Hi, I'm new

[gothicfeline]

Oh yeah, creative post title FTW. Yeah, so... I admit I'm diving right in here. I have read the FAQ, and read various things from various other websites, and now I'm here. My cat Genzi was diagnosed with diabetes on Friday, and while I'm not quite feeling completely floored anymore, I still feel very overwhelmed. I've been reading in bursts to give myself time to assimilate all the information I'm getting, and there's a lot out there! He also has asthma which is controlled with steroids, and I'm guessing the diabetes was brought on by the prednisolone. Though he is also a rather large cat, so that probably contributed as well.

We grabbed some Natures Variety Instinct from the pet store as it seemed to be pretty low carb, but we are getting our diabetes lecture from the vet tonight and may be getting prescription food while we're there. Our vet supports home testing (yay!), and I am probably going to barrage them with questions as I have been putting together a list of things to ask. Our vet also told us that there's a chance that with insulin and a good diet, we might be able to make the diabetes go away (it's type 2).

Anyway, it's very nice to know that this community exists. I tend to be a lurker, so I don't know how much I'll be participating, but it's reassuring to know that there are others out there who have been through all this too (as much as it is also unfortunate, as I would prefer diabetes didn't exist).

 

[squeem3]

Welcome :smile:

The Nature's Variety Instinct canned food is great for your diabetic :thumbup The dry Instinct can be temporarily fed but, really, no dry food is good for a diabetic. Instinct dry is at least low carb but there are other issues with eating dry food as described at http://www.catinfo.org.

This board recommends low carb canned food for diabetic cats, even raw food if that is something that interests you. There are many other brands you can feed, from the inexpensive Fancy Feast to the higher end brands similar to Nature's variety. Here's Binky's canned food charts that you can use, http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html Here's a newer food chart. Look at the carb column and choose foods that have a number of 10 or less.

You do not need to buy the prescription food the vet may try to push you to buy. The prescription food is expensive, has really poor junky quality ingredients, and many cats get bored of eating it after awhile. Tell the vet that you do not want to feed your cat the prescription food. Be firm but nice about it.

Ask your vet about changing your cat's asthma medicine to inhaled Flovent instead. Flovent is unlikey to affect blood gluocse levels because the molecules are too large to pass through the lungs. There are diabetic cats on this board who also have asthma and they use Flovent.

 

[Louieorangetabby]

Hi there! I'm new to this too~ just 2 weeks after Louie's diagnosis! After the initial shock and upset and freak out about having to give injections and blood tests every day, we are settling into the routine~ I cannot emphasize the help I have received from these wonderful folks!!!
Its amazing how loving encouragement and good information can transform a situation! I'm an artist, and about as far from imagining myself dealing with blood and needles.....but now I'm doing it!
I wish you all the best and welcome you~ from another newbie!
Tracy & Louie

 

[Jen & Squeak]

Welcome!

You need to check out Fritz the Brave for info on how to treat the asthma - http://www.fritzthebrave.com/

Given that the diabetes is likely steroid induced, you need to be cautious as it can be more 'reversible' than other more traditionally developed diabetes (so to speak). That means testing will be really important but we can help you with that!

Jen

 

[ohbell]

Wanted to say welcome! and thank gosh your vet supports home testing....much more than most here. Due to testing, my Bean is now in remission!!! The first sucessful test we did she was only 27! eeeeks.... The folks on this site convinced me to home test. I will ALWAYS BE THANKFUL!

What meter set up do you plan to purchase?? Wal mart has the relion that I use and strips are affordable.

Who knows, maybe you will be on here more than you expect!

Genzi has found a great place for information, advice and simple paw hugs.

As far as food, I have tried my Sugar Bean on the more expensive canned food, and she prefers f. feast, friskies and Sophistacat from petsmart...She also gets raw, mommy has a new grinder and I follow the raw recipe from Dr. Lisa site. My 2 out of 3 girls are doing well on this diet, but my 3rd girl will not have it....YET ;-)

My girls also will eat 100% chicken or petco tuna treats...

Good luck and keep us posted