Tonka 13/3 AMPS 76 PMPS 83 (OTJ Trial Day 1)

[jmalasiuk]

Yesterday: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...starting-otj-trial-in-pm.134501/#post-1387082

One full day without insulin, and he doesn't appear to have risen noticeably, although the time that he appears to have been highest lately has been mid-cycle, so I'm not sure if I can manage to not get at least a few random mid-cycles in during this trial....

He was a very perky cat this morning, and is now peacefully snoring away, post-feeding. Forecast is for warm weather tomorrow, so I anticipate a lot of rolling, sniffing and snorting from the boys once I take them outside tomorrow.

Tonka's dental was postponed when he was working his way down in insulin requirements so quickly. If he's not getting extra insulin right now, is he "safe" to do the dental, or should we wait a bit longer and make sure he really is stabilized, to avoid messing this up?

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I'd probably wait until he either passes or fails the trial before doing the dental.....if he doesn't pass, he'd be on a tiny little dose and you could do the dental and then if his numbers came down after that, start the trial again

Here are the OTJ Trial Instructions:
Start the trial on the next green pre shot.

If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!

Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.

After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.
Good luck with the trial!!!

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

congrats on day 1 of the OTJ trial!

 

[jmalasiuk]

I'd probably wait until he either passes or fails the trial before doing the dental.....if he doesn't pass, he'd be on a tiny little dose and you could do the dental and then if his numbers came down after that, start the trial again

Thanks Chris: that's what I figured, but I wanted to get some more experienced thoughts on the matter. I'm worried about leaving it too long in case whatever gum inflammation he has keeps him from succeeding in not needing extra insulin, but it looks like the antibiotics he was on in January did their thing and has fixed the issue for now. So hopefully...

Thanks for the instructions as well. Wendy had posted the instructions for me for the trial the other night too, so I have been trying to follow them, but I already failed in only testing twice a day Since he was having his highest readings mid-cycle, I figure getting at least one mid-cycle test in, at least for the first while, will be a good idea.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

He's looking perfect on his trial!