My cat, Simba, diagnosed with diabetes in shelter

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An OTJ trial is when you are seeing if you can stop the insulin (OTJ means off-the-juice, insulin being the juice). Seeing if your cat can get normal BG numbers with just the food change to low carb food. We call it remission or being diet controlled.

14 days at normal numbers, checking at normal pre-shot test time, then another test 3 hours after that. Do these tests AM and PM cycles.
 
Just keep testing as you are doing for now and we will tell you when to start the OTJ trial.
You have done a great job changing him over to the low carb diet and testing the BG and keeping the SS up to date.

Hopefully he will stay in green numbers so you can start the trial.
 
I'm still a bit confused. He hasn't been over 100 since Saturday morning. When I last gave him his insulin, he dropped down to 41. He has been going between 59 and 95, without any insulin, but when I read the OTJ trial info, it sounds like he's already doing an OTJ trial in that I'm not giving him insulin.
 
Jennifer R. said:
I'm still a bit confused. He hasn't been over 100 since Saturday morning. When I last gave him his insulin, he dropped down to 41. He has been going between 59 and 95, without any insulin, but when I read the OTJ trial info, it sounds like he's already doing an OTJ trial in that I'm not giving him insulin.
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Hi Jennifer
We needed to wait a few days to see that his BGs were not effected by the depot and when that went, he could still maintain the normal numbers. and his numbers are beautiful! :D:D:D
I would start the OTJ trial tomorrow.
So starting tomorrow, start a new thread each day with the subject line "OTJ trial Day 1 BG xx" and we will cheer you on.
Following day new thread Day 2 etc.
Follow the instructions in the OTJ trial sheet I sent you for the testing.
Good Luck!
Go Simba!:D

You might like to check out Boomer on the Lantus forum, he has just completed the OTJ trial.
 
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Lantus leaves a bit of a 'storage area' with remains of the insulin underneath the cat's skin. That is what we call the 'depot'. It can take time for that leftover insulin to still get into your cat. So although the numbers have been good, there may have been some insulin left behind under the skin that was still being 'used up' and helping to keep those BG readings low.

So tomorrow the last of that insulin in the 'depot' should have been used up. That is why Bron and Sheba have asked you to start the OTJ trial later, counting the days AFTER the residual insulin has been used up. It can make a difference between a successful OTJ trial and not.

If you were using one of the shorter acting insulins like Vetsulin/Caninsulin or Prozinc that don't have that 'storage area' effect, then you could have started counting the days for the OTJ trial earlier.

OK?
 
Okay, now I understand it better. I didn't see this until now, so I will have to start the OTJ trial tomorrow. I start a new job, but it's work from home, so it should be manageable.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Don’t feel bad. Vets often don’t give out much information to caregivers except the bare basics.
Keep doing what you are doing now and feeding the low carb food. If he stays in these numbers I think you could start an OTJ trial in a couple of days as the depot should have drained by then. @Marje and Gracie what do you think?
Attached is a link to OTJ trial. Scroll down to it.
He will have to stay on a low carb wet diet for life because he is still a diabetic, just a diet controlled one.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...ng-reductions-and-starting-otj-trials.150160/
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I don't actually see any instructions for the actual OTJ trial, just the reductions. What am I missing?
 
I thought it said more sorry.
Take a BG test before you feed at the usual times you used to give insulin.... just as you have been doing the last few days.
If the number is blue, then test three hours later. Otherwise, if green, test again at the next 12 hour feed time. does that make sense?

Do that each day and start a new thread each day which says ‘OTJ trial Day 1 BG xx’, then day2,3 etc.

The idea is to hopefully see all green numbers. After 14 days, if still in green numbers Simba will be officially in remission!!
 
OK, so only before feeding, that will be a relief. I will start the thread once I have his spreadsheet updated. His number this morning was green, but I can't remember the exact one so I will have to go look.
 
So number this morning was in the green (under 99 mg/dl on a human meter in the USA), so only the pre-shot test needed for this morning. BUT if the pre-shot test is anything higher than that (blue or yellow or red or black on the color coded spreadsheet), you need to test at +3.

The timing of the second test at +3 is because food eaten usually starts to influence BG numbers around that +3 time you will see that. If the pancreas is working and producing enough insulin, numbers should stay in the green range, even with the food on board.
 
It is done, then. Thanks! I have updated his spreadsheet with the latest numbers, 78 was his AMPS number. No high numbers yet. He is still acting rather hungry, I'm thinking this time it's from the switch to all wet food. At least he's no longer waking me up at 3, 4, and 5 am, and not until 8 am, which is when the first shot was.
 
Day 1! Yeah Simba.

OTJ day 1 recycle.jpg
1 down, 13 to go
 

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