Marvin New Lab Questions

Just popping in with an update on Marvin

Saw the vet yesterday morning who confirmed remission (not that I really needed him to ) 15 days OTJ

What should my BG testing look like going forward? Still a few times a day? Once a day? Once a week? I will still monitor for ketones daily.

Did kidney value labs with a slight improvement in his BUN and Creatinine from 2 weeks ago. Attached labs.

This is a different vet at the same clinic and he suggested reducing his sub-q fluids to every other day which I don't think I am comfortable with. I am not looking to change something that seems to be helping. What do you think?

In terms of Methyl B12 dosing, the vet was not wanting to give me injectables...yet. I will convince him to if need be. Although he couldn't tell me if the injectable he did give me was methyl or cyano as apparently it just says b12 . I know the dosing for the oral supplements for diabetic cats is 3000 mcg but for CKD cats it is 250 mcg. I have been dividing a 5000 mcg tablet into about a 600 mcg dose. I want to give him enough to be effective but not too much that his kidney have to work harder. Any advice on what I should do would be greatly appreciated.

Also I have switched all the other cats to wet food and on a feeding schedule so Marvin now has free rein of the house again. He is a happy boy

Thank you again for all you have done to help me help Marvin.

 

Congratulations on getting Marvin !

Now that you've reached this point, you've entered a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

 

Thank you!

I don’t plan on changing his feeding schedule or food since it is working for us. I will continue with all of the things you have mentioned. As well as keeping a very close eye on him. Last night was the first night in a long time he chose to not sleep in the bedroom with me and I was a nervous wreck. I was constantly up and going to check on him, I have now become the over protective parent.

 

@FrostD
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Bron and Sheba (GA)

sorry forgot to tag you all in the initial post.

 

You might want to scrub the more personal info from that image, up to you.

How much fluids is he currently getting? Fluids are a bit of a funky game because I worry about the heart. Remind me, did they think it was acute injury or they're still thinking chronic?

 

The SS is looking excellent

 

He is getting 100 ml a day. I was splitting it up into 4 times at 25 ml because I do it by myself and that is what he is tolerating but that is a lot of needle sticks. I have just started warming them up and he did well this morning with 50ml. I asked the vet about the heart murmur and he said he couldn't detect it that day. They are still saying chronic.

 

Thank you!

 

I'd suggest transferring the lab information to the "Labs" tab on your spreadsheet. The photo is essentially unreadable. The value of seeing the labs on your spreadsheet is you can see trends in the numbers.

Congrats on Marvin being OTJ. Like Chris said, get tests on a regular basis. If you notice any change in behavior, get a test. Often you can see numbers outside of normal range prior to seeing symptoms of something like a UTI. BG numbers reflect any stress on your cat's health.

 

Thank you, I didn't realize there was a labs tab. I will get to work on transferring his info.

 

I have deleted the picture and added all lab work info to the Labs tab.

 

Hi. I’m so happy to see the improvement in Marvin’s kidney values! I was sooo hoping for this! I used to break up Darcy’s Zobaline into smaller pieces and put into a gelcap with his other meds - the pieces were so tiny.

But the usual recommendation for CKD cats is cyanocobalamin injections — but it’s to support red blood cell production and to help improve anemia.

 

Kwyn, am I missing something? I don’t see an image of labs. I looked at Marvin’s labs on the spreadsheet (from May). Are these the latest?

 

So if I am correct in looking at the labs on Marvin’s spreadsheet, his kidney values are improved and you probably can go to EOD fluids. I would try it and see how he feels and how he does at his next appointment with lab work. If you see that he is declining then you can always increase the frequency of the fluids provided his heart remains stable and healthy. I recommend full labs every three months with a chemistry panel and a CBC with urinalysis to check USG. This would be my recommendation for any kidney cat - unless something comes up to cause you to need to go to the vet before that.

 

I deleted the image because it was too hard to read. Yes the info in the Labs spreadsheet is his most recent.

 

Thank you, I will give EOD fluids a try and see how it goes. We have our 3 month appointment already scheduled so I will make sure full labs are done at that time.

Thank you again so much!