? Shaak, should I feed her more and how many days should I give the dose before raising it?

Shaak is way too skinny, and I am feeding her 3 cans of FF a day, she weighs about 9 lbs. When she was diagnosed she weighed 11.5 lbs. I am thinking on giving her four cans a day but I worry about giving her that much food. The only other food she eats is her BG purebites snack, one piece of shrimp before BG and one piece after.

Also I am wondering with Novolin N how long should I leave her at a certain dose before raising it. when she went into remission she was on one drop insulin and would hit the greens. Now she is on 2 u and I have only seen about three blues and that was a couple of weeks or so ago. I want to see low blues and high greens. I want to raise her to 2.25 u but not sure it is a good idea.

will be happy to consider all advise .

@Sue and Oliver (GA) , @Marje and Gracie , @MrWorfMen's Mom , @Squalliesmom , @Jill & Alex (GA) , @Noah & me

 

I wonder if our little Shaak might be hyperthyroid. It "might" explain the weight loss and the numbers although I also think you should be shooting a lot more consistently....I know you've had a lot going on but she might have built up insulin resistance which means the numbers are going to be higher and she'll need more insulin to get her BG down.

I would think you'd want her at a dose for close to a week before you do a curve and then adjust the dose. However, if she is staying in pinks and yellows after several days, you might want to increase by 0.25u....as long as you have been and will continue to test, and then slow it down to holding doses for a week when she starts seeing blue.

 

The vet ran a full panel and it did not show anything amiss with her Thyroid though. Do you think since Novolin N is an in and out insulin that it would be okay to shoot morning dose ten hours apart from night dose, it would mean the night dose would have to go 14 hours though, I am trying to find a way to guarantee I can shoot twice a day.

 

I started 2 u yesterday, I will hold for the next 6 days.

 

Hi Cathie. Think in terms of calories rather than number of cans. Dr. Lisa Pierson cites this formula for figuring out about how many calories to feed:

"Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70."

Generally speaking, if a cat is too skinny, feed more. If a cat is too fat, gradually feed less.

Here are some links to info that may help you assess Shaak's body weight:

• How much should I feed?
• Consider Calories and Composition, Not Just Ounces
• Body Condition Score Chart

One thing I do know is it's pretty common for kitties returning from the Falls to require more insulin the second time around than the first. We see it often. However, I'm not very comfortable offering suggestions or advice for an insulin I've never used. I do think the plan Marje outlined in her comments sounds reasonable though:

Whenever a caregiver wants to safely deviate from the norm, their data must support the decision... no matter which insulin is used.

Before one can make this kind of change responsibly, one must learn how the individual cat is responding to the insulin used. Here's what you need to know:

When does the insulin

• Onset? (the length of time before insulin reaches the bloodstream & begins lowering blood glucose)
• Peak/Nadir? (reach the lowest point in the cycle)

How much

• Duration is Shaak getting from this dose? (the length of time insulin continues to lower blood glucose)

I think you need the answers to those questions before thinking about changing her shot schedule.



Just my thoughts...

 

Thank you. Will keep working on it

 

Still plugging along, still in the purples and yellows. Shaak however is still playing like a champ and no problems with eating and no litterbox issues. I have a problem of falling asleep though and I wake up every time and go crazy till I see her and know that she is okay, because I can't seem to get a test past a +4 without falling asleep, so I miss +5, +6, and +7 . Then have to deal with kids and ex and roommate and all the stuff we all have to do to be productive each day so I can't get another test in till AMPS or PMPS.