New here - longtime lurker

Hi, there. My 14-yo kitty, Tiger, was diagnosed with diabetes last year which is where I discovered this wonderful source of information. Well, he went into remission last January with a complete diet overhaul (YA Mature Zero and Fancy Feast pates) and now the diabetes is back with a vengeance. He's currently at the kitty hospital and I was hoping to get him back home today but that's not looking likely since his glucose tested at over 600(!!!) this morning. They have put him on fluids as well as Lantus insulin and they are feeding him Royal Canin Glycobalance, which is not what he eats at home, but it's what the vet wanted to try.

My main concern is when they get his dosage to even things out, when we get back home, I'm planning on keeping him on the YA Mature Zero and fancy feast but what will that do as far as insulin dosage? The way they're doing it now is basing it on what he's currently eating there at the vet, not what he normally eats at home. Also, the biggest reason I believe that his diabetes came back (although I can't be 100% sure) is I had a kitty who recently passed away that had chronic renal failure; for the past 3-4 months of her life, she was eating whatever I could get her to eat which was mainly Royal Canin kidney support food and consequently, Tiger would eat her food as well. I also have a kitten and he's been eating YA little bites, and again, Tiger ate his food too. :| I have 4 cats total and feeding them separately is no easy task. I got to the point with the kidney kitty, I'd just leave the food out because she wouldn't always eat when I wanted her to eat.

I have a blood glucose monitor and need to educate myself on how to use it on him properly and from what i've read, set up a spreadsheet to track his numbers. Any other suggestions/pointers/encouragement is definitely welcome!

Thanks!

 

Welcome Priscilla and Tiger! You’re right to be concerned about the dosage when you get him home. Come over to the Main Health Forum and we can help you learn how to test, as that’s really the only way to determine the correct dosage.

 

Welcome to you both.

First, I am very sorry for the passing of your kidney kitty... we lost a 17 yr old brother/sister pair of kidney kitties this year too. Renal failure really stinks.

Similar feeding situation here -- our other soon to be 19 year old is in kidney failure, losing muscle and weight like crazy now, and she only eats about one bite and walks away, she's never been a big eater, but now it is just killing me that you can just see her wasting away (she had been very stable with renal disease for about 5 years before this year). So we also have food sitting pretty much everywhere all the time, not good for Whispy (who never met a meal he didn't like!). I totally get what it was/is like for you. I have more angst regarding feeding issues than kidney failure or diabetes!

You are right to be concerned, but being ready to test when Tiger comes home is a great first step, and making sure that they don't recommend starting with too high of a starting dose is the next, especially since it sounds like you will be feeding lower carb than they were. Practice testing on one of your other victims...ooops I mean kitties...until Tiger comes home It won't get him used to it, but it will help get you used to it.

For what "too high" of a dose is, and other specifics, that is best covered over in the health forum where it'll get more eyes on it. See you over there!

Best,
Sandi.

 

Welcome! The food the vet is feeding will definitely have a different impact than what you plan to feed. So, it will be important for you to be testing at home. Bring all your questions to the Main Health Forum, and there are lots of folks who will be glad to help you.

 

Welcome. We are here to help

 

Thanks, everyone - I will move over to the main health forum for now. I really appreciate the warm welcome and advice everyone has on this site.

 

Renal failure is the WORST. When you have one that refuses to eat (or eats very little) and one that's diabetic, it's just tough to keep it together because for me, my main focus was on getting food into her. I'm pretty annoyed with myself because while she was sick, Tiger was trying to tell me his BG was out of whack - increased appetite (waking me up every few hours wanting to eat), increase urine output, definitely increased thirst. . . I was just so focused on getting her to eat *anything* that I wasn't tuned into Tiger. :| He acted absolutely fine until this past sunday then he was withdrawn, no appetite, acted nauseous, wanted to drink but sat and stared at the water mostly, acted spacey & didn't really react to me or was very slow to react to me. That's when we went to the after-hours vet to see what was going on and his BG was over 500 and he was hospitalized. He is back home now and acts like he feels better, which is a relief. He's not acting 100% better, but I'm optimistic that with the correct insulin dosing and getting him back on his zero carb food, he will improve more.

 

Thanks for the link to the video - I will check it out for sure!

 

I just watched your video on testing—very helpful! Poking them in the ear sounds worse than it actually looks and Tiger is a very laid back kitty. It might take a few tries to get the hang of it but we got this!

 

I am glad it eased your mind... That was really the intent of the video.