former feral treatment

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Maggie Manchester

Member Since 2018
I am warehousing a former feral who was diagnosed as diabetic this week. He will turn 10 this spring. The vet said insulin was the only way to treat feline diabetes but Punkin' Pie will not let me catch him, much less inject him or lance his ear. What is the course for untreated diabetes? He gets served Fancy Feast twice a day and free feeds on non-grain Petsmart kibble. How long will he last and what does the end stage look like?
 
Definitly NOOOOO kibble. No grain doesn't mean no carb. They usually substitute with peas or potatoes. Still carbs. There's not much you can do if you can't get near him. Just feed him right and when he starts looking like he's suffering have him humanly put to sleep. That's a tough position, I'm sorry. I have six ferals that I care for and feed so I know the position you are in.
 
Sharon14 said:
Any way to cut out the free fed kibble and only feed the low carb wet?
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Yes, I can do that but my other 3 cats will object, which is why I didn't think of that. Thanks--will remove the kibble bowl tonight. He was so traumatized by the capture escapade and vet visit that he still isn't eating his regular Fancy Feast wet food.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
I agree. If you can remove the dry food, that will help a lot. How did the vet determine he is diabetic if you are unabe to catch him?
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Well, I did corner him in my closet and jammed the cat carrier over him, but the capture was highly traumatic, and now he is afraid of me. The vet visit didn't help either. The vet anesthetized him to do a dental and took blood and urine--both had sugar. His glucose was 438. However, there was a recent article on the Cornell vet website that said extreme stress/trauma can add 180 to a glucose reading. I want to test him with those urine strips which I will put in his litter box to see if the vet's office reading spiked due to stress. Do you know where I can order on-line urine testing strips? I usually order from Revival, but they don't carry diabetic testing equipment. Many thanks for your interest and reply.
 
JanetNJ said:
Definitly NOOOOO kibble. No grain doesn't mean no carb. They usually substitute with peas or potatoes. Still carbs. There's not much you can do if you can't get near him. Just feed him right and when he starts looking like he's suffering have him humanly put to sleep. That's a tough position, I'm sorry. I have six ferals that I care for and feed so I know the position you are in.
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Thanks for the info. My diet doc said that peas and corn have the most sugar of veggies, so everybody in my house avoids them. I will check out the ingredient list for carbs. Right now they are working on fish and chicken of the Halo brand. Do you recommend Tiki for diabetics? Isn't that real expensive? Btw, I have osteo-arthritis in my back and finger knuckles and also take Gabapentin. It makes me a bit dull-brained, but otherwise is effective if one has a tendency to be high strung (an old fashioned term). Thanks for the good tip, Janet.
 
Your right, stress can significantly raise glucose levels. Also if the vet found any dental disease, that also increases it. If he gave him an antibiotic, as the infection clears his glucose levels will also drop.

It sounds like your vet may have only checked the glucose levels with a glucose meter instead of doing a fructosamine test. The fructosamine test is the most reliable way of determining if he has diabetes. The test shows an average of the glucose over several days.

Some of the signs to look for for diabetes are increased hunger, increased thirst and losing weight. The diet change alone maybe sufficient in lowering his glucose levels. Even if he does not have diabetes, the diet change will be healthier for him anyway.
 
Maggie Manchester said:
Thanks for the info. My diet doc said that peas and corn have the most sugar of veggies, so everybody in my house avoids them. I will check out the ingredient list for carbs. Right now they are working on fish and chicken of the Halo brand. Do you recommend Tiki for diabetics? Isn't that real expensive? Btw, I have osteo-arthritis in my back and finger knuckles and also take Gabapentin. It makes me a bit dull-brained, but otherwise is effective if one has a tendency to be high strung (an old fashioned term). Thanks for the good tip, Janet.
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I do like tiki cat. I also feed fancy feast classic which is less expensive. Most people on here feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods.
 
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