Progress on Bexacat treatment

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Angus13

Member Since 2023
Hi all. I wanted to share how my cat is progressing on his treatment with Bexacat.

Angus is a 13 year old male, FIV+. He was diagnosed with diabetes in April of this year and started on Bexacat on April 27. Initially he was slow to respond, and his numbers when he went in for blood ketone, glucose curve, and fructosamine didn't change much at the 5 day, 2 week, and 4 week marks. Today, however, he went in for his 8 week check, and his glucose curve is vastly improved! All numbers were well below 200, the lowest was 135 at noon. (He is dropped off at the office in the early morning at 7:30, and the first check was done at 8 am.) The fructosamine result will come in tomorrow, at which time my vet will let me know what the next step is in the plan.

Angus was also slow to transition food, but is now on Dr. Elsey's chicken recipe kibble and Fancy Feast pate exclusively. I do have the Pro Plan DM canned food, but he does not eat it well and I have stopped offering it to him completely. He happily eats his FF, so we're sticking with that. He eats approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cans throughout the day and overnight. The kibble I just add to as needed, in small amounts, as he doesn't like it as well if it's been sitting. lol

I realize that this group is very focused on doing at home blood checks, spread sheets, adjusting insulin as warranted, etc. and my feeling has been that the inability to adjust the dose with Bexacat is an issue for many. I understand that the insulin treatment encouraged here is tried and true. But for those owners who might not be able to manage insulin injections for whatever reason, a once a day pill could be a viable option, and a real alternative to euthanizing their cat. This is why I am sharing Angus's progress on the drug, and I hope that folks will be open to me posting this info.

Best,

Heather and Angus
NC
 
I got a call from my vet this morning, the results from the fructosamine were normal (her words) and he is doing well! She spoke with a vet at Elanco, the company that makes bexacat, to find out what is next for his treatment plan. They recommend a weigh-in, blood ketone, and fructosamine check in 3 months, as long as nothing changes between now and then. Otherwise, keep doing what we're doing! I am still a bit in shock, I really was prepared for this treatment to not work, especially in the first few weeks. But here we are, and he's doing well.
I'll let y'all know if anything changes and how he is at his next check up. :)

Heather and Angus
NC
 
This is absolutely fascinating and very encouraging to see! The more options people have to help cats with FD the better, I say.

One word of caution -- most of the FF classic pate varieties are extremely high in phosphorus which can put undue strain on an older cat's kidneys. We were feeding lots of FF but then I started paying attention to the phos number and now we don't feed as much because most of our cats are getting older (10+). Just something to think about.
 
This is absolutely fascinating and very encouraging to see! The more options people have to help cats with FD the better, I say.

One word of caution -- most of the FF classic pate varieties are extremely high in phosphorus which can put undue strain on an older cat's kidneys. We were feeding lots of FF but then I started paying attention to the phos number and now we don't feed as much because most of our cats are getting older (10+). Just something to think about.

Thanks for the feedback! I had not read that about FF, what brand do you feed instead?
 
I make my own food using E-Z Complete powder, and we also feed several varieties of Weruva, Tiki, Wellness, and even Purina DM Savory Selects now and then. My understanding is that the general consensus right now about feline kidney health says try to avoid a ton of phosphorus in the diet of an older cat as it is less strain on the older kidneys. And that under 300mg/100kcal is good but under 200 is better.

I also still feed FF Savory Salmon Feast Pate but try not to give very much of that overall in their diets because of the mercury concern, but the phosphorus on that one is the lowest of the FF pates at 267:

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