? Confused about feeding

[JoUp]

I'm confused about feeding and giving the insulin shot. The vet said to give 1/c of Rueben's WD
in the morning, then the shot. Then, 1/4 c in the evening with 1.5 oz wet food. He's a grazer, and
won't/can't eat a large serving. So I worried that the dosage prescribed would be too much for him,
and cause hypoglycemia. Thus, I cut the rec. dose of 3 back to 1.5, since he ate less than half the 1/2
c of food.

Today I tried to give two even amounts of dry food and will give him that tonight plus his
1.5 oz. of wet food. The difficulty I had with that last night was that he ate the wet food and
quit. Today he seemed edgy and hungry. I want to know if it's all right to leave kibble
(WD) down for him. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Kristine]

I personally wouldnt leave the kibble out for him. If he seems to be hungry inbetween meals give him a spoonfull of the wet food. I was feeding my Christopher only twice a day per vet recommendation and he was MISERABLE so the vet and I switched to 3 times a day. That has worked BEAUTIFULLY for us. He lost weight..... got friskier.... and has been off the juice for 3 months now. His numbers got better in a hurry when I took him off of dry food COMPLETELY!!

 

[JoUp]

Thank you, Kristine. The dry food is w/d because he has diarrhea without it. I haven't talked with my
veterinarian about a wet food change, so maybe that would help the situation. I have a feeling that
you are right - taking him off dry food completely may help. For the transition, I wonder about
half & half? I am so pleased that your kitty's numbers got better! I am so new at this - I have
only been giving him insulin since Friday. I've got the injection part down pretty well, and he
seems to enjoy all the extra attention. Now if I can get his diet sorted out! I appreciate your
suggestion!

 

[Squalliesmom]

If your kitty's diarrhea can be managed without dry food, his BG numbers would likely improve a good bit. I have a civvie with IBD who has long bouts of diarrhea very frequently. Mixing a little pure pumpkin puree (NOT the pie filling) into her food helps, along with a good probiotic. Feeding several smaller meals daily is easier on a diabetic kitty, as well, rather than two larger meals a day.

If you transition from dry to all wet, you MUST be home testing to ensure the safety of your cat. Changes should be made gradually, a little bit at a time, and you need to monitor blood glucose very closely as his level can drop over 100 pts or more, and he may require a dose reduction. Please read up on hypos and how to handle them, also. I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to be armed and ready should any issues arise! Here are some good links to info on home testing, transitioning to all wet, and handling hypos.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/transitioning-your-cat-from-dry-to-wet-food.956/

These links can all be found in the section titled Health Links / FAQs about Feline Diabetes. In addition, Dr. Pierson's full article can be found here:

www.catinfo.org

It is very helpful and well worth taking the time to read!

Rueben is cute as can be, lol, such a sweet little face!

 

[HyperJMA]

I totally get the frustration! Our sugarkitty has been on dry food for 19 years and trying to transition him to wet has been difficult and mostly hasn't worked. Right now we are giving him 1/4 of his daily calories in dry food in the morning, about an hour before insulin, as much wet food as he wants during the day. I can do this because I am home during the summer. And then 1/4 of his daily calories in dry food in the evening an hour before his evening dose of insulin. We are hoping to explore different food options during the day to find out what he likes, so that we can transition him next month off the dry kibble completely. But, at least knowing he is getting at least 1/2 of his daily calories in dry makes me feel better in hopes he wont go into DKA.