can a cat who has had ketoacidocis go OTJ?

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LJ and Ernest

LJ and Ernest

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I've been wondering this and I haven't seen anyone mention this here in the posts I have read. I know some cats can go into remission with diet or with a short (or long) spell of insulin treatment, but I was wondering if anyone has every had a cat who went into ketoacidosis, was treated, and then eventually went OTJ?

Obviously, I wonder about this because this is Ernest's situation but also because when Ernest was in ICU, I was never able to get any sort of answer about what this type of illness does to his long-term health.

I assume (maybe erroneously, but still) that cats that can go OTJ have a pancreas that is basically kickstarted into working again. But when a cat suffers from a serious traumatic health issue like ketoacidosis, is the pancreas (and other systems) ever going to be healthy enough again to regulate them well enough to go OTJ?
 
Ann, Ernest is better than ever these days (although I know things can change very quickly for sugarcats). He recovered fully from the DKA, but it really did take about 6 weeks to get the old Ernest back.

Tuckers Mom, that is good news for Choco and for cats who have had DKA. Mainly I am trying to set my own expectations for Ernest. But every cat is different..
 
After 5 years with Simba I don't hold any expectations for him to be ever OTJ - he only had DKA once, and then it was a vet induced DKA, he was already admitted in ER for something else, and when they tried to correct that, they put him into a DKA. So that was really once, but some cats seems to be more prone to getting DKA than others. For Simba, his problems have been he have ended up with so many severe pancretitises instead, really too many, and three severe hypos and brain injuries. Then he also get vet induced 'Anesthesia paresthetica' http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7644 ... d_RVDocSum and was paralysed for a long time, he also has the neuropathy. It has been hectic 5 years as diabetic that he have had, so I don't hold any expectations for him to be ever OTJ.

He was OTJ once in the first year, but after a few months OTJ the diabetes came back and so with the new complications of pancreatitises and everything else that have happened.
 
My cat was in DKA back in Nov 2009. she was very very sick with pancreatitis and fatty liver. she has had really unpredictable diabetes since then, once going hypoglycemic when she started self-regulating and i was still giving her insulin (actually cat sitter, i was out of town not testing her).
that hypo episode was back in April, she went off insulin for 1 week, put her back on once her numbers creeped up. Then! Starting 3 weeks ago she was too low to give insulin, and this has continued consistently. Her BG is now around 60-100 depending.
So, YES, it can happen.

I think the major difference is that she is no longer going outside for exactly 1 month, I think she was getting junk cat food outside because her numbers were all over the place. Now she is 100% inside and eating the same food and totally regulated, off insulin.

:)
 
LJ and Ernest said:
I've been wondering this and I haven't seen anyone mention this here in the posts I have read. I know some cats can go into remission with diet or with a short (or long) spell of insulin treatment, but I was wondering if anyone has every had a cat who went into ketoacidosis, was treated, and then eventually went OTJ?

Obviously, I wonder about this because this is Ernest's situation but also because when Ernest was in ICU, I was never able to get any sort of answer about what this type of illness does to his long-term health.

I assume (maybe erroneously, but still) that cats that can go OTJ have a pancreas that is basically kickstarted into working again. But when a cat suffers from a serious traumatic health issue like ketoacidosis, is the pancreas (and other systems) ever going to be healthy enough again to regulate them well enough to go OTJ?
Click to expand...

I sure as heck hope they can. My Bob was diagnosed w/diabetes and was DKA on the same day. About 9 weeks ago. His BG was over 500+. The vet told me recently that at the time, he was a few days, at most, from dying had I not brought him in. Anyway, 9 weeks later, he's got no signs of ketoacidosis (has had his ketones checked along with his potasium and of course his sugar several times at the vet.)
I've been home testing and treating (PZI user) religiously since then. I've also pumped 3000 ccs of lactated ringers w/potassium into him over that time frame. He started at 2 units PZI a day, went as high as 7. Currently, he's getting one unit or less daily. I've been dosing him at BG levels that after reading most posts here, I'd get hammered for doing so. But he's never had a hypo incident either. He's a living testement to "every cat is different", because my experiences have been unlike any I've read here, although I'm sure there are people who have seen the same things. (But then I'm the wacko who's been giving IM insulin for six or seven weeks too) I haven't been all that vocal, nor have I done a spreadsheet, because I don't want to upset the apple cart and have all my time here spent defending my and my vet's method of treatment.

But anyway, to your point, it seems that Bob is close to going OTJ. His numbers are probably low enough for me to try it now, I'm just scared to try I suppose, and find out that his pancreas has been damaged enough so that he'll always need a small amount of insulin. But, even if that happens, he's in a whole lot better shape than he was. So I really really hope that the answer to your question is "yes".

Carl in SC
 
this is all mostly good news. I feel hopeful even if I never get there with Ernest, that a can get through DKA and someday go OTJ
Thanks!
 
Libby's Lucy was one very sick kitty when she was first diagnosed -- many days on the ICU with DKA. I think Lucy has been OTJ for about 2 years now. They sure can go OTJ!!

We've had several Lantus kitties who had DKA and are now OTJ.
 
YES!!!!!!!!!!!! Jake had DKA after his then vet took him off insulin - for what reason, I will never know, but that is another story. After I got him away from this vet and putting back on insulin, he went into remission about two or three months later. He has not had any insulin since April 29, 2010, and he is now 19-years old.

Judy, Jake, & Civvie Boomer
 
Yes, they sure can go OTJ after ketoacidisis. My Jasmine had ketoacidisis, was treated, recovered and put on new insulin (lantus) and a new diet and within a month of the new insulin/diet her numbers were beautiful and she remained in remission for a year.
 
I am really really happy to say the answer is yes.

Carl
 
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