I also am a big fan of Lantus as first choice insulin for cats
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Chewy.com has it but the OP stated that her kitty has a problem with crystals and Tiki Cat is all fish based which is bad for kitties with crystals.
Tiki Cat has several types that are not fish based. As I mentioned in my post, the one I use is chicken. Quail, duck, beef, pork and lamb come to mind. They also add egg to some varieties. You can buy it directly from the company.
"Used to aid in the diagnosis of acromegaly (growth hormone excess) and diagnosis of dwarfism (growth hormone deficiency).
IGF-1 is a substance which is made in the liver in response to circulating Growth Hormone (GH) concentrations. Its concentration therefore reflects GH concentrations. IGF-1 may be elevated in diabetic animals. Reference ranges for IGF-1 depend both on the animal’s age, and the animal’s regular breed size. When trying to confirm dwarfism, it may help to submit a serum sample from age and breed matched control animal. Generally, IGF-1 analysis is not helpful for the diagnosis of growth hormone responsive dermatopathy. We do not have a test to measure GH directly. "
From
https://www.marshfieldlabs.org/sites…ges/25523.aspx
It looks like Other than Michigan, Tesxas A&M does it as well, if they are closer for you.
You can also google Hypersomatotropism for studies by the NIH that might be interesting to read.
“Hypersomatotropism (HST) is characterized by excess production and secretion of growth hormone (GH) while acromegaly is the clinical syndrome that develops as a result of the excess growth hormone. Feline hypersomatropism is most commonly caused by a growth-hormone producing pituitary gland adenoma.”
Testing for acromegaly in cats
Acromegaly is most commonly seen in older (>10 years old) neutered male cats that have insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus. … The diagnosis of acromegaly is made with a blood test (IGF-1 levels) and then confirmed with a CT (CAT) scan and/or MRI (enlargement of the pituitary gland is seen).
cvm.ncsu.edu Ӽ documents Ӽ feline-acromegaly
Feline Acromegaly: Pituitary Tumors in Cats - NCSU CVM
cvm.ncsu.edu Ӽ documents Ӽ feline-acromegaly
I did not do an MRI, there was no point. Meows IGF was beyond clear. I forget what the range is or what his number was, but it was gasp worthy, the Internist helping my Vet with this said she had never seen one so high
Oh I need to check those out! The only ones I have seen were all fish. I agree, Tiki Cat is pretty clean.
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Some good information here, our pre diabetic cat improved on the Zero [carb] Mature Health food from Young Again.
https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/feline-diabetes.html
For non fish canned foods, Lotus Just Juicy line chicken, turkey & pork, Caru turkey and chicken, and Hound and Gatos lamb and gamebird, they have several others that are no fish as well. Stella & Chewy’s has some non fish wet food paks as well.
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He is doing better. Still having some challenges keeping his blood sugar stable but he seems to be feeling better. Thanks for checking on him!
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That’s great to hear!
Thanks. I just wish I could get him completely stable but he has more energy and went outside today to chase robins. I think he is doing better!
I have to travel next week for work, but taught my 10 yo son to do his shots (very reliable, dad will watch and check but is too squeamish to do them). I am pretty proud of my kid that he 1. takes his cat’s health so seriously and 2. volunteered to learn how to do this.
