Hello from Simon, need advice

[Teddi]

Hello-

This is my first post in the group although I joined quite a while ago. My pretty boy Simon (16 yrs.) was diagnosed with DM in January of 2017. He was in remission by the end of February, but had elevated blood sugar levels again by May and has been on insulin since then. (Not well controlled at all, but I'll create another post about that)

My 17 year old calico girl has elevated kidney values so I'm going to have to start feeding her a renal diet. They all (I have another male cat with no health issues) eat Hill's MD dry food and Fancy Feast classic pate' wet food. Can anyone give me advice on how to manage my CKD girl and my DM boy at the same time?

They have always had dry food available 24/7 and I don't want Simon to not have food at night if he has a hypoglycemic episode. (Not to mention the break in their routine of 17 yrs., 16 yrs., and 7 years.)

My vet checked with Hill's veterinarian(s) and they recommended feeding the kidney diet to all of them. My brain just doesn't like that idea...... I can't see how that could NOT be detrimental to Simon, loading him up on carbs, restricting protein, and just increasing his insulin to deal with it. I'd appreciate any help/advice anyone can offer.

Thanks!

 

[Idjit's mom]

Welcome Teddi and Simon (and the two other furkids!). It is a good idea to post on the Main Health forum with these concerns and questions. You are dealing with some different issues with Simon and your little calico and I'm sure members are going to offer suggestions and advice.
A couple of things you can do that would really help is to first, create a signature so that Simon's information is available with your posts.
(light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what (s)he eats/any other meds or health issues (s)he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.
If you are home testing, the second is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. We can all see it and look at it before offering advice: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/
If you aren't home testing, we can help with that to keep Simon safe and so that you know how the insulin is affecting his blood sugar levels. Looking at the spreadsheet with BG data is going to help members advise on getting him more regulated and feeling better.
If you like you can copy your original post into a new thread on the Feline Health (Main) forum, edit if you wish and let our members chime in with suggestions for a good diet for your bunch.
Best wishes going forward