I could really use some advice!

I am a young pet owner and these are my first kitties. I want to make sure I am doing everything right for them so they can be their healthiest! Here is my story...

My kitty Damian was diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago. He has been living a good and healthy life with twice daily small doses of vetsulin. About 4 months ago he had all his teeth removed due to some major dental problems. About 3 weeks ago he was having issues with vomitting and fatigue so I took him in to his regular vet. The vet ran the normal BG tests and has informed me that Damian's fatigue was due to a very low bloodsugar. The vet has recommended no more insulin and to put him on a high protein low carb diet. I am following the vets directions perfectly except for one little problem.... I cannot get him to eat the new food! I have tried Evo turkey and chicken dry food and Firstmate fish and potatoe with blueberries. I am worried about him being off his insulin and then not eating enough. Any advice, suggestions or any overall knowledge would be greatly appreciated!!


(I also have a non-diabetic cat, are the high protein foods good for him as well? He wont eat the new food either)

 

Welcome to OTJ life! Its wonderful that Damian has been able to come off of the insulin.

For food I recommend either going raw or finding the Janet and Binky charts on the site and getting foods with low carbs (non-gravied are usually good). Get canned food. No dry unless Damian refuses to eat any wet, dry is just not good for him. We feed a mainly Fancy Feast with a mix of Wellness Core, Friskies, ProPlan, 9-Lives, Whiskas, Sophisticat Supreme (the regular smells nasty in my opinion). We feed a lot of 3-5% from the charts with about once or twice a day going up to 7-10% and maybe once a week up as high as 15%.

All of my cats eat the same thing and the nondiabetics are much healthier since we switched. They gained weight at first, but now that they are used to it and don't over eat, they are sleeker cats with a nice shiny coat.

I also continue to test. That way I will be able to see things affecting her BGs and catch problems before we get into dangerous territory again.

 

When Jake was diagnosed in July 2009 I immediately changed him and Civvie Boomer to Fancy Feast canned food. They were previously dry food addicts, but the transition went very well. Jake went into remission about six weeks ago, and Boomer lost about three pounds bringing him under 15 pounds and hopefully not ever getting diabetes!! Recently, however, Jake was having very loose stools on a regular basis so I changed both boys over to canned Wellness - another smooth transition.The Wellness varieties I use are low in carbs abd phosphorus (Beef & Chicken, Turkey, Chicken, and Turkey & Salmon). To keep Jake from going after the dry dog food, I found Evo Wild Cravings Dry treats (Turkey & Chicken only - that has only 9 carbs). Jake gets about 10 of those little pieces a day that seems to satisfy his "dry food" urge. These treats are only 20 cals out of his 200 plus calories that he gets each day. The phosphorus is a little high in these treats, but again, it is a very small part of his diet and he really likes them. He was eating those treats BEFORE he went into remission so I am assuming a small amount of 9 carb dry food won't take him out of remission unless someone has some different thoughts on that?

Judy, Jake, & Civvie Boomer

 

Jayleybird, could I ask how low your kitty's blood sugar was?