Peek at Fluffs SS and comment

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Los Gatos

Los Gatos

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I'll feed him and then when I know he is done with both wet/kibble I will test then shoot.
On the 21st did I stack two fur shots?
On the 23AM did I fur shot?
Bouncing is not apparent to me. I started off with the Alphatrek2/A2 strips and have since switched to the Freestyle lite strips.
I have a vague idea of what I am doing but need to figure out if the 3U is too much or any other advice you can give me. I've looked at some of the links in other posts on the PZI protocols and such but can use some pointers.
I'll go back to the vet in a couple of weeks I suppose with the SS to evaluate.
I swear I haven't seen him pee in ages but I know he has for sure. ( I'm itching to try some test strips on him.( Gluc,Bil,Ket,Protein,Leuk))
I can't afford to lose another kitty.
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

I think I'd lower the dose a smidge, Kevin.. On 6/25 3 units gave you a pretty low pmps. Then the 2.5 given on that blue probably took him pretty low overnight as you already had a green at +4. So then this am the number could have been a bounce from those low numbers overnight.

I think I'd try 2.5 at 350+, 2 units for those yellow mid 200s and 1.5 for preshots in the low 200s. We encourage new diabetics not to shoot below 180 but to stall -- wait 20 minutes without feeding to see if the number rises enough. When you have more numbers, you can shoot those lower numbers, but until you have an idea what might happen, it's a little dangerous.

Freestyle is not a popular meter here. It's associated with inaccurate lower readings. If there is any way to get another brand meter from a friend or neighbor and compare two readings on the same drop of blood, it might be helpful. And if you find it is inaccurate, I'll have to change my advice. :mrgreen:
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

Sue,
I concur and I'll give it a whirl.
Thank you.

Would my feeding him before testing and shooting affect this dosing? The time to eat can vary, depending on how hungry his is.( 20 minutes to 45)
I don't think he is appreciating the additional petting, brushing and general attention every time I go after him. He suspects something is amiss. confused_cat His mom whom we had, shunned him but fed his brother to around 10 months. He has always acted like a beaten cat since a kitten, his brother is perfectly fine. :?

I won't change meters until I have a full understanding of what the heck I'm seeing and doing. Other than the initial cost of the unit,I think I have a supply of strips to use. I can calibrate the unit with human blood against large units anytime.

450 @6:20 pre food and pre shot. Bounce??
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

Could be a bounce. Strange number. Can you take another test to be sure it wasn't a bad test?

It is best not to feed before testing - some people say 2 hours. If you feed him 45 minutes before a test, it is likely the number is higher because of the food, and thus the dose could be higher than needed for the actual number. It's best if you can get him into a routine of testing, then feeding and shooting.

Is he getting a snack after the test? That can make it easier to wait for an actual meal. If you can find something he loves for a snack, and give it only when testing, he may begin to associate the something good with the test. My boys loved dried chicken snacks (purebites) and bonito flakes.
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

Just had to pull his food. Will update this post in 5-10

408.
The other number came from his other ear which I have not used yet. This number came from the ear I usually use.
I can test then feed. He is getting more suspicious of me. Like I said, he acts like he has had a hard life. I've had his family since ~8-10 weeks. I think his mom whacked him in the head too many times. Cancer got her early this year, we couldn't stop it.
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

Hi Kevin and Fluff. Welcome to the Prozinc forum. Looks like you are getting testing down pretty good. I post Merlin's numbers here everyday. You don't have to, but for me, I like to post it and if I have any questions, I put a question mark in the subject line. Otherwise, I just post and if anyone see's something peculiar with Merlin's number, they help me and make suggestions.

Oh, regarding the testing. Most folks here will test, feed and shoot all in about 10 minutes all in that order. I make sure that Merlin doesn't eat at least two hours before he gets his AMPS or PMPS. Sometimes, I go three hours, depending upon his numbers I may catch before then. He is always hungry so sometimes the last two hours prior to pre-shot can get pretty loud in the house as he likes to holler at me when he wants food. It is really important to make sure that eats enough prior to shooting his insulin.

So welcome and if you have any questions...holler.
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

Cindi,
Thanks, I switch to testing and feeding now. I'll only feed him twice a day with no snacking until I decide what food to feed him. I think I'm going to go for Wellness/Wellness core. Right now I can get it at wholesale. The other 11 pairs of eyes will eat it.(I foster also)
 
Re: Peek at Fluffs SS and comment.

Hi Kevin! Welcome to PZI! Glad you made it over. Sue has the good info on dosing I think. I like what she suggested.

I just wanted to say hello. If you post numbers daily like Cindi suggested that can help. I did that with Gypsy and got daily feedback on doses until I began to feel comfortable making the decisions myself. Even then, I got feedback! Sometimes it's nice to have others agree with you just to back ya up. :-D
 
Rachel,
I was concerned about forum "Pollution". I've seen it and it does get very tiring seeing it.
I just checked that I can update my subject line too so that you don't actually have to read the post to get the numbers. So, if it is acceptable I'll post it in the style of Cindi with Merlins numbers.
Thank you.
 
Hi Kevin!

Just wanted to extend a welcome to the PZI board. :-D

Fluff is obviously in great hands, and you're in great hands here. :smile:

They way that Cindi posts Merlin's daily "condo" is the "right" way to do it. It allows others to see, at a glance, what's going on with your kitty today. Adding your numbers, and editing as you go is also a great way to do it. Often times, more experienced users can actually spot if there might be trouble brewing just by virtue of the numbers in your subject line. :smile:

The only other thing I want to add at this juncture, is that it's not necessary to limit food to just two meals daily with shots. You really only want to make sure food us up two hours before shot time. That way, your pre-shot test result is not artificially high due to recent food consumption. This becomes important when you've got a lower than normal pre-shot - say your kitty normally gets a "food spike" of 50 points, and your pre-shot is 175, but kitty has just eaten. The "real" number may be lower and once the food wears off, the insulin may push the numbers down lower than you're expecting. So that's the logic behind that.

Many of us feed multiple small meals a day, the thought process being that small meals are easier on a weak pancreas, and those small meals also help stimulate the pancreas to do it's job and produce insulin. Until a kitty is pretty well regulated, and their pancreas is pretty clearly working, many of us also limit most of the food to the first half of the insulin cycle....up until about 6 hours after the shot. That way, food is going in when the insulin is doing the most work. Food fed after the insulin has reached its peak, and when the insulin has started to wane can push those numbers up.

Welcome again! :smile:
 
Good morning Kevin and Fluff. You did a great job posting this morning. I do the same thing that you mentioned regarding updating my first post with all my testing throughout the day. I then go in and add it to my list and indicate an "**Update" next to a new number. I may post a new reply to confirm what I am doing that was made from a suggestion, or post a question, or if I am dealing with an issue. I will then update the issue like no appetite, sickness, etc. That way everyone knows how he is doing and may relate that information back to his numbers.

Regarding food, Merlin eats pretty much up to 4-5 hours after his AMPS. He gets his shot at 6am so up until about 10:00, he is eating about once an hour (all pretty small portions). Then he sleeps until about 2-3pm where he typically wakes up hungry so he gets eats 1-2 more times all before 3pm and no later than 4pm. Then his next pm shot is 6pm in which he gets another maybe 3 mini meals after that shot. I usually go to bed around 10pm so I leave him out some food either water down or in his timed feeder. But because he has higher numbers at pre-shot times, he is definitely hungrier then. I water his food down pretty good for his pre-shot meal because he has Pepcid AC and Miralax in it. Otherwise, I use a little less water for the other little mini meals. He usually tells me when he is hungry by seeking me out and hollering at me.
 
Jen and Cindi,
Thank you. More useful feeding information.
We've always fed them twice a day and they realized there was a plentiful supply and would graze the rest of the day. Right now the others are getting a 40% dry carb food plus some wet @am/pm. Until I can find a suitable dry food for him to graze on, just AM/PM feedings. I may get a superfeeder later this year but for other reasons.
Until I get a autofeeder, I don't want to start feeding them hours after the shot. Test/feed/shoot AM/PM is the only thing I know can be guaranteed at this point.
He still is not hungry,pees nor drinks much.
 
That is great that he isn't hungry between feedings. I believe that would mean that his pancreas is working a little and processing the food efficiently. Unfortunately, there is not any good low carb dry food. We used dry food at first and when I transitioned to all wet/canned food, Merlin dropped by 2 units. He was getting 3 units on dry food and now it is around 1 unit all because of being fed low carb, wet food. I wish there was a good low carb (under 10% carbs) dry food but there isn't. There are a few that advertise they are low carb but the wet food is the lowest plus it provides the additional water that they need.
 
Lots of people let them graze on wet. If you add a little water and make a gravy, it stays fresh for several hours.

Have we given you this website by a vet? She has a great explanation for why dry food (even if not high carb) isn't a good food for even non diabetic cats. www.catinfo.org
 
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