Pita's Dosing Party: 14

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This may be my tired brain making a horrible choice- tested at +4 and he was at 55. I am exhausted so I decided that he will most likely still go lower, and fed 1 Tbsp gravy food to try to get him up and stable a bit. I'm praying that if he does go lower and need me, he'll wake me up to test, but as if right now I'm going back to bed. I may also do another tiny reduction in the am, assuming that he would probably have hit another lime green this evening (150+=1.9u, 149-=2.8u)
 
I'm following this but don't have much to add. I agree that the many lime greens will have made him extra sensitive to insulin. I'm usually more cautious and prefer to reduce by a larger amount - usually more than necessary - and then take it back up slowly instead of shaving off the minimal amount. I hope the drama eases off ... o_O
 
Kris & Teasel said:
I'm following this but don't have much to add. I agree that the many lime greens will have made him extra sensitive to insulin. I'm usually more cautious and prefer to reduce by a larger amount - usually more than necessary - and then take it back up slowly instead of shaving off the minimal amount. I hope the drama eases off ... o_O
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Thanks Kris. I wholeheartedly agree since we woke up with a 254 AMPS :( I'm going to just shoot 1 unit this entire day I think regardless of PMPS also. How slowly do you usually go to dose back up as necessary?

I feel so sad- he can't feel too good from all of this happening.
 
Caitlin M said:
Thanks Kris. I wholeheartedly agree since we woke up with a 254 AMPS :( I'm going to just shoot 1 unit this entire day I think regardless of PMPS also. How slowly do you usually go to dose back up as necessary?

I feel so sad- he can't feel too good from all of this happening.
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My approach (with ProZinc) would be to give the lower dose about 3 cycles, evaluate and then increase by 0.2 u, wait three cycles again, try another 0.2 u if needed, etc. I like to keep the same dose a couple of cycles to reduce the volatility that frequent changes can cause in some cats.
 
Even on that one unit, he's had a pretty good cycle. I'm sorry things have been so rough lately, Caitlin. :bighug:
 
179 PMPS last night. Didn't get woken up at all, so no tests after that. 197 AMPS, giving 1 unit and will test some during the day. Once I increase dose again I'm going to do it by 0.1 units at a time!
 
Stupid question...3 cycles is a day and a half right? Not a full three days (6 cycles?) I can never remember for some reason! Want to be prepared for Matt tonight.
 
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Ugh, Sorry no one was around. Yes, three cycles is a day and a half. Each shot starts a new cycle. So you can think of it as three shots and then on the 4th shot, you can change the dose. That being said, Pita is a long term-er, so the rules are a little more flexible. You can change faster or slower depending on what you think is best for him.
 
Somehow or other I completely missed this post, Caitlin! I have no idea how I did that....
 
Hello all!

Its been a crazy past few days with some human health stuff and then the heatwave in LA. On Friday it reached 117 degrees. We do not have access, only a ceiling fan and tower fan. We noticed the cats were definitely breathing heavier and laying in different/cooler spots. We spent the next couple hours soaking towels and laying them on top of the boys. We even brought them out to the car with the AC on. It was about 107 degrees yesterday so we got another fan which is awesome and did the towels and monitoring again. Cooler today (97ish) and the same precautions. Both boys have been eating at breakfast, snack and dinner with no heat exhaustion symptoms. Just the slight panting and faster breathing- granted I've been on high alert since their both older and I'm paranoid. Today they've both been a bit more perky and receptive so that's also good. Anywho, I haven't been doing any midday testing because I haven't wanted to heat up his ears more than the PS times. May be silly but just a precaution on my end. Even with the heat his numbers have actually been pretty good! I'm planning to try for midday tests tomorrow as we're looking at low 90's.
 
Oh wow does that sound miserable. I wonder if something like this would help: cooling pad

Also, I've found that with Sam on warm days I don't need to warm his ear since the weather has already taken care of it. You might be able to get a test without adding any extra heat.
 
Well, the heat is a bit better and boys boys have been more active/back to normal with their habits. It was so sad just seeing them lay there all day to stay cool. Djamila I love that pad! Although I have a feeling we would buy it and then they wouldn't lay on it! But I'm totally keeping it in mind.
 
Are both of your boys domestic short hairs? Long haired cats sometimes get shaved for warm weather. Might work. o_O If I every had Sam shaved he would murder me in my sleep, but who knows? Maybe Pita would like it? :eek:
 
Djamila said:
Are both of your boys domestic short hairs? Long haired cats sometimes get shaved for warm weather. Might work. o_O If I every had Sam shaved he would murder me in my sleep, but who knows? Maybe Pita would like it? :eek:
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They're both short hairs yes! And I would be murdered as well :p
 
Well, it has been a rough past couple days. Heat wave ended, boys back to normal behaviors! I called a vet to make an appointment for Pitas skin that was supposed to be tomorrow. However, out of the blue his breathing started increasing and he was panting on and off. He was taking between 80-90 breaths a minute compared to a normal range of low 30's. We went to an emergency vet who rushed him back, put him on oxygen and stabilized him. They discussed possible issues with his heart and lungs so they did x-rays and blood work. All of that came back normal so we were grateful for that! The vet discussed the possibility of early signs of pneumonia that they maybe just couldn't see yet. We were given a ten day supply if Clavamox antibiotics and need to watch him for 48 hours. So far so good today. His breathing is back to normal and he's lounging around the apartment. He wouldn't eat dinner last night (which he also needs for the meds) so I gave him some gravy food. He ate, we shot and dealt with pilling him. AMPS was 95 today and I NS because he didn't eat again and truthfully I'd rather see what's he doing on his own. I'll be testinf him when I'm home in about an hour and hope he'll eat normal dinner tonight. Of course the vet was all confused and a bit judgy about me using a human meter and was horrified when I mentioned he had been in remission when he was between '50-120' without insulin. Her response was 'hes gone down to 50?' Which also reminded me that she had no idea how to read a human meter compared to the AT. Whatever. It was more if a history of his diagnosis before they did the x-rays and blood work so I'm brushing it off. I rescheduled his appointment from tomorrow to the following Sunday because he needs a follow up after his ten days of antibiotics so they can do that check as well as skin. I haven't been to this vet before but they have fantastic Yelp reviews and the receptionist I spoke with both times have been lovely. I did mention wanting to speak with someone regarding his diabetes and finding someone who could support my way of things, so I'll see what happens when I'm there. I'll plan to just bring my questions and if the vet I meet with isn't compatible either request them to be looked at by another vet or I'll have to call around again and find someone. Unfortunately I'm more concerned about the breathing episode and making sure that's all set, but I am hoping someone at this new practice will be able to understand and support my way of things. So yes, that's the update. I'm thinking that if he's at a higher PMPS to shoot the 1.6 we had just started- thoughts?
 
Oh Catilin! I'm so sorry to hear Pita's having a rough go. Yes, I think assuming his PMPS numbers support it, I'd go with 1.6u again.

Was the breathing episode before or after the heat broke? Any chance he was suffering a little heat stroke/overheating? I hope it turns out to be nothing, or that the antibiotics take care of whatever it was!
 
Djamila said:
How’s Pita doing?
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Oh gosh I just realized I never responded to your last comment! Apologies. He's doing much better and is back to his normal self (knock on wood). They both are thankfully and even though it's been high 80's the apartment has been pretty cool. We've found an evaporative cooler to buy so I'm saving up money for that.
I dropped the ball with asking for liquid antibiotics and he is hands down the worst cat to try to pill I've ever had in my life. So of course his pills are between the size of a dime and nickel and pilling wasn't happening. When I called to get liquid it would've been another $100 and of we couldn't return/refund the pills. I had asked to be emailed the script so I could order it online but that never came through. We've been crushing up the pill and putting it into some gravy food for am and pm. Not ideal but he needs to take them so I'm trying not to stress about it too much. :facepalm:

How are you and Sam, Djamila?!
 
Oh my gosh those pills sound gigantic! I agree, if the gravy works, do what you have to do to get it done. Pita has been diabetic long enough that being off program for a few days shouldn't be a big deal. You'll get him back on track as soon as the ab is done. It seems like if there is a liquid or injectable option for any med, that should be offered first for cats. I don't know that any cat is really good about taking pills, and some of them are downright impossible to pill.

Sam is doing okay. He had a dental cleaning this week and is taking his time to shake off the blahs from being under anesthesia. He's been sleeping a ton, and wants me to pick him up and carry him around which is really out of character for him. The vet/vet techs tested his BG SIX times in five hours which was ridiculous, plus they bruised the heck out of his little ears. They look awful. I've been mama-mad ever since I got him home. I really want to go down there and teach them how to do a BG test, because there is no reason why his ears should look like this. I mean, he was half sedated and burrito-ed. He couldn't possibly have been fighting them.

Anyway....his teeth look shiny and clean, and he doesn't seem to be having any pain, so overall he's fine and the bruises will heal. It wasn't my usual vet that did the cleaning because I'm moving and needed to get it done before the move. Lesson learned. I'll either be looking for a vet closer to my house, or making sure that he only sees the usual vet from now on.

Sorry for rambling! I'm so glad to hear that Pita is feeling better and that the weather is giving you guys a break for a little while. Hopefully you'll be able to get the cooler before the next heat wave hits!
 
Djamila said:
Oh my gosh those pills sound gigantic! I agree, if the gravy works, do what you have to do to get it done. Pita has been diabetic long enough that being off program for a few days shouldn't be a big deal. You'll get him back on track as soon as the ab is done. It seems like if there is a liquid or injectable option for any med, that should be offered first for cats. I don't know that any cat is really good about taking pills, and some of them are downright impossible to pill.

Sam is doing okay. He had a dental cleaning this week and is taking his time to shake off the blahs from being under anesthesia. He's been sleeping a ton, and wants me to pick him up and carry him around which is really out of character for him. The vet/vet techs tested his BG SIX times in five hours which was ridiculous, plus they bruised the heck out of his little ears. They look awful. I've been mama-mad ever since I got him home. I really want to go down there and teach them how to do a BG test, because there is no reason why his ears should look like this. I mean, he was half sedated and burrito-ed. He couldn't possibly have been fighting them.

Anyway....his teeth look shiny and clean, and he doesn't seem to be having any pain, so overall he's fine and the bruises will heal. It wasn't my usual vet that did the cleaning because I'm moving and needed to get it done before the move. Lesson learned. I'll either be looking for a vet closer to my house, or making sure that he only sees the usual vet from now on.

Sorry for rambling! I'm so glad to hear that Pita is feeling better and that the weather is giving you guys a break for a little while. Hopefully you'll be able to get the cooler before the next heat wave hits!
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Oh my gosh Djamila I'm so sorry to hear that! I'd be one seriously angry mama also. Ramble away, always. That's half of why I'm here as well :p
 
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