Food help for my diabetic cat!

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lexiruby

lexiruby

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confused_cat Hi there,
I am new to this site, and I LOVE it! I am learning so much. My diabetic cat "Ruby" is on Hills Science Diet W/D, dry food. I have been reading that the wet food is better for diabetics. If so, what is the best food for her? Any suggestions are welcome and much needed.
Thank you,
Jen
 
Welcome!

My cat, Oliver, also ate Science Diet Lite most of his life. I am convinced that led to him being overweight and then, diabetic. The good news is that we turned it around with wet lo carb food and insulin.

You can feed any wet lo carb that you can afford and that your kitty will eat. We try to feed under 10% carbs. Here is a food chart that will help: Janet and Binky’s chart

BUT changing food can really lower blood glucose levels. When we switched Oliver over from dry to wet, his levels went down 100 points overnight. So we recommend that you test your cat at home to be sure your insulin doses are safe. Video for hometesting
We've taught hundreds of people how to test over the internet; we'd love to help you learn how.
 
Thank you so much for replying so fast.
If the wet foods bring the glucose down, what is the best way to transition to a wet food?
I am not home testing at the moment. She was diagnosed 4 months ago, and now it seems that
diabetic neuropathy is setting in, I am concerned. I have done research on home testing, and have asked
how to do it on this site. I know feel confident that I can do it! I will get a testing kit in a couple of days.
And, should I contact the vet for her opinion? It seems that in everyones experience, the vet doesn't
recommend home testing.
 
lexiruby said:
Thank you so much for replying so fast.
If the wet foods bring the glucose down, what is the best way to transition to a wet food?
I am not home testing at the moment.
Click to expand...

I suggest that before you change the diet that you learn how to test your cat's blood glucose levels at home. That way you can closely monitor blood glucose levels while doing a very slow diet change. It's not uncommon for a cat to drop well over 100 points on a diet change and most likely the insulin dose will need to be decreased.

Here are general tips on how to change diet: http://catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20for%20Tr ... -18-09.pdf

What insulin and dose is your cat on?

lexiruby said:
She was diagnosed 4 months ago, and now it seems that
diabetic neuropathy is setting in, I am concerned.
Click to expand...

The neuropathy can be treated with methyl B12. Here is more info: http://laurieulrich.com/jasper/ Getting the blood glucose levels under control will also help.

lexiruby said:
And, should I contact the vet for her opinion? It seems that in everyones experience, the vet doesn't
recommend home testing.
Click to expand...

Not all vets support hometesting and prefer that you bring your cat to the office for blood glucose curves for $$$. You do not need your vet's permission to hometest. You don't necessarily need a new vet. Some vets are at least open to "new" methods of diabetic management and will work with you on the blood glucose numbers you get at home.
 
Of course you can do it! Confidence is half the battle. You can ask your vet. My vet didn't know anything about hometesting until we started. (Oliver got diabetes over Christmas. Our vet was gone for 2 weeks, so we came to this site, learned how to hometest and change the diet.) When she got back, we had a sheet full of numbers to show her. Some vets don't know about it. Some vets don't want to overwhelm their customers and just start with insulin. Unfortunately, some vets would rather have you come in for testing and pay too much money for something you can do with more success at home.

The problem with changing to wet food before you know your kitty's blood glucose number is that, as with Oliver, the food can really bring down the numbers. Some newbies have given a small dose while changing diet while they were learning to hometest. What insulin are you using and at what dose?

What you can do while you are waiting for your kit (Did you ask for a free newbie from Lori and Tom?) is to get your cat used to the routine. Start playing with her ears. Make up a rice sack and warm her ears. (Thinnish sock filled with raw rice heated in microwave until very warm but not hot.) Have her sit next to you while you use the rice sack and warm her ears. Talk to her and give her a treat when you are done.
 
Ruby is on 2 units of lantis 2 times a day. We just had her at the vet for the glucose curve, it was $180.00.
Her highest # was 330 and lowest was 279. The vet said normal would be around 250. When she was first
diagnosed in August, she was as high as 500! So, the lantis is working. I just didn't realize it would take so
long to work. I guess the best thing to do is to start the home testing, monitor for a while, and then think about
the diet change. Does anyone know if I can get a liquid form of the B-12 that is OK to administer to animals?
 
lexiruby said:
Ruby is on 2 units of lantis 2 times a day.
Click to expand...

Lantus is a good insulin to use. Have you read the stickies on the Lantus supporg board? if not, there is a lot of info there on how Lantus works for cats: viewforum.php?f=9

lexiruby said:
We just had her at the vet for the glucose curve, it was $180.00.
Her highest # was 330 and lowest was 279. The vet said normal would be around 250. When she was first
diagnosed in August, she was as high as 500!
Click to expand...

Those numbers could aslo be high due to stress. Some cats get so stressed out at the vet's office that their blood glucose levels skyrocket. A diabetic cat who may normally be in the 200s at home maybe shoot way up to 300 or even higher at the vet's office.

lexiruby said:
So, the lantis is working. I just didn't realize it would take so
long to work.
Click to expand...

Lantus requires a lot of patience :smile:

lexiruby said:
I guess the best thing to do is to start the home testing, monitor for a while, and then think about
the diet change.
Click to expand...

You can change the diet once you get the hang of testing.

lexiruby said:
Does anyone know if I can get a liquid form of the B-12 that is OK to administer to animals?
Click to expand...

Most people give the pill form. I've never used methyl B12 but from what I hear, the pill is tasteless to cats so you can easily hide it in some canned food. I think there is a liquid form that you can use. Members who have used the liquid form can tell you what brand and where to buy.
 
Yes, I would get the hometesting down before I changed the diet - particularly at that dose. It is higher than we usually suggest. We like to start low and go slow. (.5 to 1 unit twice a day for a week or so before increasing by .25 units.) The curve at the vet is less likely to be accurate than numbers you will get at home. Kitties are stressed at the vet, with all the strange noises and people and animals. Stress raises bg levels.

But as soon as you get the testing so you can get a test before each shot and mid cycle, you can change the food. Read all the info on home testing before then so you will be ready to go: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Here is the info on the B12: http://www.felinediabetes.com/weak-back-rear-legs.htm

It would also help to get a spreadsheet ready to go. It is a great tool for you to keep track of the blood glucose levels - color coded so you can see just what is happening: Setting up a spreadsheet If you need help, just ask.
 
here is the methyl b12 that i've used and highly recommend:

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Vitamin-B-1 ... lcobalamin

why you ask -

- it comes in capsules and all you need to do is empty the capsule and mix it into wet food
- it doesn't have any sugars or flavors, so your cat won't notice it in the food
- if he doesn't eat it all, not a problem or if another cat eats it, again no problem, whatever the cat doesn't metabolize will be peed out

hope this helps for the methyl b 12 question.
 
Thanks to all of you so much for your feedback.
It is so hard for me to watch my baby go through this.
I feel so bad for her, and hope that she isn't in any pain
with the neuropathy. I have had to put 3 cats down in my
life and swore never to let another cat hold on too long for me.
I NEVER want my babies to suffer and I am so torn with this.
She looks like she is in pain one day, and the next day she is
better. I am going to order the b12 tomorrow and hope it
helps her. I am willing to try anything. I am currently selling
things on e-bay to help with her vet bills. She is only 10, and
such a lover. She purrs all of the time, and sleeps right next
to me on the bed. She truely is my baby!
I hope she knows I love her!
 
It is amazing just how bad the neuropathy can be and still resolve. During the spring and summer my cat could only walk a few feet and then he would slowly sink to the ground. I have one horse who chases the cats, and I was very afraid about what would happen if the cat managed to struggle out to the barn. Now he is trotting around the yard and running across the paddock to the barn. I would not have believed it in the summer. I seem to recall someone saying that diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint, and it really is true. Patience and persistence, along with as much information as you can gather, will get you through.
 
While in many situations neuropathy can be reversed with the MB12 and insulin regulation, please keep in mind that it is a slow process back to normal and depending on the severity of neuropathy, the cat may not have a complete reversal.

We have just learned that the MB12 seems to help.

I was very lucky with Maui, she would walk flat footed, need to stop and rest and had trouble climbing/jumping on the furniture. I gave her the B12 every day and never saw improvement. Then one day, I watched her walking on her toes and it seemed to have just happened.

So, don't give up if you don't see progress as quickly as you would like.
 
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