July 8 - Lovie - no insulin given in 6 days and she's all green

July 2 - her last icky lime green numbers

I have not given Lovie even one drop of insulin since July 2. I've continued to test her and except for one stressful morning she's given me nothing but pretty green numbers. I've also been testing for ketones and there have been none. She is eating normally and the LB is normal too. She is also grooming and purring.

I understand that testing should continue until we reach the end of a 14 day trial and then she's officially off insulin as long as the numbers stay in the normal range. Please advise if there's anything else I need to be doing or thinking about at this point in our trial of no insulin.

 

Today would be day 5 of your trial unless you start with the night before. You want to start with a green number. Good luck!

 

Looking great Lovie! For your record, here are the "official" OTJ trial instructions. You can ignore the first step.

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!

 

How wonderful to see this!

My only comment: given Lovie's very recent DKA, be sure to continue regular ketone testing as well as BG testing for a while, and be extra alert for any signs that she's feeling "off" (not eating, lethargic, etc.) so that if anything crops up, you can nip it in the bud.

Go Lovie!!!!!

 

Good luck with the trial!!

 

Yay! So glad you posted an update. Fingers crossed for the trial.

 

Excellent Good luck Lovie!