calories per day / cat walking on hocks

[chris1950]

Hi, my name is Chris. My cat, Tux was just diagnosed with diabetes. Since I had another cat, Big Ginger who was
A diabetic ( now deceased) , all my cats were on high protien low carb food. I've been using Orijen dry, wellness chicken, and fancy feast pate. Up until a week ago the Orijen was out all day. Now the feeding schedule for all cats corresponds to Tux and his insulin shots. And they get small treats of canned ( a teaspoon or 2) , throughout the afternoon. Tux is on Novalin N, 1 1/2 units 2 x a day. His BG levels run 445 am, 247 6 hrs later, 495 pm. He's always high am and pm. Never lethargic, always alert. But he's walking on his hocks. It clears a little then he goes back walking on them. Has anyone had this problem?
Also , Tux never finishes a can of food. Ever. He loves his Orijen dry, and I've been trying to get all cats transitioned to wet for about 3 mos . My, question about Tux and his food ; is he getting enough on 1/8 c. Orijen 2x a day ( 500 calorie s per cup), plus about 2oz wet 2x a day. If a 13lb cat should average 20 calories per pound , that's 260 calories per day. He's getting 125 calories from the Orijen, and 55 calories from a 1/4 can of wellness ( 220 calories per 5.5oz can) 2x a day. For a total of 235. Is this correct and do I have to be this strict with him? Its only been a week, but his levels are still high. Could it be the insulin? All dry food outside for my outside crew is pulled when Tux goes out. My cats are threatening to go back to their feral roots and start hunting!
Any advice?

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB.

You're home testing - that is terrific! Its a hurdle many folks find challenging.

You're switching to low carb, canned or raw foods; that one can be another challenge, especially for die hard kibble addicts. Orijen is still too high in carbohydrate calories. Have you seen Young Again 0 Carb (5% calories from carbohyrates), available on the internet? That might be a good transition food to use. You feed less of it, so the higher cost is sp read out over smaller portions. Cat Info has tips on transitioning as well as a food list for North America that you can revies for selections. It also has a section on obesity and calorie adjustment.

Now, the insulin. You may have used Humulin previously. In many cats, though, it lasts only 6 to 8 hours, so when it wears off, up goes the glucose level. That is why the preshots are so high. If you're budget doesn't allow a switch to a longer lasting insulin, can you shoot about every 8
hours? For an increased price, from modest to large, BCP PZI, ProZinc, Levemir, & Lantus all last roughly 12 hours and work better for most cats. The first 2 are in and out insulins with no overlap in effect; the 2nd 2 have durations that overlap and give smoother control of glucose levels.