Acromegaly

Hi - I'm Lisa and Spunky is my 14 yr old domestic short hair. In good weight, he should weigh just under 20 lbs. Has always been a very large cat. Muscular, athletic. He is FIV positive. Has had frequent, but manageable sinusitis as a result. (Antibiotics, cerenia, gabapentin) We live in SoCal . A bit over a month ago, I returned home from a week long trip to find him showing obvious signs of DM, confirmed by my vet. After a month of unsuccessful insulin treatment (glargine up to 5u. Switched to Vetsulin, now up to 8u. BGs never less than mid 400s, almost always above 600/700) The internal medicine specialist sent off his blood work to check for acromegaly . Results returned today at 368. Vet believes he is definitely acro. Previous to his DM diagnosis, I had noticed a significant increase in his sinus stuffiness, sneazing, snoring, and mouth breathing, as well as a change in his voice. My regular vet and I attributed it to his frequent infections. I'm now convinced those symptoms are more related to physiological changes attributed to acro. I need support and help making decisions regarding insulin type/dosing as well as any info other owners may have to share to increase Spunky's comfort, reduce airway swelling, etc... please...his quality of life is declining rapidly and I can't afford another 1000.00 vet bill. This weekends BG curve (at 6u Vetsulin) only went below the Alpha trak 2 'Hi!' reading once. It was 717. Vet advised increasing his dose to 8u this morning and call her in a few days. I'm not sure we have a few days. He's lost a pound in a bit over a week. Is down to 15 lbs from his normal 19.7 lbs. Is eating and drinking, but becoming weaker and less alert by the day. His nose stuffiness is increasing, too. Thanks for your time.

 

Have the vets checked his teeth? I had a cat several years ago that had what we thought was allergies or sinus problems. It turned out that she had an abscessed tooth that indebtedness sinus and then moved up to her brain. We didn't understand how this club!d happen because she always the vet on a regular basis to keep up on her shots and she had had a dental about 18 months from the abcess. We finally had to have her put down. It can be easy for a vet to miss tooth problems when they are so concerned with other problems.

 

Yeah. His teeth seem fine. Just a few minor calculi. A result of free feeding dry food only, most of his life. (Since his DM diagnosis, I know better.) Thanks.

 

Welcome. Sorry about the acro diagnosis, but there are several people here that can help you with management and treatment options. Come post in the acro forum and I’ll tag a few knowledgeable members to help you.

 

Thanks. I'll see if I can figure it out. All this tech is new to me. Do i need to try to move this initial inquiry to the acro thread? Is that possible?