Newly diagnosed with Diabetes....

My 11 1/2 year old cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes after a routine exam and blood work. His levels were at 450 and the doctor has put him on Vetsulin 2x per day. His kidney tests came back and they are completely normal which is good news. He has had no symptoms and my gut is telling me that I may be able to regulate him with a high protein diet and get him off insulin. Am I being delusional? I have read so much information and am feeling overwhelmed. There is a school of thought that I should bypass the 2 months worth of curve testing ie, taking him in every 2 weeks and do my own blood testing and monitoring. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi Lorri,

No, remission is possible and I have seen several cases of that here on this site. I actually hope to get there myself once I remove the steroids he is on. A low carb wet food diet seems to be a key component of getting the FD under control, which is important. If you need assistance with selecting a food (carbs are 10% or less) checking out the chart on the catinfo.org. http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Just remember that this may be a marathon and not a race. It may take a bit to get things right and provide the right state for your kitties pancreas to heal itself.

Highly recommended. You can even do your own curves. It has been noted that kitties get stressed at the vets and will show higher BG numbers vs. what is seen at home. Insulin is a hormone and how kitty acts from day to day; day to night, hour to hour can change. Testing is the only way to know it is safe to give the shot (in fact your should never give a shot without testing first) how well the dose is working and most importantly if you need to make changes to the dose.

I suggest you start with this one posting...it has all the basics for getting started.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/updated-tips-for-new-members.173572/

If you have any further questions, please post in the main forum as more eyes will see it. And of course, all questions specific to your insulin can be posted into that specific forum.

 

Welcome Lorri!
You have found a great support group for your kitty and YOU
I'm sure most of us agree with what Tracey said about curves. Doing them at home can save you some money and more importantly, give you more accurate results because kitty is at home and comfy .

Hope to see you on the Main Health Forum

 

Welcome!
I'm finding a lot of benefit from curves aside from a blood sugar value. Found myself at times lamenting that cats were even worse than dogs at health issues. The values help me to interpret the subtle behavior clues. Asking was getting nowhere and letting his systems speak for him is, at least I get an answer. At least some of the time.