Buddy's Mom always needs help Part 12

I do not know what is going on with Buddy, at AMPS #152, had to feed him FF grilled to get him to eat. Gave him 5.4u (which is less than I give him most of the time) his BG # are running in the 300's, I don't know if it is because of the FF grilled or he is bouncing. This makes me not know what dose to give him.

 

Hi Teresa,

These lows and all the bounces at one PS can be a sign that the dose is too high. Why not drop to 5 u for a few cycles to see what happens?

 

I will do that, I value your opinion. That would be wonderful if he needed 5.0u or less.

 

Don't worry about the red, Teresa. Buddy is bouncing like crazy. Keep the 5 u today unless he dives.

 

I gave him 5u this morning and will at PMPS. Let me know when or if you think I should change dose.

 

Will do, Teresa.

 

Buddy has been throwing out a lot of pinks on 5u, but I do not want to miss the right dose for him. Yesterday, he was not wanting to eat so @PMPS his number was lower than usual on 5u. Not wanting to eat this morning.

 

If you look carefully at his SS, Teresa, there aren't really too many more pinks at 5 u than on the higher doses. I suggest you leave him at 5 u for today. This experiment is to see if reducing the dose a bit will stop him having low PSs that make you have to stall or feed then shoot. He's a bouncy cat and it can take some time for a dose to show its true effect. Teasel is that way too.

 

You know how they bounce and I don't, your advice has a better out come than anything I do. He is not wanting to eat, so he is better at this lower dose.

 

Bounces are very hard to figure out, Teresa, and I do a fair amount of "flying by the seat of my pants" when assessing them. Always best to err on the side of caution. Is there anything Buddy will eat, even slowly over a few hours?

 

Does he like forti flora or anything, Teresa? Or tuna water on his food or maybe crushed up treats?

 

He has ate some YA and taken a few bites of some canned food. Since he ate some YA, I went ahead and gave him his shot

 

Yes, he likes Forti-Flora, but it is not helping right now. I have never put tuna water on his food, I might try that some time. I have given tuna water to the other cats, because I did not feel like they were drinking water when they were ill. Shame on me, the only kind of treats I have are Temptations treats for the other cats.

 

Buddy not feeling well @AMPS gave cerenia, he still would only eat a small amount of YA no wet food, @PMPS gave Buddy appetite stimulant, he ate wet food and YA.

 

Buddy's Lantus is supposed to arrive on Monday. I was going to give him 5u of Lantus, but that is the amount of ProZinc he has been taking.

 

Most of us dropped the dose a little bit but not much. Let's see how he does between now and the day you start Lantus, Teresa. We can help with dose.

Have you read up on Lantus and the two dosing methods, TR and SLGS? Have you thought about which one would be best for you right now? You can always switch after you've tried one way. Also, have a look at the way people post on the Lantus forum. They're a little strict about that. They like to see a new thread posted each day with the kitty's info put a certain way. Go have a look at mine over there. It's a huge forum with a lot of very experienced people on it to help you but it can feel like going from driving on a quiet country road (ProZinc forum) to getting on a freeway.

 

I have read it several times, but I need to read it again. I remember reading to only post 1 thread a day. One thing I hate is going some where and not knowing the way. I will take the time to go back and read the info again and to take a look at your thread on the Lantus form. Buddy's doc seemed to think Lantus was more like the naturally occurring insulin in Buddy's body, than most other insulin's. In a way he encouraged me to try Lantus.

 

I really hope that Lantus turns out well for Buddy! I check in on the Lantus forum now and then (never post just check on my old friends there) so I'll be keeping an eye out for your thread too! And know you're always welcome to come by here and post just to say hi!

 

Rachel, Buddy has not moved yet, he still has a little Prozinc left and I am going to use all of it. I hope the Lantus helps Buddy, his little pancreas needs a rest. You are so sweet to help everyone with their sick kitty's, and that is very special.

 

Hi Teresa,

I forgot to mention this in my earlier post about Lantus dosing protocols. If you feed any dry food at all (like YA) you're supposed to follow the SLGS protocol. It's designed to accommodate kitties who eat dry food for one reason or another. It's less aggressive in its approach than TR and might be a good choice for you, especially at the start. Basically, you hold a dose 5 to 7 days, do a curve once a week and drop the dose down by 0.25 u any time you get a BG under 90. Go reread that particular yellow info sticky when you have time because I've just given the highlights.

 

Hi Teresa. Beenie will be switching soon too! We just tapped into a new vial of ProZinc but when that is finished I'm switching her to Levemir. Won't take us too long to finish this vial, Beenie is a big gulper and I'm increasing every three cycles so we'll blow through this vial in about three weeks.
I'll be watching Buddy's journey. So curious as to how different insulin's work for different cats. We'll be seeing you over in the LL forum. Best of luck to you and Buddy

 

I will read as soon as I get back from church. How long do you think I should hold 5u. At AMPS I thought he might take a dive so I held at 5u. At AMPS +2 he was at 248, so he did not take a dive.

 

Maybe bump him to 5.2 u tonight and tomorrow. If your Lantus arrives tomorrow you might be starting it on Tuesday, right?

 

I

I will bump him up at PMPS if possible. I think I am going to use the rest of my bottle of ProZinc before I start the Lantus, it should be gone sometime this week. I hope Lantus is better for Buddy and I hope it cost me less money. Buddy is not wanting to eat his wet food (FF) he is wanting to just eat the YA, hopefully he will want some wet food later on. Buddy is a dry food junkie.

 

I wish I had asked for Levemir because Buddy takes a high dose of insulin, not as high as Beenie. I may ask the next time I get a script from the vet for Levemir. It will depend on if I think the Lantus is stinging Buddy when he gets his shot. I hope the change is good for both our kitty's

 

Many kitties don't react to Lantus so it's worth trying that one first. If you have a few days before the switch you can fiddle a bit with the ProZinc dose to see what happens. I do think that the Lantus SLGS method would be best for you seeing as Buddy sometimes needs dry food to get/keep him eating.

 

I will go with the SLGS method, I sure do hope Buddy reacts to Lantus. I feel like I need to brush up on what I have already read about the SLGS method. Hopefully, I can keep Buddy eating enough to take Lantus.

 

Actually, Lantus is slower in onset so kitties don't have to have a lot of food before their shot - a tablespoon or 2 is OK. Then, they can graze afterward.

 

That is good to know.

 

Just checking in - status quo with Buddy I see. Did your Lantus arrive yesterday?

 

I am taking Buddy to see his vet today, he does not want to eat w/o appetite stimulant. Yesterday I checked his ketone's and everything looked fine, soon as I can catch him, I will check again.

Buddy's Lantus did not arrive yesterday, it took from Saturday to this morning at 4:00 a.m. to go from San Francisco to Indianapolis. I am on my way to the post office to pick this up, hope everything is alright with the insulin.

 

Buddy is now on the Lantus forum.