12/4, Pookey, AMPS 224, +6 188, PMPS 250

Tim & Pookey said:
Good morning,

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...181-8-208-pmps-224-4-215.296247/#post-3225530

One thing I’m curious about is how often you all talk to your vet. To talk strategy/spreadsheet or even a check up discussion.

We haven’t talked to ours since the start, so like 3 weeks. They’re just a little hard to communicate with being so busy.

Have a good day! - Tim
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Hi Tim. I only talk to my vet if there’s a real issue or when I have labs done (which right now is 4-6 weeks apart because we are trying to tweak Ivy‘s methimazole dosing for her thyroid condition). But otherwise, I only would have a conversation with them when I took Ivy in for an exam or lab work, and that was usually every three months or so sometimes six months.
Once you get situated with dosing, since you are testing you kind of know what’s going on and you’re really on your own. Although some people do have more communication with their vets, but it seems most people here are sort of doing it on their own, with occasional check ins with their vets. :bighug:
 
Staci & Ivy said:
Hi Tim. I only talk to my vet if there’s a real issue or when I have labs done (which right now is 4-6 weeks apart because we are trying to tweak Ivy‘s methimazole dosing for her thyroid condition). But otherwise, I only would have a conversation with them when I took Ivy in for an exam or lab work, and that was usually every three months or so sometimes six months.
Once you get situated with dosing, since you are testing you kind of know what’s going on and you’re really on your own. Although some people do have more communication with their vets, but it seems most people here are sort of doing it on their own, with occasional check ins with their vets. :bighug:
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Awesome thanks Staci! Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a direct text/call line with them, but they’d probably think I’m crazy :cat:
 
Tim & Pookey said:
One thing I’m curious about is how often you all talk to your vet. To talk strategy/spreadsheet or even a check up discussion.
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I've only had bad experiences with vets when it comes to diabetes and CKD. Their only solution is prescription food and wanting to do the expensive fructosamine test, which is unnecessary when one tests as much as you do. I relied entirely on what I learned here to treat Bandit's diabetes.

During my time here (and on our FB group) I have seen so many cats join with the wrong type of insulin (Vetsulin, Novolin etc), too high a starting dose (and increases in whole units), high carb prescription dry food and no home testing being suggested. Some vets are eager to learn/understand and are supportive of caregivers who are trying TR and hometesting, while others refuse to help unless you follow their dosing guidelines. Since vets don't suggest home testing (and many caregivers do not want the hassle of it), they prefer to keep cats on doses that leaves them in higher numbers (over 150-200) for safety - that reduces their chance of remission.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I've only had bad experiences with vets when it comes to diabetes and CKD. Their only solution is prescription food and wanting to do the expensive fructosamine test, which is unnecessary when one tests as much as you do. I relied entirely on what I learned here to treat Bandit's diabetes.

During my time here (and on our FB group) I have seen so many cats join with the wrong type of insulin (Vetsulin, Novolin etc), too high a starting dose (and increases in whole units), high carb prescription dry food and no home testing being suggested. Some vets are eager to learn/understand and are supportive of caregivers who are trying TR and hometesting, while others refuse to help unless you follow their dosing guidelines. Since vets don't suggest home testing (and many caregivers do not want the hassle of it), they prefer to keep cats on doses that leaves them in higher numbers (over 150-200) for safety - that reduces their chance of remission.
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Totally agree - the thought behind the question was not about doubting the knowledge and experience here at all. I had a similar vet story when we started too (high dose, wrong food). So you all are stuck with Pookey and I haha
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Always welcome! Btw, how is he taking to wet food? Any chance of a 100% transition?
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Wet food at shot times is good, he goes crazy for it. I have a mental block with the dry food still. It feels comfortable to have that out for him. But he does graze at it a lot and I’m worried it could be slowing our progress.
 
Tim & Pookey said:
Wet food at shot times is good, he goes crazy for it. I have a mental block with the dry food still. It feels comfortable to have that out for him. But he does graze at it a lot and I’m worried it could be slowing our progress.
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Dry food is indeed convenient and brands like Dr. Elsey's and Young Again are of better quality than others, but if he will eat only wet food, you want to try switching him entirely to it. For one, you can try TR, which means faster dose increases and getting him to a good dose sooner. Getting a cat regulated sooner (after diagnosis) can significantly increase chances of remission. Secondly, and I don't have enough empirical data to support this claim/hunch, but I think dry food does impede the ability of cats to get regulated. I remember one cat that was grazing on dry food and at a very low dose for a while (toying with OTJ but not quite getting there) that went OTJ after the CG took away the dry food. I always wondered if Bandit would have done better if she would have eaten wet food. Although, there are enough unregulated cats who are on 100% LC wet! You could try only wet & TR for a while and see if it makes a difference. It's not set in stone - you can always go back to SLGS :-)
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Dry food is indeed convenient and brands like Dr. Elsey's and Young Again are of better quality than others, but if he will eat only wet food, you want to try switching him entirely to it. For one, you can try TR, which means faster dose increases and getting him to a good dose sooner. Getting a cat regulated sooner (after diagnosis) can significantly increase chances of remission. Secondly, and I don't have enough empirical data to support this claim/hunch, but I think dry food does impede the ability of cats to get regulated. I remember one cat that was grazing on dry food and at a very low dose for a while (toying with OTJ but not quite getting there) that went OTJ after the CG took away the dry food. I always wondered if Bandit would have done better if she would have eaten wet food. Although, there are enough unregulated cats who are on 100% LC wet! You could try only wet & TR for a while and see if it makes a difference. It's not set in stone - you can always go back to SLGS :)
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That’s interesting about the dry keeping him from getting OTJ. I would love to get Pookey regulated faster.

Would you say the chances of remission are higher with wet/TR? If we’re talking about only 10% more likely, maybe I stick with the slower cautious approach that we’re on now. If it’s 50%, or even 30% more likely, that’s probably worth any risk or complications with wet/TR.
 
Tim & Pookey said:
Would you say the chances of remission are higher with wet/TR? If we’re talking about only 10% more likely, maybe I stick with the slower cautious approach that we’re on now. If it’s 50%, or even 30% more likely, that’s probably worth any risk or complications with wet/TR.
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Regulation/remission is definitely much more likely with wet/TR, although we have had cats go into remission with SLGS and also had cats not get regulated with TR/wet food. I think Pookey is stuck in the 180-250 range - and faster increases could jolt him out of it. Give it a try for a couple of weeks and see?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Regulation/remission is definitely much more likely with wet/TR, although we have had cats go into remission with SLGS and also had cats not get regulated with TR/wet food. I think Pookey is stuck in the 180-250 range - and faster increases could jolt him out of it. Give it a try for a couple of weeks and see?
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OK. Thanks for talking it through with me. I will see how the numbers look in the next few days and then decide.

In the meantime, I’ll have to figure out a wet food feeding schedule and feeding amounts. Are there any posts about that?
 
Tim & Pookey said:
In the meantime, I’ll have to figure out a wet food feeding schedule and feeding amounts. Are there any posts about that?
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There is no fixed feeding schedule. ECID. Whether wet or dry, you want to avoid feeding after the nadir, if possible. Some cats don't do well with long gaps between meals. In those cases, the CG feeds the lowest carb snack available later in the cycle.

Check out this sticky on feeding the curve:
 
Hey Tim,

Ailish is on an all wet diet right now.
I got a timed wet feeder, which also keeps the food cold so I only need to fill it twice a day.

I give her her two main meals PS in her old bowl, and then the feeder feeds her in between. I tried to do the little timed snacks other folks here do, but she slept through them and was waisting food. Now I have it set up so it lets her graze, just like she did with dry, and then takes it away 2 hours before AM/PM PS. She’s taken to it well, and it feels more natural for me than chasing her with wet food bowls all day.

Hope you find a balance that works for you and Pookey!
 
Ailish’s Brother said:
Hey Tim,

Ailish is on an all wet diet right now.
I got a timed wet feeder, which also keeps the food cold so I only need to fill it twice a day.

I give her her two main meals PS in her old bowl, and then the feeder feeds her in between. I tried to do the little timed snacks other folks here do, but she slept through them and was waisting food. Now I have it set up so it lets her graze, just like she did with dry, and then takes it away 2 hours before AM/PM PS. She’s taken to it well, and it feels more natural for me than chasing her with wet food bowls all day.

Hope you find a balance that works for you and Pookey!
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Hey! Thanks for sharing. I definitely like the idea of the feeder for consistency and if we’re ever both out of the house.
 
Tim & Pookey said:
Good morning,

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...181-8-208-pmps-224-4-215.296247/#post-3225530

One thing I’m curious about is how often you all talk to your vet. To talk strategy/spreadsheet or even a check up discussion.

We haven’t talked to ours since the start, so like 3 weeks. They’re just a little hard to communicate with being so busy.

Have a good day! - Tim
Click to expand...
I’m blessed and spoiled. I text my vet if it’s been long enough to consider an increase, and whenever something comes up that I haven’t encountered yet complicating me giving a shot (eg 75 PS) …or when he was on Bexacat everytime I checked his ketones until I was comfortable with what was an ok number, or the first time his BG went below 100. She’s a saint.

between her and having everyone on this forum I’m so very lucky.
 
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