Hello!

[Hollydazzles]

Hi my name is Holly and our kitty Domino was diagnosed with diabetes about ten days ago. She has been doing well with her insulin shots, but we are now trying to transition her to a low carb, wet food diet and also we will be monitoring her glucose levels at home. This is a scary new world for us, but we want our kitty baby to be healthy and happy!

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB, the best place you never wanted to be.

There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
- You - without your commitment, the following won't work
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as Friskies pates. see Cat Info for more info,
- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir
- And home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!)

 

[Hollydazzles]

Thanks! I am researching Catinfo already trying to pick a food. Domino is on Lantus. Also we are looking into which glucose monitor to buy

 

[BJM]

Check the test strip cost as part of your decision making. That is where they can soak you.

I feed Friskies pates - there are 16 cats in the house, so it is economical.

If you're not a fan of WalMart and Target isn't near you, check ADW for the Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini. It is the same thing as the Confirm, it takes a small blood drop, and is inexpensive.

 

[Hollydazzles]

Thanks so much! This is a whole new world to me. I am so glad I found this forum! Although I feel like a real dummy for feeding what I thought was a great food for so long. Poor kitty. . . grain free does NOT equal low carb

 

[BJM]

Been there, done that, as have many, many members of this message board!

There are 2 protocols we use here for Lantus. You'll want to read them over and select one to follow:
Tight Regulation
Start Low, Go Slow

 

[Hollydazzles]

Is the reason you choose Relion Confirm over prime the amount of blood needed? Just curious. Also are you familiar with True Result. It looks like that as well as the Relion Prime take .05ml instead of .03ml.

 

[BJM]

The smaller the blood droplet, the easier it is to get a successful test. This is also the reason to get 25-28 gauge lancets, labeled for alternate site testing.

Meters with True in the name tend to underestimate cat numbers; we suggest you avoid them. The Target Up and Up is another meter folks have found work well.

 

[Hollydazzles]

Thanks! Getting our list organized! We actually will probably be breaking even because I was paying so much for the "best" food. . .live and learn, right?

 

[BJM]

Most of us had to change a lot of what we do.

 

[Hollydazzles]

We checked Domino's blood glucose for the first time! Victory! Now we can start transitioning her food and monitoring her carefully.