Gizmo’s spreadsheet and numbers

Hi y’all,

I’m not sure if we are on the cusp of problems again. The past two days, I’ve noticed an increase in urination (she peed 3 times overnight) and a big increase in food consumption. I need to get a weight on her today to see if she’s up or down. I haven’t been doing AMPS/PMPS tests for a few weeks and just spot checking, because those were typically the hardest to get because she’s all jacked up. But I’ve been noticing on the spot tests we are getting higher and higher (+3 today was 96).

Question is this: trying to do as few tests a day as possible, do you think AMPS and PMPS are the most valuable to gauge what’s going on here, or maybe two midcycle and one of those? Just want to make sure I’m capturing the right times. I probably should at least get AMPS. I’m a little concerned she’s 96 @ +3.

let me know what you think!

Edit to add: still on FF classics. We have been switching flavors on and off, even in the same day. Mostly chicken and beef varieties, but she seems to enjoy having a different thing each time. As you know, they all range between 2-3%, but maybe I should try to stick to 1 flavor as best I can. Not drinking at all, really.

@FrostD @Suzanne & Darcy

 

I'm not actually too worried about those numbers, but the best way to test is before she eats, then again about 2-3 hours after to see if she returns to a sort of baseline. That tells you pancreas is still working

The PU/PD and inappetence lead me to think thyroid and kidneys. We just went through the exact same thing, I kept testing BG thinking we were relapsing but never did. So I brought him in for labs, lo and behold hyperthyroid (and likely masked kidney disease).

 

Hm. Maybe I’ll take her in next week for blood work. And try to get some more tests prior to eating. Seems like she’s constantly eating. I think yesterday she literally ate 6 cans. I had to go to Target at 9pm last night to get more because she blasted through so many yesterday. Maybe pre dinner test would be best today.

 

Has she been vomiting at all? How's her poop?

 

vomiting a lot - hairball almost every other day. It’s always from 4-5am, always a hairball. Sometimes just the hairball, other times brown liquid with it. But hasn’t vomited at all not associated with large hairball.

poop is very good, not constipated, every 24 hours or less, good form and not dry. 4-5 sizeable logs each time. I hate calling it logs, but, what else do I call it…

 

Ha! Ok was just checking to see if perhaps a GI panel might be warranted. Darn hairball season, I hate it.

 

been brushing her more per your suggestion, everyday I get big globs of undercoat. But the brushing also prompts more licking, as to get the “interacting with anything in my environment except my bed” stench off herself.

I tend to think all the pukes are just incidental to the hairballs. She’s been good on the asthma attack front for awhile, still noisy breathing (but that’s been going on for a long time). Every once in a while she has a small hacking event, but not like they were before I switched the litter to a way less dusty one.

gonna call Monday for blood work just to check. We really haven’t checked a full panel since late Jan when diagnosed.

 

Best wishes to you and Gizmo!

 

I agree with Melissa. Numbers are still within normal BG range. The food consumption does not go along with kidney disease. You had me worried when you said she was drinking a lot of water. Maybe thyroid. I’d take her to the vet… and I see that you are already planning to. Best wishes for Gizmo!

 

No, she is not drinking any water, which is historically normal for her. She just had the second hairball of the day and the pre-dinner test was 119. Ugh. @FrostD

 

not inappetance, big appetite. Eating 6 cans a day or more.

 

If she's vomiting in the early AM and/or a couple of hours before dinner, she may have a bit of an acid tummy. You might want to give a snack later at what was your previous +8 or +9 and see if it helps.

 

My husband has been working night shifts lately so she actually kinda gets fed every 4 hours. She used to get that acid barfing a lot, all throughout her life. I’m just confused now because there’s a hairball every time.

 

Well, like you noted, it's hairball season! I've got 2 long hair cats. I empathize!!

 

How often do your cats get them would you say? I never know what’s normal.

 

It really varies. They don't vomit on a daily basis, though. You can try using a small amount of oil/butter in your cat's food. It may help with the hairballs.

 

Well, that’s a little higher than I would expect to see before dinner. (How many hours since last food when you got that 119?). If she had CKD, her BUN would most likely be high and making her feel sick and appetite would be off. I think it’s hyperthyroidism or something else.

 

about 2.5-3hrs before. She had just puked up a hairball a few mins before I took that one, then dashed downstairs to get fed. Definitely taking her this week for blood work. She seems fine, it’s just the hairballs and eating a ton. And the slightly higher spot tests I’ve been getting. We shall see…

 

...how many hairballs per day this seems a bit excessive even for hairball season

 

I know. Yesterday was two in one day. I’ve marked them on my spreadsheet. I’m like how could you consume enough hair in 12 hours to have another one?

 

so, pre feeding today was 119. At +3, she’s at 100. So I guess something is happening, but not as marked as earlier on.

 

Did Gizmo go to the vet today? I'm just trying to check on her since I thought she was going today.

 

no, not today. Called today to try to get her in and they only had Friday.

 

Okay. I will stay tuned to this channel

 

Well, knowing Gizmo, everything will clear up by Friday morning and it will have been a waste of $150

 

Labs come back yet?

 

I broke my ankle Thursday morning and can barely walk…..so, we had to reschedule because of the chaos surrounding that. Will update when I get her there :’

 

Oh no! Rachel, I am so sorry. That’s incredibly painful! Will you have to have surgery? Or just a cast/boot?

 

boot for now, then going to ortho Monday. I’ll be alright! She’s been doing pretty good with hairballs, though. Hasn’t had one since I last spoke of it. Just got some new test strips in today so seeing how she does. I noticed that it takes her a lot longer to come down than initially, but she does eventually come down from the 100s to the 80s, so that’s good I guess.

 

Oh my goodness! Hope it heals quickly for you

 

Her recent numbers haven’t been bad for an Alpha Track meter.

 

Thanks. I was doing a habitat build and had to drag this tarp over a big mulch pile and my foot sunk into the pile and I just heard a crack. Clumsy

 

yeah I just got an 87 this morning, I’ve not been great with the spreadsheet lately but it’s all saved in the AT memory. Does it ever have to do with stress or how excited they are? When I was getting those 119s, I had just had a big party at my house with a lot of people which she hates. I wonder if she was all jacked up from that.

 

Yep. Mr kitty is always 130-180 at the vet (he has a borderline aneurysm every time I swear) but perfectly normal at home

 

Maybe that’s what it was, then. We had a cookout with a lot of people in and out of the doors and her bathroom, lots of loud people and my parents sleeping over. I’m gonna keep monitoring her. I had set her up on that day in my office with her food and water with the door open, but she always comes out to investigate and growl at people.

 

Of all the freakish things to happen!

 

ROFL

 

She says, Get out of my house, people!

 

Exactly. She’s weird like that. She hates strangers, but can’t stop herself from getting involved. Comes out and sniffs a leg, rubs against a leg, doing the corner mouth rubs on peoples bags, and then they assume she’s being friendly and pet her. Big hiss and growl, retreat, and then comes back for her next victim.

 

But she’s really just going around marking stuff and saying…. “Mine, mine, mine…. It’s all mine.” “My house, my stuff.”

 

Yup! Even this strangers purse is MINE!

 

And then there’s me, trying to have a frank discussion with her like “if you don’t like it, can you just stay in your room? They’ll be gone in a few hours. Just take a nap, could ya?”

 

Does she reply?

 

Not often

 

How are you doing, Rachel? how's the ankle?

 

Hey guys - sorry I never saw this. For some reason the email notifications go to junk now.

I’m getting better, thanks! Slowly but surely.

hope everyone here is good. Gizmos been pretty good lately, No odd things going on except a giant hairball. She puked up a 7 inch long one last night!

 

A 7" hairball is impressive!

 

And you are one the mend? And Gizmo’s BG is okay?

 

Yes, we are good! Gizmos blood sugar has been fine!

 

Glad to hear it!