Luna checking in (w/photos)

[For_Luna]

Good morning,

I haven’t posted in a while but I stop by occasionally to read up on everyone.

Luna is doing well. We’re not following any of the protocols since the big dka scare of late 2019, but we still track her numbers (I’m a little slow to transfer to the spreadsheet from our paper copy). We set a dose and stick with it for a while and then reevaluate with our vet.

The last couple of months have looked pretty good. We’re getting a lot of blues with some green sprinkled in, and her highs are now mostly yellow instead of the huge bounces she used to get (see 2019). She seems to be more steady now, and I think the 2021 spreadsheet looks a lot better than a year or two ago. I have to add the labs from January but those looked good too.

We're moving to Florida this summer and I thought I remembered reading somewhere on the board that there's a specialist at UF, so we're hoping we can get them to look over her records. I think a lower carb food will help bring her numbers down some more and reduce her insulins needs (we were .5u at one point), but some carbs seems to be working better than the ultra-low stuff we were feeding before.

We hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

- Dan

(Here are some recent pics...she's not as chubby as she looks in the 1st pic)

 

[Christie & Maverick]

Hey there Dan, nice to see you! Luna is looking quite lovely, and I'm glad to hear she is doing well! Sometimes, depending on the cat, people do find feeding some carbs better than none, it does take a little experimenting.

I'm not sure if you ever saw this info post before, but it is an interesting read: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/feeding-lowest-zero-carb-vs-lower-carb-foods.144220/

 

[carfurby (GA)]

It's great to see an update. I'm glad things are going well for you and Luna. Love the pictures. I hope your move goes well.

 

[Tina Marie (GA) and Jan]

Dan,
The pictures of Luna are stunning - she looks so very healthy!!! Better than I could have guessed.
Thank you for brightening my day!
I hope you have an uneventful move to sunny Florida
Best of luck finding a great doctor for Luna.

 

[For_Luna]

Hey there Dan, nice to see you! Luna is looking quite lovely, and I'm glad to hear she is doing well! Sometimes, depending on the cat, people do find feeding some carbs better than none, it does take a little experimenting.

I'm not sure if you ever saw this info post before, but it is an interesting read: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/feeding-lowest-zero-carb-vs-lower-carb-foods.144220/

Thanks for the link. I think I remember reading that or someone referenced it before. I do think she's doing better with carbs but the food she's on is still a little high, I think the 10-12% range. I'd like it a little lower but want to consult with Luna's team (she has a team)

 

[For_Luna]

Dan,
The pictures of Luna are stunning - she looks so very healthy!!! Better than I could have guessed.
Thank you for brightening my day!
I hope you have an uneventful move to sunny Florida
Best of luck finding a great doctor for Luna.

Thank you! She does look good. I was almost afraid to share because I didn't want to jinx it. She handles travel ok, but I think she'll get over it when she can spend everyday in a sunroom or screened-in porch instead of looking at snow out of a window. The humans will like it too.

 

[thebigfuzz]

I think it may have been @Sue and Luci ?

 

[Sue and Luci]

Wow! Luna is looking great! Glad to hear your protocol is working out well for her

What part of Florida are you moving to? Congratulations on your decision to do that...although I have no idea where you're moving from - but there does appear to be a large migration of folks moving to Florida currently

There is an excellent vet school in Gainesville, FL - I'll have to dig around in an old post to see what I can find about that...it's a long drive for us to go there - more than 6 hours I think from Naples to Gainesville...and with Seasonal traffic it would take longer...

I think @Tomlin told me about it...I'm tagging her to see if she can help out with the info.

 

[For_Luna]

Wow! Luna is looking great! Glad to hear your protocol is working out well for her

What part of Florida are you moving to? Congratulations on your decision to do that...although I have no idea where you're moving from - but there does appear to be a large migration of folks moving to Florida currently

There is an excellent vet school in Gainesville, FL - I'll have to dig around in an old post to see what I can find about that...it's a long drive for us to go there - more than 6 hours I think from Naples to Gainesville...and with Seasonal traffic it would take longer...

I think @Tomlin told me about it...I'm tagging her to see if she can help out with the info.

Yup, it was her. She already reached out with some info. We’re still waiting hear where we’re going, but Gainesville won’t be too far. And I’m not super thrilled there’s a sudden influx of people (we’re coming from PA), but we’ll do our best to find a safe, quiet place...preferably near a beach. Luna’s only request is a sunroom with birdhouse views.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Hi there, Dan. Your Luna is just adorable with that sweet "teddy bear" face! If you don't mind my asking. What was the really low carb food you were feeding her before and what is it that you are feeding now that is around 10-12% carbs?

Good luck with your move. I have family in Lake Worth and I'm in Georgia. The University of Florida Vet school in Gainesville is very good, reportedly.

 

[For_Luna]

Hi there, Dan. Your Luna is just adorable with that sweet "teddy bear" face! If you don't mind my asking. What was the really low carb food you were feeding her before and what is it that you are feeding now that is around 10-12% carbs?

Good luck with your move. I have family in Lake Worth and I'm in Georgia. The University of Florida Vet school in Gainesville is very good, reportedly.

Ha, everyone loves her face but you only get to see it from a distance. We always joke that if she was the type of cat to cuddle and want to be around people, heads would explode from cuteness overload. We've made peace with the fact that affection for Luna is being in the same room with us or at the end of the couch we're sitting on.

The low carb food we were feeding before was RAWZ. Luna is weird about food consistency and is allergic to fish, so we stuck to the chicken, duck, or rabbit pate. They also have shredded and dry but we never tried them. The ingredients were just meat, broth, and the different vitamins they add to cat food. I think it was 0-1% carbs on the food list but you'll have to check. We were happy with it and our vet at the time signed off on it, but constipation was a concern so we added in some pumpkin puree and then miralax later on.

After her dka episode, our vet consulted a nutritionist and she put Luna on Purina Pro Plan DM Savory Selects DM and a few supplements. I think it was 12% but my wife says 10%. Either way it's in the higher range. She had a lot going on, so "normal" BG readings weren't our top concern.

We're afraid to mess with too much these days and the DM seems to be working fine, so we're sticking with it until we get down to FL.

 

[Sue and Luci]

We've made peace with the fact that affection for Luna is being in the same room with us or at the end of the couch we're sitting on.

Gosh, she has a personality like Miss Luci....she allows us to observe her mostly from a distance. Occasionally she'll sit on the arm of the sofa next to DH and he is allowed to use a special comb to brush her with...until she's had enough of her beauty treatment and then will turn and bite him for a 'thank you'...

Yes, Florida seems to be a one-way destination from a LOT of people now. I have a couple of realtor friends who said they've never seen anything like it...houses are selling in a day or two - there's a huge demand and prices are going up by the minute. Doesn't seem to slow them down and they're pouring into SW Florida (I can only speak for this area) like someone hollered 'let's go!!' And they're bringing their money with them...I've never seen so many homes sell so fast as they're selling now - not sure if it's from the pandemic and some states being locked down - Florida hasn't been locked down since last May and the Governor here doesn't want that ever again - nor does he implement a mask mandate or a policy on the vaccine passport...it's also a non personal income tax state...there are a myriad reasons why people want to move to Florida...but that's a few that come to the top of my head...new neighbors from New Jersey, New York, Illinois, California, Ohio, Iowa and Michigan...craziest thing I've ever seen

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Gosh, she has a personality like Miss Luci....she allows us to observe her mostly from a distance. Occasionally she'll sit on the arm of the sofa next to DH and he is allowed to use a special comb to brush her with...until she's had enough of her beauty treatment and then will turn and bite him for a 'thank you'...

Yes, Florida seems to be a one-way destination from a LOT of people now. I have a couple of realtor friends who said they've never seen anything like it...houses are selling in a day or two - there's a huge demand and prices are going up by the minute. Doesn't seem to slow them down and they're pouring into SW Florida (I can only speak for this area) like someone hollered 'let's go!!' And they're bringing their money with them...I've never seen so many homes sell so fast as they're selling now - not sure if it's from the pandemic and some states being locked down - Florida hasn't been locked down since last May and the Governor here doesn't want that ever again - nor does he implement a mask mandate or a policy on the vaccine passport...it's also a non personal income tax state...there are a myriad reasons why people want to move to Florida...but that's a few that come to the top of my head...new neighbors from New Jersey, New York, Illinois, California, Ohio, Iowa and Michigan...craziest thing I've ever seen

Yes. I want to move to Florida too for all the reasons you've mentioned. Only I am in Georgia and it wouldn't be that far to go. It's too hot there, but it's too hot here too... maybe I should consider the panhandle where they get seasons? I have family in Lake Worth (West Palm). Used to have family in Tampa/St. Pete but they were Air Force so they moved.

 

[Sue and Luci]

Yes. I want to move to Florida too for all the reasons you've mentioned. Only I am in Georgia and it wouldn't be that far to go. It's too hot there, but it's too hot here too... maybe I should consider the panhandle where they get seasons? I have family in Lake Worth (West Palm). Used to have family in Tampa/St. Pete but they were Air Force so they moved.

Not as hot near the coasts...we're often only in the 80's while 20 miles east (toward the center) it's in the mid 90's...

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Not as hot near the coasts...we're often only in the 80's while 20 miles east (toward the center) it's in the mid 90's...

One year I visited my family in West Palm Beach and it was about 95 on Christmas Day! Not very Christmas-y to me. But that was not necessarily typical weather. It's probably pretty variable, like here. One day warm, next day cold (IN the winter I mean).

 

[Sue and Luci]

One year I visited my family in West Palm Beach and it was about 95 on Christmas Day! Not very Christmas-y to me. But that was not necessarily typical weather. It's probably pretty variable, like here. One day warm, next day cold (IN the winter I mean).

Yes, we had some sultry temps earlier this week...hot and steamy....and today it's a refreshing sunny 75 degrees with a stiff breeze...We rarely have a day that I need to wear anything heavier than a light jacket...and even that usually comes off by mid-day.