7/26 Sammy AMPS=60 PMPS=50, reduced dose

7/23 Sammy's condo

Hi all,

Sammy's still swimming in the greens. :mrgreen: This is her eighth day on this dose (0.5s), and she's been in the 50 - 120 range during that whole time. Her curves are pretty flat, with nadirs in the low to mid 50's, usually around +11/+12, although sometimes she'll dip in the middle of the cycle too (that's new). So, I think she's ready for a dose decrease.

However, I started her on 5mg cetirizine (zyrtec generic) today for her allergies; she started sneezing and coughing from pollen/dust allergies a few days ago. She gets these symptoms 3-4 times a year; the vet had prescribed steroids previously, which likely triggered the diabetes, so we're not going down that road again! I'm really hoping the cetirizine will work. (I also vacuumed and dusted!)

This is the first time Sammy's been on this med, so I was hoping to wait a few days before changing her dose. But Sammy's AM cycle has been REALLY flat today. It sure looks like she's asking for a dose decrease. I also read somewhere that allergies cause the body to release cortisol, which tends to raise blood sugar, so antihistamines may have the effect of lowering blood sugar.

Should I hold out for a few more days, or go with the flow and reduce? Go to 0.25?

7/26 recap:
AMPS = +60
+2 = 66
+5 = 60 fed 1tsp LC
+8 = 61 fed 1 tsp LC

Re: 7/26 Sammy AMPS=60, started zyrtec, dose decrease?

This is what my vet said when she recommended Zyrtec:

Zyrtec dosage is ½ of a 10 mg tablet by mouth (in food…) twice daily, or about every 12 hours, try for 7 days. Watch for drowsiness or restlessness, although side effects from Zyrtec are not likely or are very mild. Use plain Zyrtec, or cetirizine, only—no combo meds.

Click to expand...

She also indicated that 200 - 250 mg of omega-3 (fish oil) can be helpful with allergies. It will take up to 2 weeks to work, though. If you want to try fish oil, Nordic Naturals makes a brand that is good for cats. Allergy is an inflammatory process so it could have an effect on BG.

I would go ahead and reduce Sammy's dose. Her SS is impressive!!

Beautiful #s! Keep up the excellent work! :mrgreen;

Hi folks, you're up either very late or very early!

Sienne: Thanks for the tips on allergy treatment. Sammy had only 1 dose of zyrtec today, but I'll try 2 doses starting tomorrow. She does seem just a little bit better already (antijinx). I'll see if DH can send me a bottle of Nordic Naturals. In the meantime, I wonder if it is ok to give her a few drops from mine: Kirkland Omega-3 Fish Oil Concentrate 1000 mg soft gels?

Sammy's PMPS was 50 That's only a little lower than her usual (these days) PS, so I shot a reduced dose of 0.25 (and fed myself a HC snack). +1 was 74.

I put on a pot of coffee and will be staying up with Sammy for a while tonight. Anyway, I've been wanting to watch this new detective show I found on Netflix (Wallander), so this is the perfect opportunity.

7/26 recap:
AMPS = +60
+2 = 66
+5 = 60 fed 1tsp LC
+8 = 61 fed 1 tsp LC
PMPS = 50
+1 = 74

Re: vacuums - If you can find a HEPA filtered bag, it helps reduce fine dust blow around from the vacuuming. Stirring up the dust can trigger more symptoms.

If you have wood or linoleum floors, you might consider a damp wipe approach, as that won't stir up dust.

When my vet suggested the omega-3, I looked at a number of brands. The actual amount of fish oil really varies from product to product. With gel caps, you really don't have a means of accurately measuring, either. One word of caution. Some cats are allergic to fish. Ella's Rusty had a very extreme response to fish oil.

Another alternative is Allerplex. Both Marje and Ella use this with their cats and seem very happy with it.

Sammy loves fish so I think she'll be ok with the fish oil, but thanks for the warning. I'll start with a small dose just to be on the safe side. Nix on the gel caps. I'll wait for the Nordic Naturals.

According to felinecrf.org, fish oil may also be good for CKD (Sammy has a mild case). They mention that Astro's CRF Oil is an omega-3 oil developed specifically to treat CKD. Wonder if anyone has any experience or thoughts about this product?

HEPA filter: definitely! Going shopping tomorrow.

Sammy's curve is starting out nicely on this cycle. I'm going to set my clock for a +6 test.

update:
PMPS = 50
+1 = 74
+2 = 82
+3 = 80