4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 +1 149 BLOOD IN URINE!

Yesterday's Condo

Well, Tyler is still hanging in the blue. If I see another day where his AMPS is blue and his PMPS is blue, I'm nervous about him having another green in the morning! I can't take another day off to be there to test him nailbite_smile

Buuuuuutttt, that's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it. Any suggestions on how to handle that on a day where I am not available? Finally some beautiful weather down here! It feels great outside; I'm moving my desk outside!!!!

B

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159

Hi guys .. no advice from me as I was always lucky enough to stay home with mocha .. but I do have to say this is a very nice start to the day! Have a great day guys!

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159

Depends on the number, Brian...there's a difference between how you'd handle a 96 and how you'd handle a 56 (at least until you know your cat very well and how they do at lower numbers)

Most of us get to the point where we'll shoot anything above 50, but that's after lots of testing and knowing our cat very well

You can always leave food out for Tyler. Most cats will go looking for food if their blood glucose starts to get low

GREAT AMPS today too!! Hopefully the AB has kicked in and he'll start to get even better numbers!!

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159

Nice AMPS!!! You'll get used to the lower numbers, they become addictive. But I know it's nerve wracking when you can't be there. Enjoy the beautiful weather.

Come on Tyler, time to surf!

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59

Ann, that little surfer dude has a priceless look on his face... lolz

He had a pretty low +7, 59... I'm guessing he may have been lower. He didn't eat all his breakfast meal. Has not urinated since last night (that I am aware of), I keep checking the litter box. He did drink some water while I was at home for lunch. I pulled up the breakfast and gave him some Friskies: Tuna w/ Egg. He didn't seem to want to eat it, so I as going to hang around, but he started eating at the end of my lunch break.

Poor buddy, I can tell he does not feel 100%

Chris, what Probiotics are you buying from Walmart? I know everyone is telling me about Fortiflora, but I can't afford that right now. I am wiped out from all the vet visits last week.

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59

There aren't any that are particularly cheap, but WalMart has a good assortment

Just buy what you can afford that has the most live cultures

This is the one I have though http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ultimate-...Release-Vegetarian-Capsules-30-count/24761813

The other option is yogurt with live cultures....some cats love it! Of course it has to be plain yogurt...no fancy flavors

NICE number at +7!

I think I'd get a +11 if you can so you know for sure he's going up at PMPS. Some cats do a "double dip" and now that Tyler is feeling better, he may be one of them. It's nothing to worry about...just nice to know!

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

I am not able to get a +11 in the evening because I do not get off of work until 5. and shoot at about 5:10pm

he is not eating very much, which makes me think if he goes too low this evening, I may have trouble getting him to eat some HC food. Should I shoot 1.0 unit tonight? PLEASE ADVISE ASAP! I dont' want to stall his shot!!!

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

Update, he did not even eat 1/4 can of FF classic chicken just now. Barely touched his lunchtime snack. Should I shoot at all or 0.5u?

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

If you are going to be home to test and have supplies, I would test again now, and see what the number is. If he is about the same, I would shoot the full dose, and start this cycle with a test at +1 and +2. Please post the numbers. If you do not feel comfortable with the dose, you can always do a BCS (one time reduced) dose, but you will still have to test at +1 and at +2 as he is working off the depot of 1.25. If your shot schedule allows for some flexability, you can stall some more without feeding, and test again and wait for a rising number that you are comfortable with shooting the full dose. Normally, we don't recommend both stalling and a reduced dose as stalling acts like a dose reduction in itself.

The board is slow, again. I hope you get this reply soon.

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

Brian & Tyler said:

Update, he did not even eat 1/4 can of FF classic chicken just now. Barely touched his lunchtime snack. Should I shoot at all or 0.5u?

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It's up to you. You hold the syringe. I would try to make a decision and shoot something. If you want to skip, that's okay too. Do you have lots of test strips and high carb or karo or syrup if needed and will you be home tonight to test?

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

I think you have Tuesday night's off, but I'm not sure Brian

It's up to you...If you have HC food, can test tonight and can move your shot back 12 hours tomorrow, I'd go ahead and shoot the 1.25, but you can also skip or do a BCS of less than 1.25

Remember, if you stall, you have to be able to move the next shot by the same amount of time you stall minus 15 minutes.

Also, when you stall, don't feed! Test every 20 minutes and see if you can catch the numbers heading up without food. If you can, you can figure that the last shot is wearing off and he's on his way up on his own. By feeding, you can't know if it's a food spike taking the number higher, or if it's really the insulin wearing off.

Edited to add...I have to wonder if the reason his numbers were heading up was due to the growing UTI too..he had been responding well to the 1 unit, but we can't know the future. It's very possible that he'll earn a reduction soon that the UTI is being treated.

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

Ok, I'm gonna hear it from you ladies, but I usually feed him like so:

AM: 1 can FF Classic Chicken Feast
+7: 1/4 can of approved Friskies
PM: 1 can FF Classic Chicken Feast
+7: 1/4 can of approved Friskies

I stuck to the regimen but the last two days, he has not been finishing his meals. Today he's eating even less. I suspect his tummy doesn't like the AB's and I am going to the store after this to get some probiotics, and maybe some yogurt. He likes milk, so he may eat it.

Just now, I am worried about him not eating so I took a pinch, of some dust from the bottom of the container that still has hills w/d dry in it. I know, you all are probably wanting to wring my neck, but I did it. I wouldn't feel comfortable shooting without him eating. I changed his PM meal from 1 can of FF Classic Chicken, to 1/2 can w/ 1/2 teaspoon of dust on it, and he went right to work on it... it is gone. I hope you ladies aren't ready to choke me, but I am a super slow learner and am doing what I feel is best at the moment. I will be back with his +1 shortly.

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

Hi Brian,

what you did was in fact, very smart. when a cat doesn't want to eat, especially a diabetic cat, it's important to get and keep them eating. one of the tricks in the bag is to pulverize dry food and sprinkle it on the canned. that was brilliant. go brian!

if you need to give him more of it this evening, go for it. better to have him high than not eating. use the least you need to keep him eating. and i would give him the rest of his normal evening meal - don't short him on volume.

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

We might wag a finger at you if you gave Tyler a bowl of the forbidden dry food but some dust? Nah! It's a strategy we encourage to either help a cat transition from dry to wet or to encourage a cat who's having appetite problems to eat. You may want to pick up some FortiFlora (actually, you'd have to order it online at Amazon, PetFood Direct, etc.) It's a probiotic that's formulated for cats (get the cat variety) that smells like the coating on dry food. Most cats love the stuff. My vet refers to it as "kitty crack."

Re: 4/22 Tyler AMPS 159 +7 59 PMPS 89 shoot low?

You did fine Brian. Keeping Tyler safe is what's most important, and he needs to eat if he's a diabetic and getting insulin. I hope he ate a whole bunch of his Dinner and is licking his paws and washing his face, right now .

blood in urine is likely from the UTI. perhaps this means that the antibiotic you're giving him isn't working on that bacteria. i'd give the vet a call now, brian.

Update on Tyler, I have not seem a Tyler clump in the litter box since last night. I put him in the box and did not give him the option to get out, I just pet him until he went. His stream and volume was only 1/3 his normal, I scooped it before he covered it and as it broke apart in the middle I could see some red in it... My vet is a block away and I went up there but he has gone home. The girl from the front desk was leaving and said I could drop him off, but I didn't want to leave him there overnight, and stressed out, if he is not going to be treated!

What can I do right now to help him until morning????? PLEASE ADVISE!!!!

You might want to ask the vet about pain medication for his UTI that looks like it has gotten worse, Brian. Pain can also make them feel like not eating.

Just curious, is there anything at all that you can think of that is new to Tyler's environment. Have you moved his bed, litter box, place where you normally feed him? Has anyone new moved into your house? Has anyone moved out? Are there any new pets in the house?

Is Tyler allowed to go outside,monitored or unmonitored?

Tina,

I just took on a roommate three weeks ago, his litterbox is now in my room. Tyler peed on his bed, and has been peeing on the couch. I thought it was all behavioral. So yes, their entire, quiet world has changed with a new person, who took the room where their litter box was. My vet said he didn't want to prescribe pain meds for a diabetic animal(?), yeah, it ticked me off good.

- Wed: He started him on liquid Orbax at first, but Tyler only held it down the first day, the next day he seemed to have a Tyler sized clump in the box. The next two days, he puked it up, as I assume that nasty stuff didn't sit right, especially having his force fed to him.

- Sat: Vet gave me Baytril tabs, which seem to be doing nothing.

- Just now: I put 1/2 dose of Orbax in the rest of his food and put some more Hill's w/d dust on it. He ate a good bit of it.

He is not allowed to go outside. there are far too many strays in the neighborhood. He is going to get dropped off at the vet at 7:15am.

Not prescribing pain meds for a diabetic makes no sense. Plenty of cats here have been on pain meds. I know bupe (buprenex) being one of them. Remember the vet works for you. If you think Tyler is in pain, ask for a prescription.

Message board is acting up again!!

Here's some information on urinary tract health Brian (from a vet)....I have to wonder if Tyler has some cystitis.

Might be worth another talk with the vet about pain meds too. If your vet is a man, I think he should be able to understand how painful UTI's can be!

Sending lots of feel better vines for Tyler!!

There are a couple of things to consider.

Blood in the urine is not uncommon with a UTI. The only way to know if Tyler is getting the proper antibiotic is if a sterile urine sample was taken by the vet inserting a needle into Tyler's bladder (cystocentesis) and the urine is then cultured in order to determine which antibiotic the bacteria is sensitive to (a culture & sensitivity -- C & S). The difficulty now is that Tyler has been on an antibiotic and you're likely to get a false reading from a C & S.

If you are truly worried, there is likely an emergency vet around. An ER visit is a possibility.

I would encourage you to ask your vet what the rationale is for not giving a diabetic pain meds. Painful conditions like pancreatitis, which is not uncommon in diabetic cats, is routinely treated with pain meds (e.g., buprenorphine). After dental procedures where teeth are extracted, pain meds are given. Unless your vet suggests that you give pain meds on top of a hot fudge sundae, I don't understand his reticence to give you something to help Tyler be more comfortable.

there aren't any home remedies that i know of for a bladder infection. punkin used to get them and he peed blood in front of me a couple of times. he also peed on our bed when he got one, but never did that except when he had an infection. We also never had large upheavals in his world, but after a few years the vet pointed out that he got a UTI every fall. I have no idea what that connection was, but it happened several years in a row.

the only thing i can think of that you can do tonight is to add water to his food. that sounds lame, though, even to me. my only thought is that more dilute urine doesn't burn like concentrated urine.

i never gave punkin pain meds for a UTI but he always responded very quickly to the antibiotic. i think it sounds like you need a different AB.

fingers crossed that he feels better soon. you must be worried. :YMHUG:

THANK YOU, LADIES!

He is going to the vet in the am. He seemed to respond to the liquid Orbax almost immediately after the first day, then by manual administration, he spit it all up.

We tried the Baytril, it doesn't seem to be working.

I put 1mL of Orbax in the second half of his supper and sprinkled some Hill's w/d crumbs on it and he ate it all. for his +4 meal, I put 1/2 a capsule of Ultimate Flora (30 bil) probiotic in some Friskies: SD Ocean WF, and they both mowed it down!!!! I can think one of two things; they like the flavor, or the Orbax made Tyler feel better within 4 hours....

Tonight I added all the info to his SS's notes field for the vet tomorrow. I am dropping him off at 7:30, just before Math class and will call afterwards.
Ladies, I don't know how you all do this, I am coming apart at the seams! I'm trying to save to move to another city and this is taking every penny I have! I am gonna come unraveled if he has to stay at the vet's for days! :sad:

Hi Brian,


At the ER vet they gave me a 3 page print out on UTI's in cats. There are a lot of things that can trigger a UTI in a cat.

"Environmental Stress" for a MALE cat is a HUGE factor... I don't know your Tyler, but I just have this "feeling" that he is feeling extremely upset about something, and I don't know what it could be. My adult cat Digger got a UTI and was peeing blood recently, I believe, due to two factors: 1) I fed him and the whole gang 9 Lives Fish food for about 4 days and they had NEVER eaten an fish cat food before; 2) I had a male kitten in the house, 6 months old, who was VERY vocal and would kind of terrorize my Digger. "Astro" just wanted to play but it was all too much for Digger. And, Astro cried and cried and cried all of the time. I wanted to keep Astro but it was just too much stress for Digger, so Astro got adopted out. :cry:

This is straight from my vet's office:

"Aside from theoritical methods of limiting the duration of the episode, it it IMPORTANT to also consider the patient's pain. Painful urination can be excruciating and often therapy will include analgesics, urethral dilators, and muscle relaxants.

Click to expand...

"

I think Tyler seriously needs those pain meds. Besides all of the above that Digger was prescribed, they also gave me Buprenor for Digger that he was on for about 3 days.

I noticed that you said Tyler's "quiet world" has changed. Is the new roommate a bit, well, loud? Does he or she listen to music at a high volume? Well, you wouldn't know so if you are not around, but I suspect the person may be blasting his iPad, stereo, whatever it is, he is doing it pretty loud when you are not home. It might even be the TV.

You need to relax Tyler, A LOT. It may mean that you put Tyler on some type of anti-anxiety medication for more than a few weeks until he can get used to your new roommate since the roommate is not leaving. In my situation with Digger, I had to let little Astro go. You don't have this option. The other thing is, you must spend some time getting your roommate and Tyler acquainted with each other. It is likely that Tyler sense some uneasiness around this person.. :roll: Your home belongs to Tyler equally, or more so, than your roommate. Tyler doesn't feed that way any longer.

The other thing is, you need to majorly reassure Tyler that he is still the love of your life. You need to pick him up and pet him, love on him more than you ever did before. It's the only way that his anxiety about this new situation is going to be relieved. Being mad at him or ignoring him for peeing on the bed will only make things worse.

Tyler needs a private rest area like he had in that other bedroom. I suggest that you get him some type of house for your room that can go to and be alone. It needs to be big enough that he can really stretch out in it.

Is Tyler confined to your room now too, a good part of the time? If so, you're going to need to find a way to let him out more often.This is definitely causing him stress. Are there any loud appliances near your room? :roll:

Diet, or the food that Tyler is eating can also pay a role in the UTI.. Magnesium in cat food is still suspected as causing inflammation and leads to crystals in a cat's urine. What type of food were you MOSTLY feeding him when he peed on your roommate's bed?

You've got to try to find a way to stay calm yourself. I think maybe you are a bit freaked out about Tyler's diabetes and he is also sensing that too.