amandazzle
Member Since 2013
I hope that I have posted this in the correct place, but it has been almost a year since I last posted and I wanted to thank everyone in this community for all their help and advice.
Last November, Foster was diagnosed as diabetic. Like most people, I was super distraught, worried about the health of my little friend and concerned that my nonprofit paycheck would not be able to give Foster the care he needed. For a few months I battled the glucose, trying desperately to keep his numbers in a normal range. I watched in terror as he seemed to get worse and worse. I felt helpless that I could not figure out what his body needed.
However, with the advice of people on this forum, I changed his diet, diligently tested his glucose, and did my best to learn everything that I could about the disease. I'm a scientist and I really appreciated having the charts, data, and the ability to test and see if what I was doing was working. Foster's vet, while well meaning, really wanted me to leave it to him. With limited funds, I simply wasn't able to have the vet monitor him that closely. Last January, Foster's numbers improved and I decided to take him off insulin. It has been almost eleven months, and he continues to thrive. His numbers are well within normal ranges. I owe it all to everyone on this forum.
For those that are new, do your best to learn everything you can. Diet changes to a high protein, wet food, don't have to be the most expensive option (my guys eat Friskies and sometimes homemade food), but it has made a big difference in both my senior cats. I know not everyone will be able to take their cats off insulin, but there is hope and it does get easier.
Good luck everyone! I will check in here and perhaps I can help people with my experience, like others did for me.
Last November, Foster was diagnosed as diabetic. Like most people, I was super distraught, worried about the health of my little friend and concerned that my nonprofit paycheck would not be able to give Foster the care he needed. For a few months I battled the glucose, trying desperately to keep his numbers in a normal range. I watched in terror as he seemed to get worse and worse. I felt helpless that I could not figure out what his body needed.
However, with the advice of people on this forum, I changed his diet, diligently tested his glucose, and did my best to learn everything that I could about the disease. I'm a scientist and I really appreciated having the charts, data, and the ability to test and see if what I was doing was working. Foster's vet, while well meaning, really wanted me to leave it to him. With limited funds, I simply wasn't able to have the vet monitor him that closely. Last January, Foster's numbers improved and I decided to take him off insulin. It has been almost eleven months, and he continues to thrive. His numbers are well within normal ranges. I owe it all to everyone on this forum.
For those that are new, do your best to learn everything you can. Diet changes to a high protein, wet food, don't have to be the most expensive option (my guys eat Friskies and sometimes homemade food), but it has made a big difference in both my senior cats. I know not everyone will be able to take their cats off insulin, but there is hope and it does get easier.
Good luck everyone! I will check in here and perhaps I can help people with my experience, like others did for me.
