UK - Mootle Bootle Update

[montyislay2]

Hello there people, here we are 2 weeks in to Monty's treatment. A huge thanks to all who responded to our initial posts and most particularly to Diana who has been a massive source of strength.

We have some tentatively good news - Monty has started responding well to the insulin - he is in the main around 7-12 on the meter readings during the day and his high points in the morning and evening are gradually coming down - today this morning it was 19, as opposed to 22 the day before and 25 the day before that. Our vet, I have to say, has been fabulous - we can text her anytime on her personal mobile and she responds usually within minutes - its a fantastic help particularly when we have an unexpectedly low reading in the mornings (the other day he was 13.8 - almost unheard of) and also late at night.

He is also looking a world better - coat is sleek and smooth and he has gotten back to doing the usual cat things - mainly sleeping, catching flies and moths, and trying to play on computers. He has even taken a little light exercise with his new string toy.

I guess there is a lot of work still ahead, but he is getting used to the jabs and to patiently having his ears sticked - but it is a joy to see that most of the time his BG levels are getting to within normal range and so his body is starting to get some respite.

Thanks again to all, and we will keep you posted with our progress!

Catherine, Shaun, Monty, Islay and Henny.

xx

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

Great news. Keep it up or rather down, Mootle!

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hi Catherine,

Actually I just posted a message on another of your threads but then saw this more recent one, so I'll post here as well as there's more chance of your seeing the message.

Just wanted to say that it seems Caninsulin is working well for your cat, and that's really fortunate: Many cats don't respond well to it (can drop BG too steeply and then be out of the system in about 8 hours (hence 4 hours without insulin)). If it happens that Caninsulin stops working well for your cat then another insulin you can try in the UK is Hypurin Bovine Protamine Zinc. It was made for humans but is showing good results in cats. It has a longer duration than Caninsulin.

Well done for looking after your cat so well. The numbers are looking good. It took months before I saw a number below 20 and most were in the high 20's....

All good wishes to you,

Elizabeth in Surrey (and pal of Diana!) x

 

[Diana&Tom]

Catherine, what can I say but wow! - I am so pleased to see this update from you (had been a tad worried!). This is all sounding brilliant (I can "hear" the relief in your words!). Numbers in the range of 7 to 12 are good at most times for a diabetic cat, and to get those halfway through a cycle are pretty amazing. Yes, the pre-shot numbers could do with coming down but as we have said all along, this is a long process and you have done everything exactly the right way to get to where you are now.

Glad to hear also how supportive your vet is, that really helps to reassure you, I know. Remember that you can always post here too, day or night, and there is always someone around from somewhere in the world. If it's urgent or an emergency, just say so in the heading - you'll get more, quicker responses.

Carry on just as you are and keep testing, not necessarily several times a day, but most importantly before every shot.

Thank you for your appreciation, but no thanks are necessary - we have all been where you are and been on the receiving end of good advice, and we just try to do the same for others when we can :smile: I am glad to see Elizabeth posting here - she is another UKer who I met through this board about five years ago. She has done an amazing job with her diabetic cat Bertie, and is an absolutely lovely lady who I am now happy to call a dear friend outside FDMB as well.

Keep us posted, Catherine.

Diana

 

[montyislay2]

Thanks both for your posts! We took Moot back to the vets today for a check up and a weigh and she was thrilled with how well he's doing. He's back up to 6kg which is apparently a good weight for him (he's large framed). The plan is to keep him on the current dose for now (my other half who usually works at home and has been monitoring Monty each day) is away with work and I work full time so we're sticking with what we know for now with a view to perhaps small adjustments in a week or so to get the pre-shot numbers coming down.

In celebration we are cooking roast beef tonight (Monty loves to cook, he sits on the worktop and waves his paws in the air to catch the scent) - we may break the diet and give him a very tiny morsel!

Good news also in that the other feline occupants of our house Islay (rescue cat, 1999) and Henny (accidentally acquired as a kitten in 2006) are learning to eat what's in their bowl when they're fed. Next week when I'm at work I've arranged for my Mum to come in and feed them all their midday 'snack' (monty gets a spoonful of his food) to keep them going. Now that Monty is a big lower on the old BG chart I'm not having to refill their water vat every couple of days.

So for now at least, all is good in Devon, and we're so pleased to have our boy looking (and obviously feeling) so much better.