Hello

[Dale Mason]

Hi
Our cat Tiggy was diagnosed as diabetic in May this year. We adopted her from a rescue centre in February & the history they had was that she was living in a colony of around 20 cats and was approximately 2 years old.
So it was a surprise when diabetes was diagnosed, the vet recommended that we put her on Royal Canin diabetic wet and dry food, she was previously on Encore wet food with Lilly Kitchen dry food. Since finding your site and using the calculators I have discovered that the Royal Canin food is 16% carbohydrates, which seems rather a lot for a diabetic diet.
She is currently on 3 units of Prozinc insulin this was recently increased from 2.5 and in the middle of a blood glucose curve today (home testing), to see if there is any improvement. Last reading at 12pm was 21.7.
Having read the information you have provided I realise that the food she is on is not that great for her, and want to change her to raw food. She polishes off mice that our other cat brings back for her super quick, so think she would suit that much better.
Would be grateful for any advice or thoughts

Dale

 

[Idjit's mom]

Good morning and welcome Dale and Tiggy. So glad you researched for more information on feline diabetes and found FDMB.
You are right about using a low carb food for Tiggy, just like for human diabetics, carbs matter!
Super wonderful that you are home testing, it's one of the best ways to keep Tiggy safe and see how the insulin is working.

To get started please create a signature and a spreadsheet so we can see Tiggy's information when you post.

1. Setting up your signature (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 country/time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.
2. Another thing that will help us help you is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review his/her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

I remember another fellow UK member that started her sugar cat on a raw diet and will do some research to see what supplement she used with the raw mince. We also have information on good canned foods there in the UK.

So, going forward please post in the Main Health forum, so that more members can see and respond. I will look for your next post and give you the food information and tag in some fellow UK members for support.

Also, regarding using Prozinc, we have a separate insulin support group with lots of information there on using Prozinc, dosing etc. Knowledge is power, and the more you know, as you have found, the better you can take care of Twiggy. The 3 unit dose Twiggy is getting might need to be adjusted as you see results from changing the diet. Posting in that forum will also allow the veteran Prozinc users to review the spreadsheet, evaluate the current dose and provide input or suggestions.

 

[Jerry dutchboy]

Hi Dale and Tiggy, welcome to the forum. It is a fabulous place to be and there is a wealth of information and experience. Everyone here is so generous with their time and knowledge. It has been a godsend to me and I hope it will be for you too. FD is an intense learning curve and it can be overwhelming at first but with time you will start to feel like you have a little more control and that can feel very empowering. Just take it one step at a time.
Please always feel free to ask any questions and know there is never a stupid one (its how we all learn). Love the picture of Tiggy he's a gorgeous cat.

 

[Sharon14]

Welcome!