Atlas Update 4/25 is back in FosterCare

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Beth & Atlas

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According to the shelter vet tech, he is doing better and his glucose numbers were getting better and stabilizing. The foster director is gonna give Vet a call and get the latest.

When Atlas is "ready" he will be coming back into my foster care.

I realize I haven't been here too much this past week, but getting information on Atlas right now is kinda like going round robin! It sounds like things are going well.

For History on Atlas visit this thread:
New Cat new diabetic situation
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9481&p=94671#p94671
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/05/2010

Glad to see you back Blue. And glad to hear that Atlas is still with us and improving.

If you are still interested in getting Atlas into Diabetic Cats in Need's adoption program, you and your shelter's foster director (or maybe the community outreach director) might want to look at this page of the DCIN blog. The sooner we can get his information on the blog, the sooner we can work on finding him a home.

Venita
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/05/2010

Thanks Venita,

I've notified the shelter that there may be an organization willing to assist with re-homing Atla, once he is well enough. Your information has been passed along to the Cat Committee Chairperson and the Foster Director. Sometimes things move slowly through the system as we're a pretty busy place.

Thank you for all your concern and efforts.

Right now we're just waiting on Atlas. :roll:
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/10/2010

Atlas is doing well and will be with the vet for another week.

He has gained a pound this week!!!

Is eating and seems to be getting his energy back.

He is up to 2 units BID as well.
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/10/2010

He has got a strong will to live. I'm not sure of what to make of him gaining a pound this past week, but I guess it is better than him losing it. I think it means we're getting closer to the correct insulin treatment and course.

God Bless the Vet he is doing all this work for Atlas a stray, discarded, beat-up, neglected cat for nothing. Atlas has a group of folks here advocating for him, praying for him, and pulling for him.
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/10/2010

I haven't heard anything this weekend on Atlas. :?

I had hoped he would be here tonight, but no word on anything right now. The foster director is out of town, but someone else has his duties and is very aware of his situation. She knows he is to come here when he is released.

I spent my day off work scrubbing down the "kitten room" in anticipation of Atlas' arrival back to his temporary home. Everything is ready for him. We found an enzymatic cleaner for the mattress and there seems to be no odor left from his accident. At least my resident cats now seem to ignore it.

Wish I could tell you all more. I think and pray on him every day.
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/10/2010

Well, I just got an email and Atlas is still with the vet. Atlas is now up to 4 units twice a day. It has been awhile and it seems the vet is taking the dosing changes fairly slow all things considered.

It has been a month ...doesn't seem like it has been that long, but I guess it has been.
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/10, 4/19,4/24

Well gang...here we go!

Atlas is being picked up in the morning.

I spoke with the committee chairmen this evening and Atlas will be ready at 10 am for pick-up.

I need to verify some details and will update again after Atlas is here.

He has gained weight and has stopped peeing like a race horse. His dosage seems high, but he has spent 4+ weeks with the vet being TLC'd and regulated. It sounds like he may be a high dose cat.

According to the shelter he has not been released for adoption yet.
 
Re: Atlas Update 04/10, 4/19, 4/24

Atlas has arrived at my home, again.

Here is the regimen the vet, who had him for over 4 weeks, has developed for him.

He is on both Hill D/M wet & dry. ohmygod_smile I have a huge bag of the dry :-Q and a case of the wet food.

Atlas has gone from 1 unit BID about 6 weeks ago to 8 units BID of Humilin N using a U-100 syringe.

He has gained weight...hurray!

I am cautious of the 8 units, although I realize this was done over the course of quite a few weeks. Again, here we are with the food issue and Atlas still needing to regain close to 5 pounds of weight in total. He has had some more of the fur mats removed, but is still pretty shabby looking.
 
I too am leery of the eight units bid of N insulin. I do not remember if you are home testing. I would say you need to home test if using eight units bid of N. Also, be careful about reducing the amount of dry you are feeding since reducing the carb content of food (dry is high) usually reduces the dose of insulin.

Do you have any BG curves that vet has taken that you can post? Maybe eight units of N is what Atlas needs. I myself would not give 8 units bid without some proof that that is what is needed since I would be worried about BGs going too low. Also, because of the change in locations. Atlas may not eat like he did at the vet and thus there is a concern with hypo if eight units are given.
 
I am going to see if I can contact health care in the morning. The little gal that was there this morning was only a volunteer. I double checked everything she gave me against the information I had heard and what was written for her.

I had been told last night it was 8 units at 8&8. So seeing it written out confirmed it.

Atlas didn't urinate all day, but just did so a little while ago. I checked him with the KetoDiastix and he was negative for ketones, but his glucose was over the 2000 mark. The last mark on the stick. His urine output seemed quite large, but having not gone all day...? His water consumption was not significant throughout the day.
 
Well we made it through the first night.

I did the 8 units and held watch. Really, for all this little guy has been through...I could hold watch. ~O) We put the babygate in the doorway and he laid there watching us too. My two resident civvies checked him out through the gate several times. Atlas just looked at them while they minorly fussed at him. Nothing a quick call of their names wouldn't discourage. My civvies get along with other cats real well, so this is just an adjustment to new smells in the house.

Atlas seemed fine, even seemed to perk up a bit after the shot. He drank like half a cup of water in 3 hours, but nothing more overnight. We still had two fairly large eliminations in the litter box, but neither as large as the first one earlier in the evening.

Real hometesting will start Weds. on my day off. After last nights Keto reading, I'm more than curious and like I said last night ...I'll make contact with Health Care today and see what I can get.
 
You said BG testing starts Wednesday since it you day off. Can you do a BG test this evening before his scheduled shot and post the value her before giving the evening shot? I am very concerned with the eight units bid of N.

Atlas may be in rebound because of too much insulin and that would explain the high urine glucose you observed.

When I started all the ED stuff I had my vet do the initial curve since I had to go away on travel for work. The vet curves showed he needed 14 units of compounded PZI bid. When I got him home I reduced the dose to either five or eight (that was seven years ago). The a day or so after that I go a preshot BG in the 60's. That evening he got no insulin and I finally got excellent control on 3-4 units bid.
 
Thanks for the tip Larry, but keep in mind this little guy has been in the vets care for over 4+ weeks. The vet took him into his own home for care after the trip to the ER. I see from his chart he was curved several times a week over the 4+ weeks. Atlas was originally started out at only 1 unit BID.

Atlas has never been home tested and I really want to take my time introducing the routine to him. He is pretty laid back and I suspect after several attempts we will be up and running. I want to attempt an AMPs, a 4, a 8, and the PMPs. Mini curve. Yesterday and today my schedule is crazy and me stressing out with him wouldn't really be fair to either of us. I guess I should say too that my day's off are in the middle of the week, so I'm not waiting for the weekend.

Observing him, symptoms, using the ketodiastix, and his known history I am pretty comfortable about the 8 units. In fact, I am thinking he might be high dose and needs more. We've suspected other issues with him for a while now. Where he was shaved his fur hasn't grown back in (not even fuzz), his fragile skin, his little pot belly, the infected testicle (now removed), the "lost testicle" (which I now wonder if it atrophied), his low weight.

Keeping in mind in a shelter situation we see a lot of neglected cats with similar issues. But now that Atlas has had intensive vet care and has been with us for some months at the shelter in iso, and now finally in foster care with a bean that might have a clue....by this time most cats would be well recovered and nearly ready to go up for adoption.

Atlas is nowhere near ready for adoption and I am sort of resigning myself to the idea he may spend his last bit of time with me. We don't know how or why Atlas was found in such a neglected condition, but unfortunately these are sometimes the difficult stories we deal with.

Last year I had several sets of kittens to foster. The house was filled with the joys and trials of kittens most of the year. All happily found loving homes along with their moms. This year it looks like I will be making a very loving cat comfortable for a bit of time. I will do everything in my power to help him "recover," hopefully feel welcome in my home beyond the kitten room, and if there is a miracle out there for this little guy...every opportunity for it to happen.
 
If Atlas stands any chance at all, it sounds like he will get it in your hands. Sometimes it takes a long while before these kitties come back. Wishing you and Atlas all the best and please keep the updates coming. Prayers that Atlas not only improves but has a lot more good years ahead of him.
 
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