Hi, my name is Cory. My cat is Hobbes.

[Cschwa17]

I have done a ton of reading since Hobbes was diagnosed this Thursday with diabetes. Since the moment I found out I have been reading a ton of information. It can be overwhelming. I have been to the vet and have gotten the insulin and discussed food with her. My first question and I know it has been asked before: Is my vet giving me Hills dry food a terrible idea? Is is really true that the cat should be eating the high protein, low carbs? Is the vet out of touch or am I crazy that dry food is apparently not good for the diabetic cat? I am interested because why does the vet do this if we might have info that says otherwise? I am very intrigued by this, and want to know, can I absolutely feed my cat Fancy Feast Classic and get her better.

2. Should I be checking Hobbess levels at home? I am currently on day two of insulin and the vet says I will need to see her in two weeks. Is that too long a time to be giving the cat the same dose of insulin and basically having no sense, except me perceiving her as "being more active", about where she is at? Am I just wasting time if I am not testing at home?

Can I feed my cat Fancy Feast Classic, give her insulin and go to the vet every two/three weeks and get the cat better. (I have left out the love and affection that will also be given to the cat in large supplies, I am just being real technical). There is so much information and choices that you go down a rabbit hole. I want to get my cat better and need some advice. Thanks for listening! Any help is appreciated.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Is my vet giving me Hills dry food a terrible idea?

Yes it is.....kibble is not only high carb, it's terribly hard on kidneys (which are already compromised enough in diabetics) Lots of great information on Feeding your cat --Know the basics of Feline Nutrition with specific information on Feline Diabetes here

I am interested because why does the vet do this if we might have info that says otherwise?

Vets only get maybe 1 class in nutrition while they're in school....and those classes are usually paid for by the prescription pet food industry. After that, the only "continuing education" they get is from the pet food salesmen ....and the fact that they also make a profit selling it has to be considered too.

can I absolutely feed my cat Fancy Feast Classic and get her better.

YES!! Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies pates or 9-Lives ground. They are low carb and fine for sugarcats!

. Should I be checking Hobbess levels at home? I am currently on day two of insulin and the vet says I will need to see her in two weeks. Is that too long a time to be giving the cat the same dose of insulin and basically having no sense, except me perceiving her as "being more active", about where she is at? Am I just wasting time if I am not testing at home?

YES!! You wouldn't give your child insulin without testing their glucose levels several times a day and it's the same with your furkids!! Unfortunately your vet sounds like so many others we hear about. If your pediatrician told you to give your baby insulin without testing first, they'd be guilty of malpractice! It's no different!! The only way to keep your cat safe and to really know what's going on inside their body is to home test! Also, the tests done at the vets are unreliable at best. The stress of being thrown in a carrier, driven to the vet's office, sitting in the lobby with barking dogs and yowling cats and then poked and prodded by a person they don't really like much anyway can raise the glucose up to 200 points. The vet see's those high numbers and thinks they need more insulin. You go home, kitty relaxes and you have the recipe for a tragedy

 

[JanetNJ]

I have done a ton of reading since Hobbes was diagnosed this Thursday with diabetes. Since the moment I found out I have been reading a ton of information. It can be overwhelming. I have been to the vet and have gotten the insulin and discussed food with her. My first question and I know it has been asked before: Is my vet giving me Hills dry food a terrible idea? Is is really true that the cat should be eating the high protein, low carbs? Is the vet out of touch or am I crazy that dry food is apparently not good for the diabetic cat? I am interested because why does the vet do this if we might have info that says otherwise? I am very intrigued by this, and want to know, can I absolutely feed my cat Fancy Feast Classic and get her better.

2. Should I be checking Hobbess levels at home? I am currently on day two of insulin and the vet says I will need to see her in two weeks. Is that too long a time to be giving the cat the same dose of insulin and basically having no sense, except me perceiving her as "being more active", about where she is at? Am I just wasting time if I am not testing at home?

Can I feed my cat Fancy Feast Classic, give her insulin and go to the vet every two/three weeks and get the cat better. (I have left out the love and affection that will also be given to the cat in large supplies, I am just being real technical). There is so much information and choices that you go down a rabbit hole. I want to get my cat better and need some advice. Thanks for listening! Any help is appreciated.

Sorry about the diagnosis. Your instincts are right. The dry food is too high in carb. Fancy Feast classic is a good choice to feed him. Home testing is the number 1 thing you can do to keep your cat safe and to know if a dose is too much or too little. Their needs can change on a dime. SERIOUSLY. I've been at this for a year and a half and about two weeks ago I caught two dangerously low unexpected numbers. Had I not tested and just went by clinical signs I would not have known until it was too late, as my cat showed absolutely no symptoms despite being dangerously low. TESTING was how I knew. I have a video in my signature below showing how I test my cat.

If you would like a list of what to buy, let us know. Do you have a walmart near you?

 

[Cschwa17]

Thank you so much. I am going to watch the tutorial video asap! I do live near a Walmart. Any advice on what to get would be great! I am going to read up on how to introduce the wet food and will make the switch.

Sorry about the diagnosis. Your instincts are right. The dry food is too high in carb. Fancy Feast classic is a good choice to feed him. Home testing is the number 1 thing you can do to keep your cat safe and to know if a dose is too much or too little. Their needs can change on a dime. SERIOUSLY. I've been at this for a year and a half and about two weeks ago I caught two dangerously low unexpected numbers. Had I not tested and just went by clinical signs I would not have known until it was too late, as my cat showed absolutely no symptoms despite being dangerously low. TESTING was how I knew. I have a video in my signature below showing how I test my cat.

If you would like a list of what to buy, let us know. Do you have a walmart near you?

Thank you so much. I am going to watch the tutorial video asap! I do live near a Walmart. Any advice on what to get would be great! I am going to read up on how to introduce the wet food and will make the switch.

 

[Cschwa17]

Thank you for breaking it down like this. It is amazing to me that we all figure this out outside of a vets office. I’m going to work on taking these steps to help Hobbes!

Yes it is.....kibble is not only high carb, it's terribly hard on kidneys (which are already compromised enough in diabetics) Lots of great information on Feeding your cat --Know the basics of Feline Nutrition with specific information on Feline Diabetes here



Vets only get maybe 1 class in nutrition while they're in school....and those classes are usually paid for by the prescription pet food industry. After that, the only "continuing education" they get is from the pet food salesmen ....and the fact that they also make a profit selling it has to be considered too.



YES!! Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies pates or 9-Lives ground. They are low carb and fine for sugarcats!



YES!! You wouldn't give your child insulin without testing their glucose levels several times a day and it's the same with your furkids!! Unfortunately your vet sounds like so many others we hear about. If your pediatrician told you to give your baby insulin without testing first, they'd be guilty of malpractice! It's no different!! The only way to keep your cat safe and to really know what's going on inside their body is to home test! Also, the tests done at the vets are unreliable at best. The stress of being thrown in a carrier, driven to the vet's office, sitting in the lobby with barking dogs and yowling cats and then poked and prodded by a person they don't really like much anyway can raise the glucose up to 200 points. The vet see's those high numbers and thinks they need more insulin. You go home, kitty relaxes and you have the recipe for a tragedy

 

[JanetNJ]

Thank you so much. I am going to watch the tutorial video asap! I do live near a Walmart. Any advice on what to get would be great! I am going to read up on how to introduce the wet food and will make the switch.



Thank you so much. I am going to watch the tutorial video asap! I do live near a Walmart. Any advice on what to get would be great! I am going to read up on how to introduce the wet food and will make the switch.

So the meter I use in the video is a great meter, and probably the one your vet uses, HOWEVER it's expensive to use as test strips are about a dollar each. Most on the board uses a human meter. If cost is not a prohibitive factor you can get an Alphatrak starter kit and extra test strips on Adwdiabetes.com with a discount coupon from Retailmenot.com.

As I said most opt for a less expensive human meter which is perfectly fine. If you go that route head to Walmart and get

1. Relion micro or confirm meter (not Prime as it takes too big of a sample) $18
2. Box of 100 extra test strips $36
3. Box of 100 26 or 28 gauge lancets $3
4. Cotton cosmetic rounds
5. Neosporin ointment with pain relief

 

[Kris & Teasel]

FWIW - vets differ widely with how they approach diabetes treatment. My vet, while not completely up to snuff by our standards here, was pretty good and told me to:

• switch to canned low carb wet food only
• learn to test BG at home
• do a curve at home after the first week on insulin.

Those were just the basics. Since I've been here on FDMB I've learned:

• the low carb food can be grocery store brands like Friskies or Fancy Feast pates, not just expensive prescription stuff
• testing BG before every insulin injection is essential
• curves are of limited value unless you happen to catch the kitty on a day when their BG profile is closer to the "ideal" version (that's rare in some cats because they're more erratic in their response to insulin).

 

[Beth 73]

Welcome Cory and Hobbes !!! On this board you will find fantastic info, wisdom , experience and compassionate hearts who have been where you are right now as a Newbie You are exactly where you and Hobbes need to be

 

[Cschwa17]

Thanks everyone! I know I am in good hands now!

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Welcome!! You've arrived at the best place you could be there are lots of very experienced people here to help you, hopefully you will eventually explain things to your vet and he will get on board (some do some don't), mine did although he pretty much left managing the diabetes to me he just asked me how he was doing.

A few more questions for you:

1. What insulin is he on and what dose did the vet gave him?
2. What were his blood glucose levels?
3. Does he has any other issues besides diabetes?