Karen&Rocket
Active Member
Hello! It’s been ages since I’ve posted, and there are a lot of new faces here. Some of the folks who have been here for a couple years might remember Rocket, my beautiful bestie who was diagnosed with acro in July of 2019. Well, with a new year I thought it would be a good time to post an update (and maybe some pics too!).
I’m not going to get into too much of Rocket’s background (trust me, this post will be miles long if I do), but here’s a couple of his threads from 2019 talking about his diagnosis and treatment, if anyone perhaps considering SRT wants a little more history:
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/well-its-official.216489/
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/weve-decided-on-srt-for-rocket.217282/
Long story short:
Rocket was diagnosed diabetic in Feb 2019, Acro diagnosis in July 2019
SRT (5 days of treatment) in Aug 2019
Insulin dose post-SRT went from 13U Levemir (unregulated) to around 3.5 by the end of 2019
Neuropathy – completely GONE by early 2020. Still gone to this day. He can jump, and climb to the top of his cat tree again!
2020 was a rough year though; in May of that year Rocket got very sick -- he was diagnosed with IBD, and other inflammation (liver, etc.) and had to start steroids. We tried Budesonide for a while since it’s supposed to be milder for cats, especially regarding blood sugar – but his IBD flare-ups were still horrible and we switched to Prednisolone, which helped greatly. Today his IBD seems to be mostly under control, with only occasional flare-ups. Knock on wood.
Things aren’t perfect, of course – for one thing, we gave up on the idea of remission a long time ago. Rocket was, and still is a VERY bouncy kitty, numbers-wise. Unfortunately I can’t follow a tight-reg protocol for a number of reasons, so I’m doing the best I can. At the moment his numbers are on the rise again, and I’ve increased his dose. Maybe the Prednisolone has made him a “real” diabetic; I don’t know, but it definitely increases his appetite, which keeps his numbers higher. But, I’ll take that over the horrible IBD episodes any day.
All-in-all, I’d consider his SRT treatment to be a great success, and would recommend it to anyone who is considering it, provided that you have access to a good team of experienced doctors. My only other caveat / warning would be don’t be surprised if numbers start changing quickly – and you should plan to test more often than you used to overall, as post-SRT kitties can be very volatile.
The most important update, really, is this -- I have my Rocket back. He's 13 now, and is a happy, still-playful, healthy-ish kitty. I feel very lucky to have him with us in 2022.
I want to say a big “thank you” to all the wonderful fellow acro-moms and dads who have helped us here. It's a tough road and the support means so much. @JanetNJ, @Panic, @Sharon14, @Bronx's dad (GA), @Idjit's mom, @Olive & Paula, @Teresa & Cricket... I know there are more... @Wendy&Neko, and @JeffJ of course – his acro-kitty Leo is a legend; an angel whose story helped us so much. Leo’s story is in Jeff’s profile; anyone else considering SRT should read it.
Much love to everyone who finds themselves on this board. May we all have a happier, healthier, and safe 2022.
I’m not going to get into too much of Rocket’s background (trust me, this post will be miles long if I do), but here’s a couple of his threads from 2019 talking about his diagnosis and treatment, if anyone perhaps considering SRT wants a little more history:
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/well-its-official.216489/
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/weve-decided-on-srt-for-rocket.217282/
Long story short:
Rocket was diagnosed diabetic in Feb 2019, Acro diagnosis in July 2019
SRT (5 days of treatment) in Aug 2019
Insulin dose post-SRT went from 13U Levemir (unregulated) to around 3.5 by the end of 2019
Neuropathy – completely GONE by early 2020. Still gone to this day. He can jump, and climb to the top of his cat tree again!
2020 was a rough year though; in May of that year Rocket got very sick -- he was diagnosed with IBD, and other inflammation (liver, etc.) and had to start steroids. We tried Budesonide for a while since it’s supposed to be milder for cats, especially regarding blood sugar – but his IBD flare-ups were still horrible and we switched to Prednisolone, which helped greatly. Today his IBD seems to be mostly under control, with only occasional flare-ups. Knock on wood.
Things aren’t perfect, of course – for one thing, we gave up on the idea of remission a long time ago. Rocket was, and still is a VERY bouncy kitty, numbers-wise. Unfortunately I can’t follow a tight-reg protocol for a number of reasons, so I’m doing the best I can. At the moment his numbers are on the rise again, and I’ve increased his dose. Maybe the Prednisolone has made him a “real” diabetic; I don’t know, but it definitely increases his appetite, which keeps his numbers higher. But, I’ll take that over the horrible IBD episodes any day.
All-in-all, I’d consider his SRT treatment to be a great success, and would recommend it to anyone who is considering it, provided that you have access to a good team of experienced doctors. My only other caveat / warning would be don’t be surprised if numbers start changing quickly – and you should plan to test more often than you used to overall, as post-SRT kitties can be very volatile.
The most important update, really, is this -- I have my Rocket back. He's 13 now, and is a happy, still-playful, healthy-ish kitty. I feel very lucky to have him with us in 2022.
I want to say a big “thank you” to all the wonderful fellow acro-moms and dads who have helped us here. It's a tough road and the support means so much. @JanetNJ, @Panic, @Sharon14, @Bronx's dad (GA), @Idjit's mom, @Olive & Paula, @Teresa & Cricket... I know there are more... @Wendy&Neko, and @JeffJ of course – his acro-kitty Leo is a legend; an angel whose story helped us so much. Leo’s story is in Jeff’s profile; anyone else considering SRT should read it.
Much love to everyone who finds themselves on this board. May we all have a happier, healthier, and safe 2022.
Pass on some chin scritches from me to him.
)
This journey is so difficult. Huge hugs to you. 
