? 4-23 Tiffany AMPS 344, +5 330, PMPS 460 - Insulin resistant? Now what?

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Jadi & Tiffany

Jadi & Tiffany

Member Since 2017
Hello,

Two weeks ago my vet referred me to a specialist and told me my cat is insulin resistant. I felt like we were going too fast, based on the feedback from this group. We also changed from Lantus to Levemir after only one week.

I started following the advice of this group and doing the TR with testing. I just increased to 6 units and am still getting high numbers...we have had one blue yellow day a few weeks ago, which made me feel encouraged. However, the numbers since then have been horrible.

I can start getting her tested for other things, but am not sure that I can keep spending thousands...anyone have any advice or experience they want to share? Does it mean that she is for sure insulin resistant at this point?

Thank you!
 
Infections can cause higher numbers, other illnesses, also some meds, many reasons. You may have to pay for some test to rule out items that might be affecting.
I cannot give advice but by replying I bump your post up.:)
I hope experienced eyes are around @Wendy&Neko to help.
Many healing vines Tiffany's way
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
When cats get up to 6 units with not much movement in the numbers, chances are there is a high dose condition involved. The two we suggest testing for to start with are acromegaly and IAA or insulin auto antibodies. One in four diabetic cats has acromegaly, so it's fairly common. The blood is drawn by your vet and send to Michigan State University for testing. The two tests together cost less than $100, but there is the cost of the blood draw and shipping too.

It should not cost you thousands to care for a cat with these conditions, unless you go for treatment, which is available for acromegaly. Most people just treat with the amount of insulin needed. IAA usually resolves itself over time, around a year. With Neko it was about 9 months. She had both conditions.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
When cats get up to 6 units with not much movement in the numbers, chances are there is a high dose condition involved. The two we suggest testing for to start with are acromegaly and IAA or insulin auto antibodies. One in four diabetic cats has acromegaly, so it's fairly common. The blood is drawn by your vet and send to Michigan State University for testing. The two tests together cost less than $100, but there is the cost of the blood draw and shipping too.

It should not cost you thousands to care for a cat with these conditions unless you go for treatment, which is available for acromegaly. Most people just treat with the amount of insulin needed. IAA usually resolves itself over time, around a year. With Neko it was about 9 months. She had both conditions.
Click to expand...
Okay, I guess I will be moving forward with more testing. I will give my vet a call this week and see if I can talk her into doing these tests. Thank you again, Wendy.
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
Infections can cause higher numbers, other illnesses, also some meds, many reasons. You may have to pay for some test to rule out items that might be affecting.
I cannot give advice but by replying I bump your post up.:)
I hope experienced eyes are around @Wendy&Neko to help.
Many healing vines Tiffany's way
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...
Thank you again Tanya. How is Ducia doing??? Do you like your vet? (I may be looking for another vet, since my vet wants me to go to Mission Hospital again...UGH..) I just wish I could find a vet who would work with me. The vet here in Coronado also wants to refer me to Dr. Ford at Mission Hospital.
 
What was your vet's reason for starting Tiffany on 4 units? That seems high. Perhaps she should have been started on 1 unit (the "conventional" amount) and then you could have raised her dose in quarter-unit increments according to either the TR protocol or the Go Slow protocol, both of which are described in the "stickies" (informational notes at the top of the forum). Often too much insulin produces high bg numbers, just like too little insulin does. Also, when a dose is raised in whole units, it is easy to bypass what may have been your cat's good dose.
Both Lantus and Levemir like consistency in dosing and it can take months to get some cats on the path to regulation.

@Wendy&Neko : do you think it is too early for Tiffany to be tested for acro or IAA given the circumstances that the vet does not seem to have given good dosing instructions?

p.s. There is a typographical error in your signature. According to Tiffany's spreadsheet the FD diagnosis was on March 11 2017, not "11/ [2]3 / 17"
 
@Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) no, I don't think it's too soon for testing. There is a look to spreadsheets of cats with high dose conditions. She was only seeing pink and red at lower doses and the numbers have gotten a little higher with increases.
 
Hi there! It would be helpful too if you could get some more test in during the PM cycle. She could be going lower and bouncing by morning. Lots of cats do go lower at night. So, getting more data would fill in the blanks some. I realize it is hard during the night but before you go to bed (which you may all ready be doing and if you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, grab a test.
 
Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) said:
What was your vet's reason for starting Tiffany on 4 units? That seems high. Perhaps she should have been started on 1 unit (the "conventional" amount) and then you could have raised her dose in quarter-unit increments according to either the TR protocol or the Go Slow protocol, both of which are described in the "stickies" (informational notes at the top of the forum). Often too much insulin produces high bg numbers, just like too little insulin does. Also, when a dose is raised in whole units, it is easy to bypass what may have been your cat's good dose.
Both Lantus and Levemir like consistency in dosing and it can take months to get some cats on the path to regulation.

@Wendy&Neko : do you think it is too early for Tiffany to be tested for acro or IAA given the circumstances that the vet does not seem to have given good dosing instructions?

p.s. There is a typographical error in your signature. According to Tiffany's spreadsheet the FD diagnosis was on March 11 2017, not "11/ [2]3 / 17"
Click to expand...

Thank you for responding. She was diagnosed in Feb 2017 so I will fix that. I was not keeping a log in the beginning. Tiffany was started at .5 Lantus and raised gradually, but she was raised by her vet a unit at a time and yes, I did feel like she was moving way too fast.

I started doing research online and found this group, which have been supporting and coaching me through this. I have read all of the stickies and members have been helping me back up and slow down with dosing. I was hoping that my vet was wrong and my cat does not have another condition that is causing her to be insulin resistant. I am going to keep her at 6 units and then give my vet a call to see if I can get her to do the other tests.
 
Last edited:
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi there! It would be helpful too if you could get some more test in during the PM cycle. She could be going lower and bouncing by morning. Lots of cats do go lower at night. So, getting more data would fill in the blanks some. I realize it is hard during the night but before you go to bed (which you may all ready be doing and if you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, grab a test.
Click to expand...
Okay...I will do more night time tests. Thank you.
 
Jadi Faul said:
Okay, I guess I will be moving forward with more testing. I will give my vet a call this week and see if I can talk her into doing these tests.
Click to expand...
I came across this old condo that talks about high dose requiring conditions/tests needed and Latus v Lev reactions, have a look at post #43 re IAA. That what you suspected with Tiffany, isn't it?
I thought you may want to look at before talking to your vet.
 
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Hi there :cool:

After tests for Acro and Cushings came back negative, Black Kitty was the first FDMB kitty to test for IAA. It was a last ditch effort.

When Black Kitty's IAA results came back at 84% (which is extreme insulin resistance) we were relieved to finally have a reason for why, in spite of increase after increase, his BG remained relentlessly high. However we were in completely uncharted territory; his vet, the entire FDMB at the time, all of us. Nevertheless Black Kitty blazed a trail that took him all the way to remission. It was a solid remission that lasted 6.5 years, which was the rest of his life.
His journey serves as an example and best of all a reference point for all future caregivers whose kitties test positive for IAA; it's an answer to "now what?"

I recommend you get your kitty tested for both Acro and IAA. The outcome will allow you to focus on and develop the best treatment plan for your kitty and get her to better numbers asap.
 
Sandy and Black Kitty said:
Hi there :cool:

After tests for Acro and Cushings came back negative, Black Kitty was the first FDMB kitty to test for IAA. It was a last ditch effort.

When Black Kitty's IAA results came back at 84% (which is extreme insulin resistance) we were relieved to finally have a reason for why, in spite of increase after increase, his BG remained relentlessly high. However we were in completely uncharted territory; his vet, the entire FDMB at the time, all of us. Nevertheless Black Kitty blazed a trail that took him all the way to remission. It was a solid remission that lasted 6.5 years, which was the rest of his life.
His journey serves as an example and best of all a reference point for all future caregivers whose kitties test positive for IAA; it's an answer to "now what?"

I recommend you get your kitty tested for both Acro and IAA. The outcome will allow you to focus on and develop the best treatment plan for your kitty and get her to better numbers asap.
Click to expand...
Hi Sandy,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. We are moving forward with the testing and I have been reading the past posts on Acro and IAA. May I ask you how much insulin did have to give Black Kitty, how old was Black Kitty when this all started? Did Black Kitty start to feel better as you gave more insulin? And would you do anything differently?
 
Adrian and Chino said:
I had Chi
no tested when we reached 5 units. He turned out to have hyperthyroidism as well as acromegaly. There are a number of things that can cause insulin resistance. Here is a good article about it: http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...rapy-stops-working-insulin-resistant-diabetes
Click to expand...

Thank you, Adrian! We are moving forward with testing and I am hoping that I can talk my vet into working with me, instead of going to the outrageously priced specialist. May I ask more about your experience with Chino? How much insulin did you have to give and did you do any other treatments? (My daughter is actually in college at CSU in Ft Collins. I have been reading that lots of Acro kitties have received treatment there.) I really appreciate all of the support that I am getting, this whole process would be so much more overwhelming without it!!!
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
I came across this old condo that talks about high dose requiring conditions/tests needed and Latus v Lev reactions, have a look at post #43 re IAA. That what you suspected with Tiffany, isn't it?
I thought you may want to look at before talking to your vet.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Tanya. I have been reading up on all of the insulin resistant possibilities...so overwhelming. Everyone has been so helpful and educating myself makes me feel much better about moving forward. How is Ducia doing?? Do you like your N. County vet or know of any vets in S. County? I am possibly searching for a vet who will work with me...
 
Jadi Faul said:
Hi Sandy,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. We are moving forward with the testing and I have been reading the past posts on Acro and IAA. May I ask you how much insulin did have to give Black Kitty, how old was Black Kitty when this all started? Did Black Kitty start to feel better as you gave more insulin? And would you do anything differently?
Click to expand...
P.S. I just looked at Black Kitty's chart, so I was able to see dosing...forget I can do that!
 
We have had acrokitties here on doses as small as around 2 units up to close to 100. Yes, it's a really large range. The study at the Royal Veterinary Clinic that found one in four diabetic cats have acro found a range of one to 35 units, with an average of 7 units. You will find that Tiffany will likely feel better as you get closer to a good dose. For one thing, they won't be so hungry as unregulated cats are.

My vet didn't think we needed to test for acromegaly until we got to 10 units, but Neko maxed out at 8.75 units. I had to ask her to humour me to run the tests. We learned together about IAA and acromegaly. Most of what I kearned I got from here.

Neko and I went to Fort Collins twice, one by car three days each way, and once by plane. The team at CSU are great. Your daughter is lucky to be going there. I liked the town too.

Good job getting those night time tests. I think if you don't see blue by tomorrow morning, you can increase to 6.5 units.
 
Thank you, Wendy. I read that you took Nekko to CSU in Ft. Collins. Our daughter goes to school there and we may be spending the summer in Colorado. Would you recommend taking Tiffany there? (If she has ACRO of IAA?)
 
IAA doesn't need treatment, other than getting to a good dose of insulin and patience. It can resolve on it's own in around a year. With Neko it was about 9 months. Not everyone treats acromegaly, as it involves going to a place that offers treatment which may be a good distance for some, and the price is substantial. If you do treat and are inColorado, I would highly recommend CSU.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
IAA doesn't need treatment, other than getting to a good dose of insulin and patience. It can resolve on it's own in around a year. With Neko it was about 9 months. Not everyone treats acromegaly, as it involves going to a place that offers treatment which may be a good distance for some, and the price is substantial. If you do treat and are inColorado, I would highly recommend CSU.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!! You are giving me the confidence to persevere!!!
 
Jadi Faul said:
(I may be looking for another vet, since my vet wants me to go to Mission Hospital again...UGH..) I just wish I could find a vet who would work with me.
Click to expand...
I bookmarked this excellent discussion and when I am shopping for new vet I will be emailing letters like the one you can read in post #6 instead of actually going to the office, paying fee for the tell me-again- what- I know- already general exam and stressing Ducia out.
Jadi Faul said:
Do you like your N. County vet or know of any vets in S. County?
Click to expand...
My vet and I hate one another. He sells Hills diet. I paid for a couple of visits and now he writes me Rx when I need it.:cat:

I am seriously disappointed in every vet I met so far. No one will ever care about Ducia as much as I do except ppl on this Board.

I am grateful to the specialist whom Ducia seen and the tests she ran for her. However, at the conclusion of out visit we briefly spoke about switching Ducia to a raw only diet and the vet replied something like "But cats are not designed to eat raw when so many wonderful options are commercially available":)eek::eek::eek:?!?)

And since that moment everything she said before turned rubbish in my mind..:( The confidence in/trust was lost. Besides, she believed that being in BGs between 120 and 300 is good for Ducia.:eek::stop:

I had to ask someone on the board to look at the LABs and only after I got HER opinion I could relax. I cannot bring myself trusting any vet at the moment. Maybe later. :(

Sorry, I cannot recommend any vet in the entire San Diego county. Maybe post on the Main Forum for recommendations? Good luck with this.
:bighug:
 
ms
Wendy&Neko said:
We have had acrokitties here on doses as small as around 2 units up to close to 100. Yes, it's a really large range. The study at the Royal Veterinary Clinic that found one in four diabetic cats have acro found a range of one to 35 units, with an average of 7 units. You will find that Tiffany will likely feel better as you get closer to a good dose. For one thing, they won't be so hungry as unregulated cats are.

My vet didn't think we needed to test for acromegaly until we got to 10 units, but Neko maxed out at 8.75 units. I had to ask her to humour me to run the tests. We learned together about IAA and acromegaly. Most of what I kearned I got from here.

Neko and I went to Fort Collins twice, one by car three days each way, and once by plane. The team at CSU are great. Your daughter is lucky to be going there. I liked the town too.

Good job getting those night time tests. I think if you don't see blue by tomorrow morning, you can increase to 6.5 units.
Click to expand...
I just took her BG before heading to my office at 10:00 a.m. It was 434...I can totally tell when it is above 400...she just wants to sleep, eat and drink water. (So sad we can not get the BG down.)
I mentioned to the specialist who treating her for kidneys that her meow has changed...he told me not to worry. Also told her vet...is this a symptom of Acro?
 
Jadi Faul said:
ms
I just took her BG before heading to my office at 10:00 a.m. It was 434...I can totally tell when it is above 400...she just wants to sleep, eat and drink water. (So sad we can not get the BG down.)
I mentioned to the specialist who treating her for kidneys that her meow has changed...he told me not to worry. Also told her vet...is this a symptom of Acro?
Click to expand...
At times, it seems to be hard for her to get a meow out.
 
Jadi Faul said:
ms
I just took her BG before heading to my office at 10:00 a.m. It was 434...I can totally tell when it is above 400...she just wants to sleep, eat and drink water. (So sad we can not get the BG down.)
I mentioned to the specialist who treating her for kidneys that her meow has changed...he told me not to worry. Also told her vet...is this a symptom of Acro?
Click to expand...
I don't know if it is Acro.
But I urge you to test her urine for ketones. Really.
 
Jadi Faul said:
May I ask you how much insulin did have to give Black Kitty, how old was Black Kitty when this all started? Did Black Kitty start to feel better as you gave more insulin? And would you do anything differently?
Click to expand...

Here is a visual of his insulin needs over the entire 21 months, click to enlarge:

BK insulin graph (600x337).jpg


Black Kitty was a neighborhood tomcat (intact male) who showed up at our house in the spring of 2007. He was about 5 years old, a handsome devil and very friendly. He would appear, seemingly out of nowhere in my yard as I was gardening. We would feed him out on the deck, dry food and water, as we didn't know better. I remember noticing that fall that he drank a lot of water. As fall changed to winter we saw less and less of him and when we did he looked like he was unwell. Fortunately we had put a collar on him with a tag that had our phone number on it. One day in January of 2008 we got a call from someone a couple blocks away, who also fed strays, letting us know the black cat was visiting his feeding station and looking bad. We asked him to try and grab him and bring him to us and a couple days later he did. BK was looking very bad indeed - I believe he would not have survived another winter night outside. I was able to get him to to a nearby vet within an hour. He had an upper respiratory infection, conjunctivitis and tested positive for FIV. Blood was drawn for a CBC and sent to a lab. The vet didn't think he would make it. I had to try so I came home with medication for the URI and conjunctivitis. The next morning the vet called to tell us the cat is diabetic. I had no idea animals could be diabetic...he suggested the final solution, which we just could not do. We had placed our feet on the path of restoring his health and felt strongly that we must try our best. He said taking care of a diabetic cat was s big commitment. We would soon find out how true that was.

Thank goodness I found the FDMB pretty quickly. It was a very rough road. We had to learn so much. We started Lantus, got on the other side if the infections and got him neutered. We struggled early on with testing and shooting. I still remember the fear I had giving him that first 1u shot - for some reason I thought there was a strong possibility it would kill him, (as in he would drop over dead minutes afterwards). If someone had told me that in 8 months I'd be shooting some 45u per day into that small critter I would have told them they were crazy.

It was a long road. The first 5 months we battled ketones and he was twice hospitalized with DKA - almost didn't make it- he was down to 7 lbs and change- we were close to throwing in the towel. Thanks to the folks here we persevered. We did get on the other side of the ketones and he began gaining back weight and entertaining us with his antics. There is a whole lot more to his story but I'll stop here for now.

Would I do anything differently? Not really. I wish I could have been better at testing his BG early on which would likely have made the early months better for BK. It's a miracle DKA didn't kill him and a miracle l that his internal organs seem to not have sustained damage from months and months of high numbers.

 
Sandy and Black Kitty said:

Here is a visual of his insulin needs over the entire 21 months, click to enlarge:

View attachment 27822


Black Kitty was a neighborhood tomcat (intact male) who showed up at our house in the spring of 2007. He was about 5 years old, a handsome devil and very friendly. He would appear, seemingly out of nowhere in my yard as I was gardening. We would feed him out on the deck, dry food and water, as we didn't know better. I remember noticing that fall that he drank a lot of water. As fall changed to winter we saw less and less of him and when we did he looked like he was unwell. Fortunately we had put a collar on him with a tag that had our phone number on it. One day in January of 2008 we got a call from someone a couple blocks away, who also fed strays, letting us know the black cat was visiting his feeding station and looking bad. We asked him to try and grab him and bring him to us and a couple days later he did. BK was looking very bad indeed - I believe he would not have survived another winter night outside. I was able to get him to to a nearby vet within an hour. He had an upper respiratory infection, conjunctivitis and tested positive for FIV. Blood was drawn for a CBC and sent to a lab. The vet didn't think he would make it. I had to try so I came home with medication for the URI and conjunctivitis. The next morning the vet called to tell us the cat is diabetic. I had no idea animals could be diabetic...he suggested the final solution, which we just could not do. We had placed our feet on the path of restoring his health and felt strongly that we must try our best. He said taking care of a diabetic cat was s big commitment. We would soon find out how true that was.

Thank goodness I found the FDMB pretty quickly. It was a very rough road. We had to learn so much. We started Lantus, got on the other side if the infections and got him neutered. We struggled early on with testing and shooting. I still remember the fear I had giving him that first 1u shot - for some reason I thought there was a strong possibility it would kill him, (as in he would drop over dead minutes afterwards). If someone had told me that in 8 months I'd be shooting some 45u per day into that small critter I would have told them they were crazy.

It was a long road. The first 5 months we battled ketones and he was twice hospitalized with DKA - almost didn't make it- he was down to 7 lbs and change- we were close to throwing in the towel. Thanks to the folks here we persevered. We did get on the other side of the ketones and he began gaining back weight and entertaining us with his antics. There is a whole lot more to his story but I'll stop here for now.

Would I do anything differently? Not really. I wish I could have been better at testing his BG early on which would likely have made the early months better for BK. It's a miracle DKA didn't kill him and a miracle l that his internal organs seem to not have sustained damage from months and months of high numbers.

Wow Sandy, that is really an amazing story. You and you are a saint!! Black Kitty is very lucky to have you and when I see some of these stories, I am encouraged to keep going. I hope that I will have a success story with my Tiffany also.
Click to expand...
 
@Sandy and Black Kitty

Thank you for sharing :bighug:. That brought a tear to my eye. Those of you that deal with high dose kitties are amazing.

@Jadi Faul please keep us posted. :bighug: I know @Bronx's dad has just been through the testing so tagging him to see if he has any input.

Have you had Tiffany's teeth checked? I would also get a full senior bloodwork panel and urinalysis done if you haven't done so recently (I checked the SS and there wasn't any info on the labs tab)

I hope you can find a vet that will work with you.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
@Sandy and Black Kitty

Thank you for sharing :bighug:. That brought a tear to my eye. Those of you that deal with high dose kitties are amazing.

@Jadi Faul please keep us posted. :bighug: I know @Bronx's dad has just been through the testing so tagging him to see if he has any input.

Have you had Tiffany's teeth checked? I would also get a full senior bloodwork panel and urinalysis done if you haven't done so recently (I checked the SS and there wasn't any info on the labs tab)

I hope you can find a vet that will work with you.
Click to expand...
Yes, we have had all the blood and urinalysis work done. Her teeth are fine. I will see if I have that to post. Thank you.
 
IAA & Acro testing isn't very costly if your vet allows the tech to draw the blood to avoid an vet-exam charge. I understand what you're going through, Bronx #s were stuck high what seemed like forever until we got to the right dose which took months (he has Acro). I remember someone telling me here every cat has a # that will work and that helped me get through those frustrating days/weeks when he was all red and black using an aggressive TR protocol. Also looking at Black Kitty's spreadsheet gave me hope that Bronx could sustain the high BG#s for an extended time. Many helpful pros here that are very familiar with Acro/IAA will help you and Tiffany if she is positive, they kept me sane when I was getting so frustrated.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
@Sandy and Black Kitty

Thank you for sharing :bighug:. That brought a tear to my eye. Those of you that deal with high dose kitties are amazing.

@Jadi Faul please keep us posted. :bighug: I know @Bronx's dad has just been through the testing so tagging him to see if he has any input.

Have you had Tiffany's teeth checked? I would also get a full senior bloodwork panel and urinalysis done if you haven't done so recently (I checked the SS and there wasn't any info on the labs tab)

I hope you can find a vet that will work with you.
Click to expand...
Yes, we have had all the labs done and teeth checked. I hope so too...I emailed my vet today, so hoping she will help us.
 
Bronx's dad said:
IAA & Acro testing isn't very costly if your vet allows the tech to draw the blood to avoid an vet-exam charge. I understand what you're going through, Bronx #s were stuck high what seemed like forever until we got to the right dose which took months (he has Acro). I remember someone telling me here every cat has a # that will work and that helped me get through those frustrating days/weeks when he was all red and black using an aggressive TR protocol. Also looking at Black Kitty's spreadsheet gave me hope that Bronx could sustain the high BG#s for an extended time. Many helpful pros here that are very familiar with Acro/IAA will help you and Tiffany if she is positive, they kept me sane when I was getting so frustrated.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!! Your encouraging words mean so much to me. We are going to keep going and hoping to help Tiffany feel better.
 
Jadi Faul said:
May I ask more about your experience with Chino? How much insulin did you have to give and did you do any other treatments?
Click to expand...

The vet was skeptical and thought Chino's BG might be too high because of too much insulin, but he went ahead and sent the tests. Then he denied that Chino had acromegaly because everything he read said it had to be 1000 or above, and Chino's IGF-1 was 317. Now, I didn't have to go to vet school to know that something that weighs 1 ounce doesn't also weigh 1 pound. I read the same papers, and the value is 1000 ng/mL. MSU reports the results in nmol/L. 317 nmol/L = 2420 ng/mL. After getting nowhere with that, I found a vet who actually had some experience with acro cats.

I kept increasing the dose until he finally started showing regular greens and blues on 10 units, though Chino still bounces a lot, so we're still seeing regular pinks and reds as well. At one point, I had been giving Novolin R to try to keep his BG under 400 but found that it took him longer to come down from a bounce when I did that. But ECID. Others have been able to use it with great results. (If you keep having to increase the dose and you're not seeing results, it might be something to consider at some point, but you need to be able to monitor frequently on a day when someone with experience is able to guide you.)

We haven't pursued any treatment specific to acromegaly yet. I'm not sure if it will be financially possible. My primary goal at this time is to get his BG under control to prevent complications of diabetes.
 
Adrian and Chino said:
The vet was skeptical and thought Chino's BG might be too high because of too much insulin, but he went ahead and sent the tests. Then he denied that Chino had acromegaly because everything he read said it had to be 1000 or above, and Chino's IGF-1 was 317. Now, I didn't have to go to vet school to know that something that weighs 1 ounce doesn't also weigh 1 pound. I read the same papers, and the value is 1000 ng/mL. MSU reports the results in nmol/L. 317 nmol/L = 2420 ng/mL. After getting nowhere with that, I found a vet who actually had some experience with acro cats.

I kept increasing the dose until he finally started showing regular greens and blues on 10 units, though Chino still bounces a lot, so we're still seeing regular pinks and reds as well. At one point, I had been giving Novolin R to try to keep his BG under 400 but found that it took him longer to come down from a bounce when I did that. But ECID. Others have been able to use it with great results. (If you keep having to increase the dose and you're not seeing results, it might be something to consider at some point, but you need to be able to monitor frequently on a day when someone with experience is able to guide you.)

We haven't pursued any treatment specific to acromegaly yet. I'm not sure if it will be financially possible. My primary goal at this time is to get his BG under control to prevent complications of diabetes.
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing. I am so impressed with your diligence to help Chino.
 
Jadi & Tiffany said:
I mentioned to the specialist who treating her for kidneys that her meow has changed...he told me not to worry. Also told her vet...is this a symptom of Acro?
Click to expand...
Acro symptoms are generally related to either bony or soft tissue growth. Neko's first acro symptom was eye tearing from the soft tissue growth blocking her eye duct - though I didn't know it was an acro symptom at the time. She hadn't even been diagnosed as diabetic yet. Soft tissue growth can cause narrowing of the throat, which can cause airy sounding breathing (called stridor) and could cause some meow changes. In her last year, Neko had some narrowing of the pharynx, which caused a slightly noise on each breath.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Acro symptoms are generally related to either bony or soft tissue growth. Neko's first acro symptom was eye tearing from the soft tissue growth blocking her eye duct - though I didn't know it was an acro symptom at the time. She hadn't even been diagnosed as diabetic yet. Soft tissue growth can cause narrowing of the throat, which can cause airy sounding breathing (called stridor) and could cause some meow changes. In her last year, Neko had some narrowing of the pharynx, which caused a slightly noise on each breath.
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Tiffy has been snoring more than usual.
 
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