Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mold

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Rick & Mr. Grey

Member Since 2012
Here is a story which will explain why I think MR Grey's FDB was caused by his exposure to toxic mold in our living space over the course of 4 years.
Recently this winter I became mysteriously sick with allergy type upper respiratory symptoms, and leg rashes, migraines upon waking, tinnitus, vision impairments, and brain fog. Mr. Grey was OTJ from 9/13/13 to 2/1/14 partially due to the breaking of a Lantus bottle and coinciding with great numbers, so a test period was started to see if he was cured. My sickness prompted research which led me to believe the cottage I was renting had an environmental hazard causing my illness. I had the heating air ducts cleaned professionally and they were DISGUSTING. Soon after that, my sickness got WORSE. More research and the notice of a moldy smell led me to suspect mold was present somewhere. Over the 4 years I had complained to landlord of a musty odor and they took little to no actions to remediate. In March 2014 The air was tested and came up with toxic levels of 3 types of mold, including Black Mold. Myself and the cats were breathing this in for 4 years. When the levels were confirmed we all immediately evacuated. I moved into a friend's clean house with the cats. My research also discovered that house pets get sick as well, diabetes is one of the diseases that dogs and cats can come down with and it kills, I've read sad stories and been in touch with a family whose dog came down with diabetes, they lived for 8 years in a house with levels greater than mine and the entire family of kids grew up with unusual diseases and the dog came down with diabetes during the 8 year period before they discovered their serious mold problem. What I'm getting at is I am now suspect that Mr. Grey who was a healthy cat from birth to 6 years old until we moved into the cottage that unbeknownst to us, was a breeding ground for mold due to structural problems and the water shed we lived over. Mr Greys Insulin resistance from day 1 may in fact be related to his body's reaction while fighting the mycotoxins in his system. Also, after we evacuated I was tested by a lab that confirmed the presence of the very dangerous mycotoxin Trichothecene ( from black mold ). It is dangerous and difficult to get out of your body and must be detoxed properly over time or more very serious health issues could develop in me. Good news I'm improving slowly, bad news little Mr Grey although I have not had him tested ( very expensive ), no doubt also has the same mycotoxin in him, potentially greater than I since he was home more than I was over the 4 years. Mold exposure takes it's toll differently overtime in every individual including animals. Our bodies have to work very hard to eliminate high unsafe levels that are breathed in and eventually sickness will happen if one is not out of the toxic environment. Mr Grey is having a hard time with his insulin these days in the new house and not regulating and has roller coaster levels. I suspect the mycotoxins in him are causing this now. We have been couch surfing since March but have a place of our own lined up for June, once settled I am going to research and talk to my holistic vet about getting Mr G tested for mycotoxins and how to detox him if in fact they are present in his system. So I have revealed our story, my other 2 cats Butter and Lima are fine which is also possible even with them having breathed the same air. There are labs that can test animals for levels of mycotoxins via urine and fece samples. I hope our story could shed some light for others who have been through similar experiences as I have with my 3 cats.
 
Re: Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mol

wow, rick, what an ordeal. i've heard of others exposed to toxic mold and how dangerous it is. glad you've gotten out of there.

there may be some tips we can offer that will help with Mr. Grey - many cats are difficult to get regulated, regardless of the cause, and sometimes dosing tweaks/strategies, changing feeding patterns, (timing or carbs), or even making an insulin change can help smooth out cat's cycles.

i'm sure you'll be thrilled to settle into a place again in June. what a relief to be out of that situation.
 
Re: Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mol

Hi Julie, I would like to consider a faster acting insulin perhaps once we are settled in our new place if he does not have a breakthrough by then on Lantus. I am so looking forward to the move and so are the kitties !
 
Re: Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mol

he looks really bouncy to me, Rick.

for example, on 5/27 he had a lovely long stretch of blue numbers all day. Then the next day he was up 200 points higher than the day before. yikes - we hate those cycles! that rapid increase of 200 points that stays flat and high says bounce, rather than not enough insulin. The long stretch of blues tells us that the 8.5u dose will get him into the 100's. I'd probably go back to that 8.5u and give him at least 8-10 cycles on it to see if he'll settle into that dose.

I wrote a post a couple of years ago about bouncing - take a look at the second post in that thread and maybe some of it will be helpful to you.

If you can get a mid-cycle test in every cycle - that really helps it become obvious what's going on. i think of the spreadsheet like a jigsaw puzzle. if you only have edge pieces, it's pretty difficult to see the picture. Preshots seem like edge pieces to me - most of the action with cats and insulin happens in between the preshots. And so many cats go lower at night that the night cycle is almost more important than the day cycle for figuring out dosing. I suspect if we had a few more pieces of Mr. Grey's puzzle, we could identify some things that might be happening. Data tells the story!

anyway, just a couple of thoughts - i hope they're helpful. i can't resist a spreadsheet or a puzzle! :lol:
 
Re: Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mol

Wow Rick. What a horror story. I hope your health and the cats health will be restored and none of you will have lasting effects.
 
Re: Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mol

Oh my, what a terrible ordeal for everyone. We hope you get settled in your new and healthy space smoothly, and paws crossed for all to start feeling better.

anne
 
Re: Myself and 3 cats forced out of cottage due to toxic mol

I'd probably go back to that 8.5u and give him at least 8-10 cycles on it to see if he'll settle into that dose.
I am taking your advice makes sense, thanks Julie. :smile:
 
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