Just in Tears - May I vent?

[FrancesG50]

This forum is so helpful and kind. I'm hoping a vent might not be too inappropriate. Advice is also welcomed. Three things:

My cat is on Senvelgo. My husband read all the possible side effects and wants me to stop using it since the cat's numbers were perfect. I am due for a second check up with the vet next Monday, January 6. He says I'm killing the cat. She's a little less energetic but eats well, although I'm feeding her a catfood recommended by the vet and it's a mix of salmon and tuna. She doesn't seem to like one or the other really well, and leaves bits behind. She's also not drinking a lot of water from her dish, but she's putting it out like crazy. It's just so painful to be torn apart like this and hearing him criticize what I'm doing, especially since I'm doubting so much.

I cannot figure out what I should feed her. I got a list of foods from the vet, but most of them seem to be unavailable. I look at the nutritional information and cannot find the information for percent of carbs. I did find this website's food suggestions, but they seem to be dated 20 or more years ago. The catfoods don't exist any more or they have changed the name. Don't know if this is allowed, but if you want to tell me what you feed your sugarbaby maybe I can find it.

I want to monitor her blood sugar and ketones, although the vet says it isn't necessary. I am trying the least invasive method, but can't figure out really what I should be using.

Basically I am beside myself with worry.

 

[Jo_]

Hi! I am not the knowledgeable person you need to help you with this at all, but as someone that is also learning to deal with my cat's diabetes, I understand where you are at the moment.
I am also not giving the same medicine as you are, so this is more for moral support than any other thing.

I think the consensus its to measure ketones and glucose. Our vet also thought it would be insane to keep measuring our cat, but that is our only way to know how he's doing, and even then you feel blind unless you measure every hour of every day. But it is very important to stay on top of things.

We just recently found out about measuring ketones (after an episode of Diabetic KetoAcidosis that we are still dealing with) and I think the consensus is to measure.

If, like us, you were not educated by your vet about all things feline diabetes (treatment, BG levels, how to measure BG, what ketones are and how to measure, etc) this is the place to find all that info. There is a treasure of information here (and amazing people to help).

I'm not saying it gets easier or better instantly, but our kitties deserve so much and paying us back with so much love, that it is all worth it!

Edit: oh, and I wanted to share this link: http://scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html
It's a way for you to calculate the carbs. I find it very helpful

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Absolutely you can vent! . I held a couple pity parties early in my days. Almost all of us started out worried. Feline diabetes can be overwhelming and you are using a treatment that is new with less experienced voices to call on.

What food is the vet recommending? A constant mix of just fish is not a good idea. Another food list, but just a few years old of cat food carbs is in this list: Catinfo food list. You want 10% and under. You can also calculate the carbs and there are other lists out there too. I fed my cat mostly raw food, from a manufacturer located near me (I knew the person sourcing the ingredients) and I also made some food with a premix.

A cat on wet food will drink less water because they are getting water from their food. The way the Senvelgo works is to get rid of sugar in the urine, so it makes sense she will be peeing a lot.

As mentioned above, testing for ketones regularly is very important.

 

[CORKY]

Welcome to FDF, yes, this is the place to vent and post any concerns no matter how small, When my Corky was first diagnosed, I bombarded this Forum with posts even in the middle of the night, crying my eyes out, I had no idea about anything, and yes frustration and fear took the better of me, but with time and the help of these amazing knowledgeable members in the Forum, it will be a walk in the park

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Your significant other needs to do some reading about Senvelgo. I read most of the published scientific research and wrote the information on the newer feline diabetes treatments. Someone recently asked about when it's possible to stop Senvelgo. The answer is that there is no research that discusses diabetic remission on this class of medications. The only discussion of when to stop Senvelgo is if your cat is experiencing side effects. I would ask your husband what happens with human diabetics. They may not be symptomatic but you don't stop insulin. The point of insulin is to control the symptoms. A diabetic may need their dose adjusted but insulin is not stopped. In addition, your cat is not on insulin. Senvelgo is a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor. Senvelgo doesn't come in "doses" -- the amount you give is based on your cat's weight.

With the SGLT2 inhibitors, like Senvelgo, testing for ketones is important. The presence of ketones is an immediate indicator of discontinuing this medication. There are also a ton of lab tests that need to be done during the first 2 months on Senvelgo.

If you want to test both blood glucose and ketones, there are some meters that do both. Alternatively, if you're poking your cat's ear for blood, you can get readings at the same time. We strongly recommend testing. With Senvelgo, there is the possibility of what's called euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. (Your cat's blood glucose is in normal range but your cat develops diabetic ketoacidosis which can be a life threatening condition.) Lots of vets tell their clients that they don't need to test their diabetic cat. We advise otherwise. The only way to keep your cat safe is to test.

You have lots of options for low carbohydrate foods. Wendy provided a link to a chart that contains most of the canned foods available in the US.

 

[SmallestSparrow]

I know this is stressful. It will get better.

As long as a cat is on an SGLT2 they will have a normal BG. Explain to your husband that this is NOT remission. This is NOT a sign they were misdiagnosed. This is a sign the SGLT2 is working. Refer him to the explanation I gave you on how SGLT2 work.

you can and should monitor ketones. Glucose monitoring should always be normal so if you find it difficult to do both do ketones. Ketone monitoring is a must. Glucose much much much less important on an SGLT2 because unless there’s something really wrong it will always be normal. Again, normal glucose in a cat on SGLT2 is expected. It is NOT a reason to stop drug it is a reason to continue drug.

least invasive way to measure ketones is by checking urine with keto sticks. I find this less convenient but it just requires collecting urine. Some can follow cat to box and stick cup under them. This is not me. You can also collect using special pellets instead of litter on days you test, or old school: put Saran Wrap over litter.

you can also test blood for ketones. This is more invasive and costs a bit more but has advantages: it will find ketones much earlier than checking urine. It also doesn’t rely on cat giving a urine sample. If kitty is sick they may not pee but that’s when you will really want to check.

my suggestion is if you decide on the least invasive test (urine) you still buy a meter and test strips to monitor blood ketones. Learn how to use them and then if you need them you have them.

I feed my boy tiki cat. almost all of their velvet mousses are zero carbs (two are 5&6%) and most of their canned foods are also zero carb. A few of the flavors are 5-10% carbs. Lots of folks here use Fancy Feast. I’ve heard Weruva has some that are good for diabetes and kidney disease. Tiki cat only has two flavors also good for kidneys: tiki silver chicken in chicken broth and tiki silver mackerel and tuna in consommé