Just Diagnosed - Orientation Tomorrow

[chuckf74]

Hi Everybody,

My cat Lady was just diagnosed with diabetes yesterday and I've scheduled a treatment orientation for tomorrow evening. Lady is (we think because she was a stray) 11 years old. I made an appointment for her when I noticed her increased thirst and the overly wet litter box. She has also dropped from 11 lbs to 9 lbs since August. Her behavior doesn't show many changes, but we have found her laying on odd spots for a while. I'm hoping we've caught this early, but I'm not sure. I was caught off guard thinking is was likely to be hyper-thyroid.

Since this looks like a community of experienced people, do you have any advice for questions I should ask at the vet appointment tomorrow evening? I've been very impressed with the vet practice over the years and have good confidence in them. I' m prepared to do glucose readings and give insulin injections if it will help Lady. The beginning makes be nervous about big swings with her blood sugar. Are there any other things I can do with diet, activity, and our two other pets (cat and dog) that will be helpful?

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[SabrinaFaire]

Welcome, Chuck!! Others are better at giving advice than I am. I just wanted to say welcome and that everyone here was a nervous wreck at first and it does get better!

As for diet, pretty much everyone here says that wet food is better than dry and for diabetics, under 10% carbs is ideal. (I don't have the links with me but I'm sure someone else does) The vet might try to get you to feed Lady a Vet Rx food but there are cheaper and better options available. I hope Lady starts feeling better soon.

 

[squeem3]

Here's a list of questions to ask: http://gorbzilla.com/questions_for_your_vet_.htm

Diet - You don't need the prescription food no matter what the vet says. There's nothing special in them that makes it better than commerical food. Save your money and buy commercial canned food instead. Brands like Fancy Feast, and Wellness are popular. Catinfo.org has more on proper nutrition.

Insulin - Ask for Lantus, Levemir, or ProZinc insulins. These are good choices for diabetics. Humulin N and Vetsulin/Caninsulin are not a good choices.

Blood glucose testing - Great that you are planning to do this :thumbup Some vets are supportive of this, others are not.

Feel free to explore the rest of the board and the main site http://www.felinediabetes.com/ for more info :smile: And ask away if you have questions :smile:

 

[chuckf74]

Thanks Sabrina and Squeem3,

That's helpful and I'll print and highlight some of the questions. I'm currently in the process of transitioning Lady from dry food to canned food. I read somewhere that it might be helpful to feed her smaller meals more frequently instead of just two meals a day. The idea being that is would keep her more level. Is there any truth to that?

I find that if you're going to do something like this then it's best to go in the whole way so I want to get the glucose monitor and good insulin. I'll put in the best effort to give her the best chance I can and won't feel like more could have done.

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[KPassa]

I'm currently in the process of transitioning Lady from dry food to canned food. I read somewhere that it might be helpful to feed her smaller meals more frequently instead of just two meals a day. The idea being that is would keep her more level. Is there any truth to that?

I literally just posted about this. :lol:

Also, not sure what Lady's initial blood glucose numbers were, but I do know it's generally recommended to hold off on starting insulin until after she's been fully transitioned to low carb (under 10%), wet food. This is because dry food can cause as much as a 100 or more point difference in BG levels, resulting in a decreased need for insulin. If she's already on insulin, without careful monitoring, she could easily end up with hypoglycemia. There are also quite a few cats that go into remission through diet change alone and never even need to go on insulin.

 

[squeem3]

I read somewhere that it might be helpful to feed her smaller meals more frequently instead of just two meals a day. The idea being that is would keep her more level. Is there any truth to that?

I think there is :smile: Food helps stabalize blood glucose levels. Going 12 hours without any food means blood glucose levels will be like a roller coaster, a lot of ups and downs. If blood glucose levels drop a little low, some cats instinctly go looking for food.