Help! PMPS 5.2?!

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@Hercule's mum -

Morning, Karen.

I'm sorry to hear Hercules is somewhat out of sorts. I've never used Prozinc so I can't even an give an interpretation on his dose but hopefully Eliz and @Deb & Wink will be able to offer some good advice when next they're online.

I'm glad you're checking ketones daily.

WRT the apparent waning of appetite and difficulty eating his treat this morning, that's very much something to keep a close eye on. Is he pooping with normal frequency and do his stools have normal colour, odour and form? I'd also suggest monitoring Hercules for signs of nausea and/or discomfort after eating (e.g. hunched up into a tense 'meatloaf', seeking out a cooler floor surface to lie on). Here's a helpful resource:

Nausea Symptom Checklist

If nausea is an issue it needs to be tackled head-on and a cause identified.


Mogs
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Thanks for your message, Mogs. Needing a handheld....

I am not checking ketones daily, but when I manage.... I recently lost Hercules daughter (I adopted both together), and adopted a new buddy for him a couple of months ago. So is hard to know whose bathroom's remains are whose.... I have been wondering whether he might be a tad constipated, but not sure how to tell :oops:

I considered nausea, because he seem interested in food, but not quite willing to eat. I di just changed flavour of treat and food, and he ate, albeit without his usual gusto. So perhaps not nausea?
 
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Critter Mom said:
I'm very sorry to hear about Hercules' daughter.
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I suspect this is part of why I am so anxious with Hercs. I just don't feel like I can go through this again so soon.


Critter Mom said:
Are the food and treats part of his regular food choices, Karen?
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None of the foods he is eating at the moment is part of his long food eating habits.... since he had to change to wet food and low carb. I bought the feringa cans in two flavours, and he wasn't eating one of them (aftyer wolfing down days before), so I tried anew can with a different flavour and that seems to be a bit more acceptable....

The threats are all freeze dried stuff, but the difference is that the one he didn't eat is bigger chunks than the one that he did eat. Made me think about teeth issues, but when he was at the vet 2 months ago he had his teeth checked out, and there was no issues.
 
Hercule's mum said:
So is hard to know whose bathroom's remains are whose.... I have been wondering whether he might be a tad constipated, but not sure how to tell
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If you keep a daily note of the quantity of poop deposited in the litter box every 24 hours then, regardless of which furchild contributed to the haul, it'll help you to spot quickly if there is a smaller amount than usual. Also, if some of the stools are narrower in diameter than normal, are very firm to hard in consistency - maybe more separate 'marbles' instead of long and segmented - that may be a possible indicator of mild constipation and underhydration.

If you suspect constipation, then it's down to identifying which of your two might not be as regular as they should be. The best I can suggest is to move the litter box somewhere that you spend a lot of time so that you can catch each kitty in the act. If they're constipated they may spend a longer time than usual in the box, possibly digging around and 'pirouetting' more than usual, and you might see them straining. Here's a very helpful resource:

felineconstipation.org

Any time Saoirse or Lúnasa had constipation, the longer the time elapsed since the last poop, the more inactive and lethargic they became, and they looked progressively more 'unhappy' in themselves. They'd brighten considerably once they passed something.


Mogs
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Hercule's mum said:
Thank you, Mogs! Ahhhh, what does the world comes to, when we discuss furbabies poo!
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We're not afraid to discuss much here on the message board.
There used to be a member years ago that would have "Poo Watch Parties", to let folks know the status of her kitty and the poo situation.

Sometimes, adding a bit of fiber to the wet food helps.
Do you have psyllium husk fiber where you live? Try 1/8 teaspoon added to the wet food.
Or a generic form of Miralax may be a better idea. It's tasteless and odorless so your cat may not notice it in the food as much.
The generic name is polyethylene glycol 3350. It is used as a laxative to treat occasional constipation or irregular bowel movements.

I use both for my civie (non-diabetic) cat, since she is very prone to constipation. She gets some of these laxatives every day.
 
hi @Critter Mom , @Elizabeth and Bertie and other Uk forum members....

Does anyone know where I can find the psyllium husk fiber that Deb suggested above?

I found miralax but in lemon flavour? not sure how that will go.... Any pointers very much appreciated, I think he definetely need some help on the stool department...
 
My cat gets 1/8 teaspoon, twice a day. But she has megacolon issues, so she needs more.
My vet had us start at 1/8 teaspoon once a day, but that was not enough.
The psyllium husk gets mixed into her wet food, with some added water.
Your cat needs to eat the mixture pretty quickly, since it turns gummy and unpalatable pretty quickly.
 
Yes, the psyllium husk fiber gets mixed with water usually, to keep it from turning to a thick throat clogging gel. You have to drink the liquid pretty quickly.
Another option, is to mix the psyllium husk fiber with a tiny bit of canned food, and let your cat eat that, before you give them the main meal.

The other option is to use the Miralax which is tasteless and odorless. Again, only 1/8 teaspoon to start, and adjust as needed.

I've always added water to my cats wet food. She is almost toothless, since she had stomatitis and had most of her teeth pulled before I got her. Basically, she laps up the food with her tongue.

The added water helps to keep the food moister too.

You could skip the extra water, but if your diabetic cat is peeing a lot, the extra water in the food can help to keep them hydrated.
 
Thanks, i'll try adding some water. His food is not a pate but a mixture of chopped bits that I am a bit squirmish about it... so i confess I am a bit nervous about what happen if i add water :eek:, but I'll try.

Would the effect of psylum be very obvious?

Also, @Deb & Wink , if you don't mind could you give me some dosing advice, we seem to be in a bit of a rut.....I've increased his dose recently, but ot doesn't seem like is doing anything?
 
Hercule's mum said:
Would the effect of psylum be very obvious
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You need to keep an eye on the size of the stools. If Hercules poops once every 24 hours or so, it may take a couple of days for you to see the effects of psyllium. It softens the stools but because they're more moist they may also start getting bigger (larger diameter). Add too much psyllium and you start getting jumbo poops (don't ask how I know this). If they do get larger, shave a little off the dose until both size and consistency of the stool are in the right ballpark. Bit of a sprag having to wait at least 24-36 hours or to discover whether you've got the dose right.


Mogs
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@Critter Mom - I am really grateful for your answer, but......Argh! So just like figuring out the $£%&£@@ dose of insulin?

Sorry, feeling down on the dumps. I think the insulin might have gone off? Isn't doing anything..... How does one know whether the insin has gone off (or the dose is wrong) without cracking a new vial of insulin (which could be a £60 mistake)?
 
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Hercule's mum said:
So just like figuring out the $£%&£@@ dose of insulin?
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Pretty much, but it isn't quite so heavily nuanced and the results are more obvious. ;)

On the insulin side of things I can't help because I've not used Prozinc. I'm tagging @Deb & Wink to ask her to have a look at Hercules' spreadsheet for you. If you've not already checked it out, there's a Prozinc insulin support group here. It might help you learn more about Prozinc and how to use it if you started following the progress of some of the kitties there.

Goddess willing, tomorrow will be a better day.

:bighug:


Mogs
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Thanks Mogs. Yes, I do keep an eye on some kitties, but I can't say it hashelped me much. It seems clear to me that I need to try to up the dose, but the fact that there wasn't a clear effect is what is making me unsure if it just mean I have to raise more, or there is something wrong with the insulin. He doesn't seem 100%, so I am not sure how long I should wait before I crack the new vial.... There has been a shortage of prozinc recently, so I fell worried about using it....
 
On the psyllium husk fiber added to the food, if there is too much, it can give your cat runny diarrhea. Think of poops the consistency of pudding, and you get the idea that the amount of the fiber needs to be reduced. Easily passed, without the cat straining to poop is where you want to be with the amount of fiber.

On the current Prozinc insulin dose, I think that the dose should be increased to 0.75U.
Let's see how Hercules does on that dose increase for a few cycles. 6 or more 12 hour cycles, and then we'll take another look. But if Hercules drops below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L), then you need to decrease the dose by 0.25U, for safety.

We want to get him out of those pinks and yellows, and back to the blues, or even better yet, down into the green BG ranges. The tree green BG ranges, not the neon green BG ranges. Take a look at the very top of the SS, to see what I'm saying about the colors.
 
Could you please start a new thread please, and link this old one in at the top of the new thread?

This one is getting really, really long and when that happens, it makes the database behind the message board run more slowly.

Not right this minute. After this cycle is done would be a good time.

Thanks
 
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