Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up agai

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Ldefrank

Member Since 2013
Hello,
My special boy Dante was diagnosed in nov 2013. His original number at the vet was 400 something. I immediately switched him to fancy feast and followed Dr. Piersons tight protocol with the insulin. He's on ProZinc. He responded really well, and stopped drinking water all the time and peeing all the time right away. By December 1st, his sugars were doing great averaging around 100, a few slightly above, and many under 100. His coat was shiny again and the dander went away. I continued to test him but no insulin was needed. So I cut back his testing to once a week, continued to do great!! I also count pee balls every day, and keep him on a feeding schedule with the fancy feast, and sometimes he gets friskies turkey and giblets pâté. On April 3rd he seemed like something was wrong so I tested him and got 172 at 7:30am. Gave him 1 unit, but I wasn't sure I got it in, he absolutely hates his shots!!!! Tested again at 6:30pm and it was 170. Gave him 1 unit, And tested again at 9:15pm it was 82. Next day tested at 8am = 99, 12:30pm = 90, 8:30pm = 119 ... all tests before he ate except the 8:30pm, I fed him at 8pm that night, which is later then his normal time. Since then I've been testing every day and most readings have been below 150, had a few between 150 and the highest was 167. I rarely see him drink water, and the amount of pee balls don't seem to go up. I have 2 cats and I'm getting an average of 6 per day, some days 7. He does seem to go into the box more then our other cat, but he eats more then she does, and His are smaller then hers...lol... Anyway, he weighs about 12 lbs, but he's very long, lanky, and thin. His weight seems to stay pretty much the same. He's a very active cat, just turned 11 yrs in march.

I'm looking to see if anyone else has had this happen, is it unusual, could there be something else going on, or am I just being paranoid? I was elated when I didn't have to give insulin anymore, he just hates the shot, and hisses and try's to bite me, which he has never done in his life. I know I should call the vet, but they weren't very supportive, and I go to a large practice which I had 5 different vets dealing with this, all with different opinions, it drove me crazy!!!! So I would really appreciate and advice. Dante is a very special boy and I just love him sooooo much, all I want is for him to go back into remission.

Thanks,
Lisa
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Maybe he has an infection, how do his teeth look? His pancreas might just need a little more support with insulin for a short time. I hope you can get him controlled again nailbite_smile .
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

From Vet Clinic Small Animal 43(2013) 251-266, "Management of Diabetic Cats"
It is advisable that cats whose blood glucose concentrations increase and are consistently at more than 120 mg/dL be treated with insulin, beginning with small doses that can be ramped up quickly.
Click to expand...

Good for you for getting the insulin started back up again. It can be difficult to achieve a second remission due to loss of beta cell mass so the sooner you get the BG's back under control, the better for your cat.

Also from that article
BG levels outside normal ranges can result in further destruction of the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. .... chronic glucose toxicity makes remission impossible because insufficient insulin-secreting tissue remains in the pancreas.
Click to expand...

There is a link to the article I mentioned over in the STICKY: LANTUS & LEVEMIR - TIGHT REGULATION PROTOCOL

The 2 most common reasons cited for loss of remission are pancreatitis and hyperthyroid. We've also found here on the message board that dental issues can cause loss of remission.

I think you may need to "bite the bullet" and take your kitty to the vet to rule out/in any of these possible issues.
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

sorry to hear dante's back on the juice.

i second deb's suggestion to take him in for a check up. my alex was in remission for almost 3 years when a simple case of gingivitis knocked her right out of remission. treating the gingivitis and a short stint on insulin took her back to the Falls. unfortunately, a more serious illness took her out of remission a second time and she's required insulin ever since.
you'll want to address any health issues as well as bring him back into normal BG numbers (50 - 120) as soon as safely possible for the best chance of remission.

good luck!
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. It's funny cause his breath has been really really bad for a long time. Before he was diagnosed with diabetes the vet said he should have his teeth cleaned, I just hated to do it to him cause he hates it there. I will definitely take him in. They did check his thyroid when they were treating him in the beginning for the diabetes along with other blood tests and all came back normal. I know him like the back of my hand, so when he isn't right I can pick up on it early. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Lisa
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say thanks again for the advise. I got an appt for him to have his teeth done, but they couldn't take him till May 5th. I'm taking him for pre dental bloodwork this thursday. Until then I'm keeping a tight hold on is BG's, and saying alot of prayers. The funny thing is he isn't drinking or peeing more, not changing in weight, still has his beautiful shiny coat, and is the same lovable, wonderful, special, little boy as he always is. (I'm so blessed) :-D

I could use a tip though, He is starting to hate getting his ears pricked, pulls away when we stick him, and I'm so afraid of ripping his ear!! I know they say they have no nerve endings in their ears, but for some reason he feels it. I use 30 gauge lancets. Then if he needs insulin, I always give him some food, and when he's eating away, I inject him, but he's getting wise to that too, and trys to bite and hisses at me and trys to get away. I feel sooooo bad cause he never, ever does that. I use the Relion Confirm monitor, and test strips, and the syringes I got from the vet, they have 1/2", 29 guage needle.
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Apply a dab of neosporin ointment w/ pain relief a couple minutes before testing.
Wipe off well.
This should help reduce the annoyance.

Also, give low carb treats ebery time you test or even just fiddle with his ears and head. He will associate a positive thing with the process and be less resistant.
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Play with his ears a lot and give treats when you aren't testing and he may come to enjoy it.

As for shots, you could try a shorter syringe needle and see if that helps. Also means you don't need to tent as much. There are syringes with 8mm needles. Also try different areas of the body to shoot like his flanks and see if that's better.

Wendy
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Thanks for the advice. I will try all of it. It's hard to tent him cause he doesn't seem to have extra skin. He is very lanky, and lean, always has been. He definitely hates the insulin shots. I pray every day that he will go back into remission.

However, now I have another concern. For the past few years he has a lump on his lower side behind his front leg. It's the size of a grape, and its squishy and you can grab ahold of it. The vet stuck a needle in it, and got fat from it, and cultured it, nothing grew. The other day I found another lump on his belly, just under the skin, but it's very hard and the size of a pea. So when he gets his teeth done next week, I'm going to have the vet take it off and test it. His sister had small lumps at the base of her tail, the same size, and a month later died from cancer...she was only 3 years old!! I'm trying really hard to stay positive, but I'm really scared and it's making me wonder if thats why his sugars are going up.

He's my baby, and the unconditional love we share is sooo special. I've never had a cat who looks at me with such love and jumps up in my arms when I walk in the door, (or anytime he wants extra lovin) then climbs up and wraps himself around my neck, and stays there while I go about the things I need to do around the house. He grips my finger with his paw, and gives it a squeeze. He flicks the tip of his tail when I talk to him even if he's sound asleep. He sits on the bathroom counter while I get ready in the mornings and waits for me so he can get some hugs and kisses.

I don't know if anyone has ever had a cat that had lumps like this, but I would love some feedback.

Thanks again for the support, it really means alot to me. This is really hard for me to deal with sometimes, but I will do whatever it takes to keep him healthy.
 
Re: Need help, went into remission for 3 mos, now sugars up

Lipoma: a benign fatty tumor, somewhat squishy. Seldom causes a problem unless it protrudes to the point it could be twisted or torn.

Hard lumps, tethered or imoveable, are more of a cause for concern
 
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