I am happy to announce Pax Draconis has been OTJ for 15 days. Officially in remission again. This time he is on a wet food only diet, no low carb dry food ever! I am so happy. Such a wonderful Valentine gift And he just had his 11th birthday so an awesome gift to himself not to have to get injections anymore.
Yeah Pax Draconis. What an unsweet, no longer quite as sweet, formerly extra sweet but not anymore Valentines gift Pax gave you. Second remissions are extra sweet. TR did it again. Happy for you! Happy belated birthday Pax Draconis. Have you seen some of the tips to keep your cat OTJ? Generic reminders, but works for most situations. Here are some tips to stay OTJ (off-the-juice, insulin being the juice) 1. Never feed dry - not even treats. (freeze dried is ok, Dr. Elsey's chicken flavor is ok.) If you change wet food types, be 100% sure the new food is also low carb and same low carb % as your current food. Some cats are very carb sensitive and an increase from 3-6% to 8-10% can spike the BG’s. Don’t feed if you aren’t sure! 2. Weigh every 2 weeks to 1 month to watch for weight changes. Too much of a weight gain can cause loss of remission. Too much of a weight loss alerts you to other issues, such as hyperthyroidism. 3. Measure blood once a week, indefinitely if possible. You want to catch a relapse quickly. Some people only do checks every 2 weeks to a month. BG checks can sometimes alert you to other issues. 4. No steroids or oral meds with sugar - remind your vet whenever giving you any medication. Always double check. (Steroids may be needed for other medical issues. But remind your vet your cat is a diabetic, diet controlled.) 5. Monitor food intake, peeing and drinking. If increasing, a sign of losing remission. Or another medical condition like Hyper-T or kidney disease. 6. Regular vet checks for infection such as dental , ear or UTI. And get them treated quickly! 7.Continue to ketone test even if your cat is OTJ. Ketones can develop if the cat’s pancreas is not producing enough insulin, or burning off too much fat if your cat is not eating properly and other reasons. If your cat does fall out of remission you need to be more aggressive and resolve issues/ back on insulin as soon as possible as the window for a second remission is tight if any. Pancreatitis, hyperthyroid, dental issues are the most common reasons cats fall out of remission. "Once a diabetic, always a diabetic." They are simply diet controlled.
