GA Harry's out of remission and not going back in.

Hey everyone!

I have a ten year old cat, Harry, who is diabetic. He was diagnosed in January 2016, went on Lantus for a few weeks, had a few dietary changes, and by March 2016 he was in remission and doing well. Great, right?

Well, this January (I think... might have been February) he relapsed. He was lethargic, wouldn't even lift his head, we rushed him to the vet and his blood sugar was high. We put him on Vetsulin and started fairly regularly checking his blood sugar. It's been all over the place... we got him back under 200 for a little while, and vet said we could stop with the insulin, but then he was almost at 400 later. I don't have the meter with me right now, so I don't have the exact numbers, but over the past few weeks he's been all over the place. We've been giving him a unit every so often, but we haven't been sticking to a 12 hour schedule, because he kind of free-feeds (we have two cats, one of whom is a growing kitten, so it's hard to limit it).

I'm just really tired right now and I guess I just want encouragement and advice. I hate pricking his ear because sometimes I screw it up and don't get the blood, or don't get enough, or whatever, but sometimes he's really good about it. I don't want him to go hypo but I don't want his diabetes to kill him and I'm just freaking out internally a bit right now. I don't know what to do right now.

Sorry this is so all over the place -- I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I just want my kitten to be okay.

 

Welcome!
Just wanted to say hang in there . This is a great place to help you and your kitty!

One little thing, the GA you put before your thread title, I believe it means kitty is no longer alive. GA - Guardian Angel

 

oh oops. I thought it meant "General Advice." Thanks for letting me know haha

 

Was there a specific reason for putting him on Vetsulin aside from cost? If that's a factor you can certainly get him better regulated with the Vetsulin and people here can help.

It takes a long time of monitoring to know if a kitty really is in remission. The zoom back up to 400 says that he wasn't ready.

I would say that one of the very important principles of treating FD is to get a structured routine going. Consistency is key and it's possible with a little planning to set up a routine that you can fit into your daily schedule. Insulin has to be dosed regularly (generally every 12 hours every day). There are ways to accommodate free feeding.

We have tips and tricks to help you be more successful with BG testing. It's the single most essential tool in keeping your kitty safe while he's on insulin.

No need to apologize. We all understand because we've all been where you are. We can help with advice and all around support. Ranting and raving allowed when needed!

 

Thank you for your response.

The Vetsulin was because we gave the Lantus away, and the vet seemed optimistic about Harry going back into remission again quickly. So we were expecting that getting Lantus again would mean spending $300 for a week or two of use -- a total waste of maybe 97% of the bottle unless we gave it away again. We're broke college students so if we had expected it to be a longterm thing it would have been fine, but that much money for a few weeks of medicine was scary. We got the Vetsulin for much cheaper and it did well but we're comfortable going to Lantus again if it won't be a waste.

I'd be happy to learn about ways to put in free feeding. Right now he's on a raw food diet that only has about 1% carbs so him relapsing is hard for me to wrap my head around cause I guess I don't totally understand how FD works, but I thought minimal carbs means he basically couldn't relapse.

The testing, 90% of the problem is that he's my baby and I hate needles and pricking my baby with a needle sucks. I make my husband give him his shots because I can't do it. Sometimes it works well, but right now his ear is all bruised from me having issues and I feel bad poking him when his ear is already damaged.

Thank you again. I was at work and trying not to cry when I wrote that because my silly brain convinced itself that Harry was at home dying or something. Have since checked on him and he's very much not dying.

 

Ashley - I think a lot of us have had those fears about hurting our kitties ears with the testing! It does get better! When I first started, sometimes I would poke and poke and still not get any blood, but now it just takes a quick, gentle poke and the test is all done. I think we get better at doing the testing, and our kitties ears get better at providing that little bead of blood we need. Hang in there and just remember that those tests are one of the most important tools in helping Harry to heal. It really does get easier, and there is so much support and encouragement to be had here!

PS I free feed my cats too.

 

If you go back to the Lantus, you can do what the majority of us are doing now and buy it from Canada!! It's 1/3rd the cost!!

Here's all the information on Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada

A 5 pack of pens will last 1-2 years (depending on the dose of course) and will be good until the expiration date on the box (usually at least 2 years) instead of having to throw away half a vial when it loses efficacy

 

What kind of food are you feeding him?

 

Thank you -- I think one problem I struggle with is seeing this as something that can heal, and more like an incurable disease.

Thank you! I will definitely look into that. Much appreciated!

Darwin's (darwinspet.com) -- it's raw food that I receive frozen, thaw in the fridge, and feed to him. It put him in remission the first time and I'm really happy with them, since my non-diabetic kitten really likes their food too.

PS. All you guys are my favourites. Harry is my everything and I hate the idea of losing him, so having support means SO much to me. Thank you <333

 

Okay, so I did a mini glucose curve last night:

7:01pm - 403
Gave him 1 unit of Vetsulin
8:45pm - 308
9:50pm - 247
11:08pm - 185
12:50am - 214
Went to sleep because it was on the way back up and it was kind of late
6:46am - 327
Gave him 1 unit of Vetsulin

So I'm not sure if I should maybe try giving him a little bit more? But looks like he might not be headed back towards remission yet. Which is okay as long as I accept that and treat him as such.

 

How many cycles have you done the 1U? (12hrs = 1 cycle) Remember, he isn't going to get better overnight . I can't help but wonder if he has been out of remission longer than the end of January. Was he tested, at least, monthly during his remission? Just a curious thought, not trying to criticize . Kitties are very good at hiding if they do not feel good.

 

We did it in January when he relapsed up through mid-February when the vet said we could stop, but then we started again a few days ago. Probably only half a dozen cycles.

As for being in remission, he was in for a while. He went in last year in Februaryish, and we didn't monitor his glucose monthly, but we did bring him in for a few checkups over the months. He was still looking good in August and again in Octoberish? Don't remember exact dates.

I can be a bit impatient with him getting better, I must admit. But accepting that maybe he's just going to be out of remission for a while is helping, I think.

Thank you for all your help!

 

Of course . I am trying to help as much as I can since I have received so much. I can imagine it being a little frustrating when he was in remission for quite a while after just a few weeks of being on insulin. We're here to help Harry and YOU

 

Good job on getting a curve! Going from 403 to 185 is a pretty big drop and gets him into those healthier numbers.

And oh boy I can relate about wanting him to get back into remission quickly! My kitty was only three weeks on insulin the first diagnosis and then went OTJ for over a year. We've been back for a month now and there is no sign of his pancreas kicking in at this point. I think last time it was so quick because bad food was the biggest culprit. Like you, I've been giving him healthy food ever since, so this time just changing the food isn't going to fix it. I just sat down and cried after his last BG test because I was really hoping he'd have a lower number since increasing his dose. We'll just have to sent patience vibes to each other! Hang in there!