My baby girl has diabetes

I'm so glad I found this forum. I hope I can find the answers I need to prepare me for this long journey I'm faced with. My four year old female was just diagnosed with diabetes and I'm so confused on how to handle it. I have been searching for food alternatives because what he suggested to feed her is so expensive and I have another cat so I definitely can't afford to feed both different food but I did find out that it wouldn't hurt my second cat to eat the same food as the diabetic cat. They both eat wet and dry but they don't eat a lot in one sitting it's once in the morning once in the evening and I have been feeding them both Meow Mix wet and just recently switched to the Meow Mix dry but now I'm finding out that dry is probably going to be taken out of their diet so I just need to know if I'm thinking on the right path to go high protein low carbs? I was also told that I could maybe even go to the fresh chicken route and I did try that with her today and she seemed to like it because I mash it up and add a little water to it and did eat some of it. I just don't want to get stuck on the high price diabetic food but I have to make sure that she's going to be okay too and he prescribed her the new Bexacat because I could not even afford insulin and I certainly wouldn't be able to handle giving it to her so I guess what I am also asking is just if I'm making the right choices and I don't think she's in the dangerous stage yet but she is sick. She has lost about 4 lbs, (down from 13)in the last 3 months and I noticed that she started looking a little thin but I didn't realize it was this bad so I need to get her back to health and hope I can help her stay healthy but I am retired on a low income so I need to find the best route to go so any help anybody can give me I would appreciate it.I feel so guilty. She eats really well and they both drink plenty of water so that isn't a issue.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.
With the food, you need to be feeding a low carb wet diet. Most dry food is high carb.
Here is a link to suitable low carbs foods. Look for wet food that is 10% or under carbs. Most of us feed around the 4-7% carbs.
Your other cat could also be fed this food. That would save having to worry about them getting into each others food.
You can also feed more than twice a day. We recommend feeding two main meals and them a few snacks during the day and evening.
FOOD CHART

Did you vet check for ketones at diagnosis?
I would recommend you buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmarts or a pharmacy and check your kittys urine for ketones a few times a week, especially if she is not eating well or seems unwell or lethargic.

Have you thought about hometesting the blood glucose? we can help you with that and it will keep your kitty safe?
I don’t know a lot about Bexacat so I will tag @Wendy&Neko in case I have missed anything.
Keep asking lots of questions.

 

Hello and welcome.

As Bron said, Bexacat is fairly new. There are a number of contraindications or cautions you need to consider. They are listed in this post:
New Treatments for Feline Diabetes You will have to test regularly for ketones. Could you check the blood work/urinalysis you got when she was diagnosed with diabetes and make sure the urine ketones are negative?

Meow Mix dry food is way too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. Do you think your cat would eat all wet food? I'm not suggesting the Meow Mix wet either. Many people here on a budget feed the Fancy Feast Pates. There are even some Friskies pates that are lower carb. You absolutely do not feed the "diabetic" food from. the vet. Some of it is even too high in carbs. You are right, higher protein lower carbs is the way to go.

What country do you live in? In the US specifically, the prices of some insulins also used by humans, such as Lantus/glargine has come down a lot in the last year. Especially now that there are generics out.

 

Chicken meat on its own is not a complete diet. You need to add supplements to chicken or other meat to make it a complete diet for a cat. The easiest way to do this is by using a pre-mix such as EZComplete.

If you're in the US, there is a coupon you can use to get a box of 5 Lantus insulin pens for $35. The box will last at least a few months. You'll need insulin syringes to use. Some brands cost around $13 or so for a box.

Discuss with the vet about using insulin vs Bexacat.

Diabetic Cats In Need may be able to provide some assistance with your cat's diabetes supplies. The web site is https://dcin.dreamhosters.com/

 

She is not on insulin, that is why we chose the Beracat to avoid giving injections and I won't get the Beracat until today so she isn't on anything at the moment and as I write this she threw up, all yellow liquid. I'm now so scared rift now I do believe she has already Benin to go down hill from last night and now I'm afraid to start her on the Beracat but I'm also afraid to have to use insulin.
I suppose with insulin you can test daily and either increase dosage or give less but with Beracat being in pill form how would you do that? I know I need to keep calm for her but I'm so afraid it's happening to fast.
On the blood work panel I cannot understand any of it and I have no idea where he even tested her urine Am I going to have to keep taking her in more times to check her levels? I see on here that some go in alot and I wonder how they can afford it, and that is another fear I have that I may lose her life because I don't have the money to keep her alive.
Sorry for rambling but I am so lost right now. I have only been to this vet twice so I hope what he is telling me is correct.

 

If you've been feeding your cats Meow Mix, I'd be really interested in seeing what your cat's blood glucose level is once you have her on a low carb diet.

I'd really encourage you to read over the information that Wendy linked on Bexacat. Hopefully, your vet did a thorough physical exam and ran all of the necessary labs. We've had members whose cats are doing well on Bexacat but it does have some additional vet costs that are important to be aware of. You also need to monitor for ketones. The presence of ketones is a critical health problem but even more so with Bexacat (or Senvelgo). We have much more information on insulin such as Lantus and Prozinc given how long they have been available. We're learning along with our members about how cats are doing on the new diabetes treatment products.

I would encourage you to home test. It's the best way to keep your cat safe and to know how well her diabetes is being managed. The Walmart Relion brand meter is the least expensive around -- or at least the strips are the least expensive. Since costs are a concern, please don't let your vet convince you to get a pet specific meter. There is a dramatic difference in the price of strips. (Pet specific strips cost about $1.00 each. Relion strips cost around 17 cents each.) Testing for ketones can also be important. You can get urine test strips (Ketostix) at any pharmacy.

 

What added costs are you speaking of? I did go buy a relion meter but of course I do not know how to use it. She's very logarithic today I tried to syringe feed her water and some Pate mixed with some water and she threw it up so I tried to go to the vet and he was closed so I do not know what my options are going to be here for her tonight, it does not look very good. Her medicine still has not been delivered but I'm hoping once I get one pill down her that she will show some little sign of improvement to give me hope but the way she's acting today I have my doubts and I don't really know what else I can do for her.

 

Loads of tips and videos here:

• Hometesting Links and Tips - includes numerous links, instructions, pictures, & videos

 

The urinalysis, if they did it, should be the bottom under the blood work results. There should be a heading to that section call urinalysis and a result for ketones, which should be negative.

I'm worried that she is lethargic and vomiting. I strongly recommend you purchase some Ketostix, or other strips good for testing urine ketones. A container doesn't cost that much. You stick a stick in the pee stream to get results. You don't want anything above trace or it's a visit to the vet, any that is open. Some posts that might help you: Tips to catch and test a urine sample and
Ketones, Ketoacidosis, and Diabetic Cats: A Primer on Ketones

 

Try reaching out to Diabetic Cats In Need @Chris & China (GA)

 

Be sure to use a Pill Pocket or other pill dough or method to get the pill into the cat. Dry pilling can cause issues as described here: https://catinfo.org/pilling-cats-an...natives-transdermal-medications-pill-pockets/ I don't think Bexacat can be compounded into another form such as a liquid.

Is there a reason why insulin is not an option? Injections aren't scary and doesn't hurt the cat or your relationship with the cat. If insulin cost is a concern, there are ways to get insulin for less such as the coupon I mentioned above. Diabetic Cats In Need is an organization that may be able to help you with some costs.