Diagnosed on March 1

My cat Jasper was diagnosed on March 1st. He's 12 years old and has had lots of health issues, but believe it or not I think being diagnosed with diabetes has been a blessing. I actually think it has improved his health.

Jasp has had problems with chronic constipation since he was 3 or 4. He's been on Lactulose the last 6 years, which did a great job of helping him poop like a professional. He was a on a high fiber prescription diet. Then he was put on Cisapride, because he needed extra help.

Two years ago, he was diagnosed with feline idiopathic hypercalcemia, which is just a fancy way to say they didn't didn't know why his calcium levels were high. The vet put him on Prednisone, which worked well.

I bet you can guess what came next... Yep! Diabetes. I realized that he might have it the end of February when my husband mentioned Jasper had drank two bowls of water in three hours. Plus, I noticed he was walking on the pads of his feet instead of his toes. So to the vet he went, he was taken off the Prednisone, and prescribed 1 unit of Lantus twice a day.

The vet wanted to put him on a different prescription food, but when I told him about Young Again Zero Limited Ingredient cat food, he check it out and said that'd be good for him. His numbers have been great since them. Our vet didn't talk about the possibility of remission at first, but now he thinks that's a real possibility.

I want to add, Monday we took him off the Lactulose and put him on Miralax, because constipation is still an issue. After some research we found out that the Lactulose might have been the cause of his Hypercalcemia. Plus, since it is a sugar, it's not recommended for diabetics.

So that's Jasper's story. He he's only had to have insulin twice in the last seven days. His neuropathy is resolving itself, and he has a lot more energy. His coat looks beautiful again. His eyes are bright. He's eating and drinking normally.

 

I know that was a long introduction with a lot of background. If it should be moved to another forum, please feel free to move it. I don't have a health question, so I didn't think it should go there.

 

Welcome! If you have any questions at any time post them on the main health forum.

 

Thank you!

 

Welcome!
Jasper is very handsome, does he have some Maine Coon or Norwegian in him?

 

Thank you! Jasper is an ordinary exceptional Domestic Long Hair. I always thought he might have some Maine Coon in him, but he's too small at an ideal weight of 11 pounds.