My feisty girl, Joshi, was just diagnosed

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LaraB

LaraB

Member Since 2015
Hi all - I'm new here and like everyone, have a cat that was just diagnosed with diabetes. She is my 12 year old, DSH/Snowshoe Mix in my profile pic - our queen of the house named Joshi. I've literally lived with cats my whole life (currently have seven cats) and have dealt with all kinds of health issues over the years, but Joshi is our first diabetic. So, once again, I'm starting that overwhelming task of researching treatments, diet, etc.

I was a longtime member of the Siamese Internet Cat Club and some of it's offshoots, so if you are a meezer lover, I may know some of you already. :-)

Lara - mom to Joshi
 
Hi Lara welcome to you and Joshi. She's a beautiful girl. Sorry she's been diagnosed with diabetes, but you've come to the right place. A low carb wet food is best, and it doesn't have to be from the vet. Many of us feed Fancy Feast Classics or Friskies Pates, just be sure not to get the gravy types, they are usually high in carbs. We also recommend that you home test her glucose using a human meter which can be purchased at any pharmacy. Many of us use the Relion Confirm or Prime from Walmart because the price of the strips is affordable. Have you started her on insulin yet? If you have, make sure you are testing her as that is the best way to keep her safe and know how well the insulin is working. Please ask any questions you have.
 
Welcome.
Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb cannedhttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
Welcome to the message board, the best place you never wanted to be.

There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
- You - without your commitment, the following won't work.
- Home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!). This saves you the cost of going to the vet for curves and done regularly, removes the need for a fructosamine test. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as many Friskies pates. See Cat Info for more info. If already on insulin, you must be home testing before changing the diet. Food changes should be gradual to avoid GI upsets - 20-25% different food each day until switched. There are 2 low carb, dry, over the counter foods in the US - Evo Cat and Kitten dry found at pet specialty stores and Young Again 0 Carb found online.
- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir. No insulin lasts 24 hours in the cat, so giving it every 12 hours is optimal for control.
 
Thanks for the replies. Went out today and got the ReliOn Confirm glucose meter and stocked up on a few recommended varieties of Fancy Feast. I'm totally new to treating Feline Diabetes, so it really helps getting this good initial info - everything is a bit overwhelming right now. We did get the Purina ProPlan DM (both canned and dry to start), but I know, from treating other ailments our cats have had over the years, those prescription diet options are overpriced and not always palatable. Getting the diet right will probably be the biggest challenge as I have six other cats that all have their idiosyncrasies with food. I don't want to shock anyone's system too much, but want to make sure Joshi is being fed properly for her DM. Ack! I know - I need to take deep breath. :-) Even if I've been through chronic conditions with cats before, that worried cat-mommy in me always goes in it all with anxiety. I know Joshi, as much as she loves being the center of attention, is getting bit annoyed with my hovering. I swear I can see her eyes rolling.:cat:

Going to do some reading up on glucose monitioring - have the spreadsheet ready.
 
Hi Lara! Glad to see you here. Well, I wish you didn't need to be here, but you know what I mean. :bighug: (Lara and I went to high school together, and of course there's the Siamese thing too).

Lucy and I are rooting for you. FWIW, as you know our meezers love routine. Lucy quickly learned to LOVE her pokey/feedy time (because of freeze dried chicken). In fact, after she went off insulin of course I only tested her occasionally. Then I adopted Jazzy and Lucy used to get really jealous during Jazzy's pokey time! Sometimes she would butt Jazzy out of the way so I would test her instead. Cats....
 
Hi Libby! Yep, made it over here. :-) Joshi has been so good so far re: the injections. MUCH easier than having to give oral meds. I honestly think she knows they're doing her some good (oh, and she gets food before she gets her needle, so that helps! LOL) Today, I can tell some difference, especially in the litter box. Plus, I haven't seen her hitting the water bowl quite as much. So *crossing fingers*, this is doing something for her.
 
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