Duddersmommy
Member Since 2014
Hi, my name is Danielle and just last Wednesday my beloved kitty, who had previously not had any symptoms at all, became very ill. Long story short after a 4 day hospital stay where he was treated for impacted bowel, dehydration, and diabetic ketoacidosis, he has been allowed to come home with his insulin, a bag of Hills w/d and a lot of vet advice that seems very contrary to most of the research that I did while he was in hospital.
Since I am very new to this I would appreciate feedback on what your experiences say is good vs bad advice, and perhaps some recommendations of what questions I should ask when we go back in for testing tomorrow. I need to be the best pet parent I can be for him so I have my Dudders around for a good many more years living a happy, active life. I know this post is going to be LONG but I figured as much info as I can give may help anyone who would offer advice.
About Dudders:
8yrs old, American shorthair (as far as we know, we found him and his litter mate abandoned beside a busy highway before they were even properly weaned), about 8lbs, treated last year for gingivitis (7 teeth extracted), prone to obesity but no other health problems.
Dudders became a Fat cat after coyotes moving too close to our rural home made letting him play outside too dangerous. He ballooned up to over 20lbs and I despaired of how to get the weight off because no matter what food I used it didn't seem to change. I went from free feeding to portion control, and finally a bit less than a year ago I found Dr. Lisa Piersons website catinfo.org. I switched Dudders to a combination of high protein, low carb canned food and her recipe for homemade food and was thrilled when the weight began to fall off like a miracle. Dudders then got gingivitis and had to have 7 teeth extracted about 9 months ago, but was fine after that, until last week.
His blood glucose was almost 500 when they tested at the vets, and he had ketones in his urine. They put him on IV fluids and a catheter, started him on insulin and it began to drop a little, but they say he is very resistant right now because he was so ill. They sent him home after his urine was negative for ketones even though his blood glucose was still over 350 and have me administering 8 units of insulin twice a day. He does seem to be feeling better slowly, his appetite is back with a vengeance, he's jumping on and off furniture again instead of hiding under it, though his behavior is still far from normal.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled he's improving, but some things the vet told me just seem....well, a little odd. Here's what I was told:
1. You only need to test him every few days till he gets regulated, then only once every couple of months.
2. If testing at home you can only draw blood from a leg vein, using a lancet on an ear is cruel, causes the kitty a lot of pain, and will make his ears constantly sore and over sensitive.
3. Kitty needs to be on a combined high protein, moderate carb diet because the protein will cause a big spike that will then drop too low, whereas adding the carbs will release the nutrition more evenly over a course of hours.
4. A high protein very low carb diet is not good for diabetic kitties because it will make them more prone to become ketoacidotic.
5. You should only feed hills w/d because the carbs and proteins have been modified to be more evenly digested and the nutrition released over a matter of hours.
Now, I know more than a little about human diabetes, it runs in my family. I also realize that kitty and human metabolism and anatomy are different, but it seems to me some things should remain somewhat consistent, especially something like testing more than once every few days to regulate and STAYING THE $&@! AWAY FROM CARBS!
My goal is, if possible, to someday see Dudders in remission so he can live a totally normal life. I don't see how that can possibly happen with this treatment regime, but I don't know enough to argue, either. I really need guidance and appreciate any experiences you all are willing to share with me.
Since I am very new to this I would appreciate feedback on what your experiences say is good vs bad advice, and perhaps some recommendations of what questions I should ask when we go back in for testing tomorrow. I need to be the best pet parent I can be for him so I have my Dudders around for a good many more years living a happy, active life. I know this post is going to be LONG but I figured as much info as I can give may help anyone who would offer advice.
About Dudders:
8yrs old, American shorthair (as far as we know, we found him and his litter mate abandoned beside a busy highway before they were even properly weaned), about 8lbs, treated last year for gingivitis (7 teeth extracted), prone to obesity but no other health problems.
Dudders became a Fat cat after coyotes moving too close to our rural home made letting him play outside too dangerous. He ballooned up to over 20lbs and I despaired of how to get the weight off because no matter what food I used it didn't seem to change. I went from free feeding to portion control, and finally a bit less than a year ago I found Dr. Lisa Piersons website catinfo.org. I switched Dudders to a combination of high protein, low carb canned food and her recipe for homemade food and was thrilled when the weight began to fall off like a miracle. Dudders then got gingivitis and had to have 7 teeth extracted about 9 months ago, but was fine after that, until last week.
His blood glucose was almost 500 when they tested at the vets, and he had ketones in his urine. They put him on IV fluids and a catheter, started him on insulin and it began to drop a little, but they say he is very resistant right now because he was so ill. They sent him home after his urine was negative for ketones even though his blood glucose was still over 350 and have me administering 8 units of insulin twice a day. He does seem to be feeling better slowly, his appetite is back with a vengeance, he's jumping on and off furniture again instead of hiding under it, though his behavior is still far from normal.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled he's improving, but some things the vet told me just seem....well, a little odd. Here's what I was told:
1. You only need to test him every few days till he gets regulated, then only once every couple of months.
2. If testing at home you can only draw blood from a leg vein, using a lancet on an ear is cruel, causes the kitty a lot of pain, and will make his ears constantly sore and over sensitive.
3. Kitty needs to be on a combined high protein, moderate carb diet because the protein will cause a big spike that will then drop too low, whereas adding the carbs will release the nutrition more evenly over a course of hours.
4. A high protein very low carb diet is not good for diabetic kitties because it will make them more prone to become ketoacidotic.
5. You should only feed hills w/d because the carbs and proteins have been modified to be more evenly digested and the nutrition released over a matter of hours.
Now, I know more than a little about human diabetes, it runs in my family. I also realize that kitty and human metabolism and anatomy are different, but it seems to me some things should remain somewhat consistent, especially something like testing more than once every few days to regulate and STAYING THE $&@! AWAY FROM CARBS!
My goal is, if possible, to someday see Dudders in remission so he can live a totally normal life. I don't see how that can possibly happen with this treatment regime, but I don't know enough to argue, either. I really need guidance and appreciate any experiences you all are willing to share with me.
