? 31/01 Dimmu: PMPS 358, +2 371, another day of pink. Should I have his IGF-1 and IAA checked?

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Dimmu & KL

Dimmu & KL

Member Since 2017
30/01

Hope everyone is doing great today!

Dimmu didn't get out of pink again yesterday, so he got 1U this morning (increased by 0.25U after completing 6 cycles).

He was more active and came to sleep with us, he only sleeps with us when he's feeling good and happy.

Wendy mentioned glucose toxicity yesterday, and it got me concerned. I know it's a marathon and I don't want to rush him, but I am just curious to know for a cat his size, the increments of 0.25u every 6 to 10 cycles is enough. If anyone has experience with bigger cats, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And thank you all again for sharing your invaluable knowledge and supports on FDMB!
 
There is only one place in the world that I know of that does the IAA testing, and that's Michigan State University. For you, IGF-1 testing would be done at Royal Veterinary College in England. Having said that, it's a early days yet for suggesting you get the IGF-1 testing done. Typically we don't suggest people get testing done for that until their dose reaches 6 units, unless they see some other signs that might make them suspect it. The RVC did find some cats with acromegaly on 1 unit of insulin and one in four diabetics has that condition, so it's always a possibility, though the acrocats we've seen here typically have larger doses. A second reason I might hold off is that RVC has found that 1/3 of cats with acromegaly gave a false negative if the IGF-1 is tested within 73 days of starting insulin.

The resistance I was speaking to earlier was Glucose Toxicity. That just means he's gotten used to higher numbers and you may have to go to a slightly higher dose to break it. We have had some larger cats here, whether it be because they have Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest in them. That doesn't mean they automatically need a larger dose or larger increments. We base size of dose increments on the blood glucose numbers.

The other thing you could be experiencing today is a phenomenon we call New Dose Wonkiness, where you can see a couple cycles of higher numbers just after an increase as the depot rebuilds. However, if you continue to see nothing but pink after 6 cycles on this dose, you can increase by 0.5 units. It's possible the initial yellows you saw were a reaction to starting insulin.
 
Thank you for the info on IGF-1 testing, Wendy.

I spent majority of the day digging FDMB and the internet trying to find an explanation for the high numbers, and ended up being paranoid, I guess...

I will do a before bed check soon and put my Patience Pants before going to bed.
 
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