Phobos - 3/25 - AMPS 545; dose advice needed

[Raechel]

So, I was just hoping for some reassurance about when to increase Phobos' dose, as I've waited too long in the past.
On the 22nd, he finally hit greens for the first time in over a month. Nadir looks to have been about 94. Other than that day, his numbers have been high - 300-HI. Checking the protocol for his next increase, am I correct that I should wait 10 cycles, since he was new to the under 100 readings? Seems like a long time to hold for just that one (odd) day of lows, but I wanted to make sure.
Thank you!

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I would wait 3 days for the bounce to clear and then increase. With so many high numbers and just those couple of hours in a high green, i think you're safe increasing tonight if he doesn't hit green again during today's day cycle. That would be 3 days counting forward from the greens on the 22nd.

Have you seen the Tight Reg Protocol Myths Debunked post? There's some good info in there about increasing on a bounce and explaining what the wait is for between dose increases. Take a look here and scroll down to the bottom section of "interesting posts". They're alphabetical and it's under Tight Reg. I'm not sure which post it is in there, but there are several good explanations by Libby that you might find helpful.

Has Phobos had a dental? Do you think he was diabetic for some time before he was diagnosed?

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I should add - I would only increase by 0.25u since you are seeing greens. And when you catch a green test again, i'd feed him some of his regular low carb food, say 2 teaspoons or so, to try to get him to stay green for a little while longer. Sometimes that can encourage a cat's blood sugar to "surf" along in green numbers. The longer he stays there the more his body will accept it as normal.

When I asked about if he's had a dental, I'm also wondering if you can see any evidence that he needs one. Any horrid breath, not just cat food, but bad? any visible redness on his gums or tartar on his teeth? Sometimes cats in need of a dental have these huge bouncy cycles like Phobos is having. It's not always true, but i've seen some that are like that.

 

[Raechel]

@julie & punkin (ga) - Thank you for the info - I'll read that post you linked to. I was thinking a 3-day wait might be adequate, since this was only the second time he's hit greens, but wanted to double-check. Since I can't do nighttime checks, I will likely wait until a morning cycle to change his dose. What are the thoughts on that? Do folks often do an increase with a PM cycle?
No, Phobos has never had dental. They looked at his teeth (nothing in-depth) when he was diagnosed and said they looked fine and I've not noticed anything that would indicate problems.
I'm not sure exactly how long he may have been ill before diagnosis. We'd noticed him losing weight for awhile (maybe a month or two; he was very overweight, so it didn't concern us), but then he went downhill all of a sudden. Over the course of a day or two he suddenly was VERY lethargic, looked very ill, and wasn't eating. That's when we brought him in and he was diagnosed.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I agree with Julie -- I'd increase the dose tonight since that will be an increase after 6 cycles. Frankly, with as high as Phobos' numbers have been, you could increase sooner.