Week of 1/3/17: cliff notes
- Thread starter MiCo
- Start date
- Status
MiCo
Active Member
Cliff was a good boy and stayed on camera most of the morning. I saw him sleep, stretch, yawn, roll over, change positions and sleep some more. 
He seemed good when I was home over lunch--bright, alert. Ate OK. Present in the litter box upstairs I think was from him.
Dave will be home in just a few hours now... so, I think we are good.
He seemed good when I was home over lunch--bright, alert. Ate OK. Present in the litter box upstairs I think was from him.
Dave will be home in just a few hours now... so, I think we are good.
MiCo
Active Member
Cliff seems to be having a good day. He seems to be eating more. It's harder to tell because I'm not keep him separate from Stella anymore. I can see what he eats for the 15-30-45 minutes that I sit with him, but after that-I have no idea who's eating what. I'm hopeful he will continue to improve. We are continuing meds.
Ultrasound scheduled for Friday, that's the earliest my vet could get me. They use a traveling person, and that person is fully booked until next week. However, she has squeezed us in Friday. My vet gave me the name of another facility to check, but they are fully booked until next week too. So, Friday it is.
Ultrasound scheduled for Friday, that's the earliest my vet could get me. They use a traveling person, and that person is fully booked until next week. However, she has squeezed us in Friday. My vet gave me the name of another facility to check, but they are fully booked until next week too. So, Friday it is.
Last edited:
MiCo
Active Member
Civvie woke me up (just 1-2 minutes before my alarm--how do they do that? Tell time?)
Test/pill/feed/shoot notes:
Next: cerenia at noon, test at lunch, lunch
Test/pill/feed/shoot notes:
- BG=556, high
- However, he got in the yellows for the first time in a long while last night. The other two recent drops on the SS were from the double-dose day and the "too low/no shoot" two days later.
- Cypro 1/4 pill, took in pocket
- Fed-bought some wellness last night. He cleaned his plate! 1/4 of 5 oz can. I gave him more! (Cautiously optimistic!)
- 4 units
Next: cerenia at noon, test at lunch, lunch
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
Good signs on the feeding front! Think about U100 syringes. They would allow 4.2 u by reading barrel marks directly and 4.1 u by eyeballing.
Sue and Oliver (GA)
Very Active Member
Hurray for good eating! I would guess all the meds and the infection are keeeping him high. Hope when you can stop the meds and the infection clears, he is back in better numbers.
MiCo
Active Member
I will look into this! Thanks.
MiCo
Active Member
Thanks, Sue. I am trying not to stress about the #s. It's better when I'm stressing less. I will continue with the insulin protocol, and the meds and testing for ketones. That's all I can do, right? No sense fretting about everything? (Easier said than done, right?)
MiCo
Active Member
Amps-don't remember, will look up. Low 400s-->431
Civvie has been stalking us since early am. Finally got up.
Pill-Cliff ate around pocket, had to toss cyproheptadine down hatch.
Fed-1/4 5 oz. Cliff needed promoting.
Shot 4.25 units. Fur shot
So, I felt the needle go in, but it wouldn't depress. I looked down, and it looked like it was pushed in next to skin. Pushed, definitely fur shot. What happened?
Does anyone else ever feel resistance? Do you pull the needle out and poke again somewhere different, with same needle? Or, would I start again, new needle?
I'm so frustrated!! Also, with ultrasound tomorrow, he has to fast after midnight and skip morning shot. I won't skip Per se, but delay 4 hrs. This is gonna put us off schedule, but that's what I gotta do. At least it will be the weekend.
One other thing, I noticed his whiskers are falling out. Not just one or two, I've found maybe 4-5 over the past week. This concerns me so much, I almost didn't want to type it out.
Civvie has been stalking us since early am. Finally got up.
Pill-Cliff ate around pocket, had to toss cyproheptadine down hatch.
Fed-1/4 5 oz. Cliff needed promoting.
Shot 4.25 units. Fur shot
So, I felt the needle go in, but it wouldn't depress. I looked down, and it looked like it was pushed in next to skin. Pushed, definitely fur shot. What happened?
Does anyone else ever feel resistance? Do you pull the needle out and poke again somewhere different, with same needle? Or, would I start again, new needle?
I'm so frustrated!! Also, with ultrasound tomorrow, he has to fast after midnight and skip morning shot. I won't skip Per se, but delay 4 hrs. This is gonna put us off schedule, but that's what I gotta do. At least it will be the weekend.
One other thing, I noticed his whiskers are falling out. Not just one or two, I've found maybe 4-5 over the past week. This concerns me so much, I almost didn't want to type it out.
Last edited:
Rachel
Very Active Member
Those fur shots happen, Michele. I know it's frustrating, especially since tomorrow is going to be a weird day, but it does happen.
I've never pulled the needle out and stuck elsewhere...but I never really remember having resistance. It's been a few years, though.
Hmmm...never heard of the whiskers thing. Maybe ask the vet about it? Or someone else will have some insight?
I've never pulled the needle out and stuck elsewhere...but I never really remember having resistance. It's been a few years, though.
Hmmm...never heard of the whiskers thing. Maybe ask the vet about it? Or someone else will have some insight?
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
I have done this on the few occasions when Teasel has moved away from me just as I was going to inject. I'd check to make sure the insulin dose was still properly in the syringe, plunger out, etc. and then I'd repoke in another spot. I've never had a syringe plunger refuse to depress though.
Re whiskers: I know that diabetes can affect coat condition. I wonder if this is just Cliff's weird version of this? Is he rubbing his face more, as in itchiness?
I know how overwhelming your past days have been with Cliff. We're all here if you need to vent, curse, cry, anything ....
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
Other thoughts: I wonder if the whisker loss could be from the psychological/physiological stress that Cliff has been under recently? Strange side effects of the new meds?
MiCo
Active Member
A few positives from my "second morning":
Thanks for your input. I will ask the vet about the whiskers, but from what I've read online, whiskers and coat are related to skin and both of these can be affected by disease, illness, etc.. Which, I already know he's got these things going on, and new meds, and possible stress--so, it's not surprising, just alarming that I keep finding them when he gets up from a spot.
- Cliff's +4 before leaving the house was lower, so maybe not a complete furshot this AM?
- In terms of the syringe not depressing, I really feel like it is partly these syringes, and not where I injected Cliff. When I depress them to test before filling with insulin, they seem stiffer, if that makes sense? I guess that's why I thought I would just go ahead and force it this morning, but I don't know? I need to think about this a little more... if it was the syringe, or my poke of Cliff, or something else? I don't want to be hurting Cliff, that's the main thing. Or missing shots of insulin.
- He had a good poop in the box while I was getting ready, which is very exciting for us both!
- He was vocal this morning, which I took as something was wrong, and I thought for sure his BG was gonna be high when I tested it. But in retrospect, he was rolling around and just trying to get my attention, so maybe he was just feeling better and happy? I think maybe he was asking for his 2nd breakfast, since I fed them about an hour earlier today, and I usually drop some food before leaving for work.
- I also tested blood ketones before leaving (because I was worried about the vocalization and what it could mean) and he was lower than yesterday.
Thanks for your input. I will ask the vet about the whiskers, but from what I've read online, whiskers and coat are related to skin and both of these can be affected by disease, illness, etc.. Which, I already know he's got these things going on, and new meds, and possible stress--so, it's not surprising, just alarming that I keep finding them when he gets up from a spot.
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
This sounds good, Michele. Finding the positives is the best way to deal with this !#@&*!! disease.A few positives from my "second morning":
So, all in all I felt better when leaving the house this morning than when I first woke up!
- Cliff's +4 before leaving the house was lower, so maybe not a complete furshot this AM?
- In terms of the syringe not depressing, I really feel like it is partly these syringes, and not where I injected Cliff. When I depress them to test before filling with insulin, they seem stiffer, if that makes sense? I guess that's why I thought I would just go ahead and force it this morning, but I don't know? I need to think about this a little more... if it was the syringe, or my poke of Cliff, or something else? I don't want to be hurting Cliff, that's the main thing. Or missing shots of insulin.
- He had a good poop in the box while I was getting ready, which is very exciting for us both!
- He was vocal this morning, which I took as something was wrong, and I thought for sure his BG was gonna be high when I tested it. But in retrospect, he was rolling around and just trying to get my attention, so maybe he was just feeling better and happy? I think maybe he was asking for his 2nd breakfast, since I fed them about an hour earlier today, and I usually drop some food before leaving for work.
- I also tested blood ketones before leaving (because I was worried about the vocalization and what it could mean) and he was lower than yesterday.
Thanks for your input. I will ask the vet about the whiskers, but from what I've read online, whiskers and coat are related to skin and both of these can be affected by disease, illness, etc.. Which, I already know he's got these things going on, and new meds, and possible stress--so, it's not surprising, just alarming that I keep finding them when he gets up from a spot.
MiCo
Active Member
update on my little enigma...
His BG #s over lunch at +8 was 309, so--I guess not a complete furshot, or else something else is going on.
He ate his pill like a good little boy,
and he cleaned his whole plate again. But he hasn't been consistent. He will clean a plate and ask for more, but not every time. This morning I feel like his eating was iffy. I track it all in a book at home. There have been signs of improvement, but he's doesn't consistently seem better. He's still sleeping lots, but that is a listed side effect of the meds, so...
I guess this is why we're getting more tests done tomorrow! To hopefully get to the bottom of his recent issues!
His BG #s over lunch at +8 was 309, so--I guess not a complete furshot, or else something else is going on.
He ate his pill like a good little boy,
and he cleaned his whole plate again. But he hasn't been consistent. He will clean a plate and ask for more, but not every time. This morning I feel like his eating was iffy. I track it all in a book at home. There have been signs of improvement, but he's doesn't consistently seem better. He's still sleeping lots, but that is a listed side effect of the meds, so...
I guess this is why we're getting more tests done tomorrow! To hopefully get to the bottom of his recent issues!
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
Let us know how things go today at Cliff's vet visit.
MiCo
Active Member
Will do! We are here now. Since the lab work and the ultrasound need to be sent out for analysis, I don't expect to hear much today.
Cliff was in good spirits this am. A little grumpy because I "forgot" to feed him! Haha. He had a really big poop this am, best he's had in weeks. I really think he was a little constipated when this all started, but every time I brought it up and they examined him, they said he seemed fine. We will see. I am waiting with him, so he doesn't have to stay here all day.
MiCo
Active Member
Actually, the vet did come down and talk to me after Cliff's ultrasound. I love love love our regular vet. She is the best. So communicative and responsive and always emailing me. Last night she emailed to remind us to fast Cliff and no insulin, just as a reminder.
Anyways, she said his pancreas looked a little larger than normal, but that it looked like the pancreas of a diabetic kitty. No tumors or abnormalities. She said the lining of the intestines looked a little thick, could mean IBd-but she is sending out the scans to be read offsite, That is just what she saw this am. His addtl bloodwork (gi panel) will take a couple of days too.
That's all for now. BG low 400s, pilled and fed. Gave 4units. I'm off to work now, Dave will be home in a few hours.
MiCo
Active Member
Cliff ate good for Dave in the afternoon.
Dave also took a BG test before feeding, because I was curious abt his +6
+6 was 367
However, when I went to use the meter just now for the PMPS, I noticed the code was off. It was 36 instead of 38. I did a double take, because 36 is on the bottle, but for dogs. Hm, not sure how long it's been at 36. I usually subconsciously confirm the code each time, and I did catch it just now. Sometimes I feel like my thread is a confessional. I suppose it couldn't have been like that for too long.
Anyways, I reset and double checked the meter was set to 38 for cats.
PMPS=370
Pilled
Fed-ok good. Cleaned plate. Gave extra.
Shot 4units. I'm really tired and it's late because we're off schedule from the delay due to vet appt this am. +5 would be 1:30A, might set an alarm.
Happy weekend!
Dave also took a BG test before feeding, because I was curious abt his +6
+6 was 367
However, when I went to use the meter just now for the PMPS, I noticed the code was off. It was 36 instead of 38. I did a double take, because 36 is on the bottle, but for dogs. Hm, not sure how long it's been at 36. I usually subconsciously confirm the code each time, and I did catch it just now. Sometimes I feel like my thread is a confessional. I suppose it couldn't have been like that for too long.
Anyways, I reset and double checked the meter was set to 38 for cats.
PMPS=370
Pilled
Fed-ok good. Cleaned plate. Gave extra.
Shot 4units. I'm really tired and it's late because we're off schedule from the delay due to vet appt this am. +5 would be 1:30A, might set an alarm.
Happy weekend!
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
Don't worry about confessing booboos. It helps the others who come here kicking themselves for doing something they think is stupid and then they see that we all have our "moments".
Try to rest up this weekend, Michele.
Last edited:
- Status