoyw_zbsECSQaAvcCEALw_wcB Truthfully, I've never used the ice pack slot, except when I fed raw for a bit. But he ate most of his food within the first 4-6 hrs, usually nothing after that
Okay, just ordered the cat mate one. I’m thinking if she will eat at like 2-3am it won’t be such an ordeal. Thank you guys!
That's what I was hoping for ... to ease the morning frantic-ness (not a real word!) I hope this helps.
No McDonalds for her! They don't have much low carb stuff there (unless you eat the egg mcmuffin without the bun or the hamburger without the bun! No buns for Gizmo! No fries either! I knew a vet tech once who actually fed french fries to her cat because, "he just loves them soooo much!." The vet used to just roll her eyes.
Yeah, we just can’t keep up with this pattern. My husband is law enforcement so he’s never here at consistent times so it always falls on me to answer the call for all of this and be up all night with her. I need a cat nanny.
none of my cats have ever been interested in people food, until now. She’s been getting on the counter a lot. One cat I had when I was a more inexperienced pet owner, she passed away very suddenly from DKA (we never knew she was diabetic, the signs weren’t there). But I found her once in the counter eating a pizza that was left out for an hour. That’s how I knew when this started with Gizmo that something was up. She never goes for that stuff.
I Told mine i was spending $40-50 on a cat feeder and to not bother me about it I am pretty good with broken sleep, but the extra sleep/my time is worth much more than that
Okay, proud of me. Got the midcycle test, 364 compared to this mornings 497. So, it’s doing something…..please tell me it’s doing something…. ideally I should be doing this 4 times a day, correct? AMPS, PMPS, and two in the middles.
Y Yes correct. I know we were just complaining about sleep, but we do need in the middle of night here and there. Just while he's new at this, to make sure these daytime numbers aren't bounces from low numbers. As for cost, tell me about it. I categorize all our spending, Mr Kitty has his own bucket....I should probably stop doing that high dose cat, 2 ER trips, weekly chest taps, meds, supplies, ugh
Well, no guarantees, but that’s what I’ll shoot for. On the weekends sometimes I stay up til 1 am so it should work.
My list of stuff that saved my sanity: i) I put a harness on him - worked so easily because he was so desperate to get out! we did 2hours of walk/sniffing every night before bed to wear us out, only way to get more than 4hrs sleep! not for everyone, but worked for me because I am in a superbly safe place ii) I hid little bunches of 2 to 5 diabetic dry food nuggets in corners, hideyholes, in the crevasses of a big driftwood piece. he burned sugar seeking them out and loved to wallop carefully balanced pillars I made from a height, then chase them about the floor iii) I left small amounts of wet food in his smaller bowl with an upturned tupper or empty wet food tray covering it. he would figure out how to get to it when he needed it Totally remember the frantic nights! I'de get awoken three or four times with clattering in the kitchen as he broke open my BREAD BIN! he got focaccia once and remembered... He learned how to open cupboards and tried relentlessly at the fridge. after so many NO's and being put in timeout he resorted to backing up to my kitchen hob backsplash and doing the shakey-arse territorial spraying. That was about a week into the trial adoption of a 'healthy cat' from the animal rescue.
dear god….it hasn’t hit those levels yet, but I decided today that we are going to go outside more often. She loves to sit on a big screened porch we have and watch the bird feeder. I think that’ll give her something to care about other than the food. Do you guys think exercise helps? Gizmo likes to do this stair routine of throwing things up and down the stairs so she chases them up and down and tears up the carpet steps. I’ve been trying to lay off that to let her “rest” but maybe it’s good?
exercise is more important than ever! exercise helps burn all that sugar a diabetic cannot metabolise, yes! go for it! play for a good 10 to 15 mins before a meal means a real reward for your kitty and a strong bond - especially when we sometimes hurt them a bit with all the jabbing and testing. also, diabetics once stable tend to put on weight, so a habit of play is really important to establish. Whatever way that your cat digs it is fine. my dude has a heart murmur so I do very short bursts and a rest, then go again. he does not respond to toys. I have wasted much money, ingenuity and soaring hopes on all kinds of futile purchases. a dried frond off my New Zeland flax plant, or a dried gladioli from my garden compost is the most exciting thing now. or I hide behind a bush and make it rustle. he either does a pounce and tackle from a hidden spot, or stealth punches me in a fly-by attack. when I see his wiggle-bum stare I know he is coming for me... delight! I am sure the neighbors think I am a weird looser, but he is now looking glorious, so I care not for the net curtain twitchers.
A total godsend that I still use is a puzzle feeder. They have to apply all their Catskills to get to the goodies. I managed to get it from Italy by post because I personally prefer not to fund Jeff Bezos's ego, or p3nile space flights, but it is available on the website named unfairly after one of the world's most important water ecosystems. I did see it here for US peops: https://outwardhound.com/rainy-day-puzzle-play-cat-game.html it is the 'rainy day' puzzle designed by Nina Ottosson for PetStages. Sometimes you can find it with only two of those keywords. Not all sites use the full description. I wash it with hot water n mild soap and it looks as new as months ago despite daily use. In the beginning I did it with him so he got to figure out how it works without hooking it with a furious nail and then hoofing backwards until he/they crashed into solid objects... He still enjoys it as a game of sense acuity, logic, memory and occasionally still, bully boy my-butt-as-a-lever tactics... Amazon irksome ASIN : B087DNHXD4
Hey - just collecting data and trying to figure out how to get the dang spreadsheet on here. Everyday is very consistent. Amps and pmps in the low to mid-400s. Mid cycle tests in the 370s or 380s. Eating well, playful. Less urinating and drinking today, so that seems hopeful
Was thinking this morning. Will you guys help me understand the role of food here? At what point would it be advisable to try to switch to FF classics or Purina DM? I have both, and she is still currently eating a fancy feast gravy variety, which lands at about 13% on the carbs. May what point is it safe to switch or advisable to try to switch? I am trying to minimize changes as much as possible, but I feel like I am spinning my wheels a little bit here with the ProZinc. Doesn’t seem to make that much of a difference. Maybe I’m just too impatient. Should I try to introduce some of the classics now? I gave her a snack of one the other day and she kind of enjoyed. i want to help her and get this fixed so bad. I’m so defeated.
It is working, he just probably needs a dose increase but I do need to see data. Even though the tests all seem higher there's a lot of "mental filling in the gaps" we do when looking at data. At these numbers I'd probably say just do the transition now and hold the dose, but just want to see data to confirm there's no possible bouncing or lows Do you have the spreadsheet going? If you can just screenshot and post here, or just list the data I can work with that. Example (going off Thursdays post) 2/10 AMPS 497 AM+? : 364 2/11 Etc etc Tagging @Bandit's Mom to help with spreadsheet.
Hi Rachel, I can help set up your spreadsheet. Will send you a PM with the details I need. Look for it in the Inbox at the top right corner of this page.
I think the problem is that I’m using my phone for all of this - I don’t have a PC or anything decent to work off of, all corporate equipment. I increased it to 1.5u last night because that’s what I was figuring. There’s holes in this because I’m still trying to get her compliance in the morning. Auto feeder should be here today which may help. 2/8 .5u +5 @388 +10 @414 1u 2/9 1u +6 @ 377 1u 2/10 AMPS @497 1u +6 @364 PMPS @484 Fur shot 2/11 1u +6 @ 381 1u 2/12 1u +5 @377 PMPS @416 1.5u +5 @ 369 2/13 AMPS @523 1.5u About to take a +6 in a little while
I've sent you a PM with the details I need for the SS. Once I set it up you can use your phone to input the data
If the temperament matters at all in of this, she’s been very playful. She’s had a tinfoil ball for the last two days and she spends most of her wakeful hours wild with it. also, most mornings she comes and wakes me up by vomiting at the end of the bed. Nothing comes up and immediately wants to eat. No vomiting subsequent.
We do gauge a lot by temperament! We call it the 5 Ps - peeing, pooping, playing, purring, preening. Thanks! I would hold this dose and go ahead and start the food transition
Thank you so much, Bhooma. I’m an absolute idiot when it comes to using Google anything. I’ve got it now and copying into signature. Works well on iPad
Okay, I think I’ve got it in my signature now. Let me know if you can see it. Just did the +6 and it was the lowest yet, 339. You mean hold it at 1.5, yeah?
Correct. Keep the dose at 1.5U, reduce the next shot to 1.25U if you get any number under 90 (doubtful, but ...) Be sure to transition slowly to avoid tummy upset and big BG swings. If she'll go for it, I'd start with 1/4 new food, 3/4 old food for a few days and see how she does. Then 50:50 for a few days, 75:25 for a few days, then hopefully done. But make sure.youre maintaining total calories she needs. If she gets tummy upset, reduce the amount of new food by a bit All that said, my cat transitioned in like 2 days. Soon as he had the new food, he wanted nothing to do with the old stuff. If that happens we just have to watch BG very very closely
Sounds good. I’ve been letting her have the old stuff today but providing the other one as a snack and then taking it away when I think she’s had enough. She tends to be like that, too, where you give her a new thing and she’s all into it. I’m sort of recalling that it says somewhere to reduce if you get a number under 200 - is that true or did I make that up somewhere?
The "200 thing" is if you get a preshot lower than 200 - you stall without feeding for 20-30 minutes and post for help. But, that means you would be off schedule, so you have to weigh schedule vs dose vs numbers vs if you can be around to monitor and decide what's best/safest. Usually we end up saying shoot a reduced dose (half the normal dose) or a token dose (10-20% of normal dose). In some cases, skipping altogether. You would want to do that on the main forum since there's a lot more traffic. Over time you'll learn to shoot lower numbers, but first we need to get her dose dialed in. At that point I'll be able to give you a better idea what dose to shoot at what numbers.
Thank you, Melissa. Understood, will report back in a few days or with anything concerning before that. I’m looking at my spreadsheet and can’t believe a mere two weeks ago, I was absolutely not going to test her and was scared to even give her an injection. Now this is like my part time job LOL….she even purrs when I do this crap, it’s like she likes it almost…
Those asthma attacks often don't help BG :/ How did she take to the new food? Can you do us a favor and add "food change in progress" to your signature when you get a chance? Some tests in the +3/+4 range will be helpful too, try to vary the times - with +3 to +6 being the main focus area for now
will try to get some of those today. Yeah, the blacks seem to be in the morning but don’t know if that’s because we are struggling to not eat before the first test of the day. We just got the auto feeder set up so that seems to be helping with how panicked she is. Todays morning was lower, spreadsheet updated. will update the signature shortly. she’s in good spirits, playful and cuddly for the first time in a long time. Food change is going okay, we are somewhere between 25%-50% of the new stuff. we have a vet appointment Thursday, I suspect he’s going to tell me to up it again. I will say I texted him the spreadsheet yesterday and he was very impressed with us doing it this way. I asked if it was necessary to keep coming every week for these random spot checks if we aren’t doing anything else. I don’t want to take her and stress her and throw off the routine for these random checks. Do you guys see any value in that?
Also, we are starting a very slow rolled litter change. Ultimately, I think her asthma is the result of clay litter dust. This is the whole reason we gave her the steroid shots a few months ago, which I suspect caused this whole issue. We’ve got a few boxes around the house with some natural recycled paper pellets and she’s taking little adventures in that box, but hasn’t pulled the trigger yet. Hoping that helps the asthma.
I would not bother, especially since numbers are usually elevated at the vet. If the old food is dry (I quickly skimmed and couldn't find) give it about 2-3 days after transition is done for it to fully get out of her system. If old food is wet, once transition is done we can adjust the dose next day if needed. I unfortunately don't know a whole lot about asthma but I hope that helps!
Old food is wet - 13% carbs. I think the new wet crap is around 3-4% I’m kind of just waiting for a poop to see what goes on, then will go full bore new food. I think she will be accepting.
Question on the food I just thought of. So, this afternoon she stuck her nose up at the food (just as I said she was gonna be good with it, Jesus help me). I have tons of other flavors of FF classic pates. Does it matter that much if I give her other ones to try to see if we can find a definitive flavor she likes? Beyond the issue of stomach upsets I mean - is there any reason why the different flavors would make a huge impact on this, particularly if they are all in the 0-3% carbs range?
If they're all FF Classic Pates it shouldn't make much difference in her BG. Although I have seen cats that ran higher on say, beef, but that's an individual thing. You may give her diarrhea switching around too much though (that's not to say not to do it... you do need to find out what she likes best.)
I didn't even realize that Gizmo was asthmatic. You should add that and any other conditions to your signature so that people will know. I hope she will accept the new litter. Have you tried other non-clay litters. There are a lot of them out there nowadays. I don't use any clay anymore. I use grass based litters now and crystal litter (Garfield). For us, it was just the dust. Can't deal with that!
yeah, like I said I’m trying to wait until the next poop to see what’s brewing. If she doesn’t like this one, was thinking about switching to something else. She used to eat these all the time, in fact, she ate the fancy feast beef pates for maybe 7-8 years prior to this summer. Just got to find the one she likes a lot, thanks
I think she just has some kind of allergic bronchitis from the litter dust, but I call it asthma because, well, that’s what that is in some sense. i used to have crystals many years ago but I found that to track a lot more.
Yes. They do track (the crystals). I haven't found a litter yet that doesn't track (well, my cats refuse to use those pellets, but I guess they are too big to track.) So she hasn't been diagnosed with asthma. That's a good thing then! I'm glad.
My cats go NUTS for Savory Salmon Feast, but I don't give them fish on a regular basis (they're sorry about this!) I usually save Savory Salmon Feast for when they are sick. Sometimes it's the only thing they will eat.
she used to eat exclusively the beef feast. But since this whole diabetes bit, she’s been a fish only girl. I wish she wouldn’t though. Gotta do what you gotta do.
Well, Gizmo is doing really good with her new food. I’d say she ate more than 50% of the low carb food today. I also left half and half in the auto feeder for the night feedings and she picked away the HC stuff and ate only the Fancy Feast Turkey and giblets. I think she’s getting more used to it but don’t want to rush her. I’m so glad you guys told me about the autofeeder. I was able to sleep a full 7 hours last night. I thought she would scoff at it totally. She doesn’t eat it all but I think it gives her comfort that she doesn’t have to come up into our room and tear the walls down until she eats.
Oh and she also has a vet appointment. I tried to fight it but he’s insisting I come in. I’m sick of it there, but I’ll hear him out. I’m going to be raging if all they do is spot check her with an AlphaTrak. Not really worth the $75 and big shaking, panicked trip. I have several owner only in person consults with new vets next week. he texted me yesterday that she would do better on dry food only. I’m donezo.
On one hand I understand they have to treat a bunch of different animals with different anatomies, etc. But on the other...maybe a quick Google even? Oy
So we got a fructosamine test today - I didn’t really have an objection to it if since they felt it was necessary. I don’t really know the significance, but the range that she got was in the “good/excellent control” category. so, whatever that is worth.
The fructosamine just indicates average BG over the past two weeks, so it's really not necessary when you're testing at home. Each lab has different ranges/definitions, often times they're happy if they're below 300-350 but as you can see from spreadsheet, we have some work to do
Sounds good. I even had a majorly frustrating fur shot last night when someone rang my doorbell just as it went in and she jumped. So I’m shocked, actually.
alright, now I’m nervous. The preshot was 303. I know that’s not low, but just alarming to see it that low. You think it’s still okay to shoot 1.5u?
I'm late but Do it! Have to take advantage when it happens ha she has a big safety buffer even with that blue today
I didn't think you would have waited that long, but cell was empty so wasn't sure. Live and learn! Now where I would hesitate is if you get something 200-250 ish, I'd probably try 1U just to see. Only because of the food transition
okay, now I know. I wasn’t expecting this at all, you know. Just a big shock. Threw me off my game a little. But the difference from the food….holy crap.
And now you see why I said hold the dose we may still want to hold it another day or two+ until we can see a relatively consistent pattern/we know the effect of extra carbs has fully worked it's way out
Yeah, wow. I should reconsider the keto diet and take some pointers from Gizmo. that 303 I got at PMPS, it wasn’t even fasting. My husband was cleaning the old cat food cans out of the fridge and taking the rubber tops off, left them in the counter for a second to wash the tops and she jumped up there, hockey pucked one off the counter and it splattered on the ground and she wolfed it down while we frantically cleaned it up in other spots. She got a few huge chunks down and then I tested her like an hour later. welp, now I know what the sage point is and the safe dose. I’m so glad to have you guys. The vet turned me loose for 4 weeks yesterday, said “you’ve got this under control, you don’t need me. Buy a pet scale and weigh her and report back with your spreadsheet in 4”. Thankfully only for you guys.
So todas AMPS and PMPS were the lowest they had been, I believe. I gave a reduced dose at pm shot - I’m trying to just be conservative because I made the rookie mistake of running out of test strips. 100 will be here tomorrow but I only have two left so I’m trying to conserve. Do you think it’s worth using one tonight at +3 or +6 or somewhere in between to see where we end up?
And also a random yet alarming discovery. I’d set out a litter pan of Swheat Scoop for her to try so we can stop have litter asthma. It’s been out a few days and untouched. Just witnessed her going in there and taking a few big mouthfuls of the litter and eating it. I’m pretty sure it’s just pure wheat. Yikes.
I would go for +5. And if you run into any trouble just throw all the carbs (or more litter, heh) at her and deal with the high numbers later.
I’m thinking my first query is negated by the litter munching fiasco. I think we just got all the carbs we needed for the night. Will do a +5, thanks!
Last night we got the lowest number yet. Testing her in a few for a +4. I did give her like 20 DM kibbles at midnight because she has a ton of energy and was screaming all night for food, so I worried it was getting too low. Suspect that’s why the high number this morning. I’m wondering where we go from here.
That was a perfectly safe number, you could have just given some LC we save MC/HC for really fast drops that we think may cause a bounce/result in hypo numbers. Or, numbers under 80-ish on an AT. At this point I would actually increase to 1.75U the next cycle you are around to keep an eye on her. Shes breaking through some toxicity which is great, but you don't want it to set in again so need to keep increasing.
Do matters never just improve as is with time? Is increasing the dose always necessary until we achieve “perfect numbers”? I’m not asking to be cheeky, I’m just wondering if increasing it creates some kind of ceiling each time and increases the risk she will be depending on this forever at a higher and higher dose? Does that make sense what I’m trying to ask? She seems so happy and well compared to a few weeks ago. I would never know something is “wrong” if I weren’t testing.
It gets hard to see the forest from the trees sometimes. Look at her numbers then vs now (really, just the colors - black/red/pink vs now pink/yellow/blue). I'm sure she feels much better now! I really can't say what will improve when. Shes making progress and that's great. Look at my cat - it took me a year + because he had an underlying condition (I do not see that being the case for Gizmo at the moment). Some cats break through the toxicity and come down, get near remission...then get diagnosed with CKD or cancer or something and insulin needs go back up. But the majority of cats are just "lifers" - will need insulin the rest of their lives, and we just aim to keep them as regulated as we can. She needs the insulin she needs. The green numbers are where her pancreas heals - and that's what you need for insulin needs to decrease (but that doe snot necessarily mean remission, some pancreases may not fully heal). Right now her body is used to higher numbers, that's what we're calling glucose toxicity. It thinks it's the new normal and tries to regulate itself around that. You kind of have to "shock" it with insulin to break through to those lower numbers - and then give her body some time to get used to more regular numbers. That's when you hopefully get some dose decreases. The only time you create a "ceiling" as you call it is when they are overdosed. That creates a situation where they drop into very low/dangerous numbers and their body just panics every cycle dumping whatever hormones and sugar it can to keep them alive. So you are shooting yourself in the foot, which is why we methodically increade There's a cat on the Lantus forum that is all green numbers literally forever at a dose of 2U-ish (it fluctuates a little bit). There's maybe 10 cats a year here that end up in remission? There's another cat who, despite caregivers best efforts, just will not regulate, so she does the best she can, he's mostly settled around 5-6U.
Little Man (@Rainbow Conti ) is an example of the top of my head, his spreadsheet is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VkpYwkbmuMOUWtFzCoNjxzgI10ivrT4qw-uvXuS0jfE/edit?usp=sharing Even though he's on Lantus, the concept is the same. Start on his 2021 tab. You can see she had to keep increasing to 3.5U, broke through to some good numbers, then dose started coming down to 2.25U at it's lowest. Recently there was a manufacturer food/carb issue she's currently trying to get figured out.
Hi Rachel! Melissa is so on target...it takes as much insulin as they need. We did have breakthrough and came down. Food formulas and carb content changed and it took me awhile to realize so he spent some time a little higher. Now we've increased up again and finally getting back to more green. The obvious goal for most all of us is remission. It is my goal as well. However, realistically if this doesnt happen if I can keep him mostly regulated all of the time he is better for it. After our food fiasco I have learned it's a dance...insulin needs go up and down depending on what they need. Maybe the pancreas kicks to life and you decrease then a week later it sputters out cause its tired you increase to help them stay at a healthy number. Hang in there you are exactly where I was with all the questions keep asking! I love the ppl here
@Rainbow Conti @FrostD thank you guys. I’m reading everything you’re saying and taking it in. Sorry I’m always asking these things. I’m so frustrated because she was such a healthy, normal cat. One day I will get it through my skull that this is going to permanent. I know we’ve talked about this before - I want the medicine to make it go away, not more medicine. I think I’m just in this constant state of grief that I want my little girl back to the way she was. And the guilt of having given her these steroids that kicked this off. so to do .25 increase, so I need to get different syringes or just eyeball it? Mine only have single unit markings. I’ll probably be comfortable changing it this weekend when I can stay up and watch.
I would find syringes with half unit markings it makes the .25 a bit easier to "guess" the dose. Calipers are also a way many go...I am still a holdout and not using keep saying I will and dont. So also keep in mind insulin is not medicine I a traditional al sense. It is a hormone and hence why it just takes as much as it takes. Their bodies have to learn what to do with it and once they do its awesome to witness! She will get better I promise my LM is now playful and much happier since his numbers are better. I can tell when he is higher he is more sluggish. My boy is almost 13 and plays like a kitten sometimes again it comes back you will see your girl again
I know, Ive been there. Life changed drastically in the span of a month, then even moreso when I got the IAA/acro diagnosis. And again with the chylothorax Just remember, insulin is a hormone. Like any other hormone "deficiency", it needs to be supplemented for the body to work properly. And some need more help than others. It's not just the steroids, she likely would have become diabetic at some point anyway (or the steroids wouldn't have been an issue). They're all senior kitties, this is when all the weird stuff starts to happen! She'll get back to how she was once regulated - just with the addition of a couple of pokes a day she's like the equivalent of a 70 yr old lady, if this is the worst she's got going for her, shes doing pretty well! 40U syringes with half unit markings are a little hard to come by, but I believe BD, UltiCare, and CarePoint make them. Post a link before you buy and we can double check
@Rainbow Conti @FrostD thank you always for the reassurance. It’s all that coupled with the crippling depression of not ever getting to leave my house, have a normal life or sleep LOL. But that’s neither here nor there. Shes so close to being herself again. As you can see on her spreadsheet, this past week we have had Zoomies several times a day like no other, making biscuits again, sleeping close to me. Thanks to the recommendations we got here with probiotics, her bathroom habits are the most normal they’ve ever been and healthy. It’s just a huge struggle to reconcile all of this - and as you said, an enormous life change. But it is nice to see her acting like a kitten again. I’m just so terrified to put her too low. I had a dog with epilepsy growing up and I’m absolutely panic stricken that there could be a seizure in all of this one day. It’s very traumatizing. I try to be conservative with the treatment of all my pets throughout the years, and many times, it has paid off to give them a chance to heal themselves or intervene only slightly. I guess in this case that won’t be working. But I always am trying to advocate for a conservative approach. I’m gonna keep plugging away. Thanks for the hope, always.
these are the ones I found that match the same specs as the ones I have. Idk about the cc’s though, but imagine that doesn’t matter. https://www.chewy.com/ulticare-insu...MI3sHu6MWW9gIVWRXUAR2RuALXEAQYAiABEgJfufD_BwE
No not at all! It's just if others pop in it's just a bit long to catch up on, so we try to cap each at 50 posts. I'd do DATE - Gizmo - AMPS XXX
Will do. I ordered the syringes and if they get here sooner than the weekend, I’m going to start the 1.75. It’s gonna be tough to do with the syringes I have anyway, they’re really cheap and crappy. I can barely get 1.5 precise without having to redo the whole thing. Me sad but you guys help.
