Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +1 122, +2 132, +3 119, +4 126

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Emily & Mr. Howell

Emily & Mr. Howell

Member Since 2011
Good morning!
Yesterday's condo
Mr. Howell was at 70 AMPS this morning, which made me worry if he got too low last night! He was very excited to eat breakfast, as usual. I have never had a Preshot test this low before, so I dropped him down to 1.5u because his numbers have been so low the past few days and I don't want the Sitter to be giving him too much while I am gone.
Not much else, just preparing for our little trip this afternoon.
OH HE PEED I'M GONNA DO A KETONE TEST
Edit: Urrrrgh it was a #2.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

Couple of things:

What you're seeing is the food change. Are you going to be around today? Please get a test 30 min. after you shot. You really don't have the data to shoot this low.

Please read the following:
Handling low pre-shots
Managing low numbers

The link to your condo from yesterday isn't active. You need it to read [url= etc.] There shouldn't be a colon after the url.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

Hi guys, nice start to the day, but I agree with Sienne, you'll definitely want to keep tabs on mr howells numbers today .. have a great day!
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

Hi Sienne,
Unfortunately I will not be around this afternoon. I was lowering his dosage to a 'Sitter dose' as suggested by others on the board. I realize this is bad timing on my part, he is on a new diet and should be monitored, but it is unavoidable. I didn't think it was right to give him 3 entire units if he made such a significant drop yesterday, because if he goes into a hypoglycemic attack nobody will be able to check on him between 2 p.m.-9 .m. tonight.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

ditto, if ur still home, please monitor.

u had a # 2 reading for ketones? are u using the urine strips?
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

Sienne,
You've confused me, I reread the board from yesterday and you were the one who suggested I drop him to 1.5u...
I will be around until 2 p.m. today to monitor him.
And Ronnie, sorry, I heard him in his litter box but it was a 'solid', not a 'liquid', thus no test. :?
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

the suggested drop in dose was for your sitter, but it looks like Mr Howell has his own plans, which is good, to see the change in numbers.
it is important if you can, to spot check him.

ok on the # 2, # 2 in the box, got it ;-)
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70

Thanks for the clarification.
Sienne, I understand what you mean now; I shouldn't have given him insulin right away! Just tested at +30min and he is at 152. I'm assuming this is a food spike.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

so just to be clear- are you saying you shot him at 70, then fed him and after 30 minutes he's at 152?

and you can test until 2pm today - what + hours is that after this morning's shot?

he definitely needs to be monitored closely today - 70 is a low number for anybody to shoot and if he was acting starved, often that's the only symptom you'll see in a cat that's been a little hypo on lantus. he may have gone really low overnight and he may go there again today. i'm hoping that the 2pm is going to be past his nadir. if you have to leave him before his nadir you'll want to leave him a bunch of med carb or high carb food to keep him safe - even if it does send him too high.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

i would vote on a higher carb food too after u leave.
that's just me thou, for reassurance.
if he found his way to the 70's now, he can always get back there again.

im wondering if u may need to go lower in dose for petsitter, maybe someone will take a look at that again before you leave....i think i saw u mention yesterday
that petsitter will test?
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

+1 122, going back down again a little.
2 p.m. is right at +5 for him.
Julie, yes that is correct.
Ronnie, lower dose as in lower than 1.5u? And yes, the petsitter is going to test.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

Also, he only ate 1/2 of his food this morning, the Turkey&Giblets. After an hour I tried to give him the rest of it, he wouldn't eat it at first and became interested in it only when I mixed in some of the Chicken flavor. ohmygod_smile
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

The sitter is getting his AMPS and PMPS while you're gone, right? You'll probably see a steep rise in numbers today because of last night, but hopefully Mr. Howell will start to lower again before you get back. I'm wondering if maybe you should stick to 1u while you're gone?
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

Ok is it +2 time yet?

Hoping we get u some review on ss and the circumstances - will sitter know what to do with a lower number?
How about a no shot number for sitter?
Something to think about there if u want them shooting low, unless they can monitor the cycle with spotchecks, And feed accordingly, lets see what others can add.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152

He is at +1.5hours 132. So going back up a little bit again.
Julia, yes, the Sitter is doing AMPS and PMPS. I am considering keeping the dose low as well, now I think it's totally stupid that I shot this morning and I don't know why I didn't think about it for a second. I added to mix 1 part HC FancyFeast with the regular for his meals, and suggesting leaving out more food than usual.
Ronnie, I told the sitter to not shoot if he is below 70, and to give him a high carb diet. I said if he is between 200-300 she should keep the dose around 2u, and if it is between 300-400 keep the dose the same but remove the HC food. Should I lower the unit mount to 1 while I am gone?
Any other suggestions? I have plenty of time to rewrite all of the notes I left her. ;)
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

I think a no shoot of 70 is too low for a sitter that won't be getting spot checks. I'd be much more comfortable if there was a no shoot of about 120. If your petsitter shoots a 75, feeds HC, and then leaves, you don't have any idea what's going to happen once the HC wears off. Typically, numbers wobble around. I would not like them to be wobbling in the 30s.

We don't know yet how Mr. Howell is responding to the change in food. When there is minimal testing, it's always best to err on the side of caution and safety especially since some cats do not eat well when their bean isn't around. Mr. Howell seems to have an agenda and wants to stick around in lower blue numbers. We don't know how he's going to respond to Lantus this time around.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

I think a no shoot of 70 is too low for a sitter that won't be getting spot checks. I'd be much more comfortable if there was a no shoot of about 120.
Click to expand...

just as an example, the kitty I'm sitting had a no shot number of 72, and he was on a drop of insulin, but this kitty has a lot of data, and me who is able to spotcheck him regularly.

I agree with Sienne's suggestion of 120 too.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

I would recommend a no-shot number of below 200. There isn't enough data to say how he'll handle a shot at a low number like that.

If you're reducing the dose to 1u, and have a no-shoot number of below 200, I don't think the HC food will be necessary. I think it's always better to feed low carb and reduce the dose than feed HC to maintain a high dose. It's more predictable, in my opinion.

Edit: I see Sienne suggested 120--I would go with her advice.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

+2 132.
Sienne, thanks so much once again. Your advice and input is invaluable to me! I can ALWAYS rewrite the directions I have given her, and told her last night that things probably would be different come tonight. She is very smart and is anticipating the change.
Ronnie, thanks as well!
Julia, thank you! I ran out and got some more HC 'just in case', but if I can stick to her giving him one kind of food, it will be easier for the both of them. Of course I want to be on the safe side.
I'm going to hang around as long as possible today to make sure his NADIR doesn't plummet.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

I see you're also feeding 1.25 twice a day (at shot time)? As some added insurance against going low can you split those meals up into 4 (I believe you said another friend would be there to keep him company?) Bandit also gets 2.5 cans of Fancy Feast a day, but I feed him 3/4 can at AMPS, 1/2 can at +6, then 3/4 at PMPS, and 1/2 again at +6. That way if he goes a little low at the nadir, the food will give him a little boost.

Plus, Bandit would probably revolt and rip my house apart if I waited 12 hours between meals. You should see what he does to my bedroom if I'm just an hour late with his food....
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

I have been feeding him about 3/4can at at shot time and then the other 1/4 at +4 and 1/4 at +6.
How do you do it in the middle of the night? I've been able to stay up about +3 after his 9p.m. shot and then I can't stand it anymore...
And yes, I'm having another friend come over to hang out with him, so if she is here during those times I will have them split food duty.
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

dasypus said:
I have been feeding him about 3/4can at at shot time and then the other 1/4 at +4 and 1/4 at +6.
How do you do it in the middle of the night? I've been able to stay up about +3 after his 9p.m. shot and then I can't stand it anymore...
And yes, I'm having another friend come over to hang out with him, so if she is here during those times I will have them split food duty.
Click to expand...

Well, I have Bandit on a 7am/7pm shot schedule, so his +6 is at 1am. Sometimes I just stay up until 1am and get 6 hours of sleep. I work full time during the week with an hour commute each way, and I'm still in grad school (almost done!), so sometimes I need to stay up and do work or study anyway. If I'm not staying up, I go to bed at around 10 or 11pm, and then set an alarm to get up, test and feed, and then go right back to bed. If I'm lucky, my boyfriend or my brother will be home staying up late and they will get the test and feed for me so I can sleep straight through the night. RARELY does it work out that way, though. :-)

On the weekends, I work part time but at night (usually from 9pm-3am), so I freeze his portion of food, and then set the autofeeder to release it at 1am ( I have this one and I love it because Bandit can't rip it apart--I went through two other different ones at $60 & $80 bucks a pop that Bandit destroyed before finding the QPet one). Then I test him when I get home at 2 or 3am. I'll then sleep for 3 or 4 hours, get up to feed him and give his insulin, and go right back to bed until about noon.

I've become very, very good at falling back to sleep quickly. Too good at times--especially when I'm tempted to lay back down for another hour on weekday mornings. :roll:
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

+3 119 - on the way down again, but he ate his other 1/4 after testing.
I am thinking I am going to have to invest in one of those timed feeders! It seems like the only way... I take preventative migraine medication that literally makes it impossible (and very bad) for me to get up in the middle of the night (waking up mid-sleep is a 90% guarantee for next-day migraine for me).
I can't wait to get back and get him on a consistent schedule for once!
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +2 132, +3 119

+4 126
I'm starting to feel like we're going to be okay! He had another 1/4can this last hour. Mr. Howell has been expressing an entirely new kitty to us today, he has been pretty cheeky! He's taken to 'attacking' the coffee table legs, and chasing my hair ties around the floor. :lol: He has a lot of energy, and has skidded up and down the hallway a few times too.
I called the sitter and informed her of the new plans. Everyone is on board!
 
Re: Mr. Howell AMPS 70, +30min 152, +1 122, +1.5 132

dasypus said:
I am thinking I am going to have to invest in one of those timed feeders! It seems like the only way...
Click to expand...

I LOVE my auto feeder. One of the best investments I ever made. Back when I bought my first QPet in 2008 it was running about $60 on Ebay (amazon didn't sell them yet), and it was worth every penny. Is Mr. Howell your only cat? If you have more than one cat you might want to get one for each.

Some more advice if you get one--I am too lazy to take the feeder apart and wash it every day so I make little aluminum foil bowls that I take out and wash after each feeding. :-D
 
Julia, it is definitely on my list of things to buy for Mr. H as soon as I get a job (along with a teeth cleaning!!) I just got a call from a former employer that they need some overtime staff for the beginning Fall Semester rush, WAHOOO!!
+5 176. I'm leaving him with an extra 1/4can of FF even though he hasn't finished his last 1/4 from +3.
Thanks so much everyone!
 
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