10/4 &10/5: No Insulin, consistent low #s (65-90),OTJ Trial?

[tylertheragdoll]

So I know this is way too early to say anything but Tyler has been doing really well with 1 full day of no insulin and switching to Fancy Feast. I don't have a large sample size as I've done 2-3 curves/mini curves since early September but it is telling enough imho...Tyler's BG spreadsheet.

I read on several posts that in order for our sugar babies to be in full remission, they must remain so for at least 14 full days. Is there an OTJ trial protocol that's followed here as I saw those key words pop up here and there? I'd love to know as I just started recording Tyler's #s on my own spreadsheet before ever knowing about the spreadsheet used here with the AMPS, PMPS, +1, +2, etc...So yeah, my SS is not as complete and is painfully lacking any AMPS data. I would love to follow whatever the standard is here so we can compare apples to apples, where any key data is missing (such as my AMPS lack of knowledge...When I read that for the first time, I was thinking...What? AMPS? Like energy where I'm amping to get Tyler started on the juice?) :mrgreen:

Tyler started showing the classic signs of diabetes this past August where his very large water bowl was always empty every day...he started displaying highly unusual litter behavior peeing outside of the box. I thought it was b/c of the sweltering heat w/ no AC, the fact that we just moved halfway across the country, and a new place to transition to.

I took Tyler to the vet once it was very clear that all signs pointed to diabetes. The blood test they did came back w/ BG a little over 500. Initial urinalysis indicated there was sugar in his urine. Thus, he was diagnosed w/ diabetes 8/29/14 and prescribed 2 units twice a day on ProZinc.

His dry prescription food for preventing bladder stones had to be stopped completely...yet I continued to have him on the prescription wet food. After a full day of having Tyler on the prescription canned food alone, he ALREADY stopped urinating outside the litter box and resumed the normal litter behavior before any insulin.

I think Tyler is in a really good place to be off the juice but I've overzealously pricking his ear every 2 hours for the past 24 hours. I can't keep this up as the week begins again so I'll be monitoring as much as possible over the remaining weekend...I'm sure there is some sort of standard/"best practice" for how many hours I should check. I'm so tired and sleep deprived at this point that I'm going to take a nap and w/ the hope that there will be great advice that magically appear.

Thanks so much for reading.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Re: 10/4 &10/5: No Insulin, consistent low #s (65-90),OTJ Tr

I wold jest test before the AM and PM feeding for now. If they suggest that insulin may be needed than I would test in between shots to see what is happening.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Re: 10/4 &10/5: No Insulin, consistent low #s (65-90),OTJ Tr

I agree, if you are not giving insulin, then you only need to test before feeding. Way to go Tyler! :RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT

 

[Shelly & Jersey (GA)]

Re: 10/4 &10/5: No Insulin, consistent low #s (65-90),OTJ Tr

Good morning!

Tyler is looking great! Since you aren't giving insulin, you definitely don't need to check every 2 hours. During the OTJ trial, you actually only need to check twice a day as long as the numbers are in the normal range. Here are the instructions that were given to me when we started our OTJ trial:

Test at your normal AMPS and PMPS times. Feed multiple small meals throughout the day as much as possible (small meals are less likely to overwhelm a newly functioning pancreas).
If your cat is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time, just feed small meals and go about your day. If he is blue, feed a small meal and test again after about 3 hours. If his number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then his pancreas is working!
After 2 weeks, if everything is looking good, we have a party!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens, we just give him the support he needs. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.

You're still using the AlphaTrak, right? If that's the case, you want to see numbers under 160ish. If you're using the human meter, you're looking for numbers under 120.

I've seen a lot of kitties who only needed insulin for a short time - and kitties who didn't need any insulin once they switched to low-carb food. If you do see that the numbers are rising over the next week or two, post here and ask for some thoughts on what to do. Just don't forget to remind people that you're using the AlphaTrak, assuming you still are, because that will change how they interpret the numbers.

Make sure you stick with low-carb food for the rest of his life. If Tyler is in remission, returning to high-carb food can bring him out of remission. Also watch for signs of infection; that's another thing that can bring a diabetic kitty out of remission. (I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I wanted to mention these things now in case I forget to mention them later. ;-) )

Have a great day!
Shelly