Acro/Cushings/IAA/High Dose Moms and Dads Roll Call

We have a ton of new members recently, and since the board switch, I'd like to make sure everyone gets to meet everyone. So... past/present/lurking high dose mama's and papa's please weigh in!

Please respond here with a little info about your cat, your diagnosis or high dose situation and yourself!

Also, if you have not done so, please update our Acrotracker spreadsheet with your info, we are tracking all high dose cats, so if not Acro, please still add info! Here is link:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Avh60WPGXRyHcGt3RUpYWmRoR2Q5SWRSV1dUUElwUlE&hl=en

Me: I'm mom to Leo, a gorgeous Maine Coon-ish boy diagnosed with acromegaly in January of 2009. He's a high dose Levemir kitty who periodically gets R boluses as needed. I adopted him from a board member who saved him from a kill shelter in November of 2008.

 

Hi I am Lorna and my Acro kitty is Girlcat.dx ed in sept 2008 with acro. We use Levenir and R as a bolus when needed.After an alltime high of 52 units BID back in september 2009,we are now in a rev down phase and presently on 23 units Levemir BID.but that may change with further dose decreases.im more than happy to say hello and help out acro moms!! and welcome here to this part of the board

 

Hi, I'm Phoebe and my acrocat Norton has crossed the bridge.

Norton was dx'd with diabetes in June 2006. We found FDMB in Sept 2007 when Norton started developing odd symptoms like walking in circles. We didn't realize beforehand that he was "high dose" having had no comparisons -- he was up to 13 units of Humulin N BID at one point. Neurologist confirmed a brain tumor in March 2008 and we started Pred which helped with his headaches and circling. He developed an aggressive cancer unrelated to the Acromegaly and was PTS in May. Acromegaly was confirmed in May 2008.

The loss of Norton left an empty place in our hearts - both humans and kitties - so we adopted a diabetic cat, Tiggy, in Feb 2009. He is a "normal" diabetic, and is currently well regulated on Levemir and low carb canned food.

We've recently decided to adopt another diabetic - Rusty - currently fostered by Claudia. He will be joining our home on March 20th. We're scrambling to de-clutter the house and add kitty trees etc - scrub the rug AGAIN where Norton had accidents, so Rusty doesn't think it is an appropriate place to "go".

My family -- DH Charlie and kitties Buster (hyperT), Mauser (allergies), Luci Furr and El Tigre aka Tiggy (FD) --- and soon to include Rusty (FD)

 

My name is Jan

My Buddy was DX on 9/18/2009 with Diabetes, with high numbers not going down was suggested to get him tested for Acro/IAA, was DX with IAA 1/6/2010 (@72) We use Lantus with R when needed.
Buddy is # 3 of 7 rescue's and a total of 8 cats. I believe at one time he belonged to someone that took care of him, because he is a very sweet and lovable boy, but for whatever reason he was a stray, and I was lucky enough to find him. I mainly post on LL and appreciate all of those who help me!!!!

My other 6 rescue's are:Smoky-Rosie-Baby Girl-Buttons-Peebles-Patches and last but not least a cat that was actually paid for Zoe!!

 

Hi, I'm Holly, Pablo's mom since 12/2008. I adopted him from a high-kill shelter near my home after I watched his owners turn him in because he was diabetic. He was just diagnosed with acro on 2/26 and is currently on 6.25 units of Lantus BID. I would never have thought of acromegaly were it not for this board, so I am eternally grateful. We're in contact with Dr. Lunn at CSU regarding SRT this May in hopes of stopping to progression of organ damage with the treatment. I'm both nervous and anxious for the radiotherapy.

About me: I'm a 22-year-old nursing student and have been a vet assistant for almost four years. My life revolves around school, work, and Pablo!

 

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Fletcher is my almost 16 year old acrocat. He was diagnosed diabetic in May 2006 and acromegalic January 2007-- so yes, he's been an "official" acrocat for over 3 years. At his highest, he was getting 40+ units of PZI daily, shot tid or qid. The clues that he was special were the large doses of insulin needed and the fact that he gained over 9 pounds in 10 months while being unregulated. Presently, he is off insulin for the third time (we now use Levemir when needed). When he gets sick, he gets very, very sick and for some reason he no longer needs insulin.

Fletcher also gets 7.5mg of Prednisone daily-- 2 years ago he stopped breathing when his airway was occluded during a jugular blood draw and had to be put in an oxygen cage in order for him to breathe. It's because of this that Fletcher is never, ever pilled (unless the pill is broken up and put inside a treat): pilling a cat with soft tissue growth in the throat can be dangerous and deadly. When he is intubated (which is only in emergency situations), a tiny tube (like those for kittens) is used in his airway and he's closely monitored post-op and/or proactively put in an oxygen cage.

Fletcher lives with me and my two daughters, along with:
Itty Bitty (no teeth)
Rex (given to me by my daughter's teacher)
Casey (diet controlled diabetic adopted via this board)
Greta (diabetes insipidus)
Taylor (goofball)
Santana (tiny girl my oldest DD found)
Robbie (diabetic brought into my vet's near death and unresponsive)

Those are Fletcher's eyes in my avatar... you really can see his soul through them. He's a one-in-a-million cat...

 

3/7/10-Milo P Flake - dx Acromegaly-3/5/10

Milo P Flake was diagnosed wtih Diabetes in Sept 09, he was almost ketoacidocic. He was very ill. Since his diagnosis, we have undergone numerous vet visits, thousands of dollars, to no avail. He is suffering from sever neuropathy in both front and back legs. He has been tested for every underlying disease under the sun and nothing had shown up until I forced an Acro test a week ago and was diagnosed with Acromegaly on 3/5/10. He is 8 and he is now on his 3rd type of insulin, Lantus, 11 u 2 times per day. He first started with Vetsulin, then PZI, and now as of Jan., Lantus.

I feed him only wet food and chicken, his favorites. And since making the change from dry to wet food we instantly saw an improvement in his BG levels, about a 100 point drop. Im sure people have been telling me this for years but never wanted to be bothered. ohmygod_smile .. Now I know better.

As far as acromegaly goes, I guess majority of his personality defects..lol.. have been symptoms. Eating like a pig all the time, snoring (loud breather), trying to bust open the garbage for chicken bones, opening cabinets to get at the food. I had to baby lock the food cabinets and the garbage. :shock: :shock: .. I always just thought he was a little piggy and a trouble maker. He is the only boy in the house. My other 3 cats are girls and so is the dog.

He also has food allergies, which he was always allergic to chicken up until recently, and now he hasnt had any missing fur or scabs, so i dont know. He is also deaf. I just thought he was my problem child and that was it, I all makes sense now. I had asked my vet to run an Acromegaly test back in Oct/Nov, but he wasnt considered "high dose" at 9 units of PZI.. :shock: :shock:

So, things are gettting much better for him, finally, thanks for the board, and especially Carolyn. She has helped, guided, and have been there for us the entire time, and has really given Milo a new lease on life. So, when asked to post a history on Milo Pirahna, I have no problem doing so, considering the time and effort she has put into us. :mrgreen:

 

Hi I am Leslie - mom to Bayley. She has just turned 13 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes in january 2009. After suspecting acro since march 2009, I asked for her to be tested since that time and was talked out of it by vet for months until recently when I insisted and low and behold - my girl is acro, diagnosed January 2010. Her highest dose to date is 11.5 units BID and is currently on 6.5 units Lantus BID - i have R and use a small amount when needed as we are just learning. Her biggest symptoms are her insane appetite and her high dose. This diagnosis is still very new to me so I am just beginning to learn - all help and info is appreciated

 

Hello fellow hd beans! I am Juanita, loving bean to Chika. She is almost 13 yrs old and was dx with FD June /07. We originally went with PZI and switched to Lantus June /08, then joined FDMB Sept /08 ( and may I say, we never looked back, we looove this board!)

Chika was dx with Acro (on Jojo's advice and against my vet's, LOL) July /09. Her result was 490 ish, can't remember exact number. Vet was shocked but I wasn't as the more I read about Acro's the more I saw Chika fit the profile, large kitteh, large paws/claws, large head, large appetite and snored since she was 3-4 yrs old.

My DH isn't as preoccupied with BG's as I am but he is very helpful with testing and shooting and for that I am grateful.

She is currently on 9 units BID and we've had one trial run with R.

We don't post alot but we do lurk and I take great comfort knowing that help is but a keystroke away!

 

Hi everyone, I'm not very experienced in this board, but hope to learn more! After reading on this boardabout high dose cats, I realized my Obie was probably acromegalic. After battling with the local vets (it's a small town), I finally got them to test him. His IGF1 is 409!!! (12-92 is the normal reference range). I have him up to 10 units levemir twice a day, but it seems he still needs more. He is incredibly hungry all the time! I switched him several months ago off of dry food. This reduced his numbers from about the 500's (and higher) down to 400's.

He is currently on Wellness cat food and gets a little piece of raw meat with his dinner. He also got a PLI done which shows him to have pancreatitis. What do I do now? I don't know how much to feed him! (He gets 1/2 of a 5.5 oz can three times a day. Is this too much, not enough? :?: Acckkkk! I haven't started a spreadsheet on him yet as I needed a break from testing him, sorry, but we are in the midst of a major rebuild of our house and live in a trailer right now. Obie doesn't like his ears poked.

Thank you for all your help, I also lurk but don't post often...
Karen (and Obie)

Obie diagnosed DM in 2007, acromegaly 2010. Levemir 10 units bid.

 

Hi guys, I'm Nancy, mamabean to 14yo brothers, Cody and Tenderfoot. (Cody is our khakicat and TF is the tuxedo cat) They were rescued bottle fed kittens in 1996, and belonged to my son and daughter as they grew up, and now are my babies. I'm the only one who deals with the FD. We live on an acre in the pine trees in an Atlanta suburb with my DH, John and our recently graduated son, and his 14 mos "marley" yellow lab mutt, Tucker. I joined the FDMB Jan 1, 2010 and am hooked. ;-)

Cody
FD diagnosis- officially diagnosed about July 07
Acro- diagnosed acromegalic Feb 2010, with a IGF-1 of 285, and IAA of 9.
Insulins- He has been on a progression of insulins- Humulin N, Vetsulin, and now Prozinc, all at high doses. Currently 11u BID but not figured out yet. Actively trying to get it right, but very frustrated.
Symptoms -he was the littler brother but is bigger than TF now, about 12 lbs; pot belly, chronic L runny nostril, now antisocial (may be pain?), but perfectly OK with testing, poking, enemas, whatever; always hungry and begging/scavaging, enlarged heart, megacolon and is on meds for these.

 

bump- is that everybody?

 

I will add Shadoe after we have her u/s done tomorrow morning.

Edited: May 08/10 - Shadoe's results:
IGF-1 - 120
IAA - 7

U/S showed all normal with conclusion: Overall normal thorad cardiac and abdominal sonograms. No HCM or DCM.

 

I'll update the acro sticky above with everone's new name and kitty's name too.

And I'm Patti and Merlin - Merlin was diagnosed 3 days after Fletcher - they were always 2 peas in a pod! He is waiting for me at the bridge since Dec 8, 09. He's my boy who was Big, Bad, Black, and he Bites. The love of my life! cat_pet_icon

But we have Boris - a rescued Maine Coon diabetic 15 year old - who 2 weeks after we got him - we were able to wean him off insulin, shave all his matts off and now he walks around in a red t shirt and Joe calls him a rock star! He's one of 8 kitties (2 with CRF now) and 2 dogs. Oh and my DH - who helps me with everything - we live in a small town in the foothills near Mt Rainier in WA state.

 

you need visitors from Atlanta! :lol: The NW is some of my favorite part of the country- VERY beautiful... I hiked/camped Ranier over 30 years ago and loved Washington & Oregon. You are lucky...

 

Tomorrow is test day for Oliver. Consider Oliver high dose until test results are known.

Our appointment is for 3pm for blood draw for shipping and a complete, thorough batch of other blood tests locally.

Oliver is currently at 12u Lev with R needed as well, just to keep him under 400.

Results for IGF-1 and IAA tests should be known by earliest May14th or latest May24th.
Turnaround IGF-1 is 4-9days with results available Fridays. The IAA, 2-7days.

Shadoe's tests were sent 2/21/10 and we received results 3/5/10.

Edited to add Oliver's IGF-1 result: 325
Edited 5/20/10 to add Oliver's IAA result: 60

 

Bear Man has Iatrogenic Cushing's Disease as a result of long term, high dose steroid use for severe IBD. He has multiple health issues. He is not a high dose insulin kitty. I am not of much help as a Cushing's resource, as Bear did not have any diagnostic testing, and does not take any treatment for his disease. He was diagnosed based upon his clinical symptoms of hair loss, poor hair coat, very thin fragile skin, pot belly, and muscle wasting. One adrenal gland was incidentally visualized in his last abdominal ultrasound, and was normal in appearance. The only precaution that is recommended by his vet is that he is not to receive sub-cutaneous fluids for his renal disease, due to fear of his skin tearing.

 

Hi there - I'm Debbie and have updated the spreadsheet. Bryce is a 7 year old Calico dx in Feb. 2009. Still TBD if she's an Acro or not. She was a feral cat we adopted from a restaurant in NJ (with her sister, Aspen). We've been in the Sarasota, FL area since 2005. She's currently on 10 U of Lantus BID. Her IGF-1 was 429 and IAA 8 (normal). She does have an enlarged heart (on heart med), but no other physical signs. Getting an abdominal ultrasound this week, and GH test done in early July, 2010. I'm very interested in tracking the information from others on this site.