New Member 7/3/2024

[KJOanimallover]

Today I received the news that my Baby Girl is diabetic. Fortunately, I have a dear friend who has had diabetic cats and referred me here. I am learning a lot, and I appreciate the encouragement in the articles.

Baby Girl is 18 years old, and I want her happy and healthy. She was diagnosed with asthma when she was much younger. A couple of years ago she started losing a lot of weight and not eating well, and the vet attributed it to old age and wanted us to wait and see what happened. Needless to say, I found another vet before there was nothing left of her.

Fortunately, I found one who diagnosed her with triad disease and a thyroid condition. Those issues have made me a better pet parent and taught me to keep a close eye on any changes. I learned I can give lots of medication, and I willingly give up anything other than day trips because of the need for daily medication. I receive lots of love in return!!!!! That vet retired, but I found another animal hospital that has a wonderful group of vets and support staff.

I noticed she was eating more, but losing weight. I thought the thyroid medication needed to be adjusted. We went in yesterday, and received the blood work results today that she was diabetic. Ironically, with her triad disease she has had VERY elevated liver numbers in the past, but they were the best they have every been since her original triad diagnosis. My Baby Girl is such a sweetie and in my lap right now. Thank you in advance for any assistance in keeping her happy and healthy for many years to come. I am a teacher, and I am willing to learn whatever is necessary.

Thank you,
Kara

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@KJOanimallover
Welcome Kara and Baby Girl
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
Your signature will be in gray letters , see mine about Tyler
It will also tell you how to set up our spreadsheet and how to use it.it's very easy.
If you need help setting it up just ask.

You want to feed 6% carbs or less
Most feed Fancy Feast Pate or Friskies . Here is the food chart that lists the carbs for wet food
:http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
Once you fill out your signature we can help you

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

There are a few basics to managing Baby Girl's diabetes. The first is home testing. Learning how to test your cat's blood glucose is the best way to keep your cat safe and for you to assess how the insulin is working. When we ask that. you set up a spreadsheet, it's to keep track of your test results. Many members use the Walmart Relion glucometer. The strips are the least expensive available. However, any meter is fine. Pet specific meters are expensive both for the meter and even more so for the strips. (Relion strips cost about 17 cents each; pet meter strips cost about $1.00 each.) Some vets recommend or caregivers opt for a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like the Freestyle Libre. The CGMs have their pros and cons -- ease of use is a pro; inaccurate readings in the lower range is a big con.

Feeding your cat a low carbohydrate diet is essential. Diane provided a link to a food chart that has nutritional information about most of the canned foods that are available in the US, including carbs. We consider low carb to be under 10%. However, most of the members here give their cat foods that are in the 5% range. You have lots of choices! Most of the dry foods, including "diabetic" foods is very high in carbs. Even some of the canned prescription diabetic food is high in carbs. And, you do NOT need to give Baby Girl prescription food. It's also fine to feed your cat a bit more food until her appetite evens out. Once she's a bit better regulated, she won't be ravenous.

Finally, the right insulin is important. This is a link to the American Animal Hospital Assn's guidelines for treating diabetes. They recommend either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc for the treatment of feline diabetes. Hopefully, your vet prescribed one of these insulins. The other insulins that are sometimes prescribed have too short of a duration for a cat's fast metabolism. They also tend to act quickly and can drop blood glucose numbers hard and fast. There are also a couple of newer insulins on the market -- Bexacat and Senvelgo. These do not require an injection. Given Baby Girl's age, I would not encourage their use.

If you want to be inundated in reading, this is a link to the Health FAQ page. There's a huge volume of information there so take your time!!

Please let us know if you have questions. We're here to help.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum. We are here to help you and Baby Girl. Just ask

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I am the friend that recommended Kara join our group. Because Baby Girl has multiple health issues, I know that several of our members who have lots of experience caring for diabetic cats that have several issues going on will be able to help her.