2/13 Luciole AMPS 92, +1.5 94, +3 40, +3.5 38, +4 68, 4.5 101, +5 115, +8 151, PMPS 247, +2 245

Lara & Luciole (Lu)

Member Since 2013
After yesterday's breathtakingly high PMPS she's having a nice morning so far.
She doesn't have a huge appetite, or at least not for the last hour, but is still eating enough.

@Marje and Gracie I saw your information in Jason & Koha's thread about the suspected issue with some commercial pet foods, and have sent the video to basically everyone I know who has a companion animal. I don't think I'm not going to be giving Lu any more Fancy Feast, although I do have some put aside in my hypo kit, and can find something else that's high carb.

Thank you for sharing this info. I had no idea, and very much want to know about stuff like this. It reminds me of when I started giving my cats a raw diet in 1998, because of my cat Mog developing crystals in his urine. The vet's proposed solution, to give him a vet diet that would make him want to drink more, seemed like two wrongs not making a right. I wanted to find out why he was having that problem in the first place. As soon as I switched to a raw diet, he never had crystals again. People thought I was very eccentric to be doing this, at the time, but many changed their minds after the pet food tragedies in the late 2000s. Not that I care what people think, anyway ;-)

So I'm thinking of trying an Adored Beast product, perhaps. Do you have a recommendation of which one? I saw you are using two. I just started Lu on s. boulardii. People seem to use it specifically for digestive/litterbox issues, which Lu doesn't have. She does at times seem to have a rumbly tummy (the FDMB taught me to listen to my cats' tummies, and everybody should become a Tummy Listener :-D) but I just want to give her some tummy support. Better reinforce her gut biome than give Pepcid/Cerenia to treat a symptom.

And for food, no Fancy Feast. We'll stick with the Nulo pates, low-sodium tuna, chicken puree, and see how that goes.

Best wishes to everyone for a great day! Not too much snow! Kitties staying in the safe, healing zones!

Yesterday
 
I'm guessing yes, from
  • If kitty drops below 40 (long term diabetic) or 50 (newly diagnosed diabetic) reduce the dose by 0.25 unit. If kitty has a history of not holding reductions well or if reductions are close together... sneak the dose down by shaving the dose rather than reducing by a full quarter unit.
 
Thank goodness I'm used to this, albeit a bit rusty. Those lows kept me on my toes!
Fortunately, Lu is sweet not only in her BGs but her temper, and was only too happy to eat carbs :D
 
After yesterday's breathtakingly high PMPS she's having a nice morning so far.
She doesn't have a huge appetite, or at least not for the last hour, but is still eating enough.

@Marje and Gracie I saw your information in Jason & Koha's thread about the suspected issue with some commercial pet foods, and have sent the video to basically everyone I know who has a companion animal. I don't think I'm not going to be giving Lu any more Fancy Feast, although I do have some put aside in my hypo kit, and can find something else that's high carb.

Thank you for sharing this info. I had no idea, and very much want to know about stuff like this. It reminds me of when I started giving my cats a raw diet in 1998, because of my cat Mog developing crystals in his urine. The vet's proposed solution, to give him a vet diet that would make him want to drink more, seemed like two wrongs not making a right. I wanted to find out why he was having that problem in the first place. As soon as I switched to a raw diet, he never had crystals again. People thought I was very eccentric to be doing this, at the time, but many changed their minds after the pet food tragedies in the late 2000s. Not that I care what people think, anyway ;-)

So I'm thinking of trying an Adored Beast product, perhaps. Do you have a recommendation of which one? I saw you are using two. I just started Lu on s. boulardii. People seem to use it specifically for digestive/litterbox issues, which Lu doesn't have. She does at times seem to have a rumbly tummy (the FDMB taught me to listen to my cats' tummies, and everybody should become a Tummy Listener :D) but I just want to give her some tummy support. Better reinforce her gut biome than give Pepcid/Cerenia to treat a symptom.

And for food, no Fancy Feast. We'll stick with the Nulo pates, low-sodium tuna, chicken puree, and see how that goes.

Best wishes to everyone for a great day! Not too much snow! Kitties staying in the safe, healing zones!

Yesterday
Hi Lara

First, yes, with a 40, that is an earned reduction under TR. I’m glad she ate and is coming up after that 38. Whew!!

BTW, do you mind putting “TR” in your signature block? Thank you.

On the info, you are welcome. I am a firm believer in a raw diet. I honestly think the explosion in IND and SCL in cats is due to the crap commercial food. I am convinced it is why Gracie got them both; at that time, all canned foods had carrageenan and we now know what an issue that is for cats. I also don’t trust the commercial pet food industry. I highly recommend people take a look at Asian Thixton’s website “Truth About Pet Food”.

There are several great products on Adored Beast and I often switch up the probiotics there between Healthy Gut, Felix’s Flora, and Soil and Sea. I always give Gut Soothe. Neither of my cats have any digestive or intestinal issues to my knowledge but Tobey had Giardia as a baby and that can affect gut health down the line so I’ve always given him a lot of extra gut support. He’s 13 now and has been doing great between that and a balanced raw food diet.

I also give both cats S. boulardi but I have now switched to Four Leaf Rover’s product with FOS at the suggestion of our vet. It’s also easier to give this than the Jarrows because it’s just a non-encapsulated powder. Although it says it’s for dogs, it works just fine for cats as our holistic vet has spent much time looking into it before suggesting it.

Finally, I also give both cats egg yolk powder twice a day because it has so many great benefits including assisting motility so they don’t have hairballs. Neither really ever has but as cats get older, they often need a bit more support. I either use Food Fur Life’s egg yolk powder, if they have it, or Nature’s Farmacy.

I agree better to be a tummy listener and to provide preventive supplements rather than Pepcid. Certainly if a kitty is showing signs of tummy acid, I’d use slippery elm bark powder syrup before Pepcid; I did that with our two CKD kitties & never used Pepcid.

Alright Lu….smooth surfing today!
 
Wow, Lulu goes from very high to very low quite fast! Congratulations on the reduction,a nd for staying calm, too!

Thanks, it's been exciting so far today. Now I'm going to make a stovetop latte and take a breath.

I have a feeling that a few days ago, when I was asking Wendy about an increase, I could have kept her at 1u and she would have gone down much less dramatically, and more easily on her body. I was really wondering whether I was doing the right thing, and too much insulin would put her on a rollercoaster of my own making.

In any case, I'm glad she earned the reduction. Thanks so much for your support, Cecile!
Best wishes for your concerts. I don't want to be nosy and ask about them, but if you'd like to share anything, we're all ears!
 
Thanks, it's been exciting so far today. Now I'm going to make a stovetop latte and take a breath.

I have a feeling that a few days ago, when I was asking Wendy about an increase, I could have kept her at 1u and she would have gone down much less dramatically, and more easily on her body. I was really wondering whether I was doing the right thing, and too much insulin would put her on a rollercoaster of my own making.

In any case, I'm glad she earned the reduction. Thanks so much for your support, Cecile!
Best wishes for your concerts. I don't want to be nosy and ask about them, but if you'd like to share anything, we're all ears!
My kids are musicians, high school and youth symphony (GTCYS, in the Twin Cities). Tonight is the HS orchestra concert, my son plays viola for that. Sunday it's the youth symphony, my daughter plays violin and not sure what he plays, viola or trumpet. Next Sunday it's viola for him again, and then the next day trumpet :) It's great, I love it, even though some weeks are very busy, especially since they are much less interested in learning to drive than in playing music!
If you're interested, that's a video from last summer, they are both in it, violin and trumpet:
they played 2 hours every morning for a week, that was on the 5th day.
 
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Great catch today - tell Lu she's an overachiever, she only needs to go under 50 to earn a reduction.:eek: Aren't you glad you didn't stick with the 1.5 units.

FWIW, Neko's buddy had idiopathic cystitis, and after his vet first suggested vet food, I asked what both my diabetic and he could eat. She suggested raw with extra water added. There are a few good vets like that out there. Unfortunately she retired and sold her business (to VCA :arghh:). Anyway, I use a different vet now, also at a clinic believing in raw. I've had three cats in a row get SCL, two were on raw for 3 years before they got it. The latter one not as long, but I adopted her then found out she had IBD, so SCL not so surprising. But thankfully in remission now.

If Lu has a rumbly tummy, are you giving probiotics? I don't mean a yeast based probiotic like s. boullardi but an additional probiotic. You might want to think about a little fiber like psyllium husk fiber too.

There are some high carb Weruva options good for the low numbers cupboard. The Cats in the Kitchen pouches have some low HC (16-17%) and the Grandma's Chicken Soup can is over 20%. Both use potato start for carbs. I discovered the hard way that the wheat gluten in the FF HC didn't agree with Neko.
 
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