Cannot test due to arthritis

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Neko

Member Since 2021
Hi to everyone-
I am desperately looking for advice on how to safely care for my diabetic kitty, who is on 1 unit of insulin 2x/day. I have read so many testimonials about the importance of home testing, but what if I am unable to do this because of the chronic arthritis I have in my hands? Taking him to the vet to have a curve done is financially out of my reach, and even if I could afford it, that doesn't address the daily monitoring needs. Does anyone know what the repercussions might be if I transition Neko quickly to a raw diet, discontinue giving insulin injections, and use litter box strips to monitor any rising BG levels?
I am anxiously awaiting for any thoughts on this.
Thank you!!
 
A raw food diet is not necessarily zero carbs and sometimes cats do better with a few carbs than no carbs. Also, we have had a few diabetic cat on raw food who still needed insulin, my girl Neko was one of them. Once the pancreas is damaged and the cat needs insulin (if that is what caused the diabetes), insulin therapy is needed to help heal the pancreatic beta cells. There are also canned food that are also zero carbs. Although I'm a big believer in raw food if the cat will eat it, it's not magic in terms of lower carbs.

We have also had cats that changed from high carb dry food and with just a few shots of insulin have gone into remission. What food is your Neko eating now? I'm trying to figure out the difference in what you are feeding now and zero or close to zero carb food.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
A raw food diet is not necessarily zero carbs and sometimes cats do better with a few carbs than no carbs. Also, we have had a few diabetic cat on raw food who still needed insulin, my girl Neko was one of them. Once the pancreas is damaged and the cat needs insulin (if that is what caused the diabetes), insulin therapy is needed to help heal the pancreatic beta cells. There are also canned food that are also zero carbs. Although I'm a big believer in raw food if the cat will eat it, it's not magic in terms of lower carbs.

We have also had cats that changed from high carb dry food and with just a few shots of insulin have gone into remission. What food is your Neko eating now? I'm trying to figure out the difference in what you are feeding now and zero or close to zero carb food.
Click to expand...
Wendy&Neko said:
A raw food diet is not necessarily zero carbs and sometimes cats do better with a few carbs than no carbs. Also, we have had a few diabetic cat on raw food who still needed insulin, my girl Neko was one of them. Once the pancreas is damaged and the cat needs insulin (if that is what caused the diabetes), insulin therapy is needed to help heal the pancreatic beta cells. There are also canned food that are also zero carbs. Although I'm a big believer in raw food if the cat will eat it, it's not magic in terms of lower carbs.

We have also had cats that changed from high carb dry food and with just a few shots of insulin have gone into remission. What food is your Neko eating now? I'm trying to figure out the difference in what you are feeding now and zero or close to zero carb food.
Click to expand...
Hi Wendy-
Thank you so much for responding! I know this is lengthy but I wanted to provide you with as much detail as needed for you to make an assessment. Please know that I am SO appreciative for the time and advice you've already given!!
I have a long list of the assorted canned foods that I am feeding. I have another kitty besides Neko, and she's quite finicky!
First, though, I should mention what I was feeding Neko prior to the diagnosis: thinking that I was buying quality canned food, I did not pay attention to the ingredients. Once I looked at it, I found that most of the food was grain free but contained some form of starch as one of the top three ingredients.
Kibble has never been given free-choice - he would get about 2 tablespoons 2x/day. However the kibble I was feeding was not low carb.
Presently I am feeding a variety of high protein, lower carb food (although they still contain potato or tapioca starch, guar gum, potassium chloride, etc., they are farther down on the list of ingredients). I have some cans of Evanger's that have zero starch. I am also taking the advice commonly given on this message board to feed Fancy Feast classic pate. The modest amount of kibble I am feeding now is Tiki Cat Born Carnivore.
Neko and I thank you for your time and much needed advice!
 
You could talk to your vet about using a Freestyle Libre. The sensor attaches to. your cat's skin and allows you to monitor fro 2 weeks per sensor. It has to be replaced every 2 weeks.
 
Neko said:
Hi to everyone-
I am desperately looking for advice on how to safely care for my diabetic kitty, who is on 1 unit of insulin 2x/day. I have read so many testimonials about the importance of home testing, but what if I am unable to do this because of the chronic arthritis I have in my hands? Taking him to the vet to have a curve done is financially out of my reach, and even if I could afford it, that doesn't address the daily monitoring needs. Does anyone know what the repercussions might be if I transition Neko quickly to a raw diet, discontinue giving insulin injections, and use litter box strips to monitor any rising BG levels?
I am anxiously awaiting for any thoughts on this.
Thank you!!
Click to expand...
So is holding the Lancet the difficult part? You could hold a Lancing device, that would probably be more comfortable
 
If you haven't seen it yet, this cat food list contains a lot of the foods available in North America, though a couple years out of date now. In my experience, even things with starches, such as potatoes, can be higher carb. There is nothing special about Fancy Feast, except their food is generally cost effective and the pates are low carb. There are quite a few good options out there.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
If you haven't seen it yet, this cat food list contains a lot of the foods available in North America, though a couple years out of date now. In my experience, even things with starches, such as potatoes, can be higher carb. There is nothing special about Fancy Feast, except their food is generally cost effective and the pates are low carb. There are quite a few good options out there.
Click to expand...
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
You could talk to your vet about using a Freestyle Libre. The sensor attaches to. your cat's skin and allows you to monitor fro 2 weeks per sensor. It has to be replaced every 2 weeks.
Click to expand...
Thank you for responding, Sienne! I was excited when I first heard about the Freestyle Libre, until I read the testimonials from other FDMB members. The primary complaint was that the meter wouldn't stay on for the length of time needed, and replacing the meter is not cheap. Another drawback for me is that the meter has to be scanned within 8 hours or all the data will be lost. I work full time and am gone for 10 hours a day. I wish this could have been an option.
 
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