2/1 Shadoe amps 355 pmps 406

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Blue

Very Active Member
Yesterday’s Condo

Yesterday's recap:
365 - amps
302 - +1
297 - +2
308 - +3
302 - +4
355 - +7
353 - +10
383 - pmps
383 - +2 (yes, no change)
256 - +4
238 - +6
358 - +11
355 - amps

Not too bad a morning. Shadoe was not all that keen on testing, but when each one is followed by a wee bit of Pure Snacks, those tests don't see all that bad. haha_smiley

Shadoe's had her breakfast of some SC flaked tuna dinner, and is very happy. No wonder! The test and shoot are done, foods are good, and she made a hugely super stinky deposit in the LB. And what a fine healthy looking specimen it was, but such a smell :shock:

The auto feeder is filled and I am just about ready for work. I am surprised Shadoe is not flip_cat cuz she knows it's almost time for me to leave.

I may be gone before +1 test time, and won't be home till just before pmps as usual. Ear poking to continue tonite.

Scratches for the kitties today and calmness for all the beans.
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Good morning,Gayle!
Shadoe must be happy because she knows You are leaving and no more poking! She's gonna have nice and lazy day!
What a life!
You have a nice day at BP!
This is for Yours nice morning;
cat(2)_steam ~O)
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

good morning shadoe!!!!!! let's work on some lower numbers today, ok? you have more juice in you...think it's time to show your mama bean what you can do!
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Good Morning Gayle,
Glad to see shadoe saw a little yellow yesterday! Also good to see some folks come along to assist your further in dosing! There is so much hope for your gal!

Your condo was pretty busy yesterday with very important exchanges, so I didnt want to butt in. However, I wanted to mention something about Shadoe not eating food but eating treats. You were thinking she was feeling fine, if she was eating dessert. In Latte's case when she is not feeling well, and refusing food - she WILL eat treats. Also, a lot of cats who feel unwell (tummy-wise) do seem to like watery/pureed food better. Ive had to puree latte's food for almost 3yrs now.

Just some thoughts on signals that shadoe MIGHT have an upset tummy, aside from the lip lickin', meatloafin', etc. Sounds like she is feeling better today, however!!! :mrgreen:

Hope you have a great day!
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Hope you have a nice day Gayle....
C'mon Shadoe girl...keep moving those numbers in the right direction....
You can do it! :-D
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Thanks Carolyn, I have always wondered about extra signs, so I am glad to hear that just eating treats and preferring soupy foods might be a sign of nausea. Because Shadoe was just going for food after I added water, I figured something was up.
Maybe I should add the pepcid back and see what happens. Since I have the pill shooter, I should be able to those 1/4 tabs down now, well maybe get them down :lol:

I have been adding water to her food alot, and when she licks up all the water in the bowl, I'll add a bit more water and she seems happy to be lapping up the food juice. I had worried about maybe stopping the fluids too soon; maybe Shadoe was not drinking as much water while she was getting fluids, and then she did not start drinking more after I stopped the fluids. I can't tell because BOTH of the cats drink from the dripping tub tap. It's like a fountain to them and they drink and also wash themselves in the tub.

Thanks again; I think I'll give her a 1/4 pepcid tonite and see if it helps her a bit.

I wish I could convince myself to drink enough water now!
Water does a body good, so drink up everyone!
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Glad to hear that Shadoe is feeling a bit better today. Hope you come home to some nice numbahs.
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Hi Gayle
Justed looked at the SS. Nice yellow and numbers last night and I like AMPS too.
This is the lowest number Shadoe started the day since the 27th.
You know it will take a bit for the extra .25 to kick in but Max and I are rooting for you.
Extra soupy food is fine. Max like to slurp as well!!
Looking forward to some updates later on.
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Hey Randi,
I got some info from Wendi(thx again!) for the IGF-1 / IAA tests at MSU; I am going to take the info to my vets and ask them how many arms and legs it will cost me if the vets draw blood and ship the samples. I will want to know the breakdown of the shipping costs they would use to send samples from Toronto to U of Michigan when the tests cost $45 and $12. I think I should get a discount just for giving the vets info that they should already have! If they think they are going to charge me $500 or some crazy amount, I'll ship the samples myself! Buncha crazy thieves, some of these vets!

I am just info gathering now as I wait for little Mz stubborn Shadoe to decide if she likes this dose or not.

I can only imagine how relieved you are with Max's coming around and earning a nice reduction - I think he earned a nice treat or two for his part in it all! Even if he is not great at picking a good time to go low!
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Hi Gayle,
If you do not have one already, invest in a small food processor/grinder. I used to spend hours out of my day trying to moosh the food enough to be soupy! :lol: And if I just added water/juice, all she would do is lick that up. Put a can in the grinder...well not the actual can :roll: , add a shot of water (or two or three...depending on the food), puree 20-30 seconds and Walla! Kitty soup! :mrgreen: If its more than shadoe will eat, store it in a container, in the fridge until she is ready to eat more. You all talk about those popsicles...well you could put some of it in an ice tray and freeze it, if Shadoe likes those popsicles.
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Why didn't I think of that?? ohmygod_smile
I have a blender that came with a small jar to attach if making small batches of mayo or something.
I will see if I can find that little jar and maybe on the weekend, I'll look around for a mini food processor.
I don't think Shadoe wants to go back to the moist out of the can food; she is loving the soupy slop.

thanks for the suggestion, Carolyn!
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

:lol: It took me almost a year to figure that one out. Let me tell ya...trying to get foods smooth enough to go through a syringe for feedings....brought many a tears. Do you realize there are little bone fragments in many of the foods?!?! :o Ya, the things you dont know until you get intimate with a can of friskies!

BTW...elevate food and water dish if you think acid/reflux is an issue causing the nausea.
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

just remember, if you're still seeing these kinds of numbers and no significant progress, 3 days from dose change it will be time to go up in dose. no waiting. we have to get shadoe out of mostly 300s.

i'm just concerned she still needs fluids. have you discussed the water drinking with the vet (soupy food, etc)? even with high numbers the fluids help. also, there's injectable famotadine (pepcid) if the pills are more difficult. cleo is a monster to pill so it made my life a lot easier. famotadine helps quell a gassy stomach but wondering if bigger guns like ondansetron (zofran) aren't called for when we're talking queasiness.

happy to see you're getting useful suggestions almost every day. makes us feel great. :)
 
Re: 2/1 Shadoe +11 358 amps 355

Thanks Chris, I am pretty kerfuffled with the fluids and what to do.
If we start them up again, then Shadoe's numbers are too misleading. I got a couple greens and some fairly decent numbers, but they were obviously false because as soon as we stopped the fluids, back she went to her pinks. How can I know how she is really reacting if her numbers are all skewed by fluids?

So in order to see true numbers, I have been compromising by giving her soupy slop. She likes it and she does seem better. There is a fair amount of urine in the litter box but less than when on the fluids, so she must be intaking a fair amount. Also, no ketones ever.

I have been watching for the meatloafing and lip licking closely. Just tonite, she licked her lips a couple times, so out came the pill shooter and and 1/4 of a tab of pepcid. It was a battle, but I won and that 1/4 tab went down after being spit out twice :lol:

She cleaned out all 5 compartments of the auto feeder, so from 5am to 7pm, she has eaten a bit over 2 1/2 3oz cans of food.

I got the link from Wendi/Milo for the MSU testing for IAA and IGF-1, so I printed them and took them down to my vets. I am expecting a call back tonite hopefully. I made a point of bringing attention to the cost of the tests, $45 and $12, and made the receptionist put in the message for the vet that I did not intend to pay $1000 to have a $12 test done, and if they intend to charge me an arm and two legs, they could draw the blood and I would ship it out myself because I did not appreciate being robbed by them. The receptionist cringed but she wrote it down. I know; my attitude sucks, but what else is new. The last thing I asked to be put in the message was that we are at 6u now and if no results in 3days/ 6 shots, I am going up to 6.5u.

Oh yeah, pmps is back in the reds :YMSIGH: at 406. I hope we get some sort of reaction later tonite.
 
what i don't understand is why lower numbers with fluids are not true numbers? true numbers are the ones you're getting, and if fluids are helping keep numbers down that is a good thing.
everything they take in and the timing of it all can cause numbers to change. but they are still true numbers unless we're talking temporary stress or food spike.

cats CAN get too much fluids, which is a separate issue, as is the possibility fluids cause problems for heart kitties. but otherwise i am happy when fluids help keep cleo's numbers down while relieving the kidneys. (not trying to pressure you on fluids -- obviously prior conversations happened around this that i wasn't party to, but just answering that point about fluids and true numbers.) because of ketones and dehydration, cleo was on 75ml fluids BID for about 8 months when first diagnosed. she and i knew they were helping her, and we looked forward to them (didnt hurt that she got fed afterward. lol).

higher PMPS could be liver reaction to nicer number this morning so i wouldnt worry too much. definitely expect to raise dose when 6th cycle of this dose is over, tho.
 
Gayle,
Im not going to get into the should or shouldnt you give fluids. But, I will say that *if* shadoe NEEDS the fluids, she should be getting them...dont worry about the numbers.

Did your vet tell you to stop, or did you decide on your own? I missed that part somewhere along the way I guess.

You can get injectible famotidine, as chris mentioned to go into fluids. You can also give it like you do insulin. Sometimes I have to do that when Latte gets her b12 via subq's...dont want too many things to get all mixed up and jumbled in the line. Latte is a PILL to pill and I will only do it if it is absolutely necessary (like a/b's or if she refuses to eat her pred in treat form).

Hang in there! You are doing an awesome job!!!!
 
I can't believe I am having less issues with the insulin shots than I am with the fluids! For some reason, I am :shock:

I honestly don't know if Shadoe still needs the fluids or not.

The vet had said to give the one bag of fluids and that should be good. Actually the first vet said to just change Shadoe's food and she would be better. I try not to see that idiot vet when I go to the animal hospital. The nice vet, the one who has been there for over a decade and got us all set up with pain meds and nausea meds and fluids, is hopefully going to call back tonite. I can ask her if we should start the fluids again.
I went to the vets and picked up another bag of fluids, but then after 5 days, Shadoe was eating well, and not having any LB problems and seemed to have no nausea, no meatloaf or lip licking, and no foamy vomiting. So I went down to the vets and said how long do I give her fluids. They asked me how we were doing, and when I replied with the above info, they said I could stop them but if the signs returned, I could start up again. In other words, not much guidance from them.

How am I supposed to know for sure if Shadoe needs the fluids to be started again or not?? confused_cat

I did get the pepcid down and Shadoe is looking just fine, with her front paws stretched out in front of her and lying on her side.

I just don't know now.
 
I have an immersion blender (the thing that Emeril calls a boat motor?) and I use that to puree Morris' food for him. I started doing that when I was syringe feeding him for a few days and he seems to like the consistency. I also add water to everything ... in a ratio of about 1 part water to 2 parts food. He laps up the water but when it gets all dry he won't eat the rest and won't tolerate just having water added to it...I'm guessing the flavor is mostly gone after the first go-around. dancing_cat

I share your frustration with dealing with these so-so vets...and hope I can keep my cool long enough to establish a good rapport with the new one we're seeing tomorrow. I told them on the phone today that, although Morris is diabetic, we do not require any assistance with it, only with the rest of his health issues. Hope she goes along with it. Those people who have found good ones, consider yourself lucky! :thumbup
 
Hi Gayle
I hope you get some answers fomr the vet either the tonight or tomorrow.
I know how frustrating it can be to not know what is going on.
Especially for someone like you who needs to know.

Just wanted you to know I am thinking of yo, Shadow and Booboo and wishing a light will
go on and we can move forward.
 
good luck with the vet, I hope you can get the tests done. Leslie/Bayley did them recently too, and she is in Canada. I do know that originally her vet wanted a ton of money, don't know if she managed to get them down on the price or not.
 
So is tonight the second cycle of the new dose or is it the third cycle?

I wish I had more experience with pancreatitis to help give advice. I did use pecid long term for a CRF kitty and it did wonders. Maybe monitor that for 2-3 days and see how if Shadoe food slushy response changes? Glad to hear you have some insight on the IAA and IGF-1 testing. I hope you are able to get a move on from your vet asap regarding those tests.

Keep up the good work! Shadoe sure does appreciate it. :YMHUG:
 
happy to hear you've increased the dose to 6 units.
don't be afraid to increase the dose in increments of 0.5 unit every 2 - 3 days if nadirs remain over 200...
 
if you do get injectable famotadine you don't need to inject it in the fluid line unless shadoe flinches like it hurts her. i always inject the famotadine when i give lantus (i don't mix the two, and i always vary shot locations, tho).

do you warm the fluids first? i fill a pan with hot water from the tap and submerge the fluid (except where the tubing connects) in it for about 6 minutes. that way it's warmer and not a shock to the system going in. cleo always gets food or a much-loved snack afterward so she always looks forward to them. the terumo 20-gauge needles i use go in very slickly, too, which is nice. i get mine from thrivingpets.com (good price).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top