csc228
Member Since 2021
Hi there, my sugar baby Kea has high numbers and I need advice. Here's the background.
On September 18, 2020, Kea was diagnosed with diabetes via blood and urine tests and confirmed via a fructosamine test. My vet started Kea on Lantus, 1u BID. At the time of diagnosis, he was eating a combination of wet and dry food, but pretty high carb food (eg wet food with gravy). He preferred dry food to wet. Once he was diagnosed, (because of the FD Facebook page), I switched Kea to low carb food (FF) and PureBites snacks.
On October 7, we took him in for his first glucose curve, and his readings were all normal (97, 90, 93, 100, 90). We reduced his insulin to 1u SID. We took him in for another glucose curve 2 weeks later, and his readings were 124, 108, 83, 99. At that time, we took him off insulin altogether, and when we took him in on October 30, his reading was an 83.
My vet considered him "in remission" with instructions to watch him for clinical signs since we knew he was prone to diabetes. He put back any weight he'd lost prior to his original diagnosis and then some, so we reduced his food.
Over the course of the next few months, we found him in his brofurs' and sister's food, which was the same high carb wet food. We'd stopped feeding all cats high carb dry food, but did put out a small amount of Dr. Elsey's low carb dry food, which Kea enjoyed. We thought he was eating his siblings' food only occasionally, but I guess it was enough to trigger his diabetes because I noticed that he started to lose weight in late March. On April 21, his diabetes was confirmed.
We started him on 1u BID and here my notes because less precise, unfortunately...but we did increase his dosage in WHOLE units over the course of the next few months. I do know that on 6/25/2021 we increased his dosage to 5u BID, because he threw up a couple times that night, and then the next morning he threw up twice. I took him into my vet immediately, where they gave him supportive care - fluids and cerenia, and did blood and urine tests. We were able to rule out pancreatitis, but because we were worried there was still going on like IBD, Kea was put on budesonide.
On July 8, a Freestyle Libre was put on Kea and thus the start of his spreadsheet. His dosage was increased the next day (July 9) to 6u BID. His appetite remains good - he's eating 3-4 cans of FF a day plus PureBites; I can't be sure he's eating all of that food because we've always done free feeding and his siblings have discovered his special feeding station. I haven't weighed him recently, but I think he's lost weight (over the past few months his weight has mainly remained the same).
He was taken off budesonide on Monday (July 12) and we are now giving him Cerenia and fluids (100 mls) every other day.
My vet is great but he's puzzled as to why his numbers aren't going down. He mentioned the other day that it seemed that every time we increased his dosage the numbers are going up rather than down; he's pondered whether we should test him for acromegaly and/or Cushings.
I have purchased a ReliOn meter and have used it a couple times to check the Libre readings; the first time the readings were 100 off (Libre was 100 points higher) but the 2nd time the Libre was only 10 higher.
Anyway, I'm turning to all of you for advice and suggestions. My poor baby. I feel terrible for him.
Thanks in advance.
On September 18, 2020, Kea was diagnosed with diabetes via blood and urine tests and confirmed via a fructosamine test. My vet started Kea on Lantus, 1u BID. At the time of diagnosis, he was eating a combination of wet and dry food, but pretty high carb food (eg wet food with gravy). He preferred dry food to wet. Once he was diagnosed, (because of the FD Facebook page), I switched Kea to low carb food (FF) and PureBites snacks.
On October 7, we took him in for his first glucose curve, and his readings were all normal (97, 90, 93, 100, 90). We reduced his insulin to 1u SID. We took him in for another glucose curve 2 weeks later, and his readings were 124, 108, 83, 99. At that time, we took him off insulin altogether, and when we took him in on October 30, his reading was an 83.
My vet considered him "in remission" with instructions to watch him for clinical signs since we knew he was prone to diabetes. He put back any weight he'd lost prior to his original diagnosis and then some, so we reduced his food.
Over the course of the next few months, we found him in his brofurs' and sister's food, which was the same high carb wet food. We'd stopped feeding all cats high carb dry food, but did put out a small amount of Dr. Elsey's low carb dry food, which Kea enjoyed. We thought he was eating his siblings' food only occasionally, but I guess it was enough to trigger his diabetes because I noticed that he started to lose weight in late March. On April 21, his diabetes was confirmed.
We started him on 1u BID and here my notes because less precise, unfortunately...but we did increase his dosage in WHOLE units over the course of the next few months. I do know that on 6/25/2021 we increased his dosage to 5u BID, because he threw up a couple times that night, and then the next morning he threw up twice. I took him into my vet immediately, where they gave him supportive care - fluids and cerenia, and did blood and urine tests. We were able to rule out pancreatitis, but because we were worried there was still going on like IBD, Kea was put on budesonide.
On July 8, a Freestyle Libre was put on Kea and thus the start of his spreadsheet. His dosage was increased the next day (July 9) to 6u BID. His appetite remains good - he's eating 3-4 cans of FF a day plus PureBites; I can't be sure he's eating all of that food because we've always done free feeding and his siblings have discovered his special feeding station. I haven't weighed him recently, but I think he's lost weight (over the past few months his weight has mainly remained the same).
He was taken off budesonide on Monday (July 12) and we are now giving him Cerenia and fluids (100 mls) every other day.
My vet is great but he's puzzled as to why his numbers aren't going down. He mentioned the other day that it seemed that every time we increased his dosage the numbers are going up rather than down; he's pondered whether we should test him for acromegaly and/or Cushings.
I have purchased a ReliOn meter and have used it a couple times to check the Libre readings; the first time the readings were 100 off (Libre was 100 points higher) but the 2nd time the Libre was only 10 higher.
Anyway, I'm turning to all of you for advice and suggestions. My poor baby. I feel terrible for him.
Thanks in advance.
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