HIGH DOSE CONDITIONS QUESTION 7-9 Gizmo AMPS=344; +4=270; +6=266; +9=258; PMPS=237; +2=333; +3=240

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I'm not seeing a bounce but rather Gizmo being stubborn. Keep doing what your doing, every kitty gets to a good dose. In the meantime I hope he's feeling good and remember he's more then his numbers.
 
Doodles & Karen said:
I'm not seeing a bounce but rather Gizmo being stubborn. Keep doing what your doing, every kitty gets to a good dose. In the meantime I hope he's feeling good and remember he's more then his numbers.
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Gizmo stubborn ... nah! Lol. :cat::p
Hmm ... I thought since his numbers were climbing upward after the yellows that indicated a bounce. So much to learn. :bookworm:

Gizmo had been very healthy his entire life. Thankfully, he still is besides the diabetes and even that isn't really slowing him down. The only signs of being sick he had were drinking more and the litter box was a mess. He still drinks a lot, but the litter box is much better. Still a little ways to go until back to normal, but drastic improvements. :)
 
Chubba said:
Hmm ... I thought since his numbers were climbing upward after the yellows that indicated a bounce. So much to learn
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With meter variance his numbers are pretty flat :banghead: I'm glad to hear he's a pretty happy boy...that's most important! The numbers will come and you're doing a great job!
 
+4 = 270

Today's numbers are looking very similar to 6-29 when we saw blue for a 3 hour stretch! Come on Gizmo! We all know you can do it.:)
 
Have you considered getting your kitty tested for insulin resistance conditions? He maybe a high dose kitty like mine and Bronx above. You seem to be doing everything right, so it is a possibility that there is a reason he seems flat regularly, or he's just stubborn ;).
 
Marvin's Mom - Nat said:
Have you considered getting your kitty tested for insulin resistance conditions? He maybe a high dose kitty like mine and Bronx above. You seem to be doing everything right, so it is a possibility that there is a reason he seems flat regularly, or he's just stubborn ;).
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I have been thinking about it, just haven't made an appointment yet. If he is diagnosed with a high dose condition, would the approach to getting him regulated be any different? My other thought is ... could he just need more insulin since he started out already on 2 units and jumped straight to 3 units? I don't know if that really matters, but something else I've been thinking about. About how much do the 2 tests cost?
 
What are the signs of acro? The few things Ive read about were weight gain and the change in bone structure. He has actually lost a lot of weight lately (probably a good thing as he was overweight and now seems to be at an ideal weight). As far as his face and paws, they seem normal size. Face maybe even a bit smaller ... probably the weight loss. Would I even be seeing signs yet?
 
Only 35% of acros show clinical signs at diagnosis. Neko's only sign, I found out later, was a teary eye due to soft tissue growth blocking her eye duct. It wasn't until much later that she had any physical signs. Some will lose a bit of weight as they are unregulated. Also remember the high dose condition IAA that should be tested for.

As for how to get them regulated, knowing what conditions they have may allow you to be a bit more aggressive with dosing. And like every diabetic cat, you just give them the amount of insulin they need. Some people with high dose kitties switch to Levemir insulin, as the acid base of Lantus can sting some cats at higher doses.

This post has a lot of articles describing acromegaly and the symptoms. The recent articles by researchers at Royal Veterinary College contain the latest research. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/acromegaly-the-basics-hope-you-will-read-n-like.45324/

I can't help you with costs. There is the cost of the tests from MSU which is just part of the cost, then there is the blood draw and shipping which varies by location. I would ask the vet for an estimate.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Only 35% of acros show clinical signs at diagnosis. Neko's only sign, I found out later, was a teary eye due to soft tissue growth blocking her eye duct. It wasn't until much later that she had any physical signs. Some will lose a bit of weight as they are unregulated. Also remember the high dose condition IAA that should be tested for.

As for how to get them regulated, knowing what conditions they have may allow you to be a bit more aggressive with dosing. And like every diabetic cat, you just give them the amount of insulin they need. Some people with high dose kitties switch to Levemir insulin, as the acid base of Lantus can sting some cats at higher doses.

This post has a lot of articles describing acromegaly and the symptoms. The recent articles by researchers at Royal Veterinary College contain the latest research. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/acromegaly-the-basics-hope-you-will-read-n-like.45324/

I can't help you with costs. There is the cost of the tests from MSU which is just part of the cost, then there is the blood draw and shipping which varies by location. I would ask the vet for an estimate.
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Thank you for all of your advice and support. Gizmo's 6 month bloodwork is due the beginning of Aug and I was going to wait until then for the tests. However, he has had a teary eye off and on over the past few months. I know that could really be anything, but I think it is enough info for me to push for the tests sooner. I was just curious about the costs of the tests since I've never had any bloodwork sent away. I wasn't thinking about the different charges of the different people involved.
 
Chubba said:
If he is diagnosed with a high dose condition, would the approach to getting him regulated be any different?
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Not necessarily, but if IAA is the diagnosis, there are certain things you'll need to keep in mind when interpreting his BG patterns and making dosing decisions. My cat was diagnosed with acromegaly, and knowing that he had it just made it easier to take the aggressive approach necessary to overcome the insulin resistance.
 
Chubba said:
I was just curious about the costs of the tests
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Depends where you are located. Wendy and I are in Canada, so it was expensive. The closer you are to Washington State University the cheaper it is:) The actual tests if you are in Washington state are not expensive at all, 55.00 for IGF-1, and 15.00 IAA I think. It the shipping costs that are expensive and I assume there is a markup too from the vet. I think I paid 450.00 Canadian, which is about 300 us that was just over a month ago. Maybe a bit more, trying to forget how much all this has cost me. I don't regret it, as my baby is doing much better. Now if by chance you are in washing state or close to it you could simply make an appointment there I think and save those additional costs ;)
 
Marvin's Mom - Nat said:
Depends where you are located. Wendy and I are in Canada, so it was expensive. The closer you are to Washington State University the cheaper it is:) The actual tests if you are in Washington state are not expensive at all, 55.00 for IGF-1, and 15.00 IAA I think. It the shipping costs that are expensive and I assume there is a markup too from the vet. I think I paid 450.00 Canadian, which is about 300 us that was just over a month ago. Maybe a bit more, trying to forget how much all this has cost me. I don't regret it, as my baby is doing much better. Now if by chance you are in washing state or close to it you could simply make an appointment there I think and save those additional costs ;)
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Wow.. I can't believe shipping is that much. Oh well, it is what it is. I just read about the actual cost of the tests in the link Wendy sent me and thought well that's not so bad. Hopefully, the tests will provide some answers. Is the medicine you are using still in a trial stage or can anyone try it? I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but just trying to gather as much info as possible to help Gizmo.
 
Chubba said:
Wow.. I can't believe shipping is that much. Oh well, it is what it is. I just read about the actual cost of the tests in the link Wendy sent me and thought well that's not so bad. Hopefully, the tests will provide some answers. Is the medicine you are using still in a trial stage or can anyone try it? I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but just trying to gather as much info as possible to help Gizmo.
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That will depend on your vet, mine was willing to try something different to help Marvin. If you are interested when the time comes let me know, @Wendy&Neko and @Bronx's dad have been my mentors and have lots of experience with Acro Cats. It is still in trail, but you don't need to be on the trail, I decided to try it out as I could not afford any of the other treatments. I could have simply continue treating with high dosage, but was also concerned at one point I may not be able to afford if he went too high in dosage. It experimental, so no guarantees, I started two weeks ago and it seems to be working very well for me. Maybe because he was on the low side of a high dose kitty.
 
Marvin's Mom - Nat said:
That will depend on your vet, mine was willing to try something different to help Marvin. If you are interested when the time comes let me know, @Wendy&Neko and @Bronx's dad have been my mentors and have lots of experience with Acro Cats. It is still in trail, but you don't need to be on the trail, I decided to try it out as I could not afford any of the other treatments. I could have simply continue treating with high dosage, but was also concerned at one point I may not be able to afford if he went too high in dosage. It experimental, so no guarantees, I started two weeks ago and it seems to be working very well for me. Maybe because he was on the low side of a high dose kitty.
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Thanks for the info. It is definitely working great for Marvin! I will reach out to you for more info if I need to once I get the tests. Gizmo is still on the low side of high dose also. Fingers crossed he is just being stubborn, but good to know what options are out there.
 
The blood gets send to MSU or Michigan State University for testing. I don't know where you are, but most people in the US seem to pay less than $200 for the test results.
 
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Wendy&Neko said:
The blood gets send to MSU or Michigan State University for testing. I don't know where you are, but most people in the US seem to pay less than $200 for the test results.
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I just searched directions. We are about 6 hours away. My parents just had bloodwork sent away for their dog and it was around $100. I'm not sure where it was sent. I'll just have to wait until I can get him an appointment.
 
Bronx's dad said:
I paid about $247 originally for both tests at a internal medicine vet, but my local vet charged only $110 for the IGF1 test when I got Bronx tested again. I have heard others paid as little as $130-150 for both tests.
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Mine charged $118.25 for the IGF-1 and $36.55 for the IAA. I also paid $63.27 for a free T4 since Chino's total T4 had come back at the higher end of normal range, which is unexpected for older cats. (The result confirmed hyperthyroidism.)
 
+3 = 240

So just ready to head to bed and decided to get a +3 since i was still up. Shocked to see yellows again. Not sure what is going on right now, but guess I'm going to get up for another test at some point tonight. Thinking maybe a +9 since his nadir has been later lately.
 
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