Hello from Moglie

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MoglieBear

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Hello there,

My name is Michelle and I just found out my cat Moglie has diabetes. It has been an emotional weekend to say the least. The good news is he's out of the hospital and I'm starting to see that he can really live a healthy life, if treated properly. Moglie is like a son to me so you will likely see a lot more comments/questions from our end. Thanks for being such a supportive community!
 
Hi and welcome to the group. Here is what I typically say to new folks:


WELCOME, this forum is a great place to gain knowledge and really learn how to manage feline diabetes. By doing just a few things each day (that really won't take up much of your time at all), you won't need to worry about losing your precious Moglie, not where feline diabetes is concerned.

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about home testing. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups


However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.


I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your Moglie's overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

Let us know where you live - city/state as there are probably people in your area who can provide on the ground support and help you to learn home testing, etc.
 
You have found a great place for help. Thanks to advice and tips I received here and a vet who is familiar with FD, Cedric was able to go into remission after a month on Lantus. I changed his eating habit quite a bit - we went from eating a combo of canned and dry twice a day, to 4 small canned food meals per day (see signature). I work 7 days a week and use an automatic feeder to give him meals #2 & 3 during the day when I am at one or the other job. My cat is currently 6 YO and was dx'd a little more than a year ago. When Cedric was dx'd I was telling my co-workers at Disney about it and discovered several co-workers who were diabetic and asked me questions about FD. I also found out a co-worker has a diabetic dog.

Yep, it is a lot to take in at first, but you get into a routine. Your cat will love you for your efforts and he'll feel better! Please let us know what city & state you are in just in case you need help. My friend, MustLoveCats, called me when her oldest cat was dx'd last month and I was up at her place the next night with my kit to help her out. She is much better than I am when it comes to getting blood from an ear now!

Welcome to the boards!
 
Welcome!

This is do-able, though you may find some things take some getting used to!

As you work on getting the testing and insulin dose adjusted, it will be helpful to monitor for ketones. These occur when there is not enough insulin to help the body use glucose, so it breaks down fat instead, which forms ketone bodies. Too much fat breakdown can turn into diabetic ketoacidosis, an expensive and potentially fatal complication of diabetes.

See the secondary monitoring tools link in my signature for how to test for urine ketones.
 
Welcome, Michele! So sorry to hear about Moglie, but you came to the right place to learn how to deal with this!

I was an emotional wreck in the beginning, too, and still have my moments. :) But it's been two months now for my Pumbaa, and everyone here has, and continues to be, so very helpful with questions and helping me analyze Pumbaa's data, etc.

Suze
 
:smile: Thanks for all the kind words. I set a follow up appointment with his vet for Thursday. I really appreciate having a forum like this. I am VERY emotional, just like many other fellow cat lovers tend to be:-) But I'd rather be emotional and loving than have no feelings at all. As for Moglie, that note from mom I read was right on key! I even cried because it really hit home. Okay I'll stop the mooshy gushy stuff but again thanks for being here. PS Pumbaa- it looks like our cats could be twins:-) maybe Moglie's long lost brother or sister:-) I will take in as much of this advice as possible. Thanks again fellow cat lovers, Moglie and I really appreciate it!
 
Michele: But from what I can see, Moglie doesn't photograph looking evil like Pumbaa does! *LOL*

Suze
 
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