Julia,
I'm sorry if you misunderstood - we are not feeding Sonny dry food. We let him have a few pieces here and there, typically in the later afternoon (between lunch and dinner) when he tends to get a little lower (usually in the 60's) just to tide him over since he's not ready to eat a meal but wants a little something. I left some out Monday because I had to be gone for several hours, he was 62 when I left at 1pm, and when my husband got home, and I KNOW Sonny had a little of the dry, he was only 90. An hour after eating, he was 119, and when I got home, about 3h after dinner, he was 88. He was able to metabolize the few pieces of dry properly. Even though I was home yesterday, we did the same and his numbers were all similar.
Our vet confirmed remission, but says remissions are just that - a reprise from symptoms of an underlying disease and it could recur at any time. We will continue testing, just not as frequently. We have tested similarly to as you mentioned (pre-food, 1 hour post, 2 hour post, etc) and based onseveral days of those numbers, he confirmed that the pancreas is functioning. We believe it was barely functioning when we were diagnosed, because he was having severe hypergylcemic symptoms (all of which he seems to have recovered from) and was in the high 550's and 600's+ (our meter doesn't get specific over 600, just registers "over 600." I know one of the readings at the vet was 640 when we were keeping him there during the daytime to stabilize. He responded quickly and positively to the Humulin (while I know this is not popular on this board, from the research I've read and what our vet has experienced, over 50% of cats can be regulated on it and I'm thankful that he was one of them - at least this time) and he is now holding great levels on his own. Our vet feels he was in crisis with the high numbers and the immediate administration of the higher-dose Humulin, which we tapered as he responded, gave his pancreas the help it needed. Maybe our vet's criteria for remission are different from some other vets, but at least for now, he feels he is in remission.
We have no intention of free-feeding dry food, even lower-carb dry. But, as with any diabetic, feline or otherwise, whether diet or insulin controlled, to completely restrict loved foods becomes a quality of life issue. While Sonny has only been with us 4 years, for over a decade with my late mom and stepfather the only thing he ate was dry food (though their other cats did eat wet, he chose not to and both were available.) One of our other two cats, who has been with us for a year and was offered wet food as soon as he entered our house still wants some dry. Not a lot, but some. As long as their bodies can handle it, not spike and then plummet with it, we will allow them a little here and there. Not a whole bowl - but I think the one-layer covering the bottom of a small cereal bowl amongst 3 cats is acceptable. If it seems like it starts shooting Sonny's BG up, we will re-evaluate.
Sonny seems to be like my husband - who is technically diabetic but not on insulin - morning BG tends to be higher, will spike about 20 after eating, then come down to lower than the fasting within a few hours. But, even his AM fastings have been mostly under 150 (once we got him out of the critical range those first few days) and have been running under 135 the last 3 days. After almost losing him to the hyperglycemia last week, it's amazing to look at him now.
