Possible Remission- Worried about BG levels

Discussion in 'Honeymooners / OTJ' started by Kelly Hicks, May 29, 2019.

  1. Kelly Hicks

    Kelly Hicks New Member

    Joined:
    May 28, 2019
    Hello! I'm new to this forum so hopefully this is the correct thread. :)
    We just got Aidan (4yo shorthair) 2.5 weeks ago and he seems to no longer need insulin. He has been diabetic for somewhere around 6-8 months now and the shelter had a hard time managing his BG, so his levels were typically between 300-500, and he had issues with neuropathy (his legs have very little muscle from walking flat-footed for so long now), poor eyesight, and a lot of lethargy.
    He has been with us for 2.5 weeks now and with his new diet (he is currently on 1.95oz of grain-free wet food and 1.3oz of regular wet food twice a day) he has bounced back very quickly. He was getting 3 units of Lantus a day at the shelter, but within the first week we brought him down to 1 unit a day and for the past 3 days now he has had no insulin. He has gained back normal use of his legs (he still needs to build back the muscle to walk properly, but he is running and jumping and has more spring to his walk), has clear eyesight, and acts much more like a 4 year old cat- playful and energetic!
    I'm posting in this thread because he hasn't needed insulin for the past 3 days, so he seems to be going into remission, but we are worried that his BG may be too low. In that time, he has been 84, 109, and 69 at breakfast, and 59, 66, and 60 at dinnertime, respectively. This has been with absolutely no insulin. We use the AlphaTrak 2 monitor for cats.
    I've read through this thread and it seems like this is normal, but our vet said we should aim for his BG to be 150-200, so I'm confused as to whether he is averaging too low. It seems like the vet is assuming we aren't invested in monitoring his BG and diet, but we monitor vary closely and aim for him to have the best sugars possible, not just "good enough". (My dad has been Type 1 diabetic for 30+ years so he is somewhat of a perfectionist :p)
    Sorry for the long-winded post, we just want the best for our little buddy!
     
    Amina&M'row likes this.
  2. MrWorfMen's Mom

    MrWorfMen's Mom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2015
    Kelly, I am so sorry no one has responded before now but this particular forum is not very busy and is only used occasionally by folks whose kitties have been in remission for a time (aka on a honeymoon from insulin).

    It sounds like Aidan is doing great. The BG levels the vet gave you to aim for would be for a cat on insulin. It's very common for vets to suggest "good enough" rather than excellent when treating diabetic cats and you're probably right that the vet assumes you are not that serious about monitoring likely because the majority of their clients probably aren't.

    All that said, the readings you have posted above are totally and wonderfully NORMAL for a cat not on insulin. In order to declare Aidan in remission, you want him off insulin and in normal range numbers for a period of 14 consecutive days. The diet change has likely been instrumental in getting his numbers down and it's also possible that the dose of insulin the shelter was giving was too high. Too much insulin can sometimes look just like too little and this frequently leads to over dosing and a frustrating path for the caregiver. Given Aidan was in a shelter, he likely wasn't being monitored as well as you are monitoring him (possibly having dose changes made based on vet curves) and being fed a higher than optimal carb diet.

    Keep checking Aidan's BG twice daily before his AM and PM meals as you would if insulin were being given (after at least 2 hours without food) and if his BG holds for another 7 days (assuming his BG since Wednesday when you posted has stayed in normal range (68 to 150), you can declare him in remission in another week.

    Please do keep us posted. We love success stories. If you have any further questions, please post them on the Health forum HERE so you get more eyes on your post. :)
     
    LilTurkey likes this.
  3. Kelly Hicks

    Kelly Hicks New Member

    Joined:
    May 28, 2019
    Thanks for your reply! We were pretty sure that the vet was just being overly careful and that his levels were fine, but this is our first diabetic kitty, so we are relieved to hear from others who have gone through this! :)
    Aidan has continued doing really well since I last posted, with his BG levels consistent at around 70 (+/-10) and no insulin! This morning at 8:15 he somehow got into the other cats' dry food before breakfast and spiked to 215, but by 8:54 he was down to 174 and by 11:23 he was down to 59; this was with no insulin (we wanted to see if his body would self-correct, but we kept an eye on him). He is continuing to get better in his neuropathy symptoms and he is a sweet and sassy little dude! :cat:
     
  4. MrWorfMen's Mom

    MrWorfMen's Mom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2015
    Happy to hear his BG is holding in normal range and that his body was able to process and deal with the pilfered :woot: higher carbs pretty efficiently. The neuropathy should continue to improve as long as his BG stays within normal range. And don't be concerned if his BG goes below 68....a cat not getting insulin shots will not go hypo so no action is needed if Aidan's BG is below 68. Fingers crossed and do let us know when Aidan reaches that 2 week mark. :D
     
    LilTurkey likes this.
  5. MrWorfMen's Mom

    MrWorfMen's Mom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2015
    Just following up to see how Aidan is doing? Still on the road to remission I hope! :)
     

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