In remission - how long does that typically last?

[kidsandliz]

My 14.5 year old cat appears to be in remission after 7 mo of Lantus (3 units). Vet said to stop the insulin. Without insulin his morning blood sugar runs around 100-120 or so, evening not a heck of a lot higher. He has had bouts of pancreatitis (vet says likely responsible for his diabetes), has a small heart (apparently a genetic defect that is fairly common) and just started showing the early stages of congestive heart failure. When dx'ed with diabetes he was in stage 2 kidney failure, now his numbers are barely out of normal (treating diabetes can sometimes help with that).

So my question is if they hit remission (so far it has been about 2 weeks) how long do they usually stay in remission. If they are no longer in remission is it a slow creep back to a need for insulin or are they suddenly where they were before with this? I realize with all his other problems his is probably nearing the end of his life anyway but I was wondering what a typical length of remission is and what typically happens when they relapse (eg a slow or fast process).

Thanks

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

That varies with every kitty. I don't think we can predict either length or if it is sudden or a creeping of numbers. Some cats stay in remission for the rest of their lives, some relapse after only a few short months. Other medical conditions like pancreatitis can contribute to them coming out of remission more quickly. We typically see stronger/longer remission out of cats who go into it with stronger numbers (under 100 most of the time vs over 100 most of the time). Continuing to feed a low carb wet food helps also, but sometimes no matter what you do they will come out of it because the pancreas was just too damaged. Keeping an eye on the numbers to catch it quickly gives you the best chance at a second remission.
My Smokey came back out around a year and a half she pancreatitis and developed kidney disease also. Her numbers were just suddenly above 200. We found a mass on her pancreas that we suspect caused it. Cecil will hit 2 years in remission in May. Chris just cleared a year before cancer took him in Dec. My other two fosters out there are at 6 months and 4 months.

 

[blu]

My kitty was in remission for about 1.5 years. He's an elderly cat as well. I can't say if his relapse was quick or slow as I had become too comfortable and wasn't checking his glucose regularly! After a few months of very good glucose readings, I stopped testing. So learn from my mistake and test regularly, even after a long time passes! Maybe once a week or every couple weeks after 6mos or so has passed with good numbers. So happy Max is OTJ - congrats!!

 

[Anitafrnhamer]

Squeaker's diabetes was steroid induced. He went into remission after 2 months, 3U Lantis BID. He experienced CHF (again due to the steroids) 2 months after he entered remission. Eight months after he entered remission, he had a relapse and was back on Lantus for 6 weeks. He had been in remission for about 1 1/2 years before he succumbed to renal failure. He did end up with chronic pancreatitis. Despite the fact that he had been solidly in remission I did continue to test him weekly. Catching a relapse early is the best hope of getting them into remission again.

My advice is to continue with periodic home testing, and please familiarize yourself with the symptoms of pancreatitis. Maintain a low carb wet diet. And if the use of steroids is absolutely necessary be aware that they can increase BG. Also some meds/supplements contain sugar so just develop the habit of asking about sugar content in any meds Rx'd.