could I take my cat off Senvelgo ?

[John Cooper]

My 6.25kg 12 year old Male cat had some sort of incident 3 months ago resulting in him becoming obstructed and losing a lower canine. Probably a fall off a roof.

After some lax-a paste his obstruction cleared . I requested a full blood panel which revealed that he had mild kidney disease and Diabetes (15mmol/L
He was put on an agressive anti biotic to clear an unknown infection and in the following 4 weeks lost 500g of weight which the Vet didn't seem to be concerned about.

After a further 2 weeks Ronny was re -weighed at 4.75kg which revealed that he had lost a further 1kg .....a total loss of 1.5kg in the space of 4-5 weeks !
This dispite being ravenously hungry day and night.

The vet put him on Senvelfo once a day which he has now been given for about 5 x weeks . This week he ate a mouse and the following day became very unwell and ate nothing at all so he missed taking his Senvelgo. He had also missed senvelgo the previous day too so tonight makes it 3x days without

Now sorry for the long post but I thought some context and history might be helpful.

Tonight I tested his Ketones which were 0.4mmol/L and his blood glucose which was 6.5mmol/L both well within range despite having eaten heartily before the tests and not having any Senvelgo for nearly 72 hours ..

So friends now for the question....
Could I take Ronny off the Senvelgo ?.......his Liver, Pancreas and Kidneys seem to be coping well without the Senvelgo.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. Love the black and whites! The post had good detail in it, plus the required picture.

How are you testing his blood sugars? What type of meter?

There aren't any published methods to determine when or how a cat comes off the SGLT2 drugs, though we do have one person on our Bexacat/Senvelgo forum trying the gradual reduction in dose. It might be time to talk to the vet and ask that a fructosamine test be done. Was one done in the beginning? One blood test is not enough to decide diabetes. Cats can have elevated blood sugars at the vet due to stress, infection and constipation can also cause higher numbers. Did the vet explore any other possibilities for the weight loss? Is he started to put the weight back on now?

According to this post, based on the literature: New Treatments for Feline Diabetes Senvelgo is not to be mixed in with food. Also, it should not be given to cats with reduced renal function, ie. kidney disease.

 

[John Cooper]

Hello and welcome. Love the black and whites! The post had good detail in it, plus the required picture.
en his blood glucose level was
How are you testing his blood sugars? What type of meter?

There aren't any published methods to determine when or how a cat comes off the SGLT2 drugs, though we do have one person on our Bexacat/Senvelgo forum trying the gradual reduction in dose. It might be time to talk to the vet and ask that a fructosamine test be done. Was one done in the beginning? One blood test is not enough to decide diabetes. Cats can have elevated blood sugars at the vet due to stress, infection and constipation can also cause higher numbers. Did the vet explore any other possibilities for the weight loss? Is he started to put the weight back on now?

According to this post, based on the literature: New Treatments for Feline Diabetes Senvelgo is not to be mixed in with food. Also, it should not be given to cats with reduced renal function, ie. kidney disease.

thank you for your detailed reply.
Ronny has been tested for keytones and blood glucose regularly since beginning the treatment in accordance with Senvelgos testing protacol. His first BG was 15mmol/L which was borderline but he is extremely nervous Cat and pees and poops the cat basket within minutes. He gets so stressed that he pants . It is very likely than all his metrics were elevated at the Vets due to his highly stressed condition. His Keytones have been 0.3 -0.5mmol consistantly for 2 Months .His BG has been between 5mmol/L and 9mmol/L no higher but there are so many variables in measuring BG. I have type 2 myself and use freestyle Libre 2plus sensors which give continuous BG levels. I am considering buying a Libre 3 plus sensor for Ronny.

Folllowing initial tests at the Vets we use Keytone and blood glucose monitors at home . We have also had several home visits by the Vet who showed us how to get a blood sample from his ears. I have tested both the meters on myself and compared with my own blood glucose and keytone levels which compare well.

Ronny had a fructosamine test a few weeks ago when his BG level was high. I will try to get another test done in a couple of weeks time which will be about 2x Months since the first

Initially we tried giving the Senvelgo in his mouth but as Ronny is a feral outdoor cat and extremely nervous eventually it became impossible to catch him and give him the treatment orally and he began to stay away all day . It was so stressful for us both that I flatly refuse to make him and me go through it every day. It broke my heart to see the total trust bond that we had built over 12 years begin to break down.

Taking his Senvelgo with food is the only option and it is clearly working very well.

I suppose I have to make the decision myself I cannot expect others to make it for me.

 

[CORKY]

Jojo is beautiful, he has a "What? it wasn't me face" I love it

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Ronny looks like he is occasionally comfy inside in that pic you provided. But I get the feral or semi feral issue. It's good he's OK with doing the occasional test for ketones and blood.

we use Keytone and blood glucose monitors at home

What brand of blood glucose meter are you using now? If you want more information on the Libre in cats, this post may help: Getting Started With Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) for Diabetic Cats

If you do decide to take him off Senvelgo, keep on testing his bloods in case he should relapse. You can also ask the vet if they know when someone should consider taking a cat off of Senvelgo. The closest I can come to guidance is from the 2026 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Cats section on remission, page 78 right hand side. It does recommend going at least 90 days of therapy. Stable weight, not losing, is also a consideration.

 

[JL and Chip]

Since Ronny is an outside feral, was he checked and/or treated for parasites? They can cause notable weight loss. Especially since he’s eating various things, including mice, it’s worth ruling out.

At his age, I’d also consider running a thyroid panel to rule out hyperthyroidism.

As Wendy said, stress, infection, pain, etc can cause elevated blood glucose, so it’s good you’re testing at home as well. Two of my former ferals tested well into diabetic numbers (mid 200s and 300s) at the clinic, then normal later at home. Any pain or injury from a fall could also impact BG.

 

[John Cooper]

Since Ronny is an outside feral, was he checked and/or treated for parasites? They can cause notable weight loss. Especially since he’s eating various things, including mice, it’s worth ruling out.

At his age, I’d also consider running a thyroid panel to rule out hyperthyroidism.

As Wendy said, stress, infection, pain, etc can cause elevated blood glucose, so it’s good you’re testing at home as well. Two of my former ferals tested well into diabetic numbers (mid 200s and 300s) at the clinic, then normal later at home. Any pain or injury from a fall could also impact BG.

thank you for your advice....Ronny's weight loss was dramatic and over a very short period of around 3x weeks ! He lost 1.5 kg (3.3lbs ) 1/4 of his entire body weight yet the Vets were more concerned with his Diabetes and his possible infection. I am sure that the strong antibiotics must have played a part in this weight loss plus the stress the Vet visit cost ....his first visit in 12 years !. He was so stressed that I thought he was going to have a heart attack both in the car and at the Vets.

Co-incidentally I saw Ronny eat a whole Rat the week before he became obstructed ...he's always eating vermin and he always eats everything , tail ,head, guts nothing is left. He then spends the following day feeling ill and not eating anything...His Sister (Our other cat,) never eats anything she catches.

The same week that we took him to the Vets they noticed a missing lower canine ?! i've never been sure if the Vets dropped him or it happened in a fall off our conservatory roof . If he had fallen heavily and internal bruising /injury that could have been what caused his obstruction as he couldn't jump at all and moved very slowly the week before we took him in to the Vets. Not being able to jump our fences meant he couldn't get to his toilets over the fences .

Its also possible that one of my nasty neighbours might have hit or kicked him ...and caused the whole issue. That thought crosses my mind a lot.

Ronny had a full blood panel at my insistence and his Thyroid is fine thankfully. I also insisted on X rays at both his first visits and could see the large bowel obstruction before and after it had shifted a week later. The vets didn't look for any other internal injuries and I now believe they missed something that may have been caused by a heavy fall and brought on the obstructed bowel and flat unresponsive behaviour. His BG was 15mmol/L (270mg/dL) but as you say it was probably elevated due to stress. last night it was just 6mmol/L (108mg/dL) 1 hour after eating which is amazingingly low. and his Keytones 0.4 also excellent .

Parasites are a constant problem as we live next to a river and Farmland so there are plenty of mammals and birds to hunt and eat. We also have Badgers, Deer, Foxes, and sheep so we often need to check for and remove Ticks. I did suspect that Parasites might be causing the slight infection so gave both my cats a Spot-on anti parasite update.