? 4/3 - Gen, AMPS 370, +4 64 - any steroids experience to share?

[Allie & Gen]

Tuesday

Hey friends, happy Friday! I hope you've all had a chill week, and that your precious kitties are surfing safely.

Work gets pretty intense for me in the lead-up to the end of the academic year, and unfortunately it looks like this year is going to be a doozy, even more than usual. I suspect my posting will be more intermittent for awhile.

I've been struggling with Gen's ongoing high numbers lately, although today he's taken a huuuuge dive, which is nerve-wracking in its own way of course (though it's nice to see some green, especially since he had his first pink nadir since early February last night ). The internal med vet suggested that I reduce his budesonide dose from .25ml to .2ml to see if it would improve his BG at all. He's two days into that change ... it seems so unlikely to me that such a small reduction in the steroid would make a dramatic difference to Gen's glucose, but I have no idea!

I was hoping that some of you might have experiences to share re: having to put your diabetic cats on insulin-antagonizing steroids for some period of time, what that looked like, and how you managed? ECID, but I could really use some context.

I think he's starting to adjust to the new feeder schedule ... I hope. He ate just about everything from his PM meal in the 4-hour window, which was a first. He doesn't seem to have been eating his AM meal as eagerly or rapidly today, though. I'm extending the window to 6 hours, especially given that I just had a Libre alarm go off for the first time in weeks. I suspect I may have to run home on my lunch.

Never a dull moment, alas.

 

[Allie & Gen]

Some cuteness from a couple of days ago.

 

[squeem3]

No help here because Leroy is a weirdo

My vet isn't too concerned about bgs, mainly because it's Leroy and he's got a lot of health issues going on. The diabetes is the least of our concerns.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Glad to hear the feeding schedule is going well for Gen! What a good boy!
He really has been very good at adapting to the changes you’ve made, Allie.

You’re going such a great job figuring out treatments and ways to install them for Gen.
I know he may push back on some, but he eventually comes around
I hope the reduction of budesonide helps his BG.

Wishing you and your handsome boy a relaxing weekend

 

[Wendy&Neko]

I don't think budesonide made any difference to Neko's BG. Her situation was a bit complicated as she got her probably SCL and heart issue diagnoses at the same time and had a bunch of meds added to her routine. Plus she was in the "actively reducing dose" phase post SRT. Anyway, after budesonide her dose kept on going down. Her civvie buddy was put on pred the previous year, and his typical 50's went up to 90's on 10mg of pred and down to 70's when it was reduced to 5 mg daily.

As for other people on budesonide, you mileage dose vary, but mostly cats switching from pred to budesonide see insulin doses reduced. But there is an ECID factor. I've also see people play with timing of when they give the steroid. One member gave it in the AM so kitty would be higher and safe while she was at work, and do her lower numbers at night when the caregiver was home to monitor. Some people notice a delay before the steroid impact is seen in numbers. Meaning, there is variability in how the steroid works, and you have to figure out how it works in your cat.