Introducing Ollie

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Ollie(GA) & Patsy

Ollie(GA) & Patsy

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Hello everyone....I feel like I know you all since I have been visiting the board since Ollie was dx in January of this year. I'm technically challenged so it has taken me a while to get a spreadsheet together and linked. I hope I am successful because I really could use some of your advice.

A bit of history. Ollie is a large grey & white 11yr old altered male who I adopted from a shelter when he was 7yrs old. He has an extra toe on each paw. He was 17-18 lbs when I adopted him and he did go up as high as 20lbs as he settled into the ez life. Of course he was fed dry food until dx. Never again for any cat I feed! Ollie was dx as we were heading from Boston to Florida. I will be working 4 months of the year in Florida (December thru April) and the remainder in Boston.

Ollie started treatment in Florida with a vet who didn't believe in curves or testing. She started him on ProZinc. I changed vets within three weeks...she never returned my calls. Second Florida vet continued on PZI, taught me how to home test and was wonderful to deal with. She is a keeper. We never got good results with PZI and when I returned to Boston my regular vet, who I have gone to for over 20 years switched him to lantus. Boston vet is all about hometesting but only PS. She has me fax her his results about once a week and adjusts his dose from just PS results. It's not working out too well...or so it seems to me.

She is a big Hills pusher and I refuse to feed him that or DM. I use Binky's list and he is FF or Merricks and Evo...all wet...hasn't had kibble since January. Treats are Pure Bites. Ollie is a love and doesn't mind testing.

We had a couple of great weeks and vet was decreasing his dose (mid July) and I think she did it too quickly. So we are back up the dose ladder. He is steady flat pink. I don't believe he is bouncing but I'm not sure of anything lately.

Please look over his spreadsheet and let me know what you think. I'm here and staying. I want Ollie to have a long life even if he continues to have FD. Thank you!!!!
 
I am thinking I should increase his dose tonight by 0.50. The vet always wants to go up in full units and you can see I have been increasing 0.50 units before she has me go up a full one. This thursday I will fax her his PS and she will tell me to raaise him to 5 units. IF I raise him to 4.5 tonight he has a few days to settle in. It's ok to tell me to stop thinking...really!

His WCR is good...maybe great...all 5 p's in place, he is bright, alert and responds well.

Thank you for eyes on this. It means alot to me!
 
Hi there I wish I could help but really don't know the answer to be honest. I'm sure someone will be along soon to help though. Don't you just wish sometimes that your cat could talk and tell you how they are feeling rather than you having to try and guess
 
I do wish he could tell me! Thanks for your welcome. I know there is a lot of wisdom on this board and Ollie will get the help he needs. I just want him out of the danger zones and into healing zone.
 
We just started Lantus so can't help but wanted to say welcome! Ollie baby lives in the reds lately....the people that know will help us both get them down into the good places!
 
Welcome Patsy, and of course you too, Ollie!

I realize you just posted for the first time, but you are anything but a "newbie"! Not often someone comes already hometesting, feeding a good low carb diet and with a terrific spreadsheet.
A little later in the evening, this place will be swarming with lots of lantus-experienced experts. I'm a PZI user, so can't really input on dose.
One thing that strikes me as odd is your vet insisting on just PS numbers thought. Given the way lantus works, the mid-cycle readings are just as, even more important than, the ps readings when determining dose.
If you can be just a bit patient, lantus users will see this and help you out with dose advice.
I will link this to their forum (each insulin group has one) so that they are aware.

Welcome again!
Carl in SC

p.s. I like the SS upside down. all the new stuff is at the top, much easier to read (for me)!
 
Thanks Carl....I do have a great pair of patience pants. Love that expression!

I was willing to go along with the vet for as while and the more I thought about just PS readings and no set time between increases or decreases the more I began to feel like I wasn't doing right by Ollie.
 
Hi and welcome,

How long have you had your lantus? Just wondering if the vial is old?

Also wondering about the 10th/11th, you mention he's listless, I wonder [lots of wondering on my part :)] if there was a hypo that you could have missed. You tested but perhaps when you did the liver was already producing glucogen to get the numbers up. After that there could be insulin sensitivity causing rebound.

So, if you could tell me if this entire SS is Lantus using just the one vial or pen, and how old the current vial is, that might help. Once you hit 5U we started to see better numbers, was the Lantus the same vial as now? You had great numbers back then but it was quickly backed off and then doses were changed or missed, have you read about Lantus and the shed in the body that needs to be filled first?
 
Hi Patsy,

I saw your post while I was at work, but was not able to reply. I am a Lantus user, but have only been doing this for a short time. I am going to try to get you some more help by linking this post to "Lantus Land" (the Lantus Support Group)....I'll be right back....

Roberta
 
pink pink pink, even with dose increases. And relatively new insulin according to your notes (8/12). Any chance it's a bad vial? His numbers were pretty darn good before that. You said he's acting fine, but have you checked for ketones with all these pinks?
This is nuts. I hope someone with more experience can explain it and help you.

MJ&Donovan
 
New bottle of Lantus 8/12. Spreadsheet is all lantus 5/28 to present. 2/1 to 5/27 was PZI. I have results but not posted.

Thank you for "wondering"....I need help :)
 
It is nuts. Replaced the bottle when this all started, was first thought. Didn't think new bottle might be bad.

I have been thinking his shed was filling since we must have drained it with the low doses (when he didn't earn them). Lately I don't know what to think!
 
Dosing for Lantus is based of the daily nadir, or the lowest number of the cycle. You're testing daily and this is great! You're right that you can't dose Lantus based off of the preshots alone.

I think it's very odd that Ollie was doing great on a lower dose and all of a sudden he's really high. Is it possible there's an infection going on somewhere? How are his teeth? Sometimes a secondary illness can cause numbers like these.

While you do have some mid-cycle tests, can you get some daily tests more towards the middle of the cycles, in the +4-+7 area? These are good tests to get to see how the insulin is working.
 
MJ+Donovan said:
pink pink pink, even with dose increases. And relatively new insulin according to your notes (8/12). Any chance it's a bad vial? His numbers were pretty darn good before that. You said he's acting fine, but have you checked for ketones with all these pinks?
This is nuts. I hope someone with more experience can explain it and help you.

MJ&Donovan
Click to expand...
I agree with this, that is why I figured I would get the post link to LL to get more experienced eyes on this!!

Here are links to some "stickies" that you may find helpful:
New to the group sticky
Tight Protocal sticky
 
Ollie & Patsy said:
He could use a dental. Never had one from the looks of things....nothing too bad showing but could be. NO bad breath.
Click to expand...

Is there any inflammation in his gums? Usually right near the teeth? It would look very red at the base of the teeth if they were inflamed.

How about any straining to urinate? Could it be a UTI or Cystitis? Those are also notorious causes of high BG.
 
The vial before the new one he seemed to do much better. Does the vial have a smell to it? The only time I've noticed a really bad vial it had a lobster smell to it. I don't know why, it just did :oops:

For much of July you were doing really well with the lower dose, so either this vial is bad, or as Julia mentioned there could be something underlying. FDs are known for trash mouths. Urine and saliva sometimes have sugar in them and that creates a breeding ground for bacteria.

I would suggest a vet visit, get bloodwork checked for infections, check the urine too, and have the teeth looked at. From there, ask the vet to prescribe lantus in the pen form going forward, you want "5 3ML Solarstar Pens" it's slightly more expensive than the vial, but it will last much longer than a vial because each pen stays fresh until you start using it. Unlike a vial where the timer is ticking once you break the seal.
 
I'll get an appointment for him asap. I almost want to do it with a new vet but this one is supposed to be the best in area. I have gone to her for a long time and she has helped me keep at least three kitties going well into their 20's. Very disappointed with her now.

Do you think it's safe to have a dental done while he is this high? Maybe I should get another bottle of insulin....I have one left on the current script. His numbers started going south on the last bottle so I never thought about a bad new bottle.

In the meantime would you think another increase (0.50) would be a good idea?
 
Patsy,
We do have other members in Mass. You might want to post a thread with a title like "Looking for good FD vet in Boston area" and see if you get some feedback.

Carl
 
I agree with Jennifer. A vet trip looks to be in order.

I thought similar things like you back in May/June for Atlas. We went to the vet to get checked out. Vet went over him and was puzzeled as well....until Attie sneezed in his face. :lol: It was a minor URI that hadn't really shown itself and never really did. Sneezing every once in a while, but the vet listened even closer and thought he could hear some congestion.

We handled it as a viral to run its course. Attie went from 1.25 all the way back up to 3.5u for about 6 weeks ....then we started working our way back down.

I also thought we had taken reductions too close together and 'broke' the run with a hard bounce.

But...two cents being what it is worth today....vet trip.
 
I've read Atlas' progress. Vet trip is good idea. He seems fine but like you say...one sneeze later.

I worry if it is dental having it done while he is in these higher numbers.

Thank you for your two cents...always welcome here!
 
Those are strange readings, and I would wonder about some sort of infection kicking the BG back up.

That said, it did take you up to 6u to get him under control just 6 weeks ago, and he dropped down into blues and greens very fast. I've seen a couple spreadsheets where the dose goes just a little too low too fast for that cat, the BG numbers shoot up, and it takes a much higher dose to get "back on the bandwagon". Black Kitty did something like that (down to 3, back up to 4, down to 3, back up to 5.25, and then all the way OTJ).

The protocol would seem to call for a 0.5u increase now, and I don't see anything glaring to argue against it. Hopefully one of our most experienced users will chime in soon enough to be helpful.

I would also second the Ketone test. Those numbers have been pretty high for a while now.

With your kitty, you may want to try to keep the reductions as slow as possible to give lots of time to heal (without going into hypo ranges). ECID, including yours.

I'm NW of Boston, but I was unable to get a good recommendation for a vet that is actually helpful with FD, and mine is not at all helpful. I just use this board for advice.
 
hi patsy! glad you found us and good to meet you & ollie!

i'm with the others - i'd almost wonder if that vial is toast - it's like you're not giving him anything compared to the days before you switched vials. could also be an infection.

i think i'd get new insulin first - either the vial or the pens, but i wouldn't increase the dose. in fact, quite honestly, i might decrease the dose only because if that vial was doing nothing, which is totally what it looks like, you don't want to send ollie straight into a hypo event.

i have 6 months experience with lantus, 8 months with FD, so take people's experience into acct as you listen to advice - Beth (Blue) and some others have more experience than me, so they may see something i don't. but what i would do is give the first shot or two as just 1 unit and test every 3 hours to see what you get happening in Ollie's body. if the previous lantus was bad, i would assume the shed is somewhat affected and probably not doing anything. you might see more of a reaction with the second shot.

the reason i would lean towards the "lantus = toast" is because there is absolutely NO curve at all in ollie's numbers. usually there is either a flattish curve or a mountains & valleys curve, but some kind of a curve.

Glad you're hear, glad you're asking questions and high five for getting a spreadsheet going. awesome! you'll be able to get fairly quick answers so keep checking back, tell us what's happening and we'll try to help guide you on.
 
I agree with Julie, watch the experience level for people giving advice. I'm at the very low end of that scale :lol: :lol: :lol: Those of us with less experience should be not be considered "authoritative" at all, but rather just as a sounding board that you still need to take full responsibility for following ohmygod_smile

So, for my 0.2 cents worth: I would definately get a new vial if you can, to remove that risk. That said, my concern with the "bad Lantus" theory is that the pinks started 3 days before the new vial, and did not seem to change much after the change in vial. The cycles were also flat way back when 8 weeks ago, and in the last 2 cycles before the new vial. That doesn't mean that the vial is OK, just that there would need to be 2 other things going on, something else for the first few days, and a bad vial for the rest of the time.

ETA: The easiest way to check experience level is # of Posts and Date Joined under the username on the right. Some of our oldest users pre-date this message board, so they can have "Member Since" dates that even pre-date the Date Joined.
 
As others have mentioned, please test for ketones! If the problem is an infection, that plus the high numbers can be a recipe for DKA, which is a very serious condition. Taking him in to be checked out is a very good idea. Bandit had an ear infection one time that I had no clue about until he went in for an exam. You never know where one can sneak up on you.
 
I thought I posted an answer but I don't see it. Computers are not my thing but I try.

My other post was better but here goes...if it shows up this will be a wsort of double.

I'll get a new bottle...at a differnt branch of the pharmacy...tomorrow and start it with tomorrow's pm dose. I'll go slow with that dose in case the bottle was bad.

I'll make an appointment for a check up...most likely with the current vet. It's a cat's only practice and known to be the best in Boston (not saying much). I still have the vet in Florida and will be back there in December. She had a diabetic cat herself and a few in her practice. As long as someone will write a script for lantus I know I would be fine with this board.

My sincere thanks for help. I don't want to go to this dance alone!
 
patsy i've been thinking about you this afternoon since i posted that idea. i'm not normally a fan of suggesting reduced doses - my own cat has acromegaly, which is a high dose condition. when we arrived here he was on 3units twice a day, which is more than the usual dose for a recently diagnosed kitty. the risk of reducing the dose, as people have said, is the risk of ketones developing from high BG numbers. so i don't want to willy-nilly suggest reducing the dose.

so please, you have our attention and there are a lot of people here with a lot of experience who will walk with you through it. yes, check for ketones. if you want to try the reduced dose, post here and let's walk it with you during that cycle. also, hang onto your current bottle in the meantime, though, because if it's still good it's far too expensive to toss.

the other possibility that i'm thinking of is that it's possible your cat could have some other condition. ollie's spreadsheet is just so erratic that it looks strange to me. i'm going to pm someone to come and look at it. in the meantime, go ahead and get the new lantus, the vet visit is a good idea, too.

and sam, you're doing just fine. i wasn't trying to discount your thoughts - you have picked this up really quickly. no worries. i was just saying that others have more experience than me, so if someone with more knowledge comes along, i would defer to them.
 
Hi Patsy! I've been studying your spreadsheet and have a couple of ideas. Unfortunately my ideas contradict each other. LOL! I'll lay them out for you and you can let me know if anything jumps out at you.

1. The way your dose changes have been made leaves open the possibility that Ollie could be over dose. You worked up in dose very quickly and in 1u increments, which can sometimes result in blowing right past a good dose. Ollie did hit a breakthrough at 6u and went down the dosing scale quickly. He was getting great numbers on lower doses for a while, then lost it. Then the big increases started again and now he's back to a higher dose. It does happen sometimes, where a cat gets to good numbers, loses momentum, and has to climb back up the dosing ladder again. My Lucy did it, though her climb was less extreme than Ollie's (see her spreadsheet around October 08). Lucy went from 4.25u to 1u and back to 4.25u again before finally going OTJ.

2. Another possibility is that there is something causing his numbers and dose to change. As others have mentioned, infection could do this, or the need for a dental or some other medical conditions. There are also some other medical conditions that can cause a cat to need a higher dose of insulin. Please read here for a description of acromegaly and IAA. Does anything there ring a bell? One characteristic of acromegaly is that the cat's growth hormone can vary dramatically and sometimes dosing needs can change literally overnight. My acro cat Jazzy has been on a dose of 14 units BID and is now down to 3.75 units BID. One day I'm sure she'll start needing a higher dose again. Something like acromegaly or maybe IAA *could* help explain the change from 6 units to 0.5 units and back up to 4 units again. Or it could just be Option #1 above, or it could be just that he needs a dental, or just because he's a cat and cats live to confuse us. :lol:

So what to do from here? There are a couple of choices. One would be to lower the dose and start working back up the dosing scale in smaller increments. Advantage: you'll know for sure that his dose is not too much. Disadvantages: if he really does need a high dose, it will take that much longer for you to build him back up to another breakthrough. Another disadvantage is that you will have to be super vigilant about testing for ketones if you lower the dose. Insufficient insulin can lead to a very sick kitty if ketones develop and you don't catch it. Has Ollie ever tested positive for ketones?

The other choice is to increase the dose, and keep increasing according to protocol until a breakthrough is reached. Caveat: You HAVE to test! Preshots for sure and mid-cycle readings whenever you can. Keep up what you've been doing recently. Advantage: you will probably reach a breakthrough (and good numbers) more quickly and should be able to get Ollie back to regulation faster. If he does turn out to be a high dose cat, you'll get there faster. Disadvantage: there is some danger of hypo if the dose is actually too high. To my eye, I don't see indications of that on the spreadsheet, but you need to be aware of the possibility and be prepared to deal with low numbers if they come. Also, when he does reach a breakthrough, he might go running back down the dosing ladder very quickly again. That's not really a disadvantage, of course, as long as you are home testing and have a well stocked hypo toolkit just in case. If he starts getting low numbers again, you need to catch them so you'll know when the dose needs to be reduced. If you choose this option, I recommend that you come join us in the Lantus forum, or keep posting here on the Health forum, so we can help you keep an eye on his numbers.

Finally, whichever option you choose, when you go in for your vet visit, I would suggest asking your vet to test for acromegaly and IAA. Believe me, it will help put your mind at ease even if the result is positive. At least then you will know you are doing the right things for Ollie.
 
hi patsy - i'm glad you've gotten some input from one of our most experienced people, libby. the acro possibility was on my mind as well.

the symptoms i saw with punkin - the increased growth hormones from acro cause the cat to continue growing. their soft tissues grow first - so feet, forehead, overall size - punkin's tongue is HUGE almost child-sized instead of cat-sized. he wants to eat a lot - far more than he used to, just like a teenage boy who you can't fill up! people comment on what a big cat he is, even though he's only 14 pounds - he just plain looks big.

on the other hand, there are acro cats that don't look big - petite little girls like libby's jazzy! so that's not a certainty, but it is common.

the growth of soft tissues in their airway can cause a sound called "stridor" that is somewhat snore-like in punkin. that sound and his tongue were the first things i noticed.

with acro, the production of the growth hormone can go up and down, which is why we're wondering if that could be a possibility with ollie.

i wanted to ask more about your dosing habits. i know the vet had you changing doses. you have the times for the past week on your spreadsheet - before that were you giving shots at the same time every am/pm? or did the shot times vary? my vet told me i had a 2 hour window and i think that advice isn't uncommon. we do know lantus "likes" the same shot time every am/pm as much as possible.

libby's given you SO much good info. you know ollie best. what are your thoughts on all of these possibilities?
 
University of Michigan Insulin Antibody Test

University of Michigan Insulin-Like Growth Factor

How to Submit a Specimen to UofM

I called the labs before i had my vet send in the sample, and they said they have trouble with the USPS deliveries, so to use Federal Express to send in the blood sample.

Many vets haven't encountered acromegaly - i'm not sure about iaa. But my own vet practice - 3 vets, one 3 years out of vet school, my vet & the other main vet, both probably 30 years practicing - none of them had heard of acromegaly. it's not common, but we see it here.

not saying that Ollie has this, i'm just helping to lay out possibilities & information for you to consider.
 
Wow, Julie and Libby, having my coffee and reading your posts gives me something to think about. I've read the info about acro & iaa when all this started in January and wonderd about it. Ollie is very large and with the extra toes seems even larger! Very solid with short legs and the thinnest tail I have ever seen.

Ollie was altered at the shelter when he was 7yrs old. He's a very mellow fellow with no bad habits one might expect from late altering! He is hungry all the time. He is eatting about 5 to 6 of the 3.3 oz cans a day along with pure bites at pokes and shots (and anytime he does something to tug my heart).

I have noticed a soft "sound" at times. Different than a purr but similar in volume. It's not all the time so I'll pay attention to see when I hear it. If he is one of those conditions at least it would explain a few things! He's safe with me no matter what.

I have been dosing consistantly at 8am and 8pm. No missed shots. The vet would not let me change the shot time (power play ?) and I needed an earlier time than 8am while working in Boston. In Florida it wasn't a problem, 5 minute commute and much more laid back. Without the vets knowledge I moved the time to 7am and 7pm. I didn't want to shoot and run out the door and also wanted to keep my boss happy (or try at least!).
 
Just tested Ollie and he's at 323, I shot 4.5u. He has never had ketones and I test daily...all negative. Hypo kit fully loaded. Much like Brent my kitchen is full of cat food! Not much for the bean in that kitchen.

Libby....today I will get a new bottle of lantus. I hesitate to bring him all the way down with the new bottle but will... if you think it's the best way to keep him safe and get the correct dose. I'm not afraid of testing or dealing with a "situation". I plan to take thursday off so I would be available to test and watch the new bottle work (or not). I assume I would know within a couple of doses what's happening (?). If he were yours...what would you do? I keep thinking if he goes to 6u again (slowly) I might get a breakthru and this time his reductions will not be vet ordered on only ps results. Of course if he has a condition everything changes.

I was able to get the name of a vet nearby who I will call and make an appointment to have Ollie checked out. I will request the tests for acro and iaa and see what he says about the dental. Ollie is what he is and if it's positive at least I'll know and we can have a plan.

Thank you all for your eyes and thoughts on Ollie! I'm happy I was able to post and truly appreciate all.
 
While I agree that acro is a possibility and I know that acros can go into remission or need smaller doses at times, I also want to mention the possibility of pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis like my Tucker had can also cause high seemingly resistant numbers.

Sadly there is a lot to learn, but thankfully you are well on your way and the testing you are doing is going to be key for you. Keep the comments section on your SS filled with details, like is he meat-loafing, acting hungry, hiding, being playful, did he vomit, all that will help going forward.

Is his water intake up, how's his hydration? Dehydration is another concern I have when I see higher numbers. While we all jump to test ketones, I don't see many folks checking hydration and a dehydrated cat or one that is excessively losing water can have other issues such as electrolyte problems. Although my concern on that is based solely on my own personal experience having a cat with potassium (electrolyte) issues.
 
Jennifer,

Thanks for input! He seems hydrated, drinking normal. I know how to test hydration by pulling up skin on his back...just did it and he seems good. Of course now he has just gone and sat next to his water bowl.

No meatloaf position. All and all he is Ollie. No problem eatting, litter box normal. If I didn't know he had FD he would appear a healthy happy cat.

Getting ready to take another reading before I head to work. Do you think it's ok for me to post in the lantus board tonight? I would start a condo there.

Have a nice day and thank you!
 
I think you are more than welcome over on the Lantus board. The only advice I would have there is to put a little time into making a profile with the basic info around Ollie (food, any medical history, etc) so that you don't have to re-answer those questions for the Lantus group. Your spreadsheet looks great!
 
Ollie & Patsy said:
Jennifer,
Do you think it's ok for me to post in the lantus board tonight? I would start a condo there.

Have a nice day and thank you!
Click to expand...



Of course you should post on LL!!! I'm glad you started on Health so you could get some input from other folks, but yes, definitely start posting on LL. I'd post there too if I had time, my Kiki is on lantus.

FYI, the best way to test for hydration is to touch his gums, if they are sticky then he might be dehydrated, the skin test is good, but not always easy to test with the fur. Glad he's doing well, does not sound like CP (Chronic Pancreatitis).
 
i don't have experience with pancreatitis, but isn't there usually pain and nausea with it?

one simple thing you can do immediately to help make sure he's getting enough water is to add water to his food. a cat's ideal food is a mouse - 70%ish water. i add nearly equal amounts of water to punkin's canned food and he eats it just fine. in fact, with his constant hunger i think it helps him get the feeling of being full for a while. a vet friend told me that the definition of diabetes is dehydrated - i'm going to guess that's uncontrolled high numbers, not every single diabetic cat, though.

i really don't know about dropping the dose to 1u and seeing what happens with a new bottle. you know what i'm thinking instead - stay the course instead with the same dose, but test at preshot and at +2 and post the test - with lantus you can tell quite a bit with a +2 test (ie, 2 hours after the shot.) usually the +2 is about the same number as the preshot number. if it's flat, most of the time, you're not going to have a serious "i'm going down mom!" in that cycle. if it's significantly less, then yes, you're going to need to have canned high carb food at the ready so we can help you steer the numbers. as long as you are testing, have plenty of strips, and have high carb canned cat food or karo syrup you don't have to worry about the cat dying or anything from the shot.

how about this: if you want to hop to the lantus forum i'll make sure and be available for the hours after his shot today and can help you if there's any problem. then you could stay with this dose and we can see what his response is. there will no doubt be others online as well - there are usually a lot of us, and pretty much everyone can help steer low numbers to safety. but i can commit so that you know you won't be facing a problem alone. tell us what time your shot will be and what time zone you are in.

when you post over in the lantus forum, copy the URL for this page and add a link (use the URL button at the top of this box & insert the URL between the brackets) so that people will see what you've had going on.

I would still encourage you to get the blood drawn for the acro/iaa tests. the iaa test costs about $15 and i think the acro was about $45ish. The whole thing for my cat, including the fed ex charge to send it cold was maybe $250ish. my vet charged quite a bit for the blood draw and he sent the fed ex himself, so he also charged quite a bit for that. not sure how much fed ex's charges really were. the acro test is only done at the lab on wednesdays and usually people get the results 10 days later on a friday. results go to the vet. the iaa test is done more frequently and the results come back sooner.

welcome! you've hit the right spot and the collective experience will help you figure out what's going on with your sweet little (big) ollie!
 
julie1220 said:
i don't have experience with pancreatitis, but isn't there usually pain and nausea with it?
Click to expand...


ECID, every cat is different. Tucker never experiences nausea and he had CP for 5 years. He did get headaches from it and would meatloaf. Still ate all his food and treats throughout CP episodes. PLI, ultrasound and biopsies confirmed his pancreatitis.
 
Julie,
I will take you up on your offer to help me after Ollie's shot tonight! I have everything need, just picked up the new bottle of lantus, plenty of HC foods, karo and honey. I also have more test strips than any human should have at pone time. I shoot him at 7pm. I like the idea of keeping the dose at 4.5. If it isn't the lantus then I will not be any worse off. I really have hope it is the bottle, if so we can figure out what his dose should be. I've watched you all work together on a number of cats....amazing and wonderful.

I will get the acro and IAA test done, it's better to know one way or the other.

Since my computer skills aren't great I might need help getting the link over but ready to try!

I'll be home and test him at about 5:30, at that point I'll start a condo on the lantus board and post again when I shoot him at 7pm.

Thanks again...after months of feeling alone with this battle it's nice to have someone around. I wish I did this earlier in the fight.
 
you're eastern time zone, right? i have nothing on my schedule at all today, except cleaning the house (yuck) and sewing on my daughter's quilt (yay) so will check back at 2:30 my time. i'm in oregon.

i think you'll find it won't be so much of a battle anymore. when you learn more it just becomes normal. a new normal, but still, normal and routine. understanding what's happening lets you deal with it with confidence.

this site has been such a blessing to me - so many people who know what they're talking about and are willing to teach others. i love my vet but he really doesn't understand feline diabetes and here there are people who've been doing it 24/7 for years on end.

Yay for the main health board folks who give triage to people like you who have just found the site and need immediate help for their cats!
 
This board is a blessing! Yes, I am on eastern time. There is a lot of experience here. I must have read every condo for the past 6months so far, I kept looking for one like Ollie's. I "lurked" until June, then I registered and never posted until yesterday. What struck me the most was the amount of care people showed one another about the wellbeing of each and every furbaby. Very thankful I'm here and posting now!
 
Ollie & Patsy said:
I'm not afraid of testing or dealing with a "situation". I plan to take thursday off so I would be available to test and watch the new bottle work (or not). I assume I would know within a couple of doses what's happening (?). If he were yours...what would you do? I keep thinking if he goes to 6u again (slowly) I might get a breakthru and this time his reductions will not be vet ordered on only ps results.
Click to expand...

I'm happy to see you thinking things through. From reading through the rest of your condo, it looks like you have come to the conclusion that you would like to hold the 4.5u dose and work from there. That's actually what I was hoping you would decide, but I didn't want to try to steer you into a decision. :mrgreen: Definitely come join us in Lantus and we'll help you figure this out.
 
Thanks Libby! I'm working on opening a condo in Lantus now and attaching this link so I will be ready to shoot at 7pm. :-D
Glad you think it's s good decision! I look forward to some of your wisdom...we need it!
 
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