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[Lydia + Meeko]

My 12 year old wobbly cat got diagnosed ~1 week ago. He got skinny so I took him in. He has been prescribed senvelgo. He’s been acting ‘weird’. He isn’t eating as much as he should and he has always been free eater. I have 4 other cats… so free eating is not an option. Please. Any advice?? He has an appointment Friday for a follow up.

 

[Blanche]

Hello Lydia and welcome!

I'm also a newbie here so no advice of any kind. Just a few guidelines I was given when I joined by @Wendy&Neko:

"We believe in three important things for diabetes management. One of those is home testing. Most of us use human blood glucose meters because they are much better price both for the meters and the test strips. If she is OK wearing a scarf, you might be able to get a Freestyle Libre reader on here. More details here: Getting Started With Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) for Diabetic Cats

The second thing for managing diabetes is a good insulin for cats, and either Prozinc or Lantus/glargine (a human insulin) are the top choices."
Ok hold on here: She said that because I was already in insulin. Senvelgo is a treatment I'm not familiar with but there is a special forum for that.

The third important thing is what you are feeding her. The vet food isn't anything special and the Royal Canin one, both the wet and dry versions, are too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. We like to feed foods that are 10%carbs or less. If you let us know the country, we might be able to suggest some foods for you. Be careful that changing food types quickly can cause tummy upset, such as diarrhea."

So in order to help any experienced member to help you, you have to give them as much informations as possible.

It will be helpful to read the yellow stickies

Sticky - FDMB Guide to Posting and Etiquette
Sticky - HOW-TO USE THE FDMB: The Basics
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/creating-a-fdmb-profile.159626/

Have a nice day,

 

[Lydia + Meeko]

Thank you so much for ur response. Meeko is currently eating purina proplan. It’s expensive. I’m in the USA. Any suggestions are truly welcomed. I also have him eating tiki cat born carnivore. Please lmk what u guys think. Thanks in advance.

 

[squeem3]

There's info on Senvelgo here: Info - New Treatments for Feline Diabetes Few people here on FDMB use it but we can still help you.

Is the ProPlan and Tiki Cat dry or canned? A canned food only diet that is low in carbs is best for diabetic cats and it's possible to feed a multi-cat home the same food without going broke. Your non-diabetic cats can benefit from a low carb canned food diet, too. Food that is too high in carbs is the reason why many cats end up diabetic in the first place.

The canned food charts are here: Links to FOOD CHARTS

A newer US chart: Cat Food As-Fed Chart

Any food under 10% carbs is best. There are many brands to choose from: Fancy Feast pates, Friskies, some of the Tiki Cat, Blue Buffalo, etc What your cat likes to eat and you can afford is fine. For mutliple cats, many people buy a brand that is avaialble in larger 5.5 oz or even 13 oz can sizes and split a can(s) between all the cats. Other people buy cases of food.

Your diabetic will need to eat multiple small snacks daily in addition to breakfast and dinner. The snacks will keep blood glucose levels stable, kind of like how Human diabetics often snack on healthy things in between meals. There are microchip feeders you can get that will only allow your cat wearing the special microchip tag to access the food.

If you have to feed some dry, the only suggested brands that are ok for diabetics are Dr. Elsey's and Young Again. These are expensive, though. If you have to feed the non-diabetics a more affordable brand, then keep the diabetic away from it. We can suggest ways on how to do this.

Did the vet give you any information on testing blood glucose levels daily, either with a meter or a CGM?