Websters Vet Check in

[Websterthecat]

I just returned from Webster Vet vist with his new vet.

During the meet and greet he informed me that he had 3 pets - 1 dog and 2 Diabetic cats. He then started to talk about his love for Lantus without me even mentioning anything. At this point he had my attention.

He was able to answer all of my questions and repeat almost exactly everything that you guys have been talking about on here. He was completely in agreeance with everything taught on this board and seemed rather impressed with my spreadsheet and my basic understanding of what’s going on. I have no one else to thank but all of you for this.

Here’s a quick rundown of the key points discussed:

Lantus is the best choice out there for sending cats into remission. He said to stick with the 0.50 dose that he has been getting and do a curve in 10 days at home, then send him the results via email and go from there.

He agreed that home monitoring BG and ketones was fantastic and was in support of it but said that I need to take a break from monitoring BG, especially considering that he’s on what the doctor considers to be a low dose.

I can check once before each shot and somewhere in the middle if it makes me feel better.

Webster seems very responsive to the insulin so far and he feels as if he has a great chance at going into remission with diet change.

He recommended that play hardball to get him away from grazing. Two low carb 3 oz cans wet food meals a day just before insulin. Put it down, give him 15 mins to eat, take it away. Give insulin as long as he eats.

I mentioned the anti nausea med, app stimulant, and fortiflora. He suggested trying a new feeding schedule, sprinkle on fortiflora (which I purchased some) see how he does and perhaps try the app stimulant or anti nausea meds if needed.

Teeth look good - didn’t see any problems.

Said that his hydration looked okay. Sometimes difficult to tell by checking skin due to recent weight loss caused by DKA.
Suggested to do the “poke” test if I was concerned about Hypo. Poke him and see if he opens his eyes and moves. Also, pick him up and move him. See how he walks back - see if he staggers etc. Keep an eye out for seizures.

Dr. did not seem at all concerned with the use of Lantus, especially at a dose of 0.50. He said to check BG, if under 100 don’t shoot. Make sure that he eats, give insulin, check on him a few times to make sure that hes not showing signs of Hypo

He said that he’s had many people come in, often starts them off @ 1.5U and have them come back for curves every week or so to dial in dose. Instructs them to give insulin every 12 hours with food. Doing this, he’s had many of them off insulin anywhere from a couple weeks to several months.

I really have mixed feelings about my visit. On one hand, he was a doctor, who seemed very knowledgeable, confident, and familiar with Lantus. He has 2 diabetic cats and has had several of his patients go into remission.

He has two offices in town which are both nice facilities and seems to have a lot of clients and good reviews online. He came highly recommended by my neighbor who visited “several” vets before liking this guy. I honestly really couldn't ask for a better vet.

On the other hand, I understand the importance of regular home testing. To what degree? I haven’t decided. I care about Webster very much and want the best thing for him. However, my nerves are shot and I don’t know how much more I can take of this checking every hour or half hour whenever he is crashing hard. I’m losing sleep, not eating right, and worried sick. I must get back to work and pay the bills.

The easy thing to do is take his advice - Take away food except for 2x each day, check BG to make sure that I’m not shooting in dangerous territory and then casually check in on him a few times throughout the day to see how he’s doing. I however don’t know if I can take such a relaxed approach. I would feel horrible if he goes hypo and dies.

I’m really torn here. The doctor seem wonderful but I don’t know if I can accept such a relaxed approach to treating my little boy.

Let’s hear everyones thoughts. I know that I’m the one who has to make this decision but giving the circumstances, what would your approach be?

BTW, we took away his food and he just came out looking for it and it wasn’t there. I feel so bad taking away his food but it's likely the best decision. Hopefully he is hungry and ready to eat in 3.5 hours.

 

[BJM]

Free feeding gives webster the ability to eat his way out of low numbers if you aren't testing.
If he does the scarf 'n' barf routine, a timed feeder can be set to provide mini-meals at times he may need it most.

As you are still titrating the dose plus clearing up infection, testing before the shots and at least 1 time heading in to the nadir will help you keep him safe. More than that depends on if he is diving down. In that case, you can steer with testing, or you can swamp him with carbs without testing. Which do you prefer to do and under what circumstances?

I have a sleep disorder, so for a diving cat at night, I might choose to flood with high carbs, then go to bed, knowing that there was ample support to prevent the cat from going low.
On the other hand, the time my housemate misread some new syringes and dosed 10 units instead of 1 unit, I didn't even try to manage it myself. I dumped a can of A/D in front of the cat, got the carrier, and took him to the very expensive emergency vet because there was no way I could manage that at home. He survived it. My bank account, though, was crippled for months.

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

My vet is a lot like yours....
thought one test a day was enough.... and some times .... it is....


you always want to get that pre-shot test....
and then a +2 is good because if there is a decent drop.... there is likely to be activity... to follow....


it is possible to hypo even on 0.5 u if it's too much insulin. Each cat is different.
The nice thing about the drama you are experiencing is Webster is turning around.... needing less insulin and has a good chance to go in remission.
If he does that, you will want to feed him more than twice a day.... just like a human .... smaller frequent meals are key.

But I'm getting ahead....
for now...
you want him to have a little hunger...so that he will eat what he is supposed to eat.
It is a big adjustment for we humans to have to go to opening cans after being used to just pouring it out and letting it be there all day.
But... that's kind of like putting out Cheetos in front of kids all day and then expecting them to eat their dinner.


You are having to test more right now because he's working his way down the dosng scale...
and it's quite possible that the 0.5 u will be more than he needs too....

As he progresses, you'll move down to 0.25 u.... and then 0.1 u
we continue supporting the pancreas as long as we can for a stronger remission.

But look how close you are to that tiny amount.

I listened to the folks here when I started and Shadow has been in remission for 2+ years.
I 'm glad I didn't listen to the vet who told me to only test at preshots.
I wanted to be aggressive and was purposefully seeking to get remission.
Just know.... once a diabetic, always a diabetic.... eventually that remission status will change and insulin will be needed again. The earlier
you catch it, the better your chance to go back to the falls.

I hope the fortiflora works for him and gets him interested in the wet food.

 

[Nancy and Scotty]

I disagree with your vets poke test for hypo, every time that I found Scottys blood sugar had gone too low it was because he was being very aggravating and would not leave me alone, I will check his blood sugar and find it is in the 30s or 40s, its like he is telling me hey my blood sugar is too low, get up and feed me some high card food.

 

[MommaOfMuse]

I'm going to disagree with your vet to on the poke test for hypo as I've tested Autumn when she's acting normal and she's been in the 20s.

Plus by the time they are unresponsive or having seizures you're not going to be able to walk them out by feeding. And could lose him trying to get to an ER vet. My first girl Muse died due to a hypo overnight on .5u.

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

[Websterthecat]

Free feeding gives webster the ability to eat his way out of low numbers if you aren't testing.
If he does the scarf 'n' barf routine, a timed feeder can be set to provide mini-meals at times he may need it most.

As you are still titrating the dose plus clearing up infection, testing before the shots and at least 1 time heading in to the nadir will help you keep him safe. More than that depends on if he is diving down. In that case, you can steer with testing, or you can swamp him with carbs without testing. Which do you prefer to do and under what circumstances?

I have a sleep disorder, so for a diving cat at night, I might choose to flood with high carbs, then go to bed, knowing that there was ample support to prevent the cat from going low.
On the other hand, the time my housemate misread some new syringes and dosed 10 units instead of 1 unit, I didn't even try to manage it myself. I dumped a can of A/D in front of the cat, got the carrier, and took him to the very expensive emergency vet because there was no way I could manage that at home. He survived it. My bank account, though, was crippled for months.

I see how it has to be one or the other - watch closely and steer away a drop or leave food out just in case so that he can at least eat. In one way you are killing yourself with the stress yet in another way you are defeating the purpose of leveling off his BG by leaving out HC food.

WOW! 10u instead of 1U. I don't know a whole lot, but that does not sound good. I'm so glad that your cat survived that one!

 

[Websterthecat]

My vet is a lot like yours....
thought one test a day was enough.... and some times .... it is....


you always want to get that pre-shot test....
and then a +2 is good because if there is a decent drop.... there is likely to be activity... to follow....


it is possible to hypo even on 0.5 u if it's too much insulin. Each cat is different.
The nice thing about the drama you are experiencing is Webster is turning around.... needing less insulin and has a good chance to go in remission.
If he does that, you will want to feed him more than twice a day.... just like a human .... smaller frequent meals are key.

But I'm getting ahead....
for now...
you want him to have a little hunger...so that he will eat what he is supposed to eat.
It is a big adjustment for we humans to have to go to opening cans after being used to just pouring it out and letting it be there all day.
But... that's kind of like putting out Cheetos in front of kids all day and then expecting them to eat their dinner.


You are having to test more right now because he's working his way down the dosng scale...
and it's quite possible that the 0.5 u will be more than he needs too....

As he progresses, you'll move down to 0.25 u.... and then 0.1 u
we continue supporting the pancreas as long as we can for a stronger remission.

But look how close you are to that tiny amount.

I listened to the folks here when I started and Shadow has been in remission for 2+ years.
I 'm glad I didn't listen to the vet who told me to only test at preshots.
I wanted to be aggressive and was purposefully seeking to get remission.
Just know.... once a diabetic, always a diabetic.... eventually that remission status will change and insulin will be needed again. The earlier
you catch it, the better your chance to go back to the falls.

I hope the fortiflora works for him and gets him interested in the wet food.

I agree. I want what is best for him but I have to balance this with my time (getting back to work) and my sanity because I'm almost at my breaking point.

Fortiflora seemed to help a bit. I discovered that he likes his new food, just doesn't know how to eat it. He's so accustomed to crunching dry food. I had to put a little bit on my fingertip at a time and he ate 1/2 his meal tonight and seemed to enjoy it. Any suggestions? Its the Friskies special diet Turkey and Giblets pate that he seems to like. I thought I heard someone say to roll it up into meatballs?

 

[Websterthecat]

I'm going to disagree with your vet to on the poke test for hypo as I've tested Autumn when she's acting normal and she's been in the 20s.

Plus by the time they are unresponsive or having seizures you're not going to be able to walk them out by feeding. And could lose him trying to get to an ER vet. My first girl Muse died due to a hypo overnight on .5u.

Mel and The Fur Gang

Wow. I'm sorry to hear that. And I also disagree with the poke test. I'm now trying to decide how much is enough. Must balance my health with his as mine has declined over the past 2 weeks.

 

[BJM]

Yeah, for someone who is a graphic artist, you'd think the visual difference between the volumes would have clued him in. Nope.

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

you can take a fork and make little meatballs or pellets... with space between on a bigger dish.

When mine had her fangs removed, she had to learn how to eat without them.

Webster will learn.... but he's likely to push a lot of food off the dish.... it helps if there is an edge.
Most cats don't chew their food.... they just grab what the can with their tongue ( and teeth ) and swallow it whole.

 

[Amy&TrixieCat]

Said that his hydration looked okay. Sometimes difficult to tell by checking skin due to recent weight loss caused by DKA.
Suggested to do the “poke” test if I was concerned about Hypo. Poke him and see if he opens his eyes and moves. Also, pick him up and move him. See how he walks back - see if he staggers etc. Keep an eye out for seizures.

I also really strongly disagree with this idea. If Webster has reached the point of "symptomatic hypo", he is in VERY dangerous, life-threatening territory, and contrary to what some vets may say, Lantus - even in a low dose - CAN cause a fatal or brain-damaging hypo. The size of the dose by itself doesn't matter
; the size of the dose in relation to what a kitty needs DOES matter. We have seen what Webster can do with a teeny amount of insulin!

You are an owner who is willing to home-test - why wait for symptoms before intervening?? Like someone else mentioned - when my Trix would get into the 30s, she would be frantic for food - I shudder to think what number she would be at if she was actually unresponsive. And given how Webster is responding to insulin, I wouldn't take any chances. You will reach a point of balancing his safety with your sanity...it takes a little time, but it does happen.

 

[Websterthecat]

Said that his hydration looked okay. Sometimes difficult to tell by checking skin due to recent weight loss caused by DKA.
Suggested to do the “poke” test if I was concerned about Hypo. Poke him and see if he opens his eyes and moves. Also, pick him up and move him. See how he walks back - see if he staggers etc. Keep an eye out for seizures.

I also really strongly disagree with this idea. If Webster has reached the point of "symptomatic hypo", he is in VERY dangerous, life-threatening territory, and contrary to what some vets may say, Lantus - even in a low dose - CAN cause a fatal or brain-damaging hypo. The size of the dose by itself doesn't matter
; the size of the dose in relation to what a kitty needs DOES matter. We have seen what Webster can do with a teeny amount of insulin!

You are an owner who is willing to home-test - why wait for symptoms before intervening?? Like someone else mentioned - when my Trix would get into the 30s, she would be frantic for food - I shudder to think what number she would be at if she was actually unresponsive. And given how Webster is responding to insulin, I wouldn't take any chances. You will reach a point of balancing his safety with your sanity...it takes a little time, but it does happen.

Thank you Amy. I will be watching him, especially now that I have him transitioning to all low carb food. Speaking of, it's time for his +2

 

[phlika29]

I think what you have to remember is that it won't always be like this. Webster should get used to the insulin and the lower numbers and his blood glucose levels will settle down and hopefully the real dives you saw in the first few days will lessen.

If you look at my spreadsheet you will see how I test on lantus. I have managed to fit it into my life and still get some sleep. I test and shot at 6am/pm. I do a +1 and +2, then a +4. That's it for the night cycle and then for the day one I trend to get a +6. This is the amount that I feel is right to keep my sanity and remi's safety. I tried reducing the level of testing but it worried me too much and so this is what I settled on.

Ofcourse there are those days he still likes to go lower but as you get used to it these become easier and as Webster switches to wet food should become easier to manage too.

It really is a balancing act between you and your cat. The sugar dance as everyone calls it I am not saying what I do is right but it fits into my routine.

 

[Websterthecat]

I think what you have to remember is that it won't always be like this. Webster should get used to the insulin and the lower numbers and his blood glucose levels will settle down and hopefully the real dives you saw in the first few days will lessen.

If you look at my spreadsheet you will see how I test on lantus. I have managed to fit it into my life and still get some sleep. I test and shot at 6am/pm. I do a +1 and +2, then a +4. That's it for the night cycle and then for the day one I trend to get a +6. This is the amount that I feel is right to keep my sanity and remi's safety. I tried reducing the level of testing but it worried me too much and so this is what I settled on.

Ofcourse there are those days he still likes to go lower but as you get used to it these become easier and as Webster switches to wet food should become easier to manage too.

It really is a balancing act between you and your cat. The sugar dance as everyone calls it I am not saying what I do is right but it fits into my routine.

WOW, look at all of that green! Remi's ss looks fantastic. The progress really shows! Was he transitioning from dry food in the beginning?

I will find a way to fit testing into my schedule. I agree that switching to wet (and getting on a regular feeding schedule) will stabilize things. Earlier tonight was his first night of all wet. I hesitantly followed the vets advice which was to put the food down, give him a chance to eat and then pick it up. I did have to nurse his eating because he was having issues picking it up, however, you guys gave me some great suggestions that should make it easier tomorrow.

Its 3am and I'm headed to bed. Goodnight folks!

 

[KittyMom777]

Hi Mike,
I work full time with a 2 hr each way commute so I hear you on the lack of sleep and needing to get back to work to pay the bills. I am a temp so no vacation or sick days for me at all.

I find that during the working week I will do a preshot test, feed and shoot at 6:30am, then I go to work. In the evening at 6:30pm I test, feed and shoot again. I then try and get two more tests in before I go to bed. That's all the monitoring I can do during the week. If for any reason Silver was really really low at preshot in the morning, then I'd be on here crying for help as to what to do as I would still need to go to work.

At the weekends, I'll tend to do a curve, testing every 2 hrs so I can get an idea of what he may have been doing during the week.

It works. So far so good. We havent had to shoot any green numbers yet but when I do, it will have to be over the weekend so I know how he will handle it. Then by Monday, I will feel safer knowing I can shoot and leave.

Hope that helps. And you get some sleep when you can.

Juliet and Silver.

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

you can take a fork and make little meatballs or pellets... with space between on a bigger dish.

When mine had her fangs removed, she had to learn how to eat without them.

Webster will learn.... but he's likely to push a lot of food off the dish.... it helps if there is an edge.
Most cats don't chew their food.... they just grab what the can with their tongue ( and teeth ) and swallow it whole.

Maggie wouldn't eat wet food (or human food) for years and years. I finally found that cutting the pate into little cubes helped. I think she didn't like getting her face dirty by putting her snout into the mushy stuff . I also ground her dry food into a powder and sprinkled a tiny bit on the wet to add it's smell and taste.

 

[Websterthecat]

Hi Mike,
I work full time with a 2 hr each way commute so I hear you on the lack of sleep and needing to get back to work to pay the bills. I am a temp so no vacation or sick days for me at all.

I find that during the working week I will do a preshot test, feed and shoot at 6:30am, then I go to work. In the evening at 6:30pm I test, feed and shoot again. I then try and get two more tests in before I go to bed. That's all the monitoring I can do during the week. If for any reason Silver was really really low at preshot in the morning, then I'd be on here crying for help as to what to do as I would still need to go to work.

At the weekends, I'll tend to do a curve, testing every 2 hrs so I can get an idea of what he may have been doing during the week.

It works. So far so good. We havent had to shoot any green numbers yet but when I do, it will have to be over the weekend so I know how he will handle it. Then by Monday, I will feel safer knowing I can shoot and leave.

Hope that helps. And you get some sleep when you can.

Juliet and Silver.

That sounds like a solid plan.

I work from home so I am able to do spot checks from time to time. However, I can't seem to get any work done if I am worrying about Webster every 1/2 hour or hour. I haven't worked in 2 weeks and must get back on schedule. I will continue to test moving forward but must come up with my own modified testing schedule as you have.

The good news is that things might be getting easier. As of last night I removed the variable of dry food and AB. He seemed to take a moderately fast dive in the beginning (starting from BG of 556) but then leveled out on his own.

Today he started at 311 and at +2 dropped to 195. This is a bit of drop but based on last nights results, I believe (hope) the he will start surfing here in the next hour or so. I will check again at +3

 

[Websterthecat]

you can take a fork and make little meatballs or pellets... with space between on a bigger dish.

When mine had her fangs removed, she had to learn how to eat without them.

Webster will learn.... but he's likely to push a lot of food off the dish.... it helps if there is an edge.
Most cats don't chew their food.... they just grab what the can with their tongue ( and teeth ) and swallow it whole.

Maggie wouldn't eat wet food (or human food) for years and years. I finally found that cutting the pate into little cubes helped. I think she didn't like getting her face dirty by putting her snout into the mushy stuff . I also ground her dry food into a powder and sprinkled a tiny bit on the wet to add it's smell and taste.

I tried cubes this morning but they slid across the plate. As mentioned, I need a bowl with a steep side. Steep sided bowl combine with making into cubes or balls just might do the trick.

 

[phlika29]

I think what you have to remember is that it won't always be like this. Webster should get used to the insulin and the lower numbers and his blood glucose levels will settle down and hopefully the real dives you saw in the first few days will lessen.

If you look at my spreadsheet you will see how I test on lantus. I have managed to fit it into my life and still get some sleep. I test and shot at 6am/pm. I do a +1 and +2, then a +4. That's it for the night cycle and then for the day one I trend to get a +6. This is the amount that I feel is right to keep my sanity and remi's safety. I tried reducing the level of testing but it worried me too much and so this is what I settled on.

Ofcourse there are those days he still likes to go lower but as you get used to it these become easier and as Webster switches to wet food should become easier to manage too.

It really is a balancing act between you and your cat. The sugar dance as everyone calls it I am not saying what I do is right but it fits into my routine.

WOW, look at all of that green! Remi's ss looks fantastic. The progress really shows! Was he transitioning from dry food in the beginning?

I will find a way to fit testing into my schedule. I agree that switching to wet (and getting on a regular feeding schedule) will stabilize things. Earlier tonight was his first night of all wet. I hesitantly followed the vets advice which was to put the food down, give him a chance to eat and then pick it up. I did have to nurse his eating because he was having issues picking it up, however, you guys gave me some great suggestions that should make it easier tomorrow.

Its 3am and I'm headed to bed. Goodnight folks!

Yes he started on caninsulin and at the same time was transitioning off dry and transitioning off steroids but by the time he got to lantus he was only on wet food. As you saw on the spreadsheet it took a couple of weeks to get the dose right and then he just sort of settled into the greens and I had to get used to shooting low.

I don't fully agree with the vet that you should only feed at shot time but I do think you should try just feeding small amounts so he finishes it. Wait for an hour or so and the put another small amount down. I had to go from feeding at pre shot and +2 to preshot and +1 to slow down the early dives he began to get and that worked well and I also feed at +4 and in the day +6. So I just divide his morning amount into four helpings.

 

[Websterthecat]

I think what you have to remember is that it won't always be like this. Webster should get used to the insulin and the lower numbers and his blood glucose levels will settle down and hopefully the real dives you saw in the first few days will lessen.

If you look at my spreadsheet you will see how I test on lantus. I have managed to fit it into my life and still get some sleep. I test and shot at 6am/pm. I do a +1 and +2, then a +4. That's it for the night cycle and then for the day one I trend to get a +6. This is the amount that I feel is right to keep my sanity and remi's safety. I tried reducing the level of testing but it worried me too much and so this is what I settled on.

Ofcourse there are those days he still likes to go lower but as you get used to it these become easier and as Webster switches to wet food should become easier to manage too.

It really is a balancing act between you and your cat. The sugar dance as everyone calls it I am not saying what I do is right but it fits into my routine.

WOW, look at all of that green! Remi's ss looks fantastic. The progress really shows! Was he transitioning from dry food in the beginning?

I will find a way to fit testing into my schedule. I agree that switching to wet (and getting on a regular feeding schedule) will stabilize things. Earlier tonight was his first night of all wet. I hesitantly followed the vets advice which was to put the food down, give him a chance to eat and then pick it up. I did have to nurse his eating because he was having issues picking it up, however, you guys gave me some great suggestions that should make it easier tomorrow.

Its 3am and I'm headed to bed. Goodnight folks!

Yes he started on caninsulin and at the same time was transitioning off dry and transitioning off steroids but by the time he got to lantus he was only on wet food. As you saw on the spreadsheet it took a couple of weeks to get the dose right and then he just sort of settled into the greens and I had to get used to shooting low.

I don't fully agree with the vet that you should only feed at shot time but I do think you should try just feeding small amounts so he finishes it. Wait for an hour or so and the put another small amount down. I had to go from feeding at pre shot and +2 to preshot and +1 to slow down the early dives he began to get and that worked well and I also feed at +4 and in the day +6. So I just divide his morning amount into four helpings.

Webster dove again today. He seems to get hungry around +1 or +2 (Fast dropping BG's tiggering hunger?) even after . Splitting up his meals into Pre shot and then +1 or +2 might be a good idea an perhaps around mid cycle.

What do you do at night when you are asleep?

 

[phlika29]

Well I am lucky that remi doesn't dive later in the cycle so in the evening I feed at PMPS, +1, +3 or 4 and then usually a little more at +5. After that as long as he isn't in very low numbers I don't leave any food down. You could get yourself a timed feeder and set it so that it allows him food later in the schedule. I think alot of people on the board use them and then if they are worried about low levels they can put in medium/ high or low carb food depending on what is needed.

I think the pet safe 5 is the name of one of the preferred feeders.

I would try splitting the food and feeding at shot time and depending on when he dives at least a +1 or +2 and then again at plus 3 or four. You will soon get an idea if that helps.

 

[Websterthecat]

Well I am lucky that remi doesn't dive later in the cycle so in the evening I feed at PMPS, +1, +3 or 4 and then usually a little more at +5. After that as long as he isn't in very low numbers I don't leave any food down. You could get yourself a timed feeder and set it so that it allows him food later in the schedule. I think alot of people on the board use them and then if they are worried about low levels they can put in medium/ high or low carb food depending on what is needed.

I think the pet safe 5 is the name of one of the preferred feeders.

I would try splitting the food and feeding at shot time and depending on when he dives at least a +1 or +2 and then again at plus 3 or four. You will soon get an idea if that helps.

Thanks for the feeder recommendation. I'm usually home during the day although it would be useful when I am not.

 

[tibbs5]

i personally let my cat free feed and just take up his food 2 hours before amps and pmps . This way if he starts to go low, he always has access to wet food and can get his numbers back up. Mine had alot of trouble with wet food. what ended up working for me was to actually add enough water to make a mushy consistency. He used to love gravy so now the "thinks" he's getting gravy but he is just lapping up the pate. The other good thing about this is you can leave it down for hours and the extra water keeps it moist. I know yours is used to the little pcs of crunchy but i wonder if the mashed with water consistency would work for him. Just another thing to try.

 

[Websterthecat]

i personally let my cat free feed and just take up his food 2 hours before amps and pmps . This way if he starts to go low, he always has access to wet food and can get his numbers back up. Mine had alot of trouble with wet food. what ended up working for me was to actually add enough water to make a mushy consistency. He used to love gravy so now the "thinks" he's getting gravy but he is just lapping up the pate. The other good thing about this is you can leave it down for hours and the extra water keeps it moist. I know yours is used to the little pcs of crunchy but i wonder if the mashed with water consistency would work for him. Just another thing to try.

Leaving it out with water is pretty much what I did. I went out and came home.The bowl was clean. Success.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Yeah Webster! Good for you on becoming a member of the "Clean Plate Club"! See, wet food is yummy.

Keep on eating for your pappa Mike.

p.s. This new vet of your's sounds pretty good for the most part. You have to decide for yourself how much to test.

Be cautious on the food change from dry to wet. When I was working on that with my dry food addict Wink, I needed to keep dropping the dose down. Wish I had listend to the people on this board and dropped the dose faster.

 

[Websterthecat]

Yeah Webster! Good for you on becoming a member of the "Clean Plate Club"! See, wet food is yummy.

Keep on eating for your pappa Mike.

p.s. This new vet of your's sounds pretty good for the most part. You have to decide for yourself how much to test.

Be cautious on the food change from dry to wet. When I was working on that with my dry food addict Wink, I needed to keep dropping the dose down. Wish I had listend to the people on this board and dropped the dose faster.

Webster went from 1U immediately down to .75 and then to .5 and .25 all within 8 days.

Looks like wink made it off the juice pretty fast and stayed off. Good for him!

 

[BJM]

You've been doing a good job monitoring him, Mike. Maybe in another 2 days, you'll be dosing in drops.

Just in case you might need to know.

Drop method of dosing:
Practice by filling the syringe to the first non-zero mark using an easily visible liquid, such as coffee. Carefully squeeze out equal sized drops - you may find twisting the plunger helps - and repeat until you can get the same number of equal sized drops each time. Now, when you dose the insulin, you can discharge drops (into the sink) from the dose, based on your cat's response.

So, if he needs further reduction, you might draw up the 0.25 units, then discharge drops as necessary.

 

[Websterthecat]

You've been doing a good job monitoring him, Mike. Maybe in another 2 days, you'll be dosing in drops.

Just in case you might need to know.

Drop method of dosing:
Practice by filling the syringe to the first non-zero mark using an easily visible liquid, such as coffee. Carefully squeeze out equal sized drops - you may find twisting the plunger helps - and repeat until you can get the same number of equal sized drops each time. Now, when you dose the insulin, you can discharge drops (into the sink) from the dose, based on your cat's response.

So, if he needs further reduction, you might draw up the 0.25 units, then discharge drops as necessary.

Thank you for the explanation. I was wondering how you guys were able to measure such small doses. I hope that he gets to this point.