Otto AMPS 145 (no shot) input on difficult FD foster please

Melanie and Smokey

Member Since 2010
Its been a while since I have been on the board, too busy taking care of cats! We have foster failed our way up to 10 of our own, and with fosters, have been up to 6 insulin dependent at one time in the house :eek:

Otto has proven to be the most confusing and confounding foster we have ever had. He was DX at the pound November 2022. He started out on Prozinc as the the shelter vet prefers vet insulins. We ran out and moved him to glargine (Lantus or one of the bio-equivalent/interchangeables, depending on what we have in stock). He gets very low on just tiny doses of insulin, but cannot sustain OTJ. We have a significant number of veterinarians in the area now that do not support testing, many are down right rude about it so I haven't pushed to get this guy adopted because I am not sure what to do about a cat that absolutely needs to be tested. In addition to the adversity to testing, most veterinarians here would not support a 0.50U dose, let alone 0.25U dose.
So what do we do with this guy? I have come to the point that we use glargine completely inappropriately and give only when he gets high (I am thinking to give 0.5U if over 160). Any thoughts? Otto HATES cats and he HATES confinement, so our house is not his happy place, he may well settle into remission better in a new home, but how to we prepare him to move safely into another home?

Otto's Spreadsheet
 
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Hello and welcome back Melanie with Otto.

We do have a dose we call 0.1 units. Which is what is recommended after 0.25 units and before going on an OTJ trial. His pancreas is definitely working some, as even with NS he is bringing his numbers down.

What food is Otto getting? Also, how often are you feeding him?
 
Hello and welcome back Melanie with Otto.

We do have a dose we call 0.1 units. Which is what is recommended after 0.25 units and before going on an OTJ trial. His pancreas is definitely working some, as even with NS he is bringing his numbers down.

What food is Otto getting? Also, how often are you feeding him?

Thanks Wendy.
Otto eats Friskies pate, recently switched from Fancy Feast. He currently eats 2X a day. Not what we normally do, but when we switched him from 4X to 2X, his numbers improved. We did discuss today of trying him back on 4X a day with a feeder since he is bringing himself down now; he didnt do that before and would just climb without insulin.
We used to do 0.1U doses before our eyes and fingers got so old, lol. My husband says he cannot see any difference in doses under 0.5. My biggest concern with doses under 0.5U on fosters is it is rare for a vet to agree with that kind of dosing around here. He would get moved to 1.0U or nothing upon an adoption.
I think we will try him eating more often this week and see how that looks.
 
Not what we normally do, but when we switched him from 4X to 2X, his numbers improved.
What dose was he on then? Bringing himself down is a sign the pancreas is sputtering. Might be worth trying more smaller meals with him now.

My biggest concern with doses under 0.5U on fosters is it is rare for a vet to agree with that kind of dosing around here. He would get moved to 1.0U or nothing upon an adoption.
And if you can do smaller meals, get him onto 0.1 unit, there is a better chance of remission. Which should make him even more adoptable.
 
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