Toby is new diagnosed i have a couple of questions

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Jackie goodrick

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Hi Toby was diagnosed 2 weeks ago he is on canisulin 1.5 twice a day, he is back at the vets tomorrow (they tried on friday but he wouldn't eat so he had to come home) since being on the insulin he has stopped drinking so much he's still seeing in the wrong places but that cleans up he does use the tray mostly. My big question is how much to give him to eat he's always asking for food he has a pouch in the morning, then insulin he has half a pouch at tea time (on my return from work between 4.30 and 5.30) then at 8pm he has his last pouch and his insulin (I have 7 cats so they all have to be fed at the same time) Jasper my other cat has thyroid medicine twice a day to. am i feeding him enough? what does everyone else feed their sugar cats the vet has given me royal canine diabetic food but that is ver expensive it might be there is a better choice until Toby's diagnosis he ate felix as good as it looks., and could graze on James wellbeloved biscuits
 
While he's unregulated he will be hungry more. As long as you feed him a half hour or so before each shot so he has food on board should the canisilun hit him hard, he can eat whenever he wants.

Typically what we recommend is the following... Don't feed 2 hours before test time (we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you home test so you aren't shooting blind), then test, feed, and a half hour later shoot. This way you know his number and can adjust doses. Then test again around 3 or 4 hours after shooting to make sure he is not dropping too low... Again he can graze as long as he eats prior to the shot.
 
Jackie goodrick said:
he is on canisulin 1.5 twice a day
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How did the vet determine the dose? A better starting point is 1 unit twice a day until you see through home testing of blood glucose how the dose affects his numbers.

Jackie goodrick said:
how much to give him to eat
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It's important with a fast acting insulin like Caninsulin that your kitty has a full meal 30 minutes before giving the insulin. A diabetic cat doesn't get full nutrition from his food so he can eat more than a non-diabetic cat. The best diet is a low carb wet food. Almost all dry kibble types, including those sold by vets for diabetic cats, are too high in carbs. There are grocery store brands that are as good as prescription foods and are much cheaper.
 
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hi Jackie, are you in the UK?

I'm guessing by the food types that you are. Maybe change your subject title if so and other UK people can help. My diabetic cat Angel eats mostly Purina dm wet, £29 for 24 cans from Animed, and also the low carb versions of Smila and Bozita available online from Zooplus. Eliz has done a survey of uk foods here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J5JpMe6TDXrHq_aTl9hUtHy6Gs9oRBqlz4nPGKxtySA/pubhtml
it's recommended to feed something less than 10% carbs. How much to feed depends on what type you're feeding. My other 3 cats now only eat low carb too, the Bozita and Smila, the Purina if I don't watch them and the ZiwiPeak air dried which I got for Angel but it makes him throw up!!
Are you home testing? If not this is the cheapest reliable glucometer, you will need extra strips and lancets too. Anything else just ask, everyone is lovely and I don't know what I would have done without them.

Assuming you are in UK check out this thread too x
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-college-diabetes-clinic.168209/#post-1836877
 
A lot of people on here feed fancy feast classics. I feed smoky FF classics, a few of the flaked and chunky varieties. I also give him Friskies or Nine Lives, just make sure the carbs are under 10 %. Catinfo.org has a food chart that shows the carbs in canned or raw food diets. I hope this helps you out.
 
Hi, my 11 years cat was diagnosed with diabetes last week. Today was my 1st day giving her insulin on my own (I hate needles). I am changing her food to can food only - I used to give her blue bafalo whight controll dry food & now I will stick with same brand can food. what should I be concerned? She just had tumer removed last Tuesday (that is when we found out she is diabetic)...any advice?
 
Hi Arezo, if you start a new thread people will know you are looking for advice. If you post here they will think you're replying to Jackie's post. If you go back to 'forums' and select feline health main forum the new thread link is to the right of the bar that says home-forums-main x
 
Arezo said:
Hi, my 11 years cat was diagnosed with diabetes last week. Today was my 1st day giving her insulin on my own (I hate needles). I am changing her food to can food only - I used to give her blue bafalo whight controll dry food & now I will stick with same brand can food. what should I be concerned? She just had tumer removed last Tuesday (that is when we found out she is diabetic)...any advice?
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Hi Arezo,

Word of warning: For safety, please don't switch from dry food to canned low carb food until you can home test your kitty through the transition. The food change can quickly and dramatically lower blood glucose levels and her current insulin dose could end up being too high.

Here's a vet-authored article about diabetes, food, and the critical importance of testing to keep a kitty on insulin safe when changing its diet:

catinfo.org - Feline Diabetes and Home Testing

Also because your little one is recovering from surgery keeping things as stable as possible for now might be the most safe and comfortable approach for her (plus her blood glucose levels may improve a little bit as her body heals). I wish her a smooth and speedy recovery.


Mogs
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Critter Mom said:
Hi Arezo,

Word of warning: For safety, please don't switch from dry food to canned low carb food until you can home test your kitty through the transition. The food change can quickly and dramatically lower blood glucose levels and her current insulin dose could end up being too high.

Here's a vet-authored article about diabetes, food, and the critical importance of testing to keep a kitty on insulin safe when changing its diet:

catinfo.org - Feline Diabetes and Home Testing

Also because your little one is recovering from surgery keeping things as stable as possible for now might be the most safe and comfortable approach for her (plus her blood glucose levels may improve a little bit as her body heals). I wish her a smooth and speedy recovery.


Mogs
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Thank you for the info.
 
Jackie goodrick said:
he has stopped drinking so much he's still seeing in the wrong places
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Ask your vet to check B12/folate (for possible occult diabetic neuropathy - improves with B12 methylcobalamin treatment and improved BG regulation) and also potassium levels (can cause physical weakness if they're out of whack - for critical safety reasons any supplementation treatment needs to be carried out under veterinary supervision with regular blood testing). Either may be a potential source of inappropriate elimination issues.


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Thanks everyone for the advice Toby has got to have his insulin increased to 2.5 an increase of 1 unit, he has been a good lad at the vets, i have been looking at the foods in the uk there is quite a lot of grain free low carb foods around that are a lot cheaper and more practical for a multi cat house, this morning toby was eating Millies food and she was eating his i only turned around for a second little terrors, i am sure we will get there its all very scary even though i am used to diabetes my hubby and granddaughter are both insulin dependent, but its a little different in a cat that can't tell you how he feels once again thanks I'm sure i will be asking lots of questions in the future and as i learn more hopefully i will be able to contribute to others x
 
@Jackie goodrick .....Increasing by a whole unit is a really big increase....we usually do increases in .25 to .5 unit increments only because insulin is such a powerful hormone and in our sugarcats, even a drop too much can lead to tragic consequences

Please make sure you are home testing so you can keep Toby safe!!
 
Hiya Chris and China, i am following the vets instructions i have not tested the vet said there is no need to as they are checking him weekly, i am of course keeping a very close eye on him, he has eaten his food a lot slower tonight (normally he can't eat it fast enough) He does seem a little quiet tonight but he usually is after his tea he will have his insulin with his supper later.
 
My old vet told me that too about bringing in smoky for weekly testing. My thoughts on that: of course the vets will tell you that, they can charge you for it every week. It's more money in their pockets.
I didn't do home testing at first either but I decided I just can't afford weekly BG checks at $25 each week.
I just had a recent experience with my kitty who was recovering from a UTI and needed a higher dose at the time. I gave him the same dose yesterday morning not knowing that it was too much for him. Thank God I was off work because he dropped from 350 to 84 in 6.5 hours. He was at 94 three hours after that. His PMPS was 121 so I felt he was too low for a shot last night. I shudder to think what might have happened had I not been home testing and just gave him his regular dose of 3.5 units. I'm not trying to scare you or make you feel bad. I post on this site a lot for advice and the wonderful people here have helped me immensely.
 
Jackie goodrick said:
i have not tested the vet said there is no need to as they are checking him weekly
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We hear that a lot around here.....I'm betting that your granddaughter is tested before every shot....it should be the same with your furkid!

As Larry said, just the stress from being at the vets office can raise the glucose 100 points or more so the vet tells you to increase (based on the stress-influenced numbers) and you go home, Toby relaxes and his blood glucose drops.....that's a recipe for a tragedy

We only want to keep Toby safe, as I'm sure you want to do too! Home testing is really important....Not only can it tell you if it's safe to give insulin at all, it can help tell you how Toby is responding to treatment
 
Hi i am intending to check his bloods at home i have discussed this with my vet as it cost £100 per visit, i don't have a testing kit at present i did ask if i can use a human one as my hubby has 2 or 3 lying about i didn't really get an answer also my granddaughter has a sensor fitted to her arm.
 
I don't know that particular make but I think they should be ok. Have you seen all the articles on here about how to home test? x
 
hi i have been doing a lot of research an everything diabetes related watching tube how to etc I'm not sure of the numbers i am looking for though i will have chat with the vet next week I'm hopeing that next week is the last curve for a while its getting expensive, since his increase in insulin he seems much better, he's not gulping his food he's not drinking nearly as much and the peeing is back to normal so I'm hoping we are getting there, Ive put him on a low carb diet the vet suggested Hills diabetic but that is very expensive and from what i have heard its not the best food, he's enjoying hi life so are the other cats. so i am hoping we are getting there. giving the injections are getting easier now as well.
 
Hi Jackie,

If you can manage to master home BG monitoring it'll save you a fortune on glucose curves.

It's very good to hear that his nibs' symptoms are reducing, that he's feeling better and that things are getting easier for you, too. :)


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