? New member, George is teetering on remission, but how do I approach this phase?

Liz & George

Liz & George

New Member
Hi!
I'm Liz (from Canada), my kitty George was diagnosed in March/2023. He's approx. 8 yrs old, active indoor/outdoor kitty, current weight 11.6 lbs (which is about perfect for him).
He was diagnosed sort of by accident when I brought him to the vet for an infected cut, and we discovered he had lost some weight, and I mentioned he seemed to drink quite a bit lately. We did blood work, everything was normal except glucose (28 mmol/L - 504 I think). A couple more tests and it was confirmed.
1 unit of prozinc insulin bid, and a switch to wet food rapidly improved things for him. This week he must have gone a low overnight, and Tuesday his preshot number was 4.4, so no insulin for him that day, and his numbers stayed reasonable without any, which I think shows his pancreas is starting to work, and remission is possible. I'm just not sure how to proceed from here, and haven't heard back from my vet yet, so wondering if anyone has any advice.
I just created my account, but have been reading the message board since dx, and many thanks to all who post and answer, this has been so helpful to get me through this first month.
Thanks in advance!
 
Hi and welcome. I’m sorry for the delay in replying. I have not been well, but I am trying to get caught up.

Can you update your spreadsheet? How has he been doing these last few days? His blue numbers are good. Remission would be where he spends almost all of his time between 50 and 120 for two weeks without insulin. He may be at the stage where he needs only a very small dose of insulin — but it would be great if you can keep up the testing and update your spreadsheet so we can take a look at how he’s doing.
 
Thank you for your reply!
The vet asked me to stop insulin and testing, and do a full curve in 7 days, but 11 days was the best i could do, so....
I did a full curve on him yesterday, which is 11 days with no insulin. His numbers are looking quite good.
He is getting low carb wet food (fancy feast and friskies pates), and I am using a pet meter. He grazes on food all day, and catches mice outside whenever he can (they are his fave.)
I think we are close to being able to call this remission.
 
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He does looks good. :) Keep up the testing a little longer. Two weeks in normal BG numbers of between 50 and 120 would constitute remission.
 
Here are the instructions for doing an OTJ trial:
Instructions for starting the OTJ trial
Start the trial on the next green pre shot.
If he/she is green 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 he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.
After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!
Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.
Good luck with the trial!!!
Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter 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/her 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/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her 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 glucosenumbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!
 
And here is some information about what happens after the OTJ trial and when he is officially a “diet controlled diabetic.” I hope it’s helpful.

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter 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/her 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/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her 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!
 
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