Is my cat going into remission?

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Spreusser

Member Since 2014
Hello, my 11 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes in April 2013. It took about 4 months to get him regulated. He was on 3 units of lantus every 12 hours. I periodically test his blood sugar myself and starting about 4 months ago his highest level was around 150 12 hours after the injection. His highest ever when he was first diagnosed was in the 400s. He gets low carb, canned food (grain free) food only.

I started slowly dropping his insulin by 1/2 a unit every few weeks and his high number stayed around 150. I am now down to 1.5 units and he is still at 150 after 12 hours. A couple weeks ago he had a UTI so the vet tested his urine and said there didn't appear to be any sugar in the urine which I guess is unexpected for a diabetic cat? This is a new vet for me and I find it difficult to get information out of him so I am going to try to find a new one. In the mean time I am wondering if someone has any thoughts on what it means that my cat's BG level is consistently in the 150s even after cutting the insulin dose in half.

At some point I know I need to take him for a curve at the vet's office but I am holding off till I find a vet I am more comfortable with. I was thinking about trying a day without insulin and see what the numbers look like. Is that safe? I would be home all day when I did it.

Could he be in remission? If I don't give him insulin and he stays in the 150s is that okay? It seems like the normal range is 80-100. I am just confused that his BG number hasn't changed even though the amount of insulin has. I would appreciate any thoughts-thanks!
 
Hello There,

The numbers sound good but without a spreadsheet to see them all, I am not sure that anyone will be able to tell.

You mentioned taking him for a curve at the Vet. Are you home testing to get the 150 #'s? What are the highest numbers? What kind of meter? What insulin?

If you are home testing, you can do the curve yourself. I am not sure of the status here..so will leave it until you reply.

What it could mean is that the pancreas is healing and producing enough of its own insulin to keep the numbers somewhat regulated. That is very good news indeed.

It is good that when you drop the dose that you keep it at that level for a week, that way the numbers at the end of that week are a very good barometer for what is going on.

Again, without a curve (which is what the Vet maybe waiting for) it is hard to really tell for sure.

Let us know.
 
I would not stop the insulin completely. If you do there is always the possibility that the glucose could skyrocket. I would not give less than 1 unit twice a day at this point.

You can do a curve at home.

I don't have a lot of experience with diabetes as my cat went into remission quickly and just had a 5 week course this year after a bout of pancreatitis. His diabetes was caused by overuse of steroids.

I just didn't want your post to go unanswered given that you suggested withdrawing insulin. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will provide you with more assistance. Again, I would not stop giving the insulin yet.

Anita and Squeaker
 
Hi, thanks for replying so fast.

My cat, Leo, is on Lantus. I typically have only tested him in the evenings right before he eats and that is when he is around 150 which I assume is when he would be at his highest level since it has been 12 hours since the previous injection (I don't test a lot because I am really bad at sticking his ear and it takes many attempts).

I will drop the insulin to 1 unit tomorrow and then test him throughout the day to see what his numbers look like and try to post them tomorrow.

Thank so much for your responses! This has been a confusing and frightening process and it's nice to know there are so many resources out there to support me and Leo.

Sandy
 
Hi Sandy & Leo,

Welcome to FDMB! My name is Shelly and my cat's name is Jersey. Jersey is one of the very fortunate kitties here who was able to go into remission. She was on Lantus for about 2 months and has been in remission for almost 6 months now.

When new members join the site, we typically tell them three major things: it's important to use a good insulin for cats (which Lantus is), to feed only low-carb food (which you are), and to test at home (which you're doing). You have a fantastic start! :-D

Now...here's where you aren't going to be very happy with what I have to say..... ;-) I would actually encourage you to test more, which I know can be challenging when you're still relatively new to the process.

It's always important to get a test before each shot. That test tells you if it's safe to give insulin or not. For example, on April 11th, Jersey's blood sugar level was 38! :shock: That is way too low for a kitty on insulin. If I wouldn't have checked her that morning, I would have given her insulin when she was already too low. That could have been a fatal mistake. It's also important to try to get a test in between each shot. We need to know how low the dose is taking Leo. That low point is called nadir, and it usually happens somewhere between 5 and 7 hours after the shot. Every cat is different, though. Some kitties will reach nadir (again, the lowest point in the cycle) 3 hours after the shot. Other kitties might not reach nadir until 9 hours after the shot.

Just to give you an example: On March 25th, Jersey's morning reading before her shot (what we call the AMPS) was 355. Just 4.5 hours after the shot, she had reached her nadir for that particular cycle; her blood sugar was down to 77. By the shot time that evening (what we call the PMPS), Jersey's number was all the way back up to 465.

I'm assuming that you are using a human meter; is that right? Any time you catch a number under 50 on a human meter, that tells us that the dose is too high and needs to be reduced at the next shot time. And if you get a number under 50, that's going to be your signal to take action because that's getting into hypoglycemia territory. In case you haven't seen it, here's a link with more information about handling low numbers: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=61799.

A couple weeks ago he had a UTI so the vet tested his urine and said there didn't appear to be any sugar in the urine which I guess is unexpected for a diabetic cat?
Click to expand...

Infections can often raise blood glucose levels. Once the infection is cleared up, the need for insulin might also be reduced. So I'm wondering if the resolution of the UTI could be playing a role in the lower numbers you've been seeing lately. When cats are unregulated, sugar spills over into the urine. Once the numbers come down below renal threshold, you won't see sugar in the urine anymore.

I hope this information helps. If you have questions, please make sure you ask them. We would all love to help you, and there are tons of testing tips people can share with you if you need them! We tested on Jersey's paw, so I definitely won't be the best person to give you tips about testing on the ear. I can tell you the basics - warm the ear, use Neosporin ointment with pain relief, etc. - but others will be able to give you more specific tips and tricks than I can.

Shelly
 
Hi Sandy,

Here's a link to a forum sticky with lots of tips and videos to help you with Leo's home testing.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

I had problems when I first started testing, and I found that the main problem was me not warming my little one's ear well enough or long enough. it took longer than I expected it to. I use a little plastic test tube with warm water in it now and it is much quicker and easier for both of us.

When your technique improves (and it doesn't take long), you'll be able to run home curves. That's a good thing because it will eliminate the possibility of Leo's BG numbers being elevated by vet / travel stress and will give a better guide to Leo's insulin requirements.
 
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