Newly diagnosed :(

Hi,

After a very scary trip to the vet, Lint was diagnosed with pancreatitis and then diabetes.

Lint is only 11 years old and has been very healthy his whole life. He is a smoked eqytion mau who now has a few patches in his fur from being shaved for iv fluids and to have blood drawn.

It was recommended that I try diet changes before insulin. I was hoping for advice and help understanding this new diagnosis, I am to terrified of losing him to something that can be treated.

I appreciate any and all replies!!

 

Welcome Becky and Lint (love the name) to FDMB. Yes probably a diet change is the best especially before starting insulin. I am assuming that you were feeding dry food? Anyway, here is a great article created by Dr. Lisa Pierson. The article talks a lot about diet and also includes a list of foods which are low in carbs. Holler if you have any questions. www.catinfo.org

 

Welcome to FDMB.
Switching to low carb canned or raw food may reduce the glucose level 100-200 mg/dL, and in 1 case, dropped the glucose 300 mg/dL.
Making the switch about 20-25% different food every day or so will help minimize the chances of food refusal, or GI upset (diarrhea or vomiting).
If you've a cat that scarfs, it helps to add a tablespoon of water to a meal and spread it thinly across a wide plate. You can freeze part of the food to be eaten as it thaws, too.

 

Hey Cindi and Merlin!
What a cute cat!! Yes I was free feeding dry food and giving a small amount of wet food in the morning and evening.
Thank you for the article, it was extremely helpful!
I bought some of the tiki cat and B.f.f to try, so far he is loving the wet food!!
Thank you so much, I'm sure I will have more questions the more I read!!

 

Thank you! He does love to scarf down food! I have taken your advice and added more water to his food to help, also he was pretty dehydrated so this has definitely helped!! I am definitely going to try freezing some food so he will have something to eat throughout the day when I have to work longer!
Thank you so much for your time and advice!

 

You might invest in a timed feeder if you find he'll eat the frozen part before it completely thaws. Folks here have found the Pet Safe 5 fairly reliable. Check Amazon for pricing, then compare with your local Pet Smart, etc. as some of the local stores will match prices.

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I freeze water down food in ice cube trays. I make about 30 of them at a time and pop them out into a larger tuper ware bowl and freeze. I gave about 2-3 of them when I was going to be gone all day and it worked great.

I also elevated all my cat's food dish. It sometimes helps with those that have tummy and nausea issues and I just think it is more natural for them to sit and eat that way.