24+ hours OTJ, BG levels seem low

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Lauren M.

Lauren M.

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Hi friends. Colby has had great readings for the past few days. He read 104 last night after 12 hours of half a unit. This morning he was at 100, mid afternoon at 61 and just now at 70. He's eating his wet food normally and no change in behavior.

What are your thoughts on this? Not sure if this is good news or if I'm being paranoid. Any info would be most helpful!!
 
Sounds as though Colby is doing great! Numbers between 40 and around 120 on a human glucometer are absolutely normal, and some non diabetic cats can even spend some time in the 30s. If he's not had a shot, then there's no insulin pushing his numbers down so it's completely safe for him to run in slightly lower numbers than if he had added insulin in his system. It's great that he can achieve normal numbers without a shot! :D
 
Whew, thanks so much for the speedy response!!! I wanted to celebrate this great day but wasn't sure if that would be premature to do so. I will do a happy dance now!!!!

I'm just beside myself with his progress over the past week. In the beginning (3 weeks ago) I cried my eyes out once I learned how involved caring for a diabetic cat can be. I felt so awful that he was sick. Treatment quickly became clock work and thankfully Colby has been a dream with testing and his shots. I pray this continues and we can live normally again.

How long w/o insulin until we can label him non-diabetic?
 
To be classed as in remission, he needs to go 2 weeks in normal numbers without insulin. But every day he's in normal numbers is a reason to celebrate as it shows that he can do it even if, to begin with, it's only intermittently! :D

You do, as I'm sure you can understand, still need to test his BG twice a day for the 14 days. If you get a normal number at his AM test time, then you don't need to test again until you do a PM test. If you get a number that's slightly above normal range, try feeding him some low carb food and test him again about 3-4 hours after that - if his number comes down after he eats, that's a good indication that his pancreas is trying to work.

And please try not to worry too much if you do find he needs a little more insulin support for now - a number of cats can get close to remission but need a few more weeks of support before they're actually ready to manage without any shots at all. His numbers will guide you on whether or not you can continue without shots but he's definitely made a good start today!! :D :D
 
Really great info. Thanks again! I will continue to check his blood sugar daily. Do you know what a normal feeding is for a 12 lb cat? My vat advised me to feed him 2 cans of wet food a day but he appears to be hungry frequently. His appetite had subsided quite a but since his glucose levels have gone down but I want to be sure I'm feeding him enough.
 
It depends very much on the calorie content of the exact food you're feeding rather than a number of cans or number of ounces that will work across all foods. If he doesn't need to lose weight, then he's going to need around 240 calories per day (if he's an indoor cat). He will be less hungry with his glucose level controlled, but that should mean that he's not overeating rather than that he's not eating enough to maintain his weight.
 
Ah, that makes sense! he doesn't need to lose weight. I will be sure to look at the calories moving forward to ensure he gets the proper amout of food. thank you!!!
 
April, is there a conversion recommendation you can share so I can figure this out? I found a few things on the web but it doesn't seem clear to me. I feed him fancy feast, he is an indoor cat too. I believe he should be fed 3 cans a day according to what I've found. I just want to be sure.
 
manxcat419 said:
It depends very much on the calorie content of the exact food you're feeding rather than a number of cans or number of ounces that will work across all foods. If he doesn't need to lose weight, then he's going to need around 240 calories per day (if he's an indoor cat). He will be less hungry with his glucose level controlled, but that should mean that he's not overeating rather than that he's not eating enough to maintain his weight.
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April, is there a conversion recommendation you can share so I can figure this out? I found a few things on the web but it doesn't seem clear to me. I feed him fancy feast, he is an indoor cat too. I believe he should be fed 3 cans a day according to what I've found. I just want to be sure.
 
Of what size cans? The 3*3 ounce Fancy Feast cans might be too little, and 2*5.5 ounce Friskies pates might be a smidge high.
 
We are 9 days in normal glucose levels without insulin. he's been very consistent in the low 50's! 5 more days until we can officially classify him as non-insulin dependent and in remission! Fingers crossed.
 
That's great to hear! :D Congratulations to you and Colby!! :D :D :D :otj:

Please remember to keep him on a low carb diet only. I hope he continues to do well and is off insulin for a long time. :)
 
Hi, Lauren - Congratulations to you & Colby!!! :cat: This thread you started (& the good input you received) is so helpful; Bat just went OTJ yesterday & so far, so good. I, too, was wondering about how often to test - got a little freaked out by the shift in her mid-cycle #s, until I realized that her BGs are going lower much later than they had with the little bump of insulin she'd been on. Funny how it's so hard not to be obsessive about testing multiple times daily - esp. after you've been doing it for SOOOO long. So think I'll stick to AMBG & PMBG tests for now ... and see how it goes. Will be thinking good thoughts for your little man!
 
Robin&BB said:
Hi, Lauren - Congratulations to you & Colby!!! :cat: This thread you started (& the good input you received) is so helpful; Bat just went OTJ yesterday & so far, so good. I, too, was wondering about how often to test - got a little freaked out by the shift in her mid-cycle #s, until I realized that her BGs are going lower much later than they had with the little bump of insulin she'd been on. Funny how it's so hard not to be obsessive about testing multiple times daily - esp. after you've been doing it for SOOOO long. So think I'll stick to AMBG & PMBG tests for now ... and see how it goes. Will be thinking good thoughts for your little man!
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Hi Robin and BB! I never saw this post until now....how is your baby doing?! I hope to hear some good news.

We had to put our sweet Colby down on Saturday--he was DKA and it was time. We are heartbroken but know we couldn't have loved him more or taken care better care of him than we did.
 
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