Chuck's bouncy journey, part 14.
- Thread starter StephG
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julie & punkin (ga)
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Hi Steph, got the tag from Sharon above. One thing I can see from Chuck's (Satan's) spreadsheet is that the insulin is definitely not lasting long enough in his body to give him good coverage. Notice how he's back high by the next preshot on almost all of his cycles? Even when he's got decent nadirs, he's not getting long enough duration to protect his body from high blood sugar. I'd definitely consider switching to Lantus or Lev. I gave Punkin Lantus and he didn't seem to be bothered by the shots, but we do know it's acidic base. Some cats are sensitive to that, some are not. If I were in your shoes now, however, I'd probably switch to Lev. I didn't use it but I've seen some great success with cats, including high dose cats, on Lev.
Just to give you an example to compare to - here is Bronx's spreadsheet. Start at the top of the page - notice how the dose isn't high enough and he's basically in high numbers 24/7 for the first little while. As he's gone up in dose, his high numbers are basically disappearing. You can see that the insulin is lasting a long time in his body because the blood sugar range is relatively flat and controlled throughout the 24 hours.
I'd be glad to help you make the switch to one of the L insulins. There are also several of us that are experienced in using R insulin. It can be a good tool to have in your toolbox, especially with high dose cats. Just say the word if you want help!
by the way, I do think it would be a great idea to have him tested for both acro and iaa. You'll be relieved to know what's going on and it can change dosing strategies depending on which high dose condition a cat has.
Just to give you an example to compare to - here is Bronx's spreadsheet. Start at the top of the page - notice how the dose isn't high enough and he's basically in high numbers 24/7 for the first little while. As he's gone up in dose, his high numbers are basically disappearing. You can see that the insulin is lasting a long time in his body because the blood sugar range is relatively flat and controlled throughout the 24 hours.
I'd be glad to help you make the switch to one of the L insulins. There are also several of us that are experienced in using R insulin. It can be a good tool to have in your toolbox, especially with high dose cats. Just say the word if you want help!
by the way, I do think it would be a great idea to have him tested for both acro and iaa. You'll be relieved to know what's going on and it can change dosing strategies depending on which high dose condition a cat has.
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
I put the links to the tests at MSU in the second post in the thread that Wendy linked for you, if you need it.
My vet was willing to do the test although he didn't know anything about acro. Punkin was acro only, his iaa was 7% and less than 20% is considered negative. Just be aware that many vets will add on charges to "interpret" the test results. I don't know any way around that. The MSU lab test fee is not what it will cost you - it will be more for shipping and your own vet's charges.
My vet was willing to do the test although he didn't know anything about acro. Punkin was acro only, his iaa was 7% and less than 20% is considered negative. Just be aware that many vets will add on charges to "interpret" the test results. I don't know any way around that. The MSU lab test fee is not what it will cost you - it will be more for shipping and your own vet's charges.
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
Almost forgot I wanted to respond to your comment above. On the "Where Can I Find?" thread, which we use a lot in the Lantus/Lev ISG to find info, there is a section about digestive issues.
You might want to look at these links from the Where Can I Find? thread:
Digestive Problems:
Constipation, Maggie11 & Ann; Feline Constipation
Hairballs/Chronic Vomiting
Probiotics in IBD (or other) cats
We've had excellent luck with our 2 cats that tend to be constipated by following the probiotic suggestions on the last link. One of my cats, McGee, is a short haired tuxedo boy who was vomiting daily and severely constipated. I thought he was having hairballs until I read the link about chronic vomiting & hairballs. I realized that I wasn't always even seeing hair in the vomit. Then I read the link on probiotics. I started McGee on a probiotic, working from a small amount up to an entire capsule once a day over the course of a couple of weeks. Then he got 1 entire capsule per day for 2 months. I tapered him down to one capsule every other day. We bought the Renew Ultimate Colon Care 80,000 cfu brand - there are others mentioned on the links above as well.
We also give him one very tiny sprinkle once a day of ground flax seed (Spectrum brand - you want a people quality flax seed). Start small and work up in amount so you're just giving the right amount. Too much will cause diarrhea.
Between those two things his constipation and the vomiting are both gone.
Many people have good success just giving plain canned pumpkin or squash for their cat's constipation. Punkin wouldn't eat it, but many seem to like it.
I don't know if that will help with his IBD, but I thought that link about probiotics in IBD kitties was really helpful. Apparently Fortiflora isn't really considered a probiotic, even though it is labeled as such. There is also a link about Fortiflora that was saved on the Where Can I Find? thread here: Fortiflora.
StephG
Very Active Member
Thank you so much for the info! I have read about the s boulardii for cats. I have human grade acidophilus. They are 100 billion so to get him to about 5-10 billion I would need a shard of the pill. I don't think that is going to easy to make sure he gets the right amount to keep from causing diarrhea so I might look into a smaller dose pill. Fortiflora never did much for him so the article makes sense to try a different one. I will look more into lev and see what the vet thinks about switching.
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