FERGY: What's with these numbers?

[Harry]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Hi all,

Two weeks after tweaking his diet/treats/supplements and increasing his insulin 1/4 unit, to 2.75 (approx.) on the 1/2 markings, here is the curve we did yesterday.

This curve is much flatter than his last curve of June 13 but the numbers are a bit higher than on 6-13, so...I'm thinking of increasing his insulin another 1/4 unit, to 3.0 and do some spot checks.

Comments, please?!

Fergy's numbers on 8-1-10:

Pre-meal
05:30 AM......230
08:00 AM......196
10:00 AM......177
12:00 PM......155
14:00 PM......170
16:00 PM......204
17:30 PM......219
Pre-meal

I'm still computer densed and can't do graphs...sorry.


Cheers

Harry & Fergy

[Patty]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Harry,
I was searching back in your thread for the vitamin info to give someone else and saw your post.

That's a nice looking curve. Less than 100 point spread. Did you go with the increase? How did it go?

Patty

[eileen]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Harry, this is a great looking curve!!!

I'm with you Harry, I've always kept Mildred's records by charting exactly the way you posted the numbers.

I can 'see' the curve in this format better than I can when on a graph...odd but true.

[k9diabetes]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Hi Harry,

Somehow I missed this post!! My apologies for seeming to ignore it.

That is such a beautiful curve! I fear that even 1/4 unit more insulin might be too much but the only way to know would be to try.

Another thing you can sometimes do is reduce the volume of food just a hair, especially if your dog is not too skinny.

But if this is the best you can get, holy cow - it's great! And Fergy will do great on this. So many dogs can't get anywhere close to these numbers.

Natalie

[Harry]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Hi Patty,

Well, presently Fergy is on his usual diet of chicken, barley and pumpkin, (our thanks to Eileen) supplemented with Berte's "Immune Blend" and Berte's "Green Blend" and lightened with one egg white. I did increase a 1/4 oz. each of chicken and pumpkin when increasing his insulin to 2.75 u. Oh, I still add two drops each of Milk Thistle, Vit. E and a small capsule of fish oil to his evening meal.

He presently is getting 3.0 u of Novolin N. I'm gonna give him another week before his next curve. His noon spot checks look pretty good...high 90's and low 100's.

His noon snack is a small amount of either chicken, beef steak, beef liver or low fat cheese. He likes 'em all but only gets one.

I appreciate your asking, Thank You.


Cheers

Harry & Fergy.

[Harry]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Harry, this is a great looking curve!!!

I'm with you Harry, I've always kept Mildred's records by charting exactly the way you posted the numbers.

I can 'see' the curve in this format better than I can when on a graph...odd but true.

Fergy thanks you as well, Eileen.

Boy, you have a very good eye. I think I'd like to see a line first and then check the numbers. My past occupation I guess.

Cheers

Harry & Fergy.

[Harry]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Hi Harry,

Somehow I missed this post!! My apologies for seeming to ignore it.

That is such a beautiful curve! I fear that even 1/4 unit more insulin might be too much but the only way to know would be to try.

Another thing you can sometimes do is reduce the volume of food just a hair, especially if your dog is not too skinny.

But if this is the best you can get, holy cow - it's great! And Fergy will do great on this. So many dogs can't get anywhere close to these numbers.

Natalie

Thanks Natalie.

Fergy did weigh 19 lbs. plus, before his diabetes...he now hovers around 15.6 lbs. and everyone, including his new vet, says he looks better. I have to say that I can now see he has a waistline whereas before he was pretty straight from the shoulders to his hips.

He could eat a lot more, other than his present diet, but it's not in the cards, I guess.


Cheers

Harry & Fergy.

[Patty]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

That's great Harry!!!

[Patty]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Harry,
How are you and Fergy doing?
Patty

[Harry]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Hi Patty,

Thank you for checkin' in on us. I believe Fergy is coming along fine and the only problem we have is...hunger. He is always eyeballing me for something to eat and of course he can't have it. He gets his morning and evening meals and a noontime chicken snack. Sometimes a bit of low fat cheese. He loves to "ride", so I take him in the car or the golf car and knock off some hrs. betwixt snack time and meal time.

His weight is holding pretty steady at 15.3 lbs. I did add a bit to each meal and had to increase the insulin as well. We'll be on this regimen till next weekend when we'll do another curve. Have been spot checking and it has been good.

We went in two days ago for his shots, drew blood for a full panel, also a urine culture. Waitng on the results.

Cheers

[Patty]

Re: FERGY...Needing advice.

Harry,
That's good to hear. Keep us posted on how things come out. I bet Fergy loves the rides .

I know it's such a wait to dinner. Ali starts eyeing me a couple hours before it's time some days. I wonder if adding some psyllium husk powder would help him feel fuller? I've not tried it but have heard of others that have. Maybe they can chime in...just a thought.

Hope you both have a great day!
Patty

[Harry]

Fergy: What's with these numbers?

I've been tweaking Fergy's meals by adding an ounce of animal organ meat or lean ground beef. The meat is broiled and I alternate the heart, kidney and ground beef. Fergy was switched from the Novolin to the Humulin with no problem.

I have been doing some spot checks at about 6 hrs. after the 6 AM injection and the readings have been in the low hundreds. I did the first curve with the Humulin yesterday and I'm a little bafflled by the numbers. Fergy has always had a bowl or saucer shaped curve...but this one yesterday...?

I'll do another in about a week. Would the different meats make a difference? I alternate the meats probably every three days.

Yesterday's curve...

Fasting pre-meal
05:30---266
08:00---216
10:00---155
12:00---196*
14:00---174
16:00---117
17:30---83*
Pre-meal.

I should have taken another reading on the 196 and the 83 but I lip prick Fergy, he has a small mouth and not much lip so I hate to stick him too much and I can only get enough blood from one side, or one lip.

The capillary action was perfect on all these strips, so, I don't know...


Cheers

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Fergy: What's with these numbers?

I think those numbers look really good. Maybe just a little low at 83 - but really really good!

[k9diabetes]

Re: FERGY: What's with these numbers?

Here's your curve from June:

Fergy's numbers on 6-13-10:
Pre-meal
05:30 AM......211
08:00 AM......167
10:00 AM......93
12:00 PM......72
14:00 PM......104
16:00 PM......197
17:30 PM......208 Pre-meal

vs. yesterday's

Fasting pre-meal
05:30---266
08:00---216
10:00---155
12:00---196*
14:00---174
16:00---117
17:30---83*
Pre-meal.

Definitely much more of a bowl shape [in June]. But I assume that was when you weren't adding the organ meat. A change in the content of the diet can change the shape of the curve.

When did you switch to Humulin?

When did you add organ meat?

Is it only today that you got a higher reading at noon?

Off-days happen and there are so many different variables - weather, stress, activity level, exactly where the insulin got injected, how the food got digested... I don't worry about an off-day. Plus this curve looks a lot like the last one in terms of the range of the blood sugar.

I personally don't care what shape the curve is. Mountain, which is my personal favorite, bowl, or double-humped camel is okay with me as long as the blood sugar is in a good range the entire time. And this looks pretty darn good.

Natalie

[Patty]

Re: FERGY: What's with these numbers?

Wondering what happened after the 83 though if 17:30 is shot time.