StephG
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We sure do try. They are our "kids". We never wanted human kids but are crazy about our furbabies.
Chuck's bouncy journey, part 14.
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StephG
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+6.5 218 
I do know some people with human kids that still spoil their furbabies but I know for a fact we wouldn't have much money to spend on them if we had human kids! I get my human kid "fix" by babysitting my friend's children. I get to leave them with their parents when they get too much to handle. LOL it's the awesome part about babysitting... of course teaching them the basics and watching them grow and learn is amazing too. The little one I've watched for about 3 years now is starting Kindergarten this year! His sister starts next year! Their mommy is due with #3 in August! It's like starting all over again! I told her she's nuts. lol
I do know some people with human kids that still spoil their furbabies but I know for a fact we wouldn't have much money to spend on them if we had human kids! I get my human kid "fix" by babysitting my friend's children. I get to leave them with their parents when they get too much to handle. LOL it's the awesome part about babysitting... of course teaching them the basics and watching them grow and learn is amazing too. The little one I've watched for about 3 years now is starting Kindergarten this year! His sister starts next year! Their mommy is due with #3 in August! It's like starting all over again! I told her she's nuts. lol
Kris & Teasel
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Yes!!!
StephG
Very Active Member
HAHA. At first I was sleeping in 1 hour naps. Now DH helps monitor over night. I usually am in bed by 3am. On days I have to get up early I go to bed around 11 or midnight and am up again at 6am. Dh gets home around 1am and monitors until around 5am. Usually longer on the weekends. then I try to get up mid cycle for am cycle but lately I haven't had to because of his high numbers.
I have been trying to feed and shoot once I know his numbers are rising even if it's early. I have a TON of data so it's better than letting him get to 500+
DH is going to take over and he will message me his readings and if I can't fall back asleep I get on here and see what's going on. (I have no life lol)
Yong & Maury GA
Very Active Member
Huzzah for data! One of my Aunt's almost made me feel bad when I told her I like to try and test Maury 4 times a day. But how else am I going to learn how he's doing? So I made my argument and didn't feel guilty at all
Djamila
Very Active Member
Ah! Two people testing makes sense! I was wondering if you had some super power that allowed you to go without sleep
Kris & Teasel
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OMG - Mr. Personality is written all over his face, Steph! Such handsome, distinctive boy!
Yong & Maury GA
Very Active Member
He's like a little white tiger!
Lisa & Leo
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What a handsome guy!
StephG
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I've been thinking a lot about the acromegaly. Can he be an acro cat if he's not gaining weight? He's still under weight at 10.8 pounds and it's taking a long time to get him to gain. Googling pictures of acro cats he doesn't seem to look like one to me. But his recent dosing is driving me nuts.
AMPS (+13): 460
Fed 4.5oz pate + 2T water. .8oz pate + 1 T water @ +3 and 1T YA @ +5.5.
Gave 6 units.
+1 HI
+3 397
+4 354
PMPS (+11): 416
Fed 4.5oz pate + 2T water. .8oz pate + 1 T water @ +3 and 1T YA @ +5.5.
+3 385
+5 404 .4u given *DO NOT COPY MY DOSING!*
+6 331
I was also wondering about Vetsulin... That is the one that is a mix of a quicker acting and loner acting right? So he wouldn't get such a food spike after eating and maybe surf longer? I know prozinc is a favorite for some vets along with lantus. I haven't talked to his Vet about any of this yet. Just trying to get some input from you all so I don't go in blind/deaf/dumb. Someone also suggested an R insulin for meal time. I know that's a very fast acting and can be dangerous so it kinda scares me but I wonder if it would help with his mealtime spikes in a micro dose amount? I don't plan on making any changes soon. I want to finish out this bottle of prozinc at least. DH used the "warmed" bottle the other day. I'm going to mark that on his SS. Just found out today.
AMPS (+13): 460
Fed 4.5oz pate + 2T water. .8oz pate + 1 T water @ +3 and 1T YA @ +5.5.
Gave 6 units.
+1 HI
+3 397
+4 354
PMPS (+11): 416
Fed 4.5oz pate + 2T water. .8oz pate + 1 T water @ +3 and 1T YA @ +5.5.
+3 385
+5 404 .4u given *DO NOT COPY MY DOSING!*
+6 331
I was also wondering about Vetsulin... That is the one that is a mix of a quicker acting and loner acting right? So he wouldn't get such a food spike after eating and maybe surf longer? I know prozinc is a favorite for some vets along with lantus. I haven't talked to his Vet about any of this yet. Just trying to get some input from you all so I don't go in blind/deaf/dumb. Someone also suggested an R insulin for meal time. I know that's a very fast acting and can be dangerous so it kinda scares me but I wonder if it would help with his mealtime spikes in a micro dose amount? I don't plan on making any changes soon. I want to finish out this bottle of prozinc at least. DH used the "warmed" bottle the other day. I'm going to mark that on his SS. Just found out today.
Rachel
Very Active Member
Not sure about the acro...could ask in Health maybe and someone can give you some insight?
Vetsulin is much harsher I believe so it would drop him faster...but I don't believe it's longer acting. I think it's more like 8 hours.
As for R, I know it's been used in conjuction with Lantus, but never with Prozinc that I know of. @Bobbie And Bubba didn't you use R at one point?
Vetsulin is much harsher I believe so it would drop him faster...but I don't believe it's longer acting. I think it's more like 8 hours.
As for R, I know it's been used in conjuction with Lantus, but never with Prozinc that I know of. @Bobbie And Bubba didn't you use R at one point?
Sharon14
Very Active Member
If you choose to switch insulins, I'd recommend either Lantus or Levemir. They are both long lasting and give a smoother curve. With a higher dose kitty most will recommend Lev because at higher doses Lantus can sting some cats. The physical signs of acro don't always show early on. My vet kept insisting Colin didn't have it because of having no outward signs. I had to insist on the test. He was very surprised at the result. He still hasn't gained the weight, holding steady at 12# and the only thing I can see is his lower jaw is a little longer than it used to be. If you'd like, I can tag Wendy and Julie who are the acro gurus in L&L and they can give you more info.
StephG
Very Active Member
Sure the more info the better! I will look up Levemir. I have been following Kris & Teasel and it gives me increased anxiety to see the same dose on such a lower number. I'm sure it's because I'm accustomed to the prozinc and lantus is different. I will keep your experience with Colin and his acro test in mind if my vet isn't willing to test. I mean if it's a blood test and I'm paying- why wouldn't she want to? But I have had my fair share of vets that couldn't be wrong. haha.
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
Yes, Steph, dosing on those low numbers takes some getting used to. The time it really gave me the jitters was on 02/25. For blues, I'm OK. There's no sliding scale dosing though with the Ls.
It's a no shot for Teasel tonight because he's far too low. I'll be reducing his dose a little tomorrow AM. This was a nail biter number.
Sharon14
Very Active Member
Yes there is definitely a difference in Prozinc dosing and depot insulin dosing, but there are a lot of folks on the L&L forum to guide you. @Wendy&Neko and @julie & punkin (ga) are two of the best and know their high dose kitty stuff! They will give you some info on acro and IAA and be glad to answer any questions you have.
Bobbie And Bubba
Very Active Member
It is my understanding that Vetsulin is a fast acting, with harsher drops and not the duration of Lantus or even Prozinc.
I did use R with Bubba along with Lantus and I do believe I read on the boards that it has been used in adjunct to ProZinc but I am not positive who it was that said that or who has the knowledge to use the two together . If not used carefully, it could make bouncing worst.
StephG
Very Active Member
Yes! I would be a mess. I am quick to panic and steer but was getting better about not getting to ahead of myself but lately it hasn't mattered since he's been so high. I like the progress you're making though!
The R would be scary for me because some days, usually mid pinks or lower, he doesn't spike much after his meal. Other days he spikes hard. I would be hesitant to give it until I saw how big the spike was which would kinda defeat the purpose of it. I read a bit about lev and think it sounds like it could be a possibility in the future if we decide we need to change.
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
I don't think I could handle giving R insulin myself. Tricky kitties will still be tricky on an L insulin but you can see that Teasel has done his version of levelling out. I hope to see more of that.
Yes, especially if he's poorly regulated. Remember ECID -well, the same for acros. Neko had acromegaly for 5.5 years and never got above 15 lbs. The vet thought she was a good weight (part Maine Coon). We've also had some petite acros that weighed a lot less. The other thing to consider is IAA or insulin auto antibodies. It's less common condition but we do see it around. Neko had both. A recent study at Royal Veterinary College in the UK showed that 1 in 4 diabetic cats had acromegaly. The cats in their study (over 1000 cats) had doses ranging from 1 to 32 units, with an average of 7. Neko's vet originally thought she had to get to 10 units (for her size) before testing for acromegaly. We never got that high.
Only 35% of acros show clinical signs on diagnosis. Neko's only signs were a tearing eye (which I found out much later was due to soft tissue growth in her tear duct), her dose, and an obsession with bread products.
A lot of cats don't show physical signs until much later on in the disease. I wouldn't go there. We were on Vetsulin first (properly called Caninsulin for canine insulin in Canada). For cats with a high dose condition, if he has that, the longer lasting L insulins are better. If your kitty is a high doser, I would in fact recommend Levemir, as Lantus can sting at higher doses. And yes, R is an option used by some people with acrocats (or IAA) but my experience is only with the L insulins. The later onset in Levemir also makes R use easier cause you have quite a bit of time after shot time where the L insulin is still wearing off and the R can do it's work.
I've seen a lot of vets relunctant to do the test. Mine was as I said. I asked her to humour me. Boy did I earn points when both tests came back positive. Depending on the age of the vet, a lot of them were taught "this is acromegaly, you'll never see it, it's so rare". The research on it being more common is fairly new. Neko's vet diagnosed another in her practise a few months after Neko's results came in. Now she knows what to look for. And remember, you want the IAA and the acro test. Some are one or the other or both. Dosing strategies can change based on results.
Feel free to ask questions - here's a place to start if you like to read.
Yong & Maury GA
Very Active Member
Teasel is keeping you on your toes! He sensed you were relaxing . Although I do feel like Maury sense this and then throws me a bounce 
. Although I do feel like Maury sense this and then throws me a bounce
StephG
Very Active Member
Wow. Chuck's right eye tears up and gets more gunk than his left eye. Thanks for the info and I'm off to read it now! I will call my vet and see what she thinks about the two tests. Is there a way to test if the pancreas is producing insulin at all? Or is it more of a rule out other conditions first type thing?
Not to my knowledge. Acros generally have working pancreases. And the rest of the sugar cats have pancreases that sputter and produce some insulin. Usually we suggest that if people have increased safely to dose of 6 units (or there abouts), the cat has no infection/inflammation (ie, such as dental needed), and are eating low carb wet or raw food, then it's time for the high dose tests. There are other conditions that can cause some insulin resistance, like hyperthyroidism, heart conditions, pancreatitis, kidney disease, but not usually to that high a dose.
Keep it going, Chuck!
StephG
Very Active Member
Last bloodwork was 8/2016. Results are on my SS labs page. He was looked over when we switched our vet in October I think, maybe November. Oy, my memory is so awful. If have to look at the stack of vet papers to see for sure.Chuck heard about the possibility of tests and said NOOOOOO!
When is the last time Chuck had a good vet work up? I tend to think of high dose conditions because you've been trying with small increases for awhile, but it's true that other things could cause it...
I might have to take my dog in so if I do I'll book a double appt and take him too. April had too much of a treat that disagreed with her belly and is going on 72+ hrs of GI upset.
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