How long is TOO LONG?

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miso00

miso00

Member Since 2011
Is there any research that proves if a cat is not treated according to TR Protocol but is on insulin for say 1 or 2 years that there is no chance for the cat to go OTJ if TR Protocol is started?

I have a friend whose cat was diagnosed over a year ago and has been on Lantus, presently on 9.5 units. Not sure what the BG is.
 
That is an awful lot of insulin for a cat--Is the cat IAA(insulin resistant?) Not enough info here for any answer, and a few cats have gone OTJ after 18 mths, but Not on 9.5U..You need much more info, and still no one may be able to answer this..
 
miso00 said:
Is there any research that proves if a cat is not treated according to TR Protocol but is on insulin for say 1 or 2 years that there is no chance for the cat to go OTJ if TR Protocol is started?

I have a friend whose cat was diagnosed over a year ago and has been on Lantus, presently on 9.5 units. Not sure what the BG is.
Click to expand...

Is that dose each shot or the total for the day?
If the dose is 4.75u am and pm, that's a different story than if the dose is 9.5u am and pm.
You may want to ask your friend that question.

If your friend is giving shots twice a day, each shot it 9.5u, then ask what is the cat eating?
If the food is dry, then that may be contributing to the high dose. Switch to low carb wet food, and that cat's dose my drop like a rock.

If the cat is eating the proper low carb wet food, and needs that dose, I would say it's way overdue to test the cat for acromegaly and IAA.
If the cat is positive for IAA only, it's possible to squish the antibodies, get the dose down and maybe even off insulin, but it will take alot of work.
If the cat is positive for acro or even acro and IAA, the issue is likely permanent because the cat is not really diabetic but has a growth hormone issue.
Now, cats with acromegaly CAN go off insulin as my own cat Oliver tested positive for acro and IAA in 2010 and went off insulin in January 2012.

See if you can get some more info from your friend and you can get some better answers for your friend.
I don't believe that a TR protocol is the action that will get cats off insulin; it's all about the pancreas being able to function as it should and giving insulin so that the pancreas can heal is what it's all about, not any sort of protocol, though it makes for good odds.
 
You've got some good info from Gayle and Roni.

If I remember correctly, I think Mocha (Devon and Mocha) was on insulin for almost 2 years when she went OTJ, but I also don't think she was on that large of a dose. Obviously Devon can answer that one far better than I can...but it seems like it CAN happen!
 
Cini Mini was diagnosed in 2009 and started off on 2 units twice a day. He's now down to 0.05 units after 7 months on TR. Crossing my fingers we see the Falls one day. :-D
 
Here's one great example that sounds similar: Tuffy Tuffy was diagnosed in March 08, came to LL and TR in January 09, and went OTJ in June 2010. Her dose was as high as 7u BID.

A good example in a lower dose cat is Pelusa. Pelusa was diagnosed in January 06 and started on Caninsulin. She switched to Lantus in 2007 and went OTJ in 2008.
 
Great info! Thanks! I am "pushing" for her to join FDMB. Funny story. She is a volunteer with the group I volunteered with in FL that I am still attached to their email list ( I keep my eye on their kitties too) and I had replied to an email one day and she saw my signature with DCIN so she emailed me asking if I knew anything about diabetic cats. Small world! You never know who you can help!

ANyway, her cat is on 9.5u BID and last BG was 365. She has him on science diet dry food due to stomach issues she says this is the only food that he tolerates. She said he has had stomach issues since he was a kitten and she is afraid to switch to all wet diet for fear of diarrhea and any other dry upsets him as well.

I'm encouraging her to start hometesting so she can at least decrease the dose.
 
no way to know what the dose would be on low-carb canned except to try it.

send her to http://www.catinfo.org to learn about how to transition the cat to canned. my civvie had far more tummy problems on dry than after we switched to canned, although the vet said, and i can see it, that if a cat's gut has been in chronic diarrhea for too long the damage can be permanent. mine does best with regular fortiflora added to her canned food.

if she decided to transition, it would be smart of her to post here so we can help her make the switch safely while still giving insulin.
 
See if you can get her to switch food; it's needed because she may well be contributing to his stomach issues with the dry food.
See if you can give her Dr. Lisa's site to read up on proper feeding.

catinfo.org

At that high of a dose, she is looking at some resistance possibly, but without removing the dry food, you can't say for sure. If the cat is very carb sensitive, the dry food could be pushing the numbers close to 400s .,... my one cat Shadoe was very carb sensitive.... give her 3 pieces of dry food and her numbers could jump from 200 to 400 and up!
She needs to change the food, for the cat's sake and health.
 
FWIW, my sister's 15 yo cat was diagnosed with IBS as a kitten and has been on Science Diet prescription food almost his entire life. He's been going through some recent health issues and the vets suggested trying him on canned food -- novel proteins like duck and venison. He's made the transition with minimal problems.

(You can imagine the discussions we had about canned vs. dry food. Needless to say, she got a big, "I told you so.")
 
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