Need help

[Dawn & Turk]

I'm really struggling with getting Turk's testing done today.

I've found a way to get the blood that works but the more I test him, the more he resists it. I was able to get a sample earlier today after some struggle but, unfortunately, my meter shut off just as I was putting it on the test strip so I don't know what his BG was.

Turk seems to associate me with ear poking now and keeps me at a distance. When testing just a little bit ago I had to just abort mission because it was going to quickly dissolve. This was even with the reward of some of my other cats wet food (diabetic safe) as a treat.

The BG's I've been able to get were in normal range so I fear just giving him a dose of insulin. At the same time, I know it's also bad for him to not have it if he needs it. His last dose was in the morning yesterday.

I'm going to try for one more test today in about an hour. Any advice? He's got no known history of DKA.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Relax. He senses that you are stressed and it is also making him stressed.

Before you start to test him again start singing. It can be something you enjoy, or is funny or even a Christmas Carol. It is hard to remain stressed when you are singing. He won't care if you can't carry a tune. It just needs to be something that makes you smile

 

[Dawn & Turk]

Relax. He senses that you are stressed and it is also making him stressed.

Before you start to test him again start singing. It can be something you enjoy, or is funny or even a Christmas Carol. It is hard to remain stressed when you are singing. He won't care if you can't carry a tune. It just needs to be something that makes you smile

That did help. I got a poke last night but no blood. Got a good poke this morning but not enough blood.

I don't have a way to test for ketones yet, just glucose. I'm worried now because it's been 2 days since since he's had insulin. Because of the holiday I've not had a chance to get him established with a local vet but I'm going to see if I can get him in today to be safe.

 

[Charlotte and Lucky’s mom]

That did help. I got a poke last night but no blood. Got a good poke this morning but not enough blood.

I don't have a way to test for ketones yet, just glucose. I'm worried now because it's been 2 days since since he's had insulin. Because of the holiday I've not had a chance to get him established with a local vet but I'm going to see if I can get him in today to be safe.

I would do my kitty’s sticks on her big pad on her back foot as I cradled her in my lap upside down. I would poke her then slide the strip in and then return to her pad and with a gentle squeeze, a drop would appear. She would also sense me coming for her ears so she’d run so that is why we did her large back pads. Rewarding them afterwards with a diabetic treat such as dehydrated chicken also helps! Don’t give up and do stay calm as they will sense your apprehension!

 

[Dawn & Turk]

So I wound up getting him into the vet this afternoon.

I was not sure of this vets philosophy on home testing but I got the impression that they were not happy I wasn't just giving him insulin regardless of knowing Turks numbers or not. I explained that I believed when he would get shots like that, he displayed signs of being hypo. They drew his blood and after 2 days of no insulin, after eating his dry d/m food beforehand, and being a little upset about a random vet trip - his BG was 107. My meter tested the same blood sample at 115. The vets tone changed and he said that there's no way he could be diabetic with a number like that after being off insulin.

Turk has been through so much with losing his home, being in foster care and now moving a few states over to a new home. The stress of it all and possible sickness at the time of his first vet visit may have contributed to his high BG back in November. He's really settled in here and knows he's loved and is home, so it's possible his body has adjusted back to normal.

I'm still going to test his BG on occasion but I really hope we're out of the woods when it comes to being dependent on insulin. I'm going to work on switching him over to a safe canned food. Is there anything else I should think of doing?

Thanks so much for everyone's replies and help. This is such an amazing and supportive group! <3

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

That is great news.

 

[Charlotte and Lucky’s mom]

So glad that everything ended well!!

 

[Deb & Wink]

Yeah for remission, or having a diet controlled kitty. Let's make sure this is the real thing, no insulin, diet controlled. To do that we suggest you do an OTJ trial. Pretty simple to do.

Here are the instructions for an OTJ trial: If on Lantus or Levimir, depot has to drain first before trial starts. Since you used prozinc, you can start the 14 day countdown from 1/2/2020 since no insulin since then. On 1/15/2020 with good BG readings, we would consider your cat to be OTJ.

1. Test at your normal AMPS and PMPS times. Feed multiple small meals throughout the day as much as possible (small meals are less likely to overwhelm a newly functioning pancreas). The morning test is now called the AMBG. The evening test is now called the PMBG.
2. If your cat is green (0-99 mg/L human meter, 0-130 mg/L pet meter, 0-5.5 mmoL) at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time, just feed small meals and go about your day. If the numbers are blue or higher (100-199 human meter, 130-230 pet meter, 5.5-11 mmoL), feed a small meal and test again after about 3 hours. Food raises BG's. So if the number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
3. After 2 weeks, if everything is looking good, we have a party! And boy, do we party hearty.
   

Sometimes, the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support by starting the cat with a tiny dose of insulin again. I had to do that with Wink. We simply start the cat back on a tiny dose of insulin to support the pancreas with healing for a bit longer. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to be safe now then sorry later that you rushed it. With just a little more time we will probably get that strong remission we are looking for.

Here are some tips to stay OTJ (off-the-juice, insulin being the juice)

1. Never feed dry - not even treats. If you change wet food types, be 100% sure the new food is also low carb and same low carb % as your current food. Some cats are very carb sensitive and an increase from 3-6% to 8-10% can spike the BG’s. Don’t feed if you aren’t sure!
2. Weigh every 2 weeks to 1 month to watch for weight changes. Too much of a weight gain can cause loss of remission.
3. Measure blood once a week, indefinitely. You want to catch a relapse quickly. Some people only do checks every 2 weeks to a month.
4. No steroids or oral meds with sugar - remind your vet whenever giving you any medication. Always double check.
5. Monitor food intake, peeing and drinking. If increasing, a sign of losing remission.
6. Regular vet checks for infection such as dental , ear or UTI. And get them treated quick!

If your cat does fall out of remission you need to be more aggressive and resolve issues/ back on insulin as soon as possible as the window for a second remission is tight if any. Pancreatitis, hyperthyroid, dental issues are the most common reasons cats fall out of remission.