Hamlet Update

Since the last posting lower on the page, when Hamlet had dropped to needing only 2 units of insulin bid, he has stabilized at 2.5 units bid, for the past three months. His apex numbers are still fairly high, but his nadir can not be reduced with the use of more insulin, so we are working on lowering weight slightly, and increasing protein content of his daily diet with snacks of cheese, poultry, and any other entertainments we can find for this fellow who needs to come and tell us when he has emptied his latest dish.........even though there may still be three full ones, with lids opening for the next six hours!

02.05.08
Hamlet has been extremely stable since October of 2007, and we have just had a fructosamine test come out with perfect results which disappointed me a bit, as I wanted to be able to reduce his insulin dose slightly. His nadir is lower than I would like at 1.3 and 1.4 most of the time. His apex is reduced from the posting above to staying within normal range. He is using 2.5 units of Caninsulin, a type of insulin that helped him go into remission for over five years, and has kept him very healthy, and steady when using it. Over this whole period of his treatment, he has had no other nutritional issues develop, although, with the higher protein intake his BUN did increase slightly, as it should do with high muscle meat protein.

Hamlet still 'sees' insulin very easily. His delta is swift, with his nadir coming in about four hours of the insulin injection at this point in time, and he stays low for a good length of time. Caninsulin is the best product for him to remain stable, and possible come off insulin once again because of this sensitivity. Of course, as he is advancing in years to the point that we can feel his vertebrae, remission may no longer be possible, partly as his body went through a lot over this past year. He has reduced weight to 13 pounds, 5 ounces, and yet looks heavier than he did at 16 pounds, probably because of his age, and lack of cardiovascular exercise.........we must work on that.

07.21.08 Well surprise, surprise! After finding that Hamlet had a "lesion" below the surface of a tooth that wasn't showing much problem at all other than a slight red pimple at the gum, the amputation has caused a very sudden reversal in Hamlet's need for insulin. It has been a week now and he looks and feels fine in this lovely warm sunny weather that he loves so much.

The actual drop in insulin was very sudden, in that it happened all in one afternoon, starting about an hour after the nadir of his curve. He had been fine at nadir, climbing up onto the deck swing, and navigating well to get off again, and eat, showing he was completely fine and normal. I had been watching because I had read that antibiotics can lower the need for insulin so was keeping an eye out for trouble. In that next hour he started to stagger and walk into walls. We have been lucky in that he heads for his dish at any sign of discomfort, and did so this time. I tested him and he showed "LO" so I gave him a couple of doses to bring him back up to 1.2 and we took him to the vet to double check with their meter, as well as get some fluids into him as he had been dehydrating himself in the hot sun. We refer to him as "baking his brains out".

By the time we got Hamlet back home from the vet he was again staggering and reading "LO", so I gave him another .5cc of corn syrup to bring him back up, and we haven't given him insulin since that time. It has been a week, and so far his readings are staying normal, but from today on I will be watching closely as the antibiotic influence has been stopped, and I want to ensure he stays healthy.