Yoshi, 11 years, neutered male, orange DSH
Date of Diagnosis: April 2005
Date began insulin: May 6, 2005
Insulin type: Humulin U
Date began remission (stopped insulin): June 18, 2005
Diet: Initially Purina DM wet and dry; deleting dry DM from diet pushed his BG's to normal range; changed to low carb diet of 70% FF (tender beef or gourmet chicken feast with 30% canned DM; currently eating only FF low carb (less than 10%) flavors with occasional sashimi trim for a treat.
What factors do I feel contributed to Yoshi's remission?
1. He has a great appetite and loves to eat. Although he was fed dry food mainly before his diagnosis, he was crazy about wet canned so that made switching easy and also insured there would be food in his system for the insulin.
2. Feline Diabetes website! FD website mainly but also devoured any and all info I could find. The more I learned and understood diabetes, the better things went. The Feline Diabetes Message Board! What a life saver and great community of feline folks. The support and advice were (and still are!) invaluable. Because of FDMB, I began hometesting and started an insulin/health chart. These tools gave me more control and helped me be a better caregiver. And, there was always some to ask a question, tell a concern, or just get emotional support. The value of the FDMB can not be overstated.
3. Luck! Started Yoshi on Humulin U on 5/6/05 and each week we returned to vet for a BG check at +5 (vet thought that was peak) and a dosage adjustment. The vet raised his dose quite rapidly--(values BID) 1st week 2U, 2nd week 4U (BG 534), 3rd week 5U (350), 4th week 4U (BG 67), 5th week 2U, 6th week 1U til stopped insulin on 6/18/05 (BG testing was sporadic and mostly at or around peak with BGs under 60). After the shocking BG value of 67 at the vet on week 4, I consulted the board and began hometesting, deciding to drop the insulin dose to 2U. Hometesting showed that Yoshi actually peaked at +6. Perhaps it was the large amounts of insulin in so short of a time that shocked Yoshi's pancreas into once again producing. If I hadn't begun hometesting, he would have surely hypo'd as the vet wanted to continue with the higher doses. Also think Humulin U was a good insulin for Yoshi.