Sharess the bouncer

Hello, I open a new thread because the previous one was a little big. https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...um-i-need-your-expertise.272174/#post-3032208

Sharess continuous bouncing and she is having difficulties with her bag legs. @Sienne and Gabby (GA) recomended me methylcobalamin and I talked about it with the vet. She told me they usually put B12 injections and I wanted to know if you have some experiences with that, or do you think it's better to buy Cobalin or something similar https://www.farmaciasdirect.com/51648-medium_default/cobalin-60-capsulas.jpg

Thanks a lot guys! <3

 

Hi Vicky,
My Sheba was a big bouncer, so I know the frustration! Not much you can do but keep on doing what you are doing.
I see Sharess dropped to 69 today. I’m not a Prozinc user so I will tag @FrostD to see what she thinks about the current dose as I don’t use Prozinc.

Most vets do not know about the methyl B12 tablets that are used for diabetic neuropathy and will suggest the B12 injections but they are not the same thing and will not do anything for the neuropathy.
What you need is Methyl B 12 tablets called Zobaline which you can buy from linflink.com
I used them for Sheba and they helped return her to normal after about 6 months. You also need to get Sharess into more normal numbers for this to happen. I would recommend zobaline.
https://ilifelink.com/product/zobaline-for-diabetic-cats-3-mg-x-60-tablets/

 

thanks a lot for the info @Bron and Sheba (GA) . I am trying to know if they will ship to spain...

 

You are likely able to find generic methylcobalamin online or at a health food store. Just make sure there's nothing other than methylcobalamin in whatever you buy. Try to find tablets/capsules that are 3mg of methylcobalamin. Sometimes folate (200mcg) is included.

Methylcobalamin is the most readily bio-available form of B12. The B12 injection is a synthetic form of B12 -- cyanocobalamin. The methyl and cyano forms are not the same.

 

After checking, Zobaline is only for US and there is no equivalent for pets in Spain. I managed to find a dubious website that sells Zobaline for 51'90€ (witch is really expensive in comparison) but also I think the delievery will take ages and I am not sure is the product will arrive or not.

@Sienne and Gabby (GA), you are right! I read this article in Spanish https://www.usroasterie.com/metilcobalamina-para-gatos.html that says I can use human Methylcobalamin for pets (3-5 mg per day) but I need to be sure that the suplement doesn't have xilitol on it because it's toxic.

I think I am safe with this one https://www.amazon.es/Vitamina-B12-1000mcg-Comprimidos-suministro/dp/B09M74Q5GF/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2BZIQMJ2FB480&keywords=metilcobalamina&qid=1673142996&sprefix=metilcobalamina%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

The only think I need know is how to convert 1000µg to 3mg (witch is more complicated that it looks). According to the converter, I would have to give Sharess 3 pills per day, but the recommendations for humans is one pill a day... There's something that doesn't add up to me.

 

Are the doses listed in the spreadsheet correct? I had mentioned on Thursday to reduce, and you said you would take the reduction. But I still see 1.5U in the spreadsheet for the last few days?

 

Ey @FrostD! I thought I should reduce the dosis only for that day and I did, but after that, the numbers were high again and she peed on herself again. I didn’t know you told me to reduce it from that day on… Sorry about the misunderstanding. So what should I do?

 

Ah that's our fault for not being clear for someone new to this. When a reduction is earned by dropping below 90, you keep that reduced dose for at least a week (but if another reduction is earned, you take another reduction). At the end of a week, you re evaluate and see if perhaps an increase is needed.

 

Thanks @FrostD I will reduce the dosis from now on if you consider it's the best thing to do... I only have one question before doing anything: This morning she was Hi again and she peed on herself. I really doesn't know what to do because the more days pass, the more mobility problems she has. it beak my hearth to see her like that

 

Remember that you have no control over the high numbers, only the lows (nadir). Think of it this way - while hyperglycemia (high BG) does wear on the body over a long time, hypoglycemia (low BG) can be fatal or cause paralysis, blindness, etc. So it is better to run high than risk going too low. Eventually she will hopefully stop bouncing so much and start to heal.

It's a shame about the zobaline, hopefully you can find something.

 

As far as her peeing on herself - they do make diapers for small dogs that may work. I'm guessing she has difficulty getting into the litter box? I'd consider a litter box with very low sides - some people even cut one side off completely.

 

Thank you very much for the words of comfort. She pees on herself because she falls asleep and she doesn't control her pee at times of high numbers. It happened 3 times so far...

When she's awake, she goes to the litter box without problem. At the moment, it is difficult for her to get on the bed, the sofa or the chairs but not on the litter box. I also have put two litter boxes with very low sides scattered around the apartment just in case, but the problem is only when she falls asleep...my pour baby girl :/

 

Methyl B-12 for neuropathy it's tasteless ,just sprinkle it on the wet food and add water to it. Give one per day open the capsule sprinkle it on his wet food and add water and mix it up
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6
14.49 for 100 capsules

Zobaline is crazy expensive for only 60 pills
Once you start to get Sharess's BG regulated and starting the Methyl B-12 you should start seeing an improvement
Tyler had neuropathy and he's back to walking and jumping
Took about less than 2 months, but every couple of weeks I saw improvement


I think they ship to Spain
Their website is
www.vitacost.com

Give them a call
A lot of us members use or have used this brand


@Vicky & Sharess

 

wow thanks a lot @Diane Tyler's Mom . I already bought this one https://www.amazon.es/Vitamina-B12-...-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 and I see the composition is mostly the same. I will try yours once I finish this one

but I can see that mine is 1000mcg and yours is 5000mcg. This means that it's safe to give her 5 pills a day? it won't be too much?

 

With yours I would only give her 3 of them, because the zobaline is 3000 MCG

Then a a long time ago a member her time me about the Vitacost brand
Much cheaper then the zobaline

I did see the vitacost is 5000 mcgs but it was fine to give one pill because whatever the cats doesn't need they will pee it out. They are water soluble so the excess is excreted in the urine I have been told this many times from members in here

The one you have I would just give 3 pills
@Vicky & Sharess

 

Hello @FrostD!

We reduced the dose 0'25 and today she was 75 at +4. this means I need to reduce it again? or should I wait 3 days before that?

 

Yep! Down to 1U. Reductions are always taken immediately with the next shot.

 

Oki doki!

 

OMG! we forgot the ProZinc on the table after the PMPS for 1h and 17 mins. The current temperature is 9ºC, please tell me that it's not too bad. I am blaming myself right now

 

Nope it's ok!

 

Love you @FrostD ! <3

 

Hello again!

It's being a while because I didn't want to bother you too much, but I really don't know what to do with Sharess' numbers. it's doesn't make any sense because no matter how hard we try, she continues bouncing. On january 20th we did a glucose curve and we had to increase the dosis to 0.75 due the horrible numbers, but she doesn't seem to improve after 4 days.

Should we do more test? Should we change the dosis again? should we change the insuline type? We still can't buy free stile libre here in spain, and we are doing all the test manually. The only good thing is that she looks happy, playfull and as cute as always most of the days, and the ketones are still negative... Any suggestion?

 

@FrostD

@Suzanne & Darcy

 

Thanks @Diane Tyler's Mom ! I am going to do a new curve to see if she is low numbers in weird hours and the reason why she is so high right now and I have an appointment with the vet for next monday to see if there is something we're missing. It's the only thing I can think or do...

 

Sorry no one has gotten back to you but I'm going to try again

 

@FrostD

@Suzanne & Darcy

I can try tagging a fee more members but they are not prozinc users ,maybe they can take a look at your SS

@Bron and Sheba (GA)

@tiffmaxee

@Wendy&Tiggy(GA)

@Bandit's Mom

 

Thanks @Diane Tyler's Mom . I understand everybody have their lives. No problem. I will appreciate any insight even if it's not from a prozinc user

 

Oh good, can someone explain how it's possible that she was 359 at +3, 218 at +5, 273 at +6 and now, she is "hi" (I tested it twice) at +7? I really don't understand it and I starting to worry a lot :___(

She didn't eat. the only thing I gave her was a bit of Malt... maybe it was that? I really know nothing right now...

 

Sorry no one has gotten back to you yet
I'm going to try again

@FrostD

@Suzanne & Darcy

I can try tagging a fee more members but they are not prozinc users ,maybe they can take a look at your SS

@Bron and Sheba (GA)

@tiffmaxee

@Wendy&Tiggy(GA)

@Bandit's Mom

 

I would rather leave this to one of the ProZinc users.
I’m glad you tested for ketones and they were negative.
Appetite OK?

 

You are never any bother by asking questions!! Please ask as many questions as you have.

Since you have increased to 1 unit, please hold that dose for 7 days (14 cycles) — counting from the first cycle that she had one unit. I am sorry about the high numbers! Now, of course, when I say hold the dose at one unit for 14 cycles that means as long as she does not drop below 90. If she drops below 90, that would mean that she would get a .25 unit reduction back down to .75 units. Right now it is not looking like that is very likely to happen, but we do not know at this point for certain. Is this making sense? I just want to be clear.

 

And keep testing for ketones at least once per day. If she has significant ketones we may need to adjust her dose more quickly. You say that her behavior is better and she seems happy. As long as she is not lethargic and she is eating well and staying hydrated, she should be fine.

 

It looks to me that Sharess goes up pretty quickly after she gets into yellow numbers. I think she’s done it again today.

 

Finally, I am sorry for the delay in getting your message answered. I was checking the ProZinc forum mostly, to see if anyone over there needed help.

 

Hiiiiiiii

We increased the dose a bit earlier than 14 cycles from 0.75 to 1 because she was having really high numbers and never close to 90. Maybe we did wrong, but we were really scared the moment she started shaking while she sleep with more than 600 in her body. We will mantain the dosis now even if she has high numbers and we only will lower it if she ever drops below 90.

Regarding the ketones, the urine strips indicate "negative" all the time we test her, and her appetite is ok. She plays and purrs as usual. she didn't pee on herlself either.

My questions are:

1) Should we change to Lantus, for example, or 1 month is not enough time to decide?

2) the vet told us that he can give her preventive antibiotic injection just in case Sharess has an undetected infection, but I don't know if this is a good idea, because I read an article for humans that said people under antibiotics have more risk of develop diabetes... Is there any interaction I should know?

Thanks a lot in advance to all of you! You are awesome! <3

 

Sorry!! FrostD told me to stay in this thread because there was only few ppl in the Prozinc forum at that time, but I can open a new thread there if needed

 

Just keep this one going for now.

 

I am not a fan of antibiotic injections. The antibiotic known as Convenia here is a long acting antibiotic. One problem with these antibiotic injections is that, if it causes a problem with your cat, there is nothing you can do about it. The antibiotic will be in their body for eight weeks at least. With oral antibiotics, you can always stop giving the medication if your cat has problems with it. In addition, convenient has some potentially dangerous side effects like hemolytic anemia. It is not a common side effect necessarily, but the possibility is there. There is also the problem of antibiotic resistance when antibiotics are given and they are not needed. As long as her ketones continue to be negative and her appetite is study, I do not think she needs an antibiotic.

I do think it is too early to judge whether or not the ProZinc will work for Sharess. I do like Lantus as well.

 

We typically say give it 3-6 months before considering a switch, right now she looks pretty typical

Has she had any labs that would indicate an infection?


(Sorry, have had a hectic week)

 

Also, the way to tell if she has an infection is to see if her white blood count is elevated. If there is a concern over this.

 

Thank you all for your answers and for the advices regarding Prozinc and the antibiotic injection!

On monday I will go to the vet and request a blood test to look at white blood count and the fructosamine, but I will say not to use antibiotics unless it's really needed.

 

Very good. Please let us know how it goes and what the blood results are. I see she was all pink today :-(

 

Hello again.

We were finally able to do all the tests on sharess (we had to postpone it for a week because my father was in the hospital). We tested everything (ultrasound, urine tests, blood tests and IGF-1) because Sharess began to feel a lot of pain in her hindquarters and her legs crunch when she walks.

She doesn't have urine infecction but those are the odd numbers:

GLUCOSE: 294 mg/dl (normal values: 59 - 160)
FRUCTOSAMINE: 425 μmol/L (normal values: 137 - 286)
PROTEINS: 7.8 g/dl (normal values: 5.3 - 7.6)
GAMMA - GT <0.5 IU/L (normal values: 0.5 - 11)
TOTAL BILIRUBIN: 0.05 mg/dl (normal values: 0.1 - 0.5)
PANCREATIC LIPASE SP. FELINE (Spec fPL): 3.5 μg/l (normal values: <3.5 ug/l)
URINARY DENSITY: 1018 (normal values: > 1035)

SOMATOMEDIN C (IGF-1): 398 ng/ml (normal values: >665 ng/ml)

Regarding IGF-1, perhaps 398 is a little high, as newly diagnosed diabetic cats are often insulin deficient, which also lowers IGF-1 concentrations, since a significant percentage of the insulin is used by the liver pancreatic for the synthesis and secretion of IGF-1, thus giving false negative results. In addition, in an x-ray they have seen that Sharess has the presence of osteophytes in the joints. What do you think? Could she have Agromegaly, or am I freaking out over nothing?

Edit: You can see all the results in details in Sharess' Spreadsheet, in the Spanish Tests 2023 tap.

 

@Wendy&Neko

 

In Europe, IGF-1 numbers over 1000 are considered positive, and levels above 700 are considered suspicious. 398 doesn't see that high. However, a study of over 200 cats at the Royal Veterinary College in England showed that cats that are tested for IGF-1 within 73 days of starting insulin can have false negatives. Which is why we usually wait at least that long or suggest retesting after 73 days has passed. We have had one cat here who originally tested negative on the IGF-1 test, then tested positive. You can get your vet to rerun the test in a month if you think it's a concern.

Osteophytes or bone spurs are not uncommon in older cats, diabetic or not. I have had both Neko, diabetic with acromegaly, and another senior cat, not acro that have had bone spurs. Is Solensia available in Spain now? It's a new treatment for arthritis for cats that seems to help quite a few of them.

As for Sharess peeing while sleeping, maybe you should put some puppy pee pads on beds where she sleeps.

 

Hello @Wendy&Neko !

Thank you so much for all the information and your wisdom. It's been 60 days since her diabetes was detected, but we haven't been able to regulate her sugar yet. We are considering a CT scan or an MRI to completely rule out acromegaly, but tomorrow we will discuss the best option with the vet. She also suggested solensia to us, but she said that right now Sharess needed something more immediate, and that's why the vet prescribed cerenia + Buprex + meloxycam. The weird thing about all of this is that the sharp pain and crunching in her paws has been in a matter of a few days, so all my worried mom alarms have gone off.

On the top of this, Sharess looks like she's got a cold, because she expels green snot through her nose, although the blood analysis does not seem to specify any particular infection. after the medicine she has lost her appetite, but the pain is much more bearable. With regard to peeing while she sleeps, since we've been giving her methylcobalamin, she hasn't peed on herself again. However, we have already put puppy pee pads on her, just in case.

Thanks a lot for your advices. I will keep you in touch!! <3

 

Some cats just take longer than others to regulate. I was thrilled, when a year after starting insulin, Neko finally bounced to pinks instead of reds.

I would save your money and not do the CT or MRI for now. Wait and redo the IGF-1 in a month. CT and MRI involves anaesthesia, and I'd save that for necessary procedures with an older cat. In fact, very few people here even follow a positive IGF-1 test with a CT or MRI. Sharess is also on quite a small dose of insulin, and the average dose for acros is quite a bit higher.

Can you get l-lysine there? It seems to help with upper respiratory infections.

 

I would have my cat on an antibiotic if there was green snot.

 

Sharess got a really bad calicivirus when she was 3 years old when our Desna started being a part of our family. It's a long story, but both were really sick and we even had to use interferon to save them. Since then, they suffer coffing episodes and we had been using l-lysine since then in a regular base, specially during season changes. This is the first time in 13 years that Sharess has green snot. She started around 3 month ago and we when to the vet by that time, but that vet didn't even consider the antibiotic mesures and he just said "nah, this is just another calicivirus episode".

After that, she had an ear and eye infection and then, the vet put am injection of antibiotic that lasted for 15 days. That made the ear and eye infection went away, but few days later, she started with glucose issues.

I dont know if all this is related or she just had been incredible unlucky, but thanks a lot for your advices. I will talk to my new vet tomorrow (one specialized in cats) to see how to procede

 

Wow! but I saw that your lovely Neko was a survivor and she was with you almost 5 years after the diagnose :O

 

One week shy of 5 years. And I suspect she had acromegaly before she was diabetic. We noticed a tearing eye 6 months before FD diagnosis, and I think that was from soft tissue growth in her eye duct.

 

Hello again group!

I wanted to give news about Sharess. After 17 days of doxycare, the vet recommended a PCR and we are waiting for the results to see if we need to change the antibiotic. Even if she is not totally ok, Sharess seems to have gotten better from her cold, and her glucose numbers are not as high as before, but they are still very high. In fact, we have noticed that, during the day, the curve is more pronounced but it has almost no drops at night. Do you know why that is? Is there something we should do? With the drop on day 6 and day 9 we cannot increase the dose, but I don't know if it is an option to increase the dose at night and lower it in the morning. Advices? Thanks a lot!!

 

I will tag @Suzanne & Darcy and @FrostD as they are prozinc users.

 

Hi there. I’m glad to know that she is okay, even though she’s not totally better. I would actually increase her dose if she were my cat. I was uncomfortable with the dose reduction before, but technically she was supposed to get it because she dropped below 90. I would change to the Modified ProZinc method (MPM) which would allow you to have nadirs that are lower without requiring a dose reduction. The dose would only be reduced if she dropped below 50 on your human glucose meter. The MPM would allow you to hold the dose for less time than 14 cycles. Her nadirs on this dose have not been unsafe (97 is the lowest one that I see) so you have a little “wiggle room” to do an increase. As long as you are testing her she can be kept safe. I do not understand the evening numbers. What is different about her evening routine from the day? Can you think of anything? What is she eating? When is she eating? I am really hoping that she will recover soon and get better regulated. Does she still have green discharge from her nose? What other symptoms does she have? Will you have her retested for acromegaly soon? Maybe at the end of this month? She does look very insulin resistant.

 

Hi @Suzanne & Darcy

Thank you very much for your advice. I am definitely going to switch to the Modified ProZinc method (MPM) to see if she can improve her numbers. I really don't like the fact that she has high numbers plenty of hours :/

Regarding Sharess behabiour, she is much more animated, except for specific moments when she has glucose skipes. she plays, she fights with the little one as usual, she chases us everywhere and she loves cuddles. She still sneezes, but much less than before, and she has almost no green discharge from her nose. The only strange symptom that I see on her, is that she seems to have a few nauseas and the vet has recommended that we start with Cerenia, and if she doesn't improve, give her omeprazole.

With regard to agromegaly, the veterinarian told us that it is better to wait for 2 months and do the IGF test together with the pancreas test, so it would be at the end of April, but if you think it should be earlier, I can bring the test forward .

Regarding evening numbers, I have no clue to be honest, I don't recall that she does something diferent from mornings. She eats wet food. Normally we switch from "Animonda", to "My Star is a foodie" and now to "MjAMjAM" because she gets tired of the same food all the time. and she doesn't have a specific time to eat because she is a bit special in regard of timings.

I really can't think on anything that caused those changes in glucosa. The "good part" is that she started to have more 400 spikes rather than 600. I hope this is a good thing...

 

I would say that the improving glucose numbers are “progress.” I was encouraged when I looked at her spreadsheet yesterday. Let’s just see if we can make more progress with dose changes being more frequent.

 

Oh, as far as the acro test, I agree with the vet. Let us hope she will continue to improve and if she needs another antibiotic that whatever is happening will be healed.

Regarding the night time high numbers, you might want to try keeping a food diary where you would record which food she is eating at night to see if there is any correlation between the food and her higher numbers. Some cats seem to be sensitive to different foods. For example, beef is an ingredient that causes a lot of cats to have higher glucose numbers. It could be fish. Or it may not even be the meat, but something else in the food that is causing the higher glucose numbers. Or, it may improve on its own as we get her closer to the dose of insulin that she needs. She has been in high numbers for quite a while now, and she has some level of glucose toxicity perhaps, which means it will be a little bit harder to get her numbers down. With the modified ProZinc method, you will be able to do this by adjusting her doses more frequently.

 

Again, thank you very much. The truth is that I am very worried, even though she seems to be fine. I'm going to record everything she eats. I know that "My Star" is not one of the best weet food,, but it is the one she likes the most. She only eats "MjAMjAM" or "Animonda" if I mix it in the blender.

 

I totally understand. The number one most important thing is that she eats!!

 

Hello again. we have switched to the Modified ProZinc method (MPM) and Sharess numbers have started to do some very strange things.

After a horrible night and horrible morning today, her numbers started to drop and the FreeStyle sensor went crazy beeping and pointing to numbers below 50. Luckily we used the glucometer and we found that FreeStyle wasn't very accurate. However, the nadirs have been low and outside of normal hours, so we are now waiting a bit for the next puncture (without feeding her).

The problem is that we don't want to miss a shot, because her numbers get worse every time we do it, so we are here waitting... I am wondering which is a safe number to shot.

 

Are the numbers on your spreadsheet for today from your meter or the Libre sensor?

We have found that the Libre sensors are not very accurate in the lower numbers (read lower than a manual glucometer.)

 

Is she feeling any better? Maybe her infection is better? Did you ever get any more blood results (PCR test) from the vet? I'm trying to remember.

 

the manual numbers are all those that appear in the +7 and the +8 in her spreadsheet from today. I can test her blood sugar now, because the FreesTyle shows 179.

She sneezes less and the PCR tests will be given to us tomorrow. We don't know the results yet. She is happy and she plays, and the only bad thing we noticed is that sometimes she doesn't seem to have her normal strength in her hind legs and also that, whenever she walks, her legs crunch like little "crick crick" in her joints.

Also she doesn't want to eat wet food very much, but she begs us for dry food or our food when we are eating all the time :/

 

If she is having hind leg weakness, it's probably diabetic neuropathy from being in the higher numbers too much of the time. For that, you need to get Zobaline, which is methylcobalamin and folic acid. If that's not available in your area (or too expensive) then you can purchase a methylcobalamin supplement that really does help a lot with diabetic neuropathy.

Waiting for the number. I was looking at the SS and it looked like she was trending upward in her BG numbers.

 

Yes, this forum has already recommended methylcobalamin to me and she has been taking it for more than a month and a half. It has been miraculous because before she couldn't climb on things or jump, and now we just see a little bit of weakness. I can't thank you enough for that! <3

Numbers since to rise now. The FreeStyle shows "240↑" I think now is safe to shot, right?

 

yes!

 

How late was the shot?

 

The joint clicking is probably arthritis, don't you think? Do you have Solensia injections there. I believe they've been using it in Europe for a while now (I know they have in the UK.) Or Adequan (not sure of name in Spain? Cartrophen?) I hope she's not in pain. I actually have a senior kitty who walks around and clicks sometimes (sometimes a lot) and it doesn't seem to bother her at all... I mean, she still jumps up on things and does not act as if she is in pain. But you could see if your vet thinks it's arthritis. Who is the vet now? I hope you are staying with the newer vet who actually is trying to help her and you. You have been through several vets recently.

 

Oh, also, I think that with the Methylcobalamin you can expect to see continued improvement. I remember now that she was having a very hard time. It's so great to hear that this has improved.

 

the shot was 1'5h hours later, which is super weird. we will have to adjust the timing a bit for a while ^_^!

Regarding Solensia we started on February 10th, and we put her second injection 5 days ago. I dont know if it's arthritis because it started really fast right after being diagnosed. I dont know if it was a coincidence but i was really afraid it was Acro. The clicking doesn't seem to bother her at al lindeed.

 

Okay, so you are already doing everything! Of course, I knew you would

 

and yes! we used to live in Paris and we moved here around 1 year ago, so it was difficult for us to find a good vet (we were really used to our Versailles vet). Now we founded a clinic specialized in cats, witch is really awesome but they are ALWAYS busy, so sometimes it's hard to get an appointment ^_^!

 

Here is graph of Libre 2 sensor and Relion Prime meter for my Merle that I obtained in Feb 2023.

As time went on Libre BGs were closer to Prime BGs.

 

I can see sometimes there is a huge diference. Thanks a lot for sharing <3

 

Hello again!

The vet has given me the results of Sharess' PCR and she was negative in all: BORDETELLA BRONCHISEPTICA, CHLAMYDIA FELIS, FELINE CALICIVIRUS, FELINE HERPESVIRUS and MYCOPLASMA FELIS. The vet says it's better to wait a bit because she seems to be sneezing less, her sugar is a little better, and a rhinoscopy to take samples is very invasive. Unfortunately, Libre2 fell on the second day, and we have not been able to measure all the time, but it is true that it seems that her numbers are better with the Modified ProZinc method (MPM)

Here it is impossible to get Libre3 for months (it is always out of stock). I hate the Libre 2 because it's bigger and it doesn't measure glucose in real time (you have to bring the phone close to her skin every time you want to know the numbers)... hopefully they'll bring Libre3 back soon.

 

Hello Vicky! I’m very happy to hear that the PCR tests for all of those viruses were negative. That’s great news. So she doesn’t seem congested anymore? But she sneezes a little? Have you ever tried giving her some L-Lysine as a supplement. I have a powder called Viralys (made by Vetoquinol) is an L-Lysine supplement that I mix into food. One small scoop mixed into food has really helped a lot of my cats with sneezing and eye weeping and that sort of upper respiratory stuff. It is flavored with chicken liver, as I recall.

I’m sorry that your Libre sensor died. I have heard that the manufacturer will replace the ones that fail prematurely if you contact them.

 

Hello @Suzanne & Darcy !! Thank you very much for your reply. The truth is that Sharess has gone from sneezing a lot to sneezing once a day or less and she doesn’t seem congested, so we think she is healing (finger crossed). I have never heard of Viralys, but I am giving her L-Lysine TVM, I don't know if it will be similar. in fact, they're like little balls that you can mold, so I use them to put cerenia inside them, or even the methylcobalamin pills. it's super practical, but if you tell me that Viralys is better, I will give it a try

Oh! I also give her Impromune and probiotics every day, so she looks like a granny with thousands of pills.

Regarding Libre2, you're right! I contacted Abbot not saying it's for pets and they will send me a new one. We put our last Libre 2 today on her... I hope this one doesn't fall

 

It sounds like you are doing everything right! And it sounds like she really is healing. ​

 

I have a sneezy sugar cat too! I was able to figure out that he has eosinophilic granuloma from allergies! His congestion was so severe when I first fostered him I thought he was drowning in mucus! Now the congestion has calmed down I'm doing food trials. The thing that really helped was chlor tabs. You have to make sure there's no comorbidities like high blood pressure or glaucoma and all medications are safe to be given together because its strong. I also didn't give it everyday. Now it's figuring out the allergy causing it and he'll be fine! Hope this helps!

 

I hope your sugar cat gets better. I have never heard of chlor tabs. I'm going to discuss your suggestion with my vet to consider more options. Thank you so much! <3

 

Hello everyone!

I bring news about Sharess again. She's been a little better, at least she hasn't been "Hi" for a long periods of time these past few days, but today I gave her insulin shots in the morning and she still hasn't come down at all after 6 hours. This is the first time it happens, and she makes me wonder if I've injected her wrong (although I don't think so). What do you do in these cases? Do you wait 12 hours for the next shot, or do you give the injection ahead of time? I don't like seeing her for so many hours with sugar through the roof

btw, she will go to the vet on Tuesday to repeat pancreas and IGF test. Figers crossed!

 

If you suspect a fur shot (or otherwise missing the shot) you just need to ride it out and wait for the next shot. You don't know if or how much you gave her, so you don't know what a safe dose would be.

When you give the shot, are you able to see the needle going into the skin? I switched up my technique so that I could see bare skin and watch the needle go in. That way I know for sure Pumpkin got her full dose.

 

Thanks, I also decided to wait because the same reasons you mention. This is the first time it happens, but a fur shot is possible. Sharess has a really long hair and it's dificult to see how the needle go in. I will try to see more carefully from now on. Next shot is in 1'5h, but I think is safe to shot her in 1h. The good news are that, despite everything, she didn't go higher than 500, so I see an improvement in her

 

By the way, I had a look at Pumplin's spreadsheet and I am a little worried about her numbers. Is her an acrocat? Is she better? has she stopped vomiting? I hope she is ok <3

 

She got an acro test on Thursday, so we'll find out sometime next week probably. There's nothing obvious in the regular bloodwork. Vet also thinks we should do an abdominal ultrasound. She's had much better weeks especially with the sprained hind leg :-(. Numbers are trending in the right direction but it's way slower than I'd like. Everything else seems to be slowly sliding downhill....

 

I wish you the best of luck and I hope Pumpkin gets better. Sharess also has her second acro test on Tuesday (we were told the first one could be a false negative). I hope that our little ones test negative in their respective tests and that their numbers improve until remission. I will follow your baby girl <3

btw, after the PM shot, Sharess started to drop her numbers. I guess it was my fault after all. I am happy that it was only that

 

Thanks! I'm very conflicted about the acro test. An acro diagnosis would not be good, but at least it would be something we can get to work on. Maybe she's one of the cats cabergoline works miracles on. But, the odds are against cabergoline working, and none of the other options are great. If she's negative for acro though, we've already eliminated a lot of the obvious potential issues, so we might just be stuck with a mysteriously insulin resistant cat.

But, with Sharess's dose it would definitely be a blessing for her to not be acro, so I'm sending negative (for acro) thoughts her way!

I'm glad Sharess is giving better numbers this afternoon! I'm really nervous about the point where we hit the breakthrough dose for Pumpkin. It must be so nerverwracking watching those numbers shoot down every day.

 

I would get the IGF-1 test done. At least you know the cause of the high BGs/high dose and then take appropriate action.

I would get the insulin resistance test, IAA (Insulin AutoAntibody) test done. In the USA, Michigan State University (MSU) is the only place that does these two tests. IDEXX lists these two tests in their test catalogue but IDEXX just sends the sample to MSU for the actual tests. Insulin resistance may be harder to deal with since it can vary fast and thus you have to watch for the resistance going down with the result is BG goes down with same dose. Getting both tests done at same time adds little cost compared to only doing the IGF-1 test since packaging and shipping should be the same and only the actual test cost would be added. I looked the IGF-1 MSU price is $68 (#20005) and IAA (#20031) is $21. Note that you would also have to pay the sample preparation, your vet fee and shipping cost. MSU sells a UPS, prepaid, insulated mailer for $25 (#99220)


https://vdl.msu.edu/Bin/Catalog/Catalog.exe

 

Yep, the tests are in progress. We've kind of hijacked Sharess's thread though.

 

Hahaha no problem at all. I am learning too since i didn't know about the posibility to do a IAA test (i dont know if it would be a good idea on Sharess too).

I can see the diferences in prices depending of the country. 2 months ago IGF-1 cost me 143€ here in Spain, but I guess that included the vet cost and the sample preparation... anyway I think is super expensive :/

 

Hi again! I have a question regarding Sharess. She is having a really good numbers recently compare with the past, and we had to postpone the shot in several occasions due the low numbers. Is this the right thing to do? Or it’s better to lower the doses?I am a little bit lost here (not complaining at all. She seems prety happy and ok in general)

 

Y

Are you doing tight regulation with prozinc?

 

I don't know what you mean, but we have changed to the modified Prozinc method if this is what you asked