i'm giving my cat, punkin, chinese herbs Di Gu Pi, that were given to him by a vet who is also a veterinary acupuncturist. Punkin has acromegaly (a tumor in his pituitary gland that causes the diabetes) and we're getting him acupuncture treatments to help his pain. i give him 2 capsules twice a day. we started the herbs 11/25. the vet would like him to have 3 capsules per dose, but it gives him diarrhea so we've stayed at 2.
this formula is only sold to vets.
i also give him insulin and would not skip the insulin in order to see if the herbs work. the insulin is a certainty. it is dangerous to the cat's body to remain in high numbers for too long.
the first step you can take to improve oliver's BG (blood glucose) is to switch him to a low-carb, canned food diet. many of us feed fancy feast classics or friskies pate style - those are all low carb. you can find detailed information on feline nutrition at
http://www.catinfo.org and lists of carbs and other food values in the
janet & binky's list
if you have had him on dry food, which many of us also did, that alone may make a huge difference in the BG. making the switch now before you've started insulin is an excellent idea. it can take a couple of days for the effects of carbs to leave oliver's body, depending on how his body works. if you home-test and see what's happening we can help you with your next steps.
and welcome to the Sugar Dance! we'll be glad to help you with whatever questions you have.
