Yemala - coming out of remission?

Mala was diagnosed in 2006 as diabetic. She was on Vetsulin for appx. 1 month, then - with advice and support from this board - we got her safely into remission. She was born in 1999, so she's no young-un.

However, she's had a great deal of energy, is enthusiastic for her food and for play, begs at the table, demands her breakfast every morning, etc. In other words, feisty, smart, ornery, and sweet.

A week or so ago, she developed an ear infection. One ear produced a great deal of pus and she was holding it sideways. Despite my misgivings, I took her to a vet for care. I KNOW that car travel stresses her, and that her bgs would rise, but she had to have care.

She went onto antibiotics and ear drops. A week later, the vet confirmed that the infection had caused her ear drum to pop, but that it would heal and she wouldn't lose her hearing.

This week, though, she's developed a cold. The poor thing is all snotty, can't breath easily through her nose. She sneefs out the mucus when she can, and shakes her head. Her eye is watery, too.

I first put down her low energy to a cold. But I just checked her bgs. She's over 300 again.

I have 5 cats, but this girl is dear beyond words. She's still strong and very interested in life - just last week, she was singing to me in the living room and savaging one of her toys. I do NOT want to put her back on insulin again, unless I have no choice.

So here's my question - could the other conditions have triggered a rise in the bgs which will be temporary? Have any of you seen cases in which a diabetic kitty sees an increase in glucose levels as a result of other medications, or other medical conditions, which then diminish? Right now, I'm in a wait and see mode - once she's finished with the medications for the infection, could she come back out?

She's only 11. I knew 5 years ago that she wasn't likely to make it to be an elderly kitty, given her condition, but I'm not ready to give this up. Ideas?

 

Any sort of infection can certainly make BG rise, and the pain from an infection bad enough to burst an eardrum would surely make the BG go up. A lot of ear drops have steroids in them, which of course can also make BGs rise. But all those effects should go away once the infection, pain, or steroids go away. The drop doesn't happen instantly, but in my experience it usually happens pretty quickly.

This isn't to say your kitty certainly won't need to go back on insulin again. If her BG doesn't go back down within a few days of the problems being resolved, she may need insulin. Even if the problems are slow to go away completely, she may need insulin to get her over the rough spot. But either way, the need for insulin may really be for only a few days or weeks, not for years. The operative word in all this is *may*. There's no way to tell in advance. Could be she won't need insulin at all, could be she'll need it briefly, could be she'll need it long-term. Since you're testing, you'll be able to tell.

And 11 isn't old! She likely has lots of years to live.

 

Just reading your post made tears come to my eyes. Like all of us here, I adore my little diabetic kitty, and want her to live as long as she can without pain and suffering. It may well be that the ear infection has caused this - as you say, I'm not ready to jump to insulin yet.

I have a call in to the vet who treated her ear. We'll see what he says. Regardless, I'm not taking her for a blood test in the office right now. It would only show that she's stressed, and her glucose level is high. No duh.

Right now, two other kitties are leaping and prancing as they skirmish. Mala is sitting in a window, soaking up some sun. I'll check her bgs again this evening, a few hours after her dinner, and see where they are and post again. At least she's eating.

 

What kind of ear meds were used? Many contain steroids. For my Twigie, Animax, a steroid-containing ears drops spiked her BGs from the low 100's to over 400.

 

I just spoke with her vet. He has had her on Tresaderm, and he confirmed that it contains steroids. He thinks the low energy is due more to her respiratory infection than anything else. We're taking her off the ear drops entirely, and we'll watch the bgs to see what happens. With luck, she'll be back under 100 in a couple of days.

 

Hi Hroswitha, and, of course, you too, sweet Mala,

Can you tell us what ear meds her vet prescribed? As both Jean and Larry mentioned, some ear meds have steroids in them. Both Nikki (last year) and Giz (what seems like a lifetime ago, but wasn't...) have been prescribed Tresaderm for ear issues/infections. Tresaderm does have steroids and did increase their insulin needs -- temporarily... I just shot around the higher numbers until we got back to whatever is normalcy for a sugar cat...

I feel your love for Mala, dear Hroswitha. I surely do! Yet, I'm a bit concerned about your hesitancy to give your furry girl insulin, if she should need it -- perhaps only temporarily to get her through the ear meds...

I can tell you that Giz was diagnosed extra sweet about six weeks after her 14th Birthday. She lived a most glorious life for another four years! I know this to be true, because I was her grilling slave... (She didn't care for cat food, at all...) Diabetes didn't take her. Nope. At 18, or the human equivalent of 90, she simply decided her work here was done. And, true to her ornery, determined personality, she made her decision for me... Yet, she waited until I came home... From 8 weeks of a furry ball of kitten fluff to 18 years of untold life shared together; it all sped by in the heartbeat of a knowing hug...








Please promise that you will give your precious Mala insulin, should the need arise again, dear Hroswitha... She's only 11. She has tons of life experience to share with you.

Love and hopeful hugs,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...

 

I have a cat who was off insulin for. Almost a. Month but got a skin infection and is back on a low dose of insulin again. View. This as adapting to your cats changing needs and it is in no way a failure on your part. Maybe OTJ is emphasized too much! Eleven is not old by any means. One of my nondiabetic cats. Is twenty years old and I have heard of cats. Living to thirty. Good luck to you and Maya..

 

When (if?) I have to put Mala back on insulin, please know that I will. The longer she can stay in remission, though, the better for her system.

She ate with a great appetite this evening, and even snarfed some of her sister's tuna. (Sister Erzuli gets tuna at bedtime, as she's underweight.) Mala gave me lip for not doing what she wanted, and demanded some cat nip in recompense. I believe she'll come through this.

 

Hi Hroswitha,

We always love a great appetite! We love a great spirit even more!!

I know you'll give her insulin if she needs it...

Hugs for you and your five furries,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz...

 

It looks like you are getting responses. Would you please remove the 911 from your original post. As the 911 icon is used to get people's attention when there is an emergency situation.

Thanks

 

The type of steroid in Tresaderm (dexamethasone) has a greater impact on BGs than that used in Animax (Triamcinolone Acetonide).

 

My apologies. The new board is still really new to me, and I don't know all the etiquette yet. Just give me time to learn to crawl.

 

My kitty was OTJ for 6 months before having yeast in his ears. I used mometamax ear drops and it brought him right out of remission and I've been having a hard time with regulation ever since. I later found out that these drops had steroids in them.

The vet swears that the drops had nothing to do with it since they were not given orally or absorbed systemically...But after seeing several people on this board with the same problem, I am convinced!

Good Luck to you!

 

I want to introduce my baby Smokey, 10 years young. We started with the honeymoon in early 2010 and then toward the end of the year, I noticed she was losing weight. BG's over 400...sigh, just beginning to try and find the regulation word and doing a curve today. Smokey is asthmatic as well and on Prenisilone, after being on Prednisone the first decade for asthma. Blessings to Yemala and all the other owners and felines who have come to this wonderful web site to share with those of us who feel so alone in this journey. confused_cat

 

Welcome! Your Smokey is so cute!! You will find great information on this site! Don't forget to start a new post and introduce yourself!

 

Think of the insulin, more like an asprin for a headache. You wouldn't skip taking an asprin because you were afraid you'd have to take it every day.
I have Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. If I start taking my meds the second I start feeling off, I remit lots faster than when I used to take a "wait & see" attitude. So I would say, give the drop or two that Yemala might need now, to ease the situation, and maybe it wouldn't get full blown, or if it did, it might not be for so long.