I'm new here and need advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Leslie Ellis

Member Since 2016
I have a 9 year old diabetic kitty which I adore but I can't seem to get his diabetes under control. My vet has him on W/D food which is very expensive. He eats everything in sight so I have to constantly monitor him and keep him in one area when I cannot be around him. Does anyone else have this problem? How do I control him?
 
W/d dry? Canned? The dry has 36% carbs and the canned has 26% carbs. Most of us here feed out sugar babies canned low carb food -under 10%. BUT if you decide to change then you have to be home testing so you can see where your BG is going. Please do not change to low carb until you begin home testing. I'll put some links and tag others.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Also, what insulin are you using and what is the dose. There are lots of people here who can help. Most eyes are over on the Health Board, so if you would post there lots of people will be helping you!
 
Last edited:
Mum of two felines said:
W/d dry? Canned? The dry has 36% carbs and the canned has 26% carbs. Most of us here feed out sugar babies canned low carb food -under 10%. BUT if you decide to change then you have to be home testing so you can see where your BG is going. Please do not change to low carb until you begin home testing. I'll put some links and tag others.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Also, what insulin are you using and what is the dose. There are lots of people here who can help. Most eyes are over on the Health Board, so if you would post there lots of people will be helping you!
Click to expand...
I had him on dry W/D and wet W/D I have since stopped giving him the dry Insulin is at 3-4 units twice a day I am trying to get him to gain weight and would like to start using other canned food because it is very expensive Does your kitty eat everything in sight too?
 
Taking him off the 36% dry food all at once can make his blood glucose plummet. I would start home testing today, if you can. You don't want him going into hypo.
 
To be more specific, removing the high carb dry might reduce his glucose by 100-200 mg/dL and reduce his insulin requirement by 1-2 units.

To keep your cat safe from a dangerous hypoglycemic level, go back to what you were feeding until you can home test the blood glucose. Then, gradually reduce the high carb dry while testing to make sure the glucose does not drop too low - below 50 mg/dL on a human glucometer pr 68 mg/dL on a pet meter is too low.

While you work on blood glucose testing, see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for other helpful assessments you can make.
 
Hi, Leslie. Welcome to you and your kitty. :)

I echo the recommendation not to stop feeding the Hill's w/d - especially the dry w/d - until you're home testing. My Saoirse's BG levels dropped hugely and very quickly when I started switching her to low carb food. The dose she was on with the w/d was way too high for her when I started feeding the low carb food. (I could have lost her if I hadn't been home testing.)

Which insulin is your cat receiving?


Mogs
.
 
Leslie Ellis said:
I had him on dry W/D and wet W/D I have since stopped giving him the dry Insulin is at 3-4 units twice a day I am trying to get him to gain weight and would like to start using other canned food because it is very expensive Does your kitty eat everything in sight too?
Click to expand...

Only when Woody's BG was too low. Are you home testing? If not, you really need to keep out the dry for him so when he goes low he can bring his BG up. What insulin are you using?
 
I have been using Vetsulin my vet told me about a new insulin I can get at Walmart for $25.00 His is $52.00 I am on disability so cannot always afford his. I willnot beable to start home testing until April 3rd when I get paid next. I have given him just wet for two feedings so tonight I will give him some dry with his wet. Should I just leave dry in his dish?
 
Leslie Ellis said:
I have been using Vetsulin my vet told me about a new insulin I can get at Walmart for $25.00 His is $52.00 I am on disability so cannot always afford his. I willnot beable to start home testing until April 3rd when I get paid next. I have given him just wet for two feedings so tonight I will give him some dry with his wet. Should I just leave dry in his dish?
Click to expand...
If he were mine I would leave dry out since he could be going too low. I think going back to feeding him his dry would make for a happier cat. His dose was given when he was on dry and it's dangerous to reduce carbs without reducing his insulin. And at the vet? What were his numbers when he was given his dosage? I'll tag more experienced people. They can give you the info on the meters you can use and much more information.
@Critter Mom @Tuxedo Mom @MrWorfMen's Mom @Woodsywife @Marje and Gracie
 
Last edited:
His levels were 294 a month ago at the vet Thats when I put him back on the insulin. He wants them to be lower I have not been able to get him tested since last month
 
Walmart's insulin is a type of Novolin insulin, which is slightly different than the Vetsulin according to articles I have read. If anyone knows different please correct me.

My advise would be to stay with the same insulin for the time being rather than starting an insulin that may have a different formulation. If you are attempting to switch to wet food (which is much better) then you MUST be home-testing. If you can't home test then it would be better to leave his diet as it was. As BJM said in her post:

BJM said:
To keep your cat safe from a dangerous hypoglycemic level, go back to what you were feeding until you can home test the blood glucose. Then, gradually reduce the high carb dry while testing to make sure the glucose does not drop too low - below 50 mg/dL on a human glucometer pr 68 mg/dL on a pet meter is too low.
Click to expand...


If you are not home-testing and doing a food switch there is the possibility that your kitty could drop too much and risk going into hypo numbers which sometimes can require a visit to the ER.

It would be very helpful if you start a spreadsheet with his reading so that experienced members can offer good advice based on data.
 
As far as meters, you can get a Wal-Mart Micro or Confirm. They use the smallest drop of blood. The only difference in the two is the meter size itself. They are fairly inexpensive. Make sure strips are included. If not you will have to purchase them, they are more expensive than meter and usually kept behind pharmacy counter.. You will need more than what comes in the kit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top