New diagnosis for Maggie

[judy hipps]

I had a feeling something was wrong with my kitty Maggie. She lost from a chunky 18 lbs. in December and is down to 10 lbs. She’s almost 7 and has been on Science Diet c/d and Biome for the past 2 years for frequent bladder infections and constipation due to an untreated pelvic
fracture that happened some time before we adopted her. She was diagnosed 7/17/23 with her insulin 527. She’s going to start Bexacat pills this week. We’re trying this before going to shots because we really don’t see her being receptive to shots. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to you and Maggie
I would be cautious about starting Bexacat. It is new and only suitable for cats that fit specific guidelines.
Your kitty would, in my opinion, be much better to start insulin. You have a chance of Maggie going into remission with insulin.

If you decide to go down the path of insulin, I would ask for one of the insulins that are suitable for cats. Lantus or prozinc are the two I would consider. Do not let the vet prescribe vetsulin, caninsulin or novolin N as they are not suitable for cats.

And I would swap to a low carb canned diet now . The science diet c/d is very high in carbs and most unsuitable for diabetic cats.
Have a look at the FOOD CHART and pick foods that are under 10% carbs. Around 5-7% is good.
A lot of us feed fancy feast pates which are low carb, but there are many other ones to choose from. You do not need to buy the expensive prescription foods from the vet. They are almost always high carb and there is nothing special about them. Suitable foods from the pet stores are perfectly fine.

Has the problem with the fractured pelvis been fixed?
She has lost a lot of weight…when a cat is a diabetic they can’t absorb all the nutrients in the food, so they lose weight and are always hungry. So feed her more than the two main meals of the day. Lots of snacks of the low carb food.
The sooner she can start insulin, the sooner she will regain some weight and I am sure, feel better.
You would be amazed at how cats accept insulin shots. If you give a small snack while doing it, most don’t even notice.
Keep asking questions .

 

[Angus13]

I had a feeling something was wrong with my kitty Maggie. She lost from a chunky 18 lbs. in December and is down to 10 lbs. She’s almost 7 and has been on Science Diet c/d and Biome for the past 2 years for frequent bladder infections and constipation due to an untreated pelvic
fracture that happened some time before we adopted her. She was diagnosed 7/17/23 with her insulin 527. She’s going to start Bexacat pills this week. We’re trying this before going to shots because we really don’t see her being receptive to shots. Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi Judy, my 13 year old FIV+ male had been on Bexacat for 3 months now. It was a little tough going at first, but eventually his numbers improved and he's been doing well. Because this drug is so new, there's not a lot of anecdotal information out there. There are also some folks who think it's not as good as using insulin, but for me, it was the best option.
Did your vet talk about changing her diet at all? Getting her on to wet food is going to make a huge difference. I rarely gave Angus canned food, he was a dry food cat. He now eats two 3 oz. cans of food per day (and overnight), a half a can per meal and the fourth half at bedtime. He also gets Dr. Elsey's chicken recipe for dry food. It is made with gelatin rather than any grains, so no carbs. He has done well on this combination. I realize your cat is on the prescription diet for other health reasons, but talk to your vet to see about trying to change things in that department.
I hope Maggie does well on the Bexacat, please let us know how it goes! I have a post on here about Angus's experience since April, just search for bexacat and it should come up.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

A cat can start on Bexacat and then switch to insulin. However, one on insulin the manufacture says to not then use Bexacat. Bexacat is only supplied in one size and they one can't practically make small changes in dose to optimize BG.

 

[Angus13]

A cat can start on Bexacat and then switch to insulin. However, one on insulin the manufacture says to not then use Bexacat. Bexacat is only supplied in one size and they one can't practically make small changes in dose to optimize BG.

Hi Larry, this is true. It is still a viable option for some cat owners however, and should not be discounted if the vet says it is an option for the cat. And for someone with a newly diagnosed cat that has never had insulin, they can try it and see how their cat does on it. If the cat doesn't do well, doesn't regulate on it, then the owner can make the decision about what they want to do next.