New member, a few questions

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Ellys Mom

Ellys Mom

Member Since 2019
Hi everyone! My kitty was just diagnosed the other day and I would love some input and guidance as this is all very new to me. I'm trying to do the best I can. I have a few questions...

A little background: Elliott (14 year old/indoor cat) was diagnosed a few days ago at the vet with a BG of 439 in office. He was started on Vetsulin (1 unit - twice a day). We have another cat, Mazie, who is 2 years old/ indoor cat and healthy. We are going back to the vet in a week or two for his first glucose curve.

1. I've been looking at the CatInfo spreadsheet Food Chart to find the best suited food. Am I right to think that 0 carb with more protein is best? How much does the fat% matter? I'd like to start him off on wet food that is 0-5% carb if that is safe. I also got TikiCat dry food which is 11% carb and thought this would be a good balance. The vet said he needed some food out at all times, so I will be leaving the low carb dry food out for grazing in combo with two portions of 0 carb wet food a day.

2. If your kitty goes into remission, (which would be incredible)... do you still take glucose readings everyday? Hes been acting different since getting the insulin shots. He walks a short distance and will sit down. He isn't sleeping with us and hes less affectionate. He is still grooming himself and eating well. He also seems to be drinking an appropriate amount of water now whereas he had been drinking a lot - (which is why we brought him in). Now I'm wondering if the increased blood glucose levels were making him act more affectionate/needy!

I got a ReliOn meter and got his first at-home glucose reading. It was 244 before his meal. 2 hours after his meal and insulin shot it was 186. Is this normal?

Sorry for all the questions and huge post! I trust all of your input and advice so I wanted to be thorough.
 
Elly's Mom..don't apologize for asking questions, that's what we do here! :)
The diet, we recommend low carb wet food that is less than 10% carbs. There is a wonderful site about feline nutrition you may want to visit (by the same Dr. Pierson that complied the food chart) www.catinfo.org.
Dr Pierson recommends " start with protein minimum of 40, fat maximum of 50, carb max of 10, and for cats with kidney issues....phos less than 300."

Remission is the ultimate goal, and very fortunately our Idjit is one of the lucky ones. I did test more often right after remission, then went to once a month. A suggestion by another long time member has made me review that decision however, and I am going to be testing once a week, per the wise advice that if the cat falls out of remission you know sooner and can act quickly.

It may be that Elly was acting more affectionate/needy before diagnosis and beginning insulin. He didn't feel well and was telling you. When Idjit doesn't feel well he comes and presses himself next to my legs in bed, that's his way of saying "Mom, I'm sick".

Now that you are testing (and hooray for you!!) you can create a spreadsheet and begin recording the insulin and testing data.
You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review his/her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

As far as the BG test levels, normal is relative for every cat. He's new to the insulin and entering that testing data on the spreadsheet is going to give you an idea of just how the insulin is working for him. There will always be fluctuations due to diet, stress, just normal everyday living.
If you are reading the Beginner's Guide to Vetsulin you will see this:

BLOOD GLUCOSE REFERENCE INFORMATION
  • In most of the world, BG is measured in mmol/L. In the USA, BG is measured in mg/dL. Many FDMB members are in the USA so you will usually see people referring to BG ‘numbers’ in mg/dL. To convert mmol/L to mg/dL just multiply by 18. To convert mg/dL to mmol/L just divide by 18.
  • On FDMB the normal BG range for a non-diabetic cat is generally deemed to be 50 – 120 mg/dL [2.7 to 6.6 mmol/L] on a human glucose meter.
  • Some cats may naturally have blood glucose levels that run slightly lower or higher than the typical normal range.
  • A newly diagnosed diabetic cat may have significantly higher BG levels. Levels in the 400s mg/dL [20s mmol/L] are not uncommon. Don’t be alarmed if your cat’s BG levels are high at diagnosis. Things can turn around quickly once a cat is on insulin and eating an appropriate diet.
Do visit that forum, read and re-read that information. You can post there with questions about Vetsulin and dosing.

Keep reading, learning and asking questions, somebody in our community has the answer or will do their best to find it.
 
Thanks for all the info! I have some homework to do :)

There's so much useful information on this board and I have been reading quite a bit (even before joining). Thank you for sharing your knowledge, patience, and support to other cat parents. :cat:
 
What an absolutely gorgeous kitty!! Hi! I’m also new. I wish I would have known one thing when my cat was diagnosed and that is: ketone testing. Ketone test strips are very inexpensive at your local Walmart or pharmacy. Test on a regular basis but especially if your kitty begins to act like they don’t feel well. When you’re ready, read up on Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) and you’ll learn about what you’re avoiding. May your kitty-babies never have ketones!! My other recent win: I got blood from my kitty’s ear!! After many tries and paw pad testing, I found shining my phone flashlight behind her ear really helped. Feels like a huge accomplishment!! Kind regards, Lee
 
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