Hello! Just introducing myself. New to Caninsulin.

[Cindie]

Gryphon is an Acromegaly kitty diagnosed diabetic in June, 2018. His BG has been mostly much too high and unpredictable on Lantus, so my vet recommended trying Caninsulin instead. Gryphon is just coming around after a hellish week of illness and emergency vet treatments, including a bladder infection and UT blockage, and congestive heart failure. His appetite is now improving and BG starting to come down. I'm looking forward to learning from the experienced Caninsulin users in this group!

Last post:
11/15 Gryphon AMPS 457 Requesting Advice re: PMPS 121

 

[Sharon14]

Hi Cindie, I’ve never used canninsulin, but I had an acrocat and wanted to say hello! My cat was on levemir insulin. I’m glad Gryphon is doing better after his tough week. The link you posted wouldn’t work for me, so I don’t know if anyone ever mentioned the use of cabergoline to help slow the acro? The studies came around too late to help my boy, but may be something that could interest you. If you want more info, I believe there are threads about it in the Acro forum, or just let me know and I can tag a few users.

 

[Cindie]

Hi Cindie, I’ve never used canninsulin, but I had an acrocat and wanted to say hello! My cat was on levemir insulin. I’m glad Gryphon is doing better after his tough week. The link you posted wouldn’t work for me, so I don’t know if anyone ever mentioned the use of cabergoline to help slow the acro? The studies came around too late to help my boy, but may be something that could interest you. If you want more info, I believe there are threads about it in the Acro forum, or just let me know and I can tag a few users.

Thanks very much, Sharon! I did hear about cabergoline, but haven't had a chance yet to discuss it with my vet. (Too many other emergencies to deal with lately!) I'm very sorry you weren't able to use it to treat your acrokitty! My vet said he has never treated an acrocat, but I think he will be receptive to suggestions.

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Hi Cindie and welcome to you and Gryphon from another Canuck in Ontario. What a handsome little man you have there!

You and Gryphon have really been having a time of it recently and with the Acro to deal with....quite the situation. I am the mother of a high dose little girl but her problem was IAA (Immune Auto Antibodies). Like you, my vet was very supportive but admitted to never having dealt with the condition. This board gave me the knowledge and support to get my girl under control and eventually into remission which surprised the daylights out of me and everyone else but especially my vet!

I see from one of your other posts that your vet has discussed using Lantus along with Regular insulin to try to get Gryphon's numbers under control. If you decide to switch insulin, if I were you, I'd definitely try Levemir instead of Lantus. I had to switch to Levemir because Lantus was causing uncomfortable injections due to it's acidic composition once I got to a dose of around 6 or 7u twice daily. While Gryphon may not be noticing it yet, there is the possibility that if you have to increase the dose any further, he too might start noticing the injections a lot more and goodness knows he doesn't need any more unpleasant medical symptoms to contend with. Not only that, but if Lantus didn't work before, why not change it up completely and you can still use regular insulin with the Levemir if that is the plan you choose to go forward with.

As others have mentioned, the problem with Caninsulin is the steep drops in BG it causes which often lead to bounces and that makes regulating any kitty a bit harder in my opinion. Add to that the Acro which makes regulation more challenging due to waxing and waning hormonal changes and the fact that Caninsulin often doesn't last through the entire 12 hour cycle, the fight against high BG will be even more difficult than if you switch to a longer lasting insulin.

In the meantime, we're more than happy to help you out with the Caninsulin. I see Gryphon dropped a bit too low on the 8u dose and while that may have just been a hiccup due to a hormonal blip in his system, it may signify the dose is a bit high so I would back the dose off a smidge to 7.5u to keep him safe right now. You can always increase again later if need be.

Where in Ontario are you located? I'm in the west end of Toronto.

 

[JanetNJ]

Welcome!

 

[Cindie]

Hi Cindie and welcome to you and Gryphon from another Canuck in Ontario. What a handsome little man you have there!

You and Gryphon have really been having a time of it recently and with the Acro to deal with....quite the situation. I am the mother of a high dose little girl but her problem was IAA (Immune Auto Antibodies). Like you, my vet was very supportive but admitted to never having dealt with the condition. This board gave me the knowledge and support to get my girl under control and eventually into remission which surprised the daylights out of me and everyone else but especially my vet!

I see from one of your other posts that your vet has discussed using Lantus along with Regular insulin to try to get Gryphon's numbers under control. If you decide to switch insulin, if I were you, I'd definitely try Levemir instead of Lantus. I had to switch to Levemir because Lantus was causing uncomfortable injections due to it's acidic composition once I got to a dose of around 6 or 7u twice daily. While Gryphon may not be noticing it yet, there is the possibility that if you have to increase the dose any further, he too might start noticing the injections a lot more and goodness knows he doesn't need any more unpleasant medical symptoms to contend with. Not only that, but if Lantus didn't work before, why not change it up completely and you can still use regular insulin with the Levemir if that is the plan you choose to go forward with.

As others have mentioned, the problem with Caninsulin is the steep drops in BG it causes which often lead to bounces and that makes regulating any kitty a bit harder in my opinion. Add to that the Acro which makes regulation more challenging due to waxing and waning hormonal changes and the fact that Caninsulin often doesn't last through the entire 12 hour cycle, the fight against high BG will be even more difficult than if you switch to a longer lasting insulin.

In the meantime, we're more than happy to help you out with the Caninsulin. I see Gryphon dropped a bit too low on the 8u dose and while that may have just been a hiccup due to a hormonal blip in his system, it may signify the dose is a bit high so I would back the dose off a smidge to 7.5u to keep him safe right now. You can always increase again later if need be.

Where in Ontario are you located? I'm in the west end of Toronto.

Hi Linda! Thanks for the information and the welcome!

The drop to 3.2 yesterday made me nervous, especially since it was at +7 and I wondered if it had been even lower. I hadn't tested since +4. I also wondered if the BG would come down more as the bladder infection cleared up, the heart failure stabilized, and pain medication provided relief. So, I decided to reduce the dose to 6U and adjust from there. I did mention Levemir to my vet but he preferred to give Caninsulin a try. I see him in another week so we can discuss it again. Gryphon's health and response to insulin has been perplexing, so I think we've been grasping at straws to try to make things better for him.

It's wonderful and very encouraging that your Menace went into remission!! I do really appreciate the support of this forum! I live in the country near Owen Sound. Do you know the area?

 

[Cindie]

Welcome!

Thank you!

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

I live in the country near Owen Sound. Do you know the area

I've passed through the area once on the way to Tobermory to take the ferry so no I'm not familiar with the area. If you drew a line from about Kitchener to Blue Mountain, sadly, I've not spent time anywhere west of that line and north of the 401 in Ontario. I do remember the drive being very picturesque though! Got to add it to my bucket list!