Re: 5/29 Tiggy AMPS 146 - vet today
Wendy&Tiggy said:
ok so back from vet - prices are Canadian dollars!
1. total panel $220 to include urine test for infection, fructosamine and full blood panel
2. IGF-1 ($150 & $21 blood collection fee )
3. IAA ($ tbd but less than IGF-1)
4. pancreatitis test I cant remember the name of maybe fpl?? ($tbd)
5. Urine culture and sensitivity ($115 + urine collection fee $53)
Vet looked at his features - no sign of acro but I guess that doesn't mean anything. However Tiggy has put on 0.8lbs in 6 months which the vet says is a sign of acro since he doesnt think Tiggy is regulated at all. Personally I dont think his BG is that bad since we have been on top of him so it will be interesting what the vet says about the fructosamine level. Has a little tooth tartar build up but its minimal.
panic panic panic - what if he is acro? Does that mean he only has a few years left?!! he is only 7!!!
Wendy
Wendy,
I don't know of reasons why you need a dose of 9u and the cat's not regulated, other than acro and/or IAA, but it's possible There is one member in the facebook group who tested negative for both but she is struggling with the cat to regulate and the cat is almost at the same dose at Tiggy. She did find that BPA seemed to affect the cat's numbers.
Cat have only a few years to live? Nope, that's not true. How do you know Tiggy won't go OTJ on his own? My acro Oliver has been OTJ since Jan7/12, and there have been other acro cats who have gone OTJ, so if you manage whatever related issues that Tiggy has, who knows how long he will live.
The big thing with knowing if your cat has acromegaly is you can then watch for common issues and treat them. Several acros have heart issues and need meds, so think about if you do NOT test for acro, it's not going to make Tiggy not acro, is it. If he has heart issues but you don't check for it, you are doing him no favors by ignoring any issues and not treating them.
It's always better to know than not know.
Does Tiggy have pancreatitis right now? If not, then the fPLI test is a waste of your money.... pancreatitis is much like a fever. If you have a fever today, but it's gone tomorrow, why would you waste your time with taking your temperature? The same with pancreatitis.... you need to have the test done when the cat is experiencing a flare. To treat pancreatitis, give pepcid, pain meds and fluids.
I am also not sure why you are wasting your money on a fructosamine test..... you test lots already so why do you want to spend that money to know what Tiggy's average has been for the last 2 weeks?
Save your money towards having Tiggy's heart checked if the acro test result is positive.
My Shadoe did not look acro at all! She was a tiny petite little grey female with no features of acro at all.... except her high dose. The vet said don't bother testing, and it took me a month of so, and finally having to go to the office to demand they draw blood and ship it off for testing.
About the only symptom visible on her later on was a HUGE pot belly .... she was like a pregnant cat she was so big. Her IGF-1 was only 120 and she showed no enlarged organs, so we may have caught it early. Sadly I never had her heart checked and that's was failed her in the end.
Gayle
