Just diagnosed and need advice

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by JenniferH, Jul 17, 2018.

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  1. JenniferH

    JenniferH Member

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    Jul 17, 2018
    My 11 year old cat Skittles was just diagnosed with diabetes. He had extensive mouth surgery 8 days ago and his glucose was 459. I took him back to the vet for a recheck today and it was 366. There was also glucose in his urine but no ketones. He also lost 1.4 lbs in the last 8 days. He has been on hills c/d most of his life due to stones and bladder issues. I'm not sure what to do? Do I try changing his diet before going straight to insulin which I don't believe he will handle well. What food do I go to because of the other issues he has. He doesn't like wet food. He has only been eating hills a/d wet food recently bc of the extensive surgery. My vet is planning on calling hills to see what the recommend but I want to know what works. My cat gets stressed easily. Hates the vet and the 40 minute car ride there. What should I do? I can't stand the thought of losing my baby.
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2018
  2. FurBabiesMama

    FurBabiesMama Well-Known Member

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    Jul 6, 2017
    Welcome. High protein, low carb. low phosphorus wet food is the best. A lot of us had cats who were always fed dry and did not want anything to do with wet, but the transition is possible. There is a site called catinfo.org that has a lot of info about feline nutrition including the reasons dry food is horrible for them and tips for transition kibble addicts to wet. There is also a cat food database (link in my signature) to help you select foods that are appropriate. The vet whose site it is and who made the food list recommends, "start with protein minimum of 40, fat maximum of 50, carb max of 10, and for cats with kidney issues....phos less than 300".

    A lot of people make the diet change first, and for some cats, that is enough. So, you could certainly try that. You will want to get a glucose meter and start testing so that you will know whether the diet change alone is working or if you need the insulin. Most cats (and their humans) get used to the shots and testing quicker than you would expect. And, if you are testing at home, you will not have to put him through the stress of frequent vet visits.

    Please post any questions you have on the main health forum. This is really just a welcome/introduction forum. You will get a lot of advice and support here. Diabetes is very treatable. It is not a death sentence!
     
  3. Idjit's mom

    Idjit's mom Well-Known Member

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    Apr 3, 2018
    Welcome Jennifer and Skittles. We all started here at the beginning and you will find lots of support and information here on the board. I do want to tell you that getting Idjit off the dry food, and eating only the low carb wet food, really lowered his blood glucose. With a very short time of insulin support he was in remission, no more insulin. No guarantees or promises, but it's possible that if you can transition Skittles it may make the difference. As FurBabiesMama said, the home testing will let you know what is happening. And, if you do have to start injecting insulin, then you are going to be able to home test to keep Skittles safe from a too low blood sugar level.
     
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  4. SalliesMom

    SalliesMom New Member

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    Jul 3, 2018
    My Sallie was diagnosed earlier this year. Once we started feeding him only wet food his numbers got alot better. We started off with the DM wet food but he quickly got tired of the same old, same old. After doing some research, we found that he is OK to have the Fancy Feast Classic Pate canned wet food. That way he gets a variety. He still needs a shot of insulin in the morning and at night but he is doing much better.
     
  5. Idjit's mom

    Idjit's mom Well-Known Member

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    Apr 3, 2018
    Welcome Sallie and Sallie's mom. Sallie has beautiful markings.
    We feed the Fancy Feast Classics too, plus Friskies pates. I know what you mean about same old, same old. What insulin are you shooting, and what is the dose? Are you home testing too? I hope so, it's the best way to keep Sallie safe and know how the insulin is affecting his body. Feeding the low carb wet food lowers the BG, so you need to know how low the blood glucose is going, and prevent a hypo event.:cat:
     
  6. SalliesMom

    SalliesMom New Member

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    Jul 3, 2018
    He is on ProZinc, 2ML's in the morning and at night. We only just home tested him because the vet wanted to see how he was doing and said his numbers are better now than when he was diagnosed. Vet said if he keeps getting better we can maybe go to one shot of insulin a day.
     
  7. Idjit's mom

    Idjit's mom Well-Known Member

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    Apr 3, 2018
    SalliesMom, we need to get you over to the ProZinc forum for advice on the projected once daily dose. I do not know if ProZinc is one of the insulins that work best if given 2x a day. Here's the link: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
    We kind of piggybacked on JenniferH's introduction thread here, and I apologize Jennifer! :confused:
    Please keep home testing, it's critical for your cat's well being. Let's bring additional questions and concerns over to the Main Forum, so that more people can see and respond: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/
     
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