First Timer

[crazycatlady]

Hello,

I am so glad that I have found this site. My beautiful Manche was just diagnosed with diabetes. His blood sugar was 500 at the reading. We go back Friday for our next reading after 1 week of shots. Boy does this change your life. I have 4 cats and 1 large dog. I cried for 2 days once we found out but after reading many articles, I realize that this is not a death sentence for my baby. I am going to sped a few days reading through this forum as I have so many questions on food and the best way to stop free feeding 4 cats (after 5 years) so that Manche can have his special food. My vet is recomending to put Manche on Science Diet D-M.

Look forward to reading eveyone's experiences,

Susan (Crazy Cat Lady)!

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Hi Susan. Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. Yes, read a lot. The Health and diet subjects on the main index page are a great help.

As you'll read, we test our cats at home . Several reasons: vet testing is expensive and not as accurate as home. Stress raises blood glucose levels and most cats are stressed at the vet. Also, we want to know what the level is before we give a shot (just like humans do) and what it is midcycle, to see how the insulin is working.

We like wet low carb food. This site by a vet expalins why: www.catinfo.org. We have food charts with carb counts, and try to stay around 8%. We think regular food is just as good or better than prescription foods, and is much less expensive.

ProZinc is a good insulin. I hope your vet started you on a nice low dose. We like to have cats start at .5 - 1 unit 2X daily and raise the dose slowly, as home testing indicates.

Do your reading and ask lots of questions. We'd love to help you help Manche.

 

[LynnLee + Mousie]

hi and welcome!

just wanted to pop in real quick and let you know you aren't alone. people will be along shortly to ask you questions and answer any questions you have. there's a lot in the beginning so don't overwhelm yourself trying to take it all in at once. take notes and read over them in your free time. you'll be fine

just so you know, my Mousie was diagnosed diabetic 7 years ago last friday and is still going strong, biting me every chance she can so you are right, it is not a death sentence

 

[BJM]

...I am going to sped a few days reading through this forum as I have so many questions on food and the best way to stop free feeding 4 cats (after 5 years) so that Manche can have his special food. My vet is recomending to put Manche on Science Diet D-M....

Yyou may continue free-feeding the cats. I did, when Spitzer was alive, and still do.

You'd be better off switching all of them to Friskies pates before starting the insulin - low carb, not horribly expensive ($0.78 per 13 oz can at WalMart in Columbus, OH), and available whenever your pet food supply or grocery is open, unlike the prescription stuff which is expensive, available only when the vet is open, and requires hovering over the cats to limit who eats it.

Make any and all food switches slowly - about 20-25% different each day - to avoid GI upsets.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Hello and welcome to the board,

As BJ said, a food change to low carb can make a huge difference to blood sugar and many cats blood sugar drop, or go into remission with a change to a low carb canned food. However you want to be home testing first since you have started insulin.

Home testing is the safest way to go, and helps save money and be better able to judge if/when a dose change is needed. We can advise on how to test etc.

Once you are home testing, I would change to a low carb wet like friskies pâtés or fancy feats pâtés. You don't need the expensive vet md food.. And you really don't want it if its the dry kind. Dry is too high in carbs, and many cats get sick of the dm flavour (liver) quickly.



Wendy

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

It says in your signature that you are already using ProZinc. If that is the case, i would not change to wet low carb until you are testing at home. When we switched our Oliver from dry to wet, he went down 100 points overnight. If we hadn't been testing and gave hin his usual dose, he would likely have hypoed.

 

[donaleen and Ozy]

Hi Susan. Welcome! Lots of crazy cat ladies and guys here. Don't hesitate to ask questions. My Ozy was diagnosed about two months ago and I can't imagine how much harder, maybe impossible, it would be without this board and the support and knowledge. You are in the right place to get help.

donaleen