Creek View Veterinary Clinic is pleased to present our Featured Pet of the Month, Tuxie!
Tuxie is a 14 year old cat who was receiving insulin injections twice a day for a large portion of her life due to being diabetic. But as of April 2023, Tuxie was officially free from the daily constraints associated with insulin therapy. She was officially in diabetic remission! This is her story…
When Tuxie’s owner adopted her, she knew that Tuxie was a chronic diabetic who needed insulin to help regulate her blood sugar levels. This meant twice a day injections and regular monitoring by a veterinarian to help avoid complications, such as hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis. She would also need to remain on a prescription diet that is formulated to help support the unique nutritional needs of a diabetic cat.
Over the next year, Dr. Lembke and Tuxie’s owner closely monitored her weight, water intake, urine production, appetite, and blood glucose levels. Obese cats are up to four times more likely to develop diabetes than ideal weight cats. This had played a role in Tuxie’s development of diabetes so it was the owner’s goal to help Tuxie lose weight. In April 2023, Dr. Lembke ran routine Fructosamine levels on Tuxie which shows the average blood glucose concentration over a 2-3 week timespan. The results were low, which meant Tuxie’s body was potentially regulating its blood sugar levels naturally and the insulin was actually causing low glucose levels. Dr. Lembke recommended that the owner discontinue the insulin injections and recheck these levels in two weeks. Sixteen days later, Tuxie’s bloodwork showed that she was in fact, in diabetic remission!
Close monitoring, consistent diet, and weight loss all played a large role in Tuxie’s remission but not all cats reach this milestone. Prevention is key! Helping your cat maintain an ideal body condition, feeding a high protein and low carb diet, providing lots of playtime, and taking them in for regular checkups can all help prevent feline diabetes.
