Newly Dx'd Acro cat (post from high dose forum)

BJM · Nov 16, 2014

here

suki said:

Hello everyone
I hope I have found the right place to seek advice. It's been a few months since I last posted following Crystal's original diabetes diagnosis in March this year. In the meantime she has proved very difficult to stabilise with Caninsulin (up to 10 units BID but lowered to 8 units BID for the last 2 weeks). Last month I changed to a new vet who is more receptive to trying a different insulin and we started Lantus 4 days ago. However, Acromegaly has also just been diagnosed (by IGF1 blood test but I dont have the actual figures) this week, this is the first case my vet has seen here in France so we are both a bit in the dark but she did say that the prognosis for Crystal wasn't good, perhaps 18 months which is rather devastating news. (she is 10 years old). The vet said that there were no options regarding surgery or radium treatment available (I don't think we are as advanced here as the UK or US) so she's really just on pallative care.

We have started Lantus at 3 units BID and I am using the Stylopen cartridges with U-100 syringes. My vet suggests doing a curve after about a week. I have been home testing for about 6 months now and her average BG is still around 340 mg (19 mmol although I have noticed a drop over the last few days since using Lantus). What is the ideal dosing procedure for Lantus? I read that Lantus has a strict 12 hour gap between shots with no margin for being late or early with the dose, is this correct?. Under my old regime I tested then dosed about 6 am then fed her and again at about 5 – 5.30 p.m. but dependent on when Crystal turns up as she is very much an outdoor cat. I also did a blood test around 1pm if I was around. I might have trouble with dosing dead on 6 pm, will this be a problem? and should I keep the open Lantus in the fridge? What would be the best time to test between doses and also the best time for her main feeds? For the last week I have been feeding raw minced chicken (no bones) mixed with Tatzenladen powdered TCPremixPlus (about 175g daily ) which she loves but as she is so ravenous all the time and cries for food I am supplementing this with GranataPet tinned food (both of which I get on the internet as the choice is very limited here), feeding little and often all day but no food for about an hour before evening shot. I tried just feeding the GranataPet tinned food for a few weeks some time ago but it had no effect whatsoever on her BG, prior to that I was feeding Felix wet pouches.

Sorry for so many questions but I don't know where else to go. Crystal's symptoms include broadened facial features, which seem to be getting more pronounced, particularly around the mouth and gums which causes her to make a terrible noise when eating and drinking, a thickening in the throat area and a general lethargy (although she is still hunting) and the latest development of a severe pot belly. Since a change of diet her diarrhoea has improved and she is now nearly normal. Echocraphy and X-ray have ruled out any tumours.

Thanks in advance for any help, your website has proved invaluable over the last few months and actually led me to ask for the Acromegaly test.
Regards,

Suki and Crystal
SW France
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julie & punkin (ga) · Nov 16, 2014

thanks BJM!

BJM · Nov 16, 2014

Since you were at 8 units of the Caninsulin, you may need a higher dose of Lantus than 3 units, with the acromegaly.

And a number of the folks here have managed their acromegaly cats. They'll be able to tell you what things were helpful for their cats in managing the condition.

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Newly Dx'd Acro cat (post from high dose forum)

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