My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welcome!

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grapey

grapey

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Hey everyone,
My name is Jen, and my 6-year-old manx mix Lily was diagnosed with diabetes on March 19. I was totally shocked--I've known cats with diabetes, but they were overweight! In Lily's case, she's been losing weight, which prompted me to take her to the vet. In retrospect, she's been peeing a LOT, and I feel terrible for not recognizing that sooner. I also feel bad that I didn't notice how skinny she was getting! She now weighs about 7 1/2 pounds. I've been feeding her terrible Purina cat food, so I wonder if that caused this. I"ve learned my lesson :(

For her diagnosis, her blood glucose was 350. The vet told me to put her on diabetic food and see how that goes after a week. I chose Purina DM wet because I've been reading lots about high protein/low carb food, and that seemed like the best choice while still feeding the prescription food the vet recommended. We went back to the vet yesterday, and her glucose was down to 288.

Do you think her blood sugar will continue to drop? The vet told me to give her another two weeks and then come back in for another glucose check. So no insulin yet! I've read stories about cats whose diabetes went into remission after eating the high protein canned food. Have any of you experienced this, and if so, how long did it take for the glucose to drop to normal levels?

Also, I'd like to try home glucose testing. Can I use a human glucometer? Or do I need a special cat one? I've heard opinions advocating both. I'm watching lots of YouTube videos, and the vet techs let me watch them draw her blood also, so I'm willing to give it a try! (Haven't talked to the vet about this yet, but I plan to. She's in favor of home glucose testing.)

Thank you all! I am still adjusting to all this. We have a fat cat who's just fine! And me, who's overweight too, but still no diabetes. Oh well. We will do whatever we need to do to get Lillers healthy :)
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

grapey said:
Hey everyone,
My name is Jen, and my 6-year-old manx mix Lily was diagnosed with diabetes on March 19.
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Welcome :smile: You'll find lots of good info here :smile:

The vet told me to put her on diabetic food and see how that goes after a week. I chose Purina DM wet because I've been reading lots about high protein/low carb food, and that seemed like the best choice while still feeding the prescription food the vet recommended. We went back to the vet yesterday, and her glucose was down to 288.

Do you think her blood sugar will continue to drop? The vet told me to give her another two weeks and then come back in for another glucose check. So no insulin yet! I've read stories about cats whose diabetes went into remission after eating the high protein canned food. Have any of you experienced this, and if so, how long did it take for the glucose to drop to normal levels?
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Some cats can go into remission on diet alone. You could try diet for a week or so. But you don't need the Purina DM canned. It's expensive, the ingredients are junk quality, and many cats get bored of eating it. Instead, you can feed a commerical canned food :smile: Brands such as Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, and Merrick are good choices. Not all foods are low enough in carbs for a diabetic, though. We feed foods that have less than 10% carbs. Use Binky's food charts, the Pet Food Nutritional Vales list, Dr. Lynne's Wet Food list, and the list of low carb gluten free Fancy Feast. On Binky's chart, look at the column for carbs and choose foods that have a number 10 or less. On the Pet Food Nutritional values list, look at the % kcal from carbs column and choose foods that have a number 10 or less.

Give diet about a week and then check blood glucose levels. If levels are still high, then start insulin right away. The sooner you start insulin, the greater the chances of remission are. Ask your vet for Lantus, Levemir, or ProZinc insulins.

Low carb treats: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

Also, I'd like to try home glucose testing. Can I use a human glucometer? Or do I need a special cat one? I've heard opinions advocating both. I'm watching lots of YouTube videos, and the vet techs let me watch them draw her blood also, so I'm willing to give it a try! (Haven't talked to the vet about this yet, but I plan to. She's in favor of home glucose testing.)
Click to expand...

Yes, you can use a regular Human blood glucose meter :smile: There's a blood glucose meter comparision guide here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=67082 A meter that only needs 0.3 ul of blood is ideal for a cat. Some people choose a meter that uses inexpensive test strips. Wal Mart's Relion brand of meters work well but maybe not the best choice if you don't have a Wal Mart nearby or can't easily get to one if you run out of test strips. Meters that are available in many chain pharmacies would be a better choice (AccuChek, Bayer, One Touch, etc) since you can run into any pharmacy and buy test strips.

The pet meters aren't any more accurate and they cost more. Test strips are not sold in any Human pharmacy so you have to plan ahead and order more well before you run out of strips.
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Welcome Jen & Lily!

Several cats on the board have successfully become diet-controlled diabetics. Some people see as much as a 100 point drop just from the food change.

You've done well to switch to wet, and will find even greater success when you adjust to lower carb wet food. You've already gotten the link to Janet & Binky's food chart. There are plenty of reasonably-priced choices on the list you can get at your local grocery store that are under 5 carbs, and even more at specialty pet food stores. Because there are SO many choices, it's helpful to print out the list and even highlight the 5% and less varieties before you go to the store.

You'll see ECID - every cat is different - on various posts. Some respond to food alone, while others will require insulin... some for a while, others just a short period. Regardless of which direction you end up going, know that you're in the right place to learn and get help. Ask questions as you need to, read others' posts, and check out some spreadsheets (attached to our signatures) to see how others are treating and responding to the issues they've encountered. Sounds like you may have caught Lily's condition early, and your bing proactive and researching will only help her.

Good luck and welcome again!

Lu-Ann
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Welcome, Jen and Lily!

Hershey was diagnosed Nov, 2011 and we immediately switched him to canned food. I completely understand your feelings of guilt - trying to do what's best for your sweet Lily and finding out what they sell us as cat food is JUNK! Don't be too hard on yourself, you were doing the best you could with the information you had. Consider this a fresh starting point. :-D

I, too, felt guilty for not all of the signs together until Hershey had lost a good deal of weight, among other symptoms. Again, starting fresh! Within a couple of weeks of putting him on Wellness (We order ours online cheaper than in stores.), his coat was softer and he was obviously feeling better. I was hoping diet alone would be enough, but not the case for him. (Of course, I can't say, for sure, how long he had FD before we took him in.) He started on ProZinc in Jan.

Good job on researching and educating yourself! And, kudos on finding the jewel of a resource!! I know it has been a priceless resource for me and am soo thankful I stumbled on it!!

We started out using an iPet meter, but the strips were too expensive to continue with. We switched to a ReliOn meter from Walmart (and order our strips cheaper online). Testing definitely gets easier with practice! I would recommend finding one spot to test in and finding a routine - like, we always test in the rocker/recliner next to the table (where we keep the testing supplies) that has a lamp. When we turn the lamp on, Hershey comes to us. Of course, knowing treats will follow doesn't hurt!

I see you've already gotten some good advice, so I would just say to spend lots of time reading on here and looking at different people's SS (spread sheets) and ask lots of questions.

Again - WELCOME!!

Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

You guys are amazing! Thank you SO MUCH. I've decided to buy the ReliOn glucometer from Walmart, mainly because it looks like the test strips are the most reasonably priced. I compared some prices for One Touch, etc. at Walgreens tonight, and wow!

As for the food, for now I plan to stick with the Purina DM. Even though it may not be the best ingredients-wise (and price-wise!) I don't feel comfortable yet deviating from my vet's recommendations. It looks like it has only 7 carbs (from one of those charts) so I feel OK feeding it to her. I hope she continues to like it! She really loves dry dog food--not good! Crazy kitty. This whole thing has motivated me to start feeding our other cat wet food, so these charts will be invaluable.

I will definitely be going into research mode. I have a lot to learn.

Thank you again!!
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

We went ahead and put Oreo on canned food, too. Well, he was finishing up the dry because I didn't want to waste it. Then, we started giving him dry twice and day and wet twice a day. He started snubbing the dry and only eating the two meals that were Wellness canned. So, when the dry was gone and we put him on only Wellness canned - he decided he didn't like it anymore! Crazy cat!! He eats Friskies Pate' and loves it. Seems most of them are around 7 - 8% carbs, but we keep Hershey below 6% carbs.

You just never know about cats - they want to be SURE you know who's in charge!!

btw - For our ReliOn Confirm, we order our strips from American Diabetes Wholesale http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...lucose-test-strips_4050.htm?source=SiteSearch $69.99 for 250 strips. ~$.28/strip

Take care -

Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Lots of cats like the Purina DM at first, but tend to tire of the high liver content very quickly. It is okay (and just okay) for diabetics, but if you look at the ingredients and do some comparisons, and you will see how poor quality it really is, especially for how expensive it is. It has absolutely nothing in it that other foods don't.

Liver, poultry by-products, meat by-products - first 3 ingredients of Purina DM canned. Can you say EWW? And it has 7% carbs because it contains oat fiber... that is too high for some carb sensitive kitties.

Chicken, chicken broth, liver - first 3 ingredients of Fancy Feast Chicken Feast Classic. Much better, right? Only 4% carbs.

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Turkey - first 3 ingredients of Wellness Chicken. 4% carbs.

I know its tough to go against your vets advice sometimes. But you have to understand that this forum deals with feline diabetes day in and day out, 24/7/365. They know the song and dance inside and out because they live it every single day. Very few vets have hands on experience with diabetics, and even less are up to date with proper treatment protocols. There are some things only your vet can help you with, and you need to make sure you have a vet you can trust, especially for emergencies... but the folks here know what they are talking about, because their treatment regimes have helped save hundreds of cats, get them happy, healthy, regulated, and even sometimes off insulin. :-D
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Wanted to say welcome to you both!
Yes, remission is possible....my Bean has been in remission for almost 1 yr!!! This May, we will be throwing her a party & offering special treats - low/no carb of course. :-D
You have received lots of great information and soo happy that your vet suggested testing.
Something you might want to purchase when you are at w.mart, neosporin w/ pain ointment (for bg testing time) and ketone sticks....
They are used to follow ketones and that way while you are waiting on the insulin, you could be keeping an eye on that along with your new diet and home testing.
Just stick up under the rump while she goes peeee, or put into the puddle before she buries. That easy. My Bean is kinda a private girl, so when I see her head to the potty, I go into the room, stand and look out the window, and bam~ I get that test as soon as she is done....she dont get to cover it right away if it is after she is done, but I dont have to do this every time, so I figure, she can handle it!

Testing will become routine. What helped us was to pick the same spot, offer the same treat (frz dried chicken, duck, lamb, fish) that have no carbs. She sees me get the pokey poke basket with all the testing goodies heading for our spot and she is there!

Great to see you here. Keep posting, asking and receiving support, advice and lots of furry hugs! ;-)
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

This article (written by a vet) is very informative when it comes to prescription diets: http://catinfo.org/#Prescription_Diets_and_Marketing_Labels.

While canned Purina DM is the only prescription food that's ok for a diabetic, it's pretty much the same as the cheaper low carb commercial foods like Friskie's, Special Kitty, or Sophistacat, or Fancy Feast so all you are doing is paying a huge markup (40 cents a can vs. 1.60 a can) for just the label. The ingredients in Purina DM are not high quality protein, and it contains a lot of liver, which many cats get sick of quickly. There is nothing wrong with feeding it, but you mentioned affordability though and this is a huge waste of money. You can get a premium, low carb food without byproducts like Merricks, Wellness, or Nature's Variety for less than what you're paying for the DM that will provide better nutrition for your cat. It's like spending $4 dollars on a can of doctor-recommended spaghettios, which are exactly the same as regular spaghettios that cost 99 cents, when you could be spending that same $4 to buy some whole grain pasta and fresh marinara sauce.

Here's a link to the Purina DM ingredients: http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/Product/DMDieteticManagementCatFood.aspx

Liver, poultry by-products, meat by-products, water sufficient for processing, chicken, salmon, oat fiber, salmon meal, guar gum, potassium chloride, carrageenan, salt, Vitamin E supplement, calcium phosphate, taurine, thiamine mononitrate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, potassium iodide. I-4573
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Compare it to Fancy Feast Liver and Chicken:
Liver, meat broth, meat by-products, chicken, poultry by-products, artificial and natural flavors, calcium phosphate, guar gum, potassium chloride, taurine, salt, magnesium sulfate, zinc sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, niacin, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, biotin, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, potassium iodide.
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The Fancy Feast is actually a BETTER quality food because it contains slightly more muscle meat (high quality protein) than the DM.

And then look at the ingredients for a premium food--this is Merrick's Before Grain Turkey:

Turkey, Turkey Broth, Dried Egg, Yeast Extract, Glycine, Glycine, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride,
Salt, Guar, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Carageenan,
Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex,
Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate,
Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid,
Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Glucoheptanate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate,
Sodium Selenite
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Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Go me--I just did my first home blood glucose test! I feel very empowered :) I bought the ReliOn meter at Walmart. It included the lancet pen. The instructions were easy to follow, and with the help of my hubby holding Lily, and the photo of the "sweet spot" on the ear, I got a drop of blood and the meter sucked it up! On the first try! If I can do this, anybody can do it! Lily wasn't upset at all. She was a little annoyed to be held, but that's normal. :) (I tried the lancet pen on myself, and I could barely feel a thing.)

Her glucose was 240, which is down from 288 a few days ago at the vet. I am encouraged. THANK YOU for empowering me to do this at home!!
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Also, thank you for the good food information. I do appreciate it. I never thought I'd be feeding *Purina,* and I know lots of other brands are better (I really love Wellness dog food), but for now I just don't feel comfortable going off the DM canned. Maybe I will in the future, but right now, I don't feel good about it.

It's crazy that for years I thought feeding the cats Friskies, Fancy Feast, etc. was akin to a human eating potato chips or ice cream. Crazy that I now know they're actually better than dry.
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

It's a good feeling, isn't it.... to know that NOW you will be able to test your Lily at home and no stress for her.
You will now know if it is safe to give her insulin or not instead of just shooting her blindly and crossing your fingers that she does not go too low.

Now just set up a spreadsheet and you guys can start plugging in the test numbers you get!
Well done to you!
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

GO, JEN!!!

Applause.gif


Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

GO GIRL, GO GIRL.... finding my toot toot right now! Is soooo awesome that you can do this! And your baby is in such better hands now!
You deserve a drink...lol
Ok, maybe a large pat on the back and so does hubby!
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

Hi Jen n Lily!
My cat Sadie and I are new the the process. My vet sent me home with a package of wet food for Sadie and said see you in a few weeks. I didn't know you could home test your cats. I stumbled on this forum and what a GOD send its been. People here are really encouraging and extremely helpful! Good job on home testing. It can be a lot to juggle thank goodness for husbands and signification others to steady the cat while we learn :D

Best wishes that food will "cure" her.

~Pepper n Sadie
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

grapey said:
Also, thank you for the good food information. I do appreciate it. I never thought I'd be feeding *Purina,* and I know lots of other brands are better (I really love Wellness dog food), but for now I just don't feel comfortable going off the DM canned. Maybe I will in the future, but right now, I don't feel good about it.

It's crazy that for years I thought feeding the cats Friskies, Fancy Feast, etc. was akin to a human eating potato chips or ice cream. Crazy that I now know they're actually better than dry.
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That is fine, but, I would recommend stocking up on a few cans of Fancy Feast etc. in case she decides to stop liking the DM cold turkey (a lot of cats do). I know my Scooter personally doesn't like high liver/byproduct foods and they tend to make him puke a lot :shock:
 
Re: My skinny kitty Lily diagnosed last week; all input welc

I'm worried ... Lily's blood glucose has been about 300 (on the human meter) most of the weekend, and she's not eating much of the Purina DM. Now she's hiding under the bed and won't come out. :( We weren't supposed to go back to the vet for another nine days, but I'm concerned that diet alone isn't cutting it. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow morning.
 
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