Hi I'm newly diagnosed as of yesterday. I'm in shock.

However, I'm so glad I found this group. My Louis is the love of my life and I feel so sad for him. He is a 6 year old beautiful ginger with golden eyes. EXCEPT about 6 weeks ago, he had an eye surgery involving a graft and we have had to give him 2 different eye drops post surgery. Just before the surgery, he started losing weight, drinking excessively, and being ravenously hungry. Vet tested and sure enough...FD. So I just started him on Purina DM and nothing else. Vet wants to see if we can control with diet and we will retest in 2 weeks after being only on this food. That is my sad tale. But I will be back on the question(s) board I'm sure. Thanks for being there!

 

Welcome to you and your very handsome Louis. So sorry your little guy has been diagnosed with FD but very glad you found us. This is a remarkable community where you will find all the support and encouragement you want and/or need.

A diagnosis of FD is scary and overwhelming but it is a treatable condition and Louis will live a long healthy life because you are being proactive in getting him the treatment he needs.

Trying a change of diet first is a good strategy as some cat's BG will drop back to normal levels on a proper diet alone. You mentioned Purina DM and I would just like to point out that there is no need for prescription food. The Purina DM pate (wet food) is fine however the Savory Select wet food is right at the upper level of carbs recommended for our diabetics and the dry food is definitely way too high carbs and unlikely to help lower BG. The simple truth is that the DM food is not diabetic food....it's supposedly dietetic meant to keep weight under control and there is absolutely nothing prescription about it.

Come join us over on the Health Forum with all your questions and we'll share all our tips and tricks and help you get Louis on the path to better health.

 

Welcome. See you on the Health Forum – Feline Diabetes is a steep learning curve but becomes second nature rather quickly. We can help.

 

Welcome! Louis sure is a cutie! I think we were all scared and overwhelmed at first, but this site and the knowledgeable people on it will help you get Louis feeling better in no time. Do come to the Main Forum and ask any questions you have. We love to help!

 

I'm new here too, my kitty was just diagnosed as well. He's a ginger too, so just wanted to say hi! He's absolutely beautiful!

 

Hi @Lynda and Louis, I'm new here too and my kitty Whisky was diagnosed in September. He's a ginger too! Welcome to the forum!

Whisky is also on the Purina DM wet as well as insulin. From the reading I've done, and after feeling the affect on my wallet from the Purina DM, I'm looking at transitioning him to Fancy Feast Chicken Feast Pate (aka: Fancy Feast Classic) as the carb content is about the same but it's a lot cheaper and doesn't have carrageenan as an ingredient. Not all flavours are the same, but the chicken feast pate is low carb and similar ingredients to the Purina DM. I'm also mixing in a teensy bit of Tiki Cat succulent chicken about once a week, as it has 0% carbs and for a bit of texture and higher quality ingredients. I've been waiting a bit so we get him more regulated, and now that we're home testing for BG and ketones I'm going to start slowly transitioning him off the Purina DM.

You and Louis have got this! And the support here is incredible.