Help with starting Miralax

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Karen and Govie

Karen and Govie

Member Since 2016
Hello, I'm new to FDMB, but 3 years on Lantus with a recent bg of 180! :-) However, recently stopped using Lactolose as I found it raised the bg. I add water to her meals and I saw some posts regarding Miralax as being a better choice. Govie is 15 years old and eats 3 meals of wet food a day with free feed Purina Diatetic DM dry. I bought Miralax 2day, but am hoping for some replies on dosing. Thank you
 
I give my cat 1/8 tsp mixed in the food with plenty water as needed. Another thing you can try is plain canned pumpkin-not the pie filling. Not sure of the dose @Bobbie And Bubba can give more info.
 
Sharon14 said:
I give my cat 1/8 tsp mixed in the food with plenty water as needed. Another thing you can try is plain canned pumpkin-not the pie filling. Not sure of the dose @Bobbie And Bubba can give more info.
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The pumpkin, pure pumpkin, no spices or sugar is about 1 tsp. twice daily. I also give the miralax and I started with 1/8 of a tsp twice a day. If that doesn't keep Govie regular, you can increase it to 1/4 tsp twice a day adding water to the food also. I am presently doing 1/4 tsp twice a day. If he gets to soft, I cut back for a while so I am always adjusting. If Govie were to get diarrhea, stop the miralax until regular consistency stools return.
 
Hey thank you very much. Govie is going once a day, I am always keeping an eye on the consistency, so as to avoid the constipation issue we went thru a few years ago. It's been regular with the added water in her can food 3x a day..However, I feel that it should be just a bit softer than what it is. She's on 3 units Lantus insulin 2x a day with bg of 189 2 days ago. I home test several times a week
 
You have come to the right place for lots of good advice and help with this sugar dance. About the consistency of her poop, I always go by whether the litter sticks to it really well then I am satisfied that there is enough moisture.

When was Govie diagnosed? The reason I ask is that 3 units is a pretty high dose to just be starting on. Most cats are started at 1 to 1.5 units twice a day. And with a dose that high, you might consider testing more than a couple of times a week to keep her safe. Especially important is always testing prior to shooting to make sure that it is safe to shoot to prevent a hypo event. Also, at least one test about 1/2 way through the cycle to see how low the dose is taking Govie.

If you notice in my signature is a link that says Bubba SS (spread sheet) Most of us use the Spread sheet to track the BG's and to help us see trends which helps us with dosing. Would you be interested in starting one? If so the instructions to do one is here. If you need help setting it up just yell and someone will assist you.

Here is the explanation for interpreting the SS:

AMPS is the AM Pre-shot test (always test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to give insulin)...then the U column is for "Units" (how much you gave)

The +1, +2, +3, etc are for how many hours since shooting...so +2 is 2 hours after the AM shot, +9 is 9 hour after, etc.....Since we're all over the world here, saying "he was at 148 at 8pm" doesn't tell us anything...we need to know how long since his last shot

At the end of a 12 hour cycle, it's PMPS time! (PM Pre-shot) and the whole thing starts over

If you'd like to start posting in the Lantus group all the peeps there will be glad to help you with any Lantus type questions and for any dosing advice that you might need. We are here to help you and I know I would have been lost with out this group. Oh, and Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. :cat:
 
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Bobbie And Bubba said:
You have come to the right place for lots of good advice and help with this sugar dance. About the consistency of her poop, I always go by whether the litter sticks to it really well then I am satisfied that there is enough moisture.

When was Govie diagnosed? The reason I ask is that 3 units is a pretty high dose to just be starting on. Most cats are started at 1 to 1.5 units twice a day. And with a dose that high, you might consider testing more than a couple of times a week to keep her safe. Especially important is always testing prior to shooting to make sure that it is safe to shoot to prevent a hypo event. Also, at least one test about 1/2 way through the cycle to see how low the dose is taking Govie.

If you notice in my signature is a link that says Bubba SS (spread sheet) Most of us use the Spread sheet to track the BG's and to help us see trends which helps us with dosing. Would you be interested in starting one? If so the instructions to do one is here. If you need help setting it up just yell and someone will assist you.

Here is the explanation for interpreting the SS:

AMPS is the AM Pre-shot test (always test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to give insulin)...then the U column is for "Units" (how much you gave)

The +1, +2, +3, etc are for how many hours since shooting...so +2 is 2 hours after the AM shot, +9 is 9 hour after, etc.....Since we're all over the world here, saying "he was at 148 at 8pm" doesn't tell us anything...we need to know how long since his last shot

At the end of a 12 hour cycle, it's PMPS time! (PM Pre-shot) and the whole thing starts over

If you'd like to start posting in the Lantus group all the peeps there will be glad to help you with any Lantus type questions and for any dosing advice that you might need. We are here to help you and I know I would have been lost with out this group. Oh, and Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. :cat:
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Thank you to B&B! I'm following my vet's advice but have learned a lot from this board. To type my entire story, which started 10/13 is a bit much for me, but in August, Govie's bg was like 488 after having been pretty steady between 200-300. After troubleshooting the issues, I started a new bottle of Lantus on 10/06 and went from 2 units twice a day, to the three. Yesterday, she was 151! :-) I test every other day, five hours after the am shot. Forgive me, but I will learn the site lingo!
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
You have come to the right place for lots of good advice and help with this sugar dance. About the consistency of her poop, I always go by whether the litter sticks to it really well then I am satisfied that there is enough moisture.

When was Govie diagnosed? The reason I ask is that 3 units is a pretty high dose to just be starting on. Most cats are started at 1 to 1.5 units twice a day. And with a dose that high, you might consider testing more than a couple of times a week to keep her safe. Especially important is always testing prior to shooting to make sure that it is safe to shoot to prevent a hypo event. Also, at least one test about 1/2 way through the cycle to see how low the dose is taking Govie.

If you notice in my signature is a link that says Bubba SS (spread sheet) Most of us use the Spread sheet to track the BG's and to help us see trends which helps us with dosing. Would you be interested in starting one? If so the instructions to do one is here. If you need help setting it up just yell and someone will assist you.

Here is the explanation for interpreting the SS:

AMPS is the AM Pre-shot test (always test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to give insulin)...then the U column is for "Units" (how much you gave)

The +1, +2, +3, etc are for how many hours since shooting...so +2 is 2 hours after the AM shot, +9 is 9 hour after, etc.....Since we're all over the world here, saying "he was at 148 at 8pm" doesn't tell us anything...we need to know how long since his last shot

At the end of a 12 hour cycle, it's PMPS time! (PM Pre-shot) and the whole thing starts over

If you'd like to start posting in the Lantus group all the peeps there will be glad to help you with any Lantus type questions and for any dosing advice that you might need. We are here to help you and I know I would have been lost with out this group. Oh, and Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. :cat:
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Happy new year to all! I am in need of advice regarding the Miralax. Since the last post, I was adding an eighth tsp in her am meal. Lately I've sensed that she wasn't feeling well at times, I could tell something was bothering her. I am pretty sure that the Miralax is causing cramps and/or gas. Now a friend of mine who tried Miralax for himself had mentioned to me that he stopped taking it due to experiencing cramps and a lot of gas. I stopped giving Govie the Miralax for several days, gave her some 2day and low and behold, she clearly was being bothered by what I feel had to be the Miralax. Just wanted to post this in hopes of any suggestions..
 
donnalea said:
Try giving her canned or cooked pumpkin. Not pumpkin pie mix, mix about 2tsp per meal. It adds fiber.
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I have used pumpkin successfully also for the constipation issue. I started with 1 tsp in AM meal and 1 tsp in PM meal and then you can add more after about 3 days if you think kitty needs more.
 
Another thing you could try is giving dividing the Miralax dose between a couple of meals. It means estimating the amount to put on the food, but Govie might not have the gas problems this way.
 
Maggies Mom Debby said:
Another thing you could try is giving dividing the Miralax dose between a couple of meals. It means estimating the amount to put on the food, but Govie might not have the gas problems this way.
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You can get 1/16 and 1/32 tsp measuring spoons! Then you don't have to estimate.
They are usually in sets that include pinch (1/16 tsp), smidgen (1/32 tsp), drop (1/64 tsp), etc.
See, for example, https://smile.amazon.com/Norpro-Sta...idgen/dp/B0009X1P9S?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
For a while Walmart sold a regular set that included a 1/16 in it, but I haven't seen it recently so I think they dropped it from their stock.
 
Thank you all for your help. I have tried the pumpkin and that worked great. I only put a half tsp or so when her stool seems a bit harder than usual. I add Xtra water in each meal which is keeping her regular. Now I have a question regarding checking the BG. I am having trouble getting blood when using lancet on her ear. This started about 2 weeks ago after never having a problem b4. Now last week the vet drew blood from her back leg, having a noticeably slower than usual time drawing with his syringe. Any suggestions of what could be causing this? Also, I am grateful to God as urinalysis & blood panel were fine
 
Here's for everyone using pumpkin...This is how I do mine so I don't waste anything. I open a can, put some in a plastic container. Then I part out the rest in equal amounts on parchment paper. I place this in the freezer, just as u see it here, until frozen..About an hour. Then you can take the frozen plops of pumpkin and place them in a freezer bag.
IMG_20170117_112122.jpg
 
I do similar but use little cubed baby food freezer containers. I've had trouble with freezer burn if it's not enclosed, and mine won't eat it like that. I break the can up into 6 or 7 little containers and freeze them, then just pull the next one out when I have a few servings left from the previous batch so it has time to thaw.
I've seen online that canned pumpkin in the fridge is good for about a week after opening (I put mine in a ziploc bag). I've found that at right about the week mark their stool will start to get harder and my younger one starts getting hairballs, so I try to make sure I start a new batch about every 5-6 days or when the old batch is starting to get too watery (which usually happens at about that same time) - it seems to lose its effectiveness when it's liquidy like that, even if I drain the liquid off.
 
Shenandoah said:
I do similar but use little cubed baby food freezer containers. I've had trouble with freezer burn if it's not enclosed, and mine won't eat it like that. I break the can up into 6 or 7 little containers and freeze them, then just pull the next one out when I have a few servings left from the previous batch so it has time to thaw.
I've seen online that canned pumpkin in the fridge is good for about a week after opening (I put mine in a ziploc bag). I've found that at right about the week mark their stool will start to get harder and my younger one starts getting hairballs, so I try to make sure I start a new batch about every 5-6 days or when the old batch is starting to get too watery (which usually happens at about that same time) - it seems to lose its effectiveness when it's liquidy like that, even if I drain the liquid off.
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Thanks for the info..Ice cube trays will work for freezing also.
 
I started with ice cube trays and still found the tops got freezer burn (and the cats refused to eat it). I think I could probably freeze them in the trays and then move the cubes to a freezer ziploc 1-2 days later and have them be okay, though. That's what I do with their meatsickles if I have to be away a few days and someone else will be feeding.
 
Shenandoah said:
I started with ice cube trays and still found the tops got freezer burn (and the cats refused to eat it). I think I could probably freeze them in the trays and then move the cubes to a freezer ziploc 1-2 days later and have them be okay, though. That's what I do with their meatsickles if I have to be away a few days and someone else will be feeding.
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That's what I mentioned in my post initially..After an hour or as soon as the pumpkin is set, I remove them from the freezer and place them in a freezer bag.
 
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