Asthma, pancreatitis & diabetes

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Juan's Mom

Juan's Mom

Member Since 2022
Hello all,

I am a few weeks into finding out my sweet 8 y/o boy has pancreatitis and diabetes. He has already had chronic asthma since age 2 that is well maintained with an inhaler, but I am overwhelmed with the abundance of knowledge on diabetes and am finding it difficult to wrap my head around a diet plan that is also good for pancreatitis. He is currently on insulin glargine and gallbladder medicine.

Anyone else in the same boat with advice?
 
Welcome Juan's mom
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.
The link will also explain how to create the spreadsheet and how to use it
Are you home testing ?

Your kitty is adorable :cat:
 
Juan's Mom said:
Hello all,

I am a few weeks into finding out my sweet 8 y/o boy has pancreatitis and diabetes. He has already had chronic asthma since age 2 that is well maintained with an inhaler, but I am overwhelmed with the abundance of knowledge on diabetes and am finding it difficult to wrap my head around a diet plan that is also good for pancreatitis. He is currently on insulin glargine and gallbladder medicine.

Anyone else in the same boat with advice?
Click to expand...
@Suzanne & Darcy

@Sienne and Gabby (GA)

@Wendy&Neko

@tiffmaxee

Thanks ladies
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. Yes it is overwhelming in the beginning but it does get much easier as you learn about FD. And you have come to the best possible place. This is a very knowledgeable and supportive forum and we are happy to answer all your questions.

Diabetic cats need a low carb wet diet and that is suitable for a cat that has pancreatitis as well.
Here is a FOOD CHART that has all the information you need. Look for foods that are 10% or under carbs. Most of us feed around 4 to 7% carbs. I would also recommend you set up a hypo kit in case of low numbers
Here is a link to the hypo kit and other useful information
HELP US HELP YOU

Can you give us some information about Juan please?
What dose of glargine is he on?
Would you be interested in hometesting the blood glucose? We are strong advocates of home testing as it will keep Juan safe and you wil know how well, or not, the dose of insulin is doing.
What are you feeding Juan at the moment? We recommend you give a meal before the dose of insulin and then give a couple of snacks of low carb food (a couple of teaspoons of low carb food is a snack) each cycle (12 hours) during the first 6 or 7 hours after the insulin is given.
What gallbladder medications is he having?
Bron
 
Pancreatitis or IBD are common as Wendy pointed out since the pancreas is already compromised. Minnie had the latter and asthma and cardiomyopathy! Just wanted to assure you, you’ve come to the right place for guidance. Folks here are extremely generous with their time and knowledge so ask away! It’s alright to be overwhelmed I was too but like anything in life, it gets better the more you understand and with practice.
 
Thank you all! Here are some more details about Juan and where I am in this new journey:

Specs: 8 year old tuxedo cat, male, neutered, I have had him since he was a kitten, 14.8 lbs. SWEETEST momma's boy ever <3

Illness Summary: Juan was about 2 y/o when he was diagnosed with chronic asthma. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis, diabetes, and fatty liver syndrome on 11/11/22. Between his 11/11 diagnosis and now (12/30), Juan has been through a lot, including a feeding tube (that he pulled out twice), an exploratory laparotomy (not a cancerous tumor like we thought, just a bunch of scar tissue form pancreatitis!!), and multiple other random vet visit due to vomiting, not pooping, pooping too much, stitch removal, etc.

Medication: Juan is currently on 2 units of insulin glargine every 12 hours and takes 1/3 of a Ursodiol 250 mg pill every 24 hours. The vet diagnosed 2 units of insulin after Juan had the Freestyle Libre attachment on him for 14 days to track BG for his curve and see if he would go into remission (he did not, 2 units showed to be the sweet spot) and the Ursodiol to prevent gall stones. Juan also has an inhaler where he gets a puff once a day when he is wheezy (depends on on season and humidity, sometimes he can go weeks without and be ok, sometimes he needs everyday).

Current Food/Feeding: Over this rollercoaster of events, the main focus was to get Juan eating anything and everything I could on his own. Now that he is recovering well and no longer has a feeding tube it is time to reign in the diet which is why I am here now! I have a multi-cat household where I have always kept bowls full of dry food for free range snacking, which is currently Hills Science Diet Sensitive Skin and Stomach dry food and I supplement occasionally with wet food, may different kinds of flavors, brands, protein sources, etc.
**I will be buy a meter and start home testing before I transition to a low carb diet to avoid any low sugar events**

Where I am in the process/Next Steps: Now I am trying to get Juan into a routine and get him on a better diet and get him used to getting his shots but he is PICKY and gets mad when he is not allowed free snacking at all hours of dry food, he also seems to prefer dry food over wet food and will not eat something he doesn't like no matter how hungry. BUT I have been reading a lot of info from Lisa Pierson, DVM about how to successfully transition to an all wet food diet and she has great info on her website about diabetes and food...so I am feeling much better about planning Juan's diet change. I am currently not at home BG testing as I did not know that was a thing, but I am currently looking into a meter and want to do at home testing and will be getting a meter to at home test before implementing any diet changes! I am also exploring the spreadsheet in the forum, and just trying to wrap my head around routine building, how to track his calories and carbs, and just taking in all of the change.

Because of everything he has been through in the past month and a half I am still in that anxious headspace where anytime I leave the house I worry and fear until I am home with him again. Change is hard but I am willing to do anything to keep him happy and healthy and all of these resources I have come across here have been making this much easier on me and Juan!
 
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In that link above called "help us help you", posted by both Bron and Diane, you'll find a section on updating your signature. It's a great place to record thing that might impact the diabetes and how it's managed. Medical condition and medications are one example.

And yet another post that might help you in the current state of your journey. Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food
 
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