New Member with Newly Diagnosed Diabetes

Cristy06

Cristy06

Member Since 2025
Hello. My beautiful fur baby Coco was diagnosed with diabetes in November. I feel like someone has pulled the bottom out of my life. She is 12 and I had hoped would stay a healthy senior. Her glucose levels the last couple years have been borderline. In June, bloodwork was done and my vet staff recommend she lose some weight. They gave me a script for Hills Veterinary Metabolism and her weight dropped from 15.3lbs to 11. I was ecstatic as I have had her on low calorie food for a while and the scale did not budge. One morning, I noticed a clot of blood on her lower lip below a fang. I checked and saw redness around the base of the tooth. I have liked my vets, however, whenever I took her in (a traumatic event for us both!), we waited a long time in the room before a tech would see us. One time, they even forgot we were in the room! I tried a new vet practice with high reviews on Yelp and scheduled a visit. While we were there, I talked to the vet about her bloodwork, diet, large amounts of pee balls and water drinking (I have 2 cats) and getting her weight down. They asked to do another blood workup, which I agreed, hoping that her sugar level had returned to lower value. They also contacted the other vet and were able to get her bloodwork from June. Her glucose had jumped from borderline to over 600! Her fructosamine levels were also very high. I was given the terrifying news that she has diabetes. He did another blood test to confirm and sat me down to discuss a plan of action. 1cc of ProZinc 12hours apart, script for Hills Veterinary Glucose food and discharge instructions. He showed me how to give her injections, and we would do a glucose curve two weeks after she started the insulin. It took a few days to get the med and syringes from Chewy. She doesn't like the shots, but we have managed and I was hoping for better news after the curve procedure. While her glucose level has fallen a little, and I noticed her drinking was a little less and pee balls smaller, she was not responding properly so the dose has been increased to 2cc 2x daily. I found this site after I noticed she was walking a bit unsteady and her rear legs were weaker. Diabetic neuropathy was discussed in the posts, so I will contact my vet about the B12 and medication that may help with this. I also have purchased pet risers so she can more easily get up on my bed. I am terrified by her condition and hope that I may have found a site that can help support us in this new, unwelcome chapter in our lives. I live alone, so it has been even more stressful and I have health issues/limited income. Thank you for any support, I truly appreciate it!!
 
Welcome to FDMB
Don't be terrified, Feline diabetes is manageable, you are in the right place, we have been very overwhelmed when we hear those word, Corky was diagnosed when he was 9 he is 12 now the best insulin for cats are ProZinc and Lantus they are a 12-hour insulin and easy on the cat, so your start is promising, it is important to home test, especially before each shot to avoid hypoglycemia, as well as several times during the day, most of the members use the Human ReliOn Premier monitor and strips, you can purchase at Walmart the monitor is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 m/$17.88 for 100. A diabetic cat needs to have a diet of wet can foods or raw between 0-10% carbs, also they need to eat several times a day to keep the ProZinc in check, so that would be the two main meals ,a small meal two hours after each shot, that's when the ProZinc hits the system, and at least 3 small meals in between, The protocol for ProZinc is test, feed, shoot, you can give Coco the shot while she is eating. I also calculated for carbs on the food you are feeding and is very high in carbs, there's no such thing as "Prescribed diabetic cat food" is like humans that have diabetes, they do not eat prescribed foods, they regulate the diabetes with low carb food and eating small meals during the day, most members here use the Fancy Feast Pates (CHEWY has the best prices) between 0-10% carbs most members feed up to 5%.
I am sure Coco is just as overwhelmed, it is important that you choose a vet that is updated and familiar with Feline Diabetes, giving ProZinc is a good sign,
also, you do not have to stress each other for a curve, you can do that yourself, is very simple is just testing the BG every two hour for 1 cycle -12 hours, curving at the vet does not really works, cats are very sensitive to stress, the BG number will not be accurate, which can cause for the Vet to increase the dose with no need, Please check our Main Menu there a sticky notes with valuable information, no concern is a small concerns, so please post away, we are here to help you and Coco in this journey, We have amazing knowledgeable member that can assist you with Coco's dose, if she has no other serious illnesses, (the leg weakness will get better as she gets regulated, you can do this right here, without stressing yourself or Coco at the vet. 🤗
 
Wow, this is all overwhelming, but I am heartened to know that I do not have to feed the expensive prescription food as a matter of course. Are there any other good, canned food brands in addition to Fancy Feast? I have read that Tiki Cat After Dark is recommended, even though it is a little pricy. She is not too food fussy, like my other cat is. Is there an easy way to calculate the percentage of carbs in food? Also, I know I have to watch the treats now. She likes the dried, single ingredient ones like Just One and I will give her a small piece after her shot. I make sure she has plenty of water and she does have times when she drinks more during the day. I work three to four days of the week, so I leave a little of the Science Diet food out. I am also trying Dr. Easley Clean Protein Chicken Recipe, based on research. All in small amounts as I, after reading some of the threads here, have increased her wet food portion. I will follow your feeding advice for the mini meals in addition to the main portion which I give her before her shot.
I know it is stressful, and expensive, to do the curve at the vets (my new vet does accept the 25% discount through Pet Assure - yay!). I wish there was some place I could go local to show me how to use the monitor and perform the curve myself. I postponed all of my upcoming travel plans and hope one day I can find a suitable sitter who can administer the shots. I checked the provided link for sitters in my area, there are five. I love my cats very much, but it would be nice to get out once in a while.
 
Welcome to FDMB!

I've been around the Board for a considerable amount of time and I can confidently say that feeling overwhelmed in the early stages of being your diabetic cat's caregiver is what pretty much everyone experiences. There's a lot of information to absorb. The good news is that the many of the members are knowledgeable and everyone is supportive. And, most importantly, it will become routine for both. you and Coco.

If Coco seems uncomfortable with shots, please make sure you have U-40 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings and the syringe has either a 30 or 31 gauge needle. 31 gauge is the thinnest available. Many of us give our cat their shot when they have their head in their food bowl. In addition, treats can help! It sounds like you may have the treats figured out. Many members use a freeze dried protein (e.g., chicken but there are other options). There are also jerky style treats or if Coco like cooked chicken or other "human" food, that's fine too. You just want treats to be low in carbohydrates.

As Maria noted, we strongly encourage you to learn how to home test. Any human glucometer is fine although many people here use the Walmart Relion brand meter. (I'm assuming you're in the US.) There are also glucometers for pets but the strips are pricey which is why many people use a human meter. All of our dosing information is based on human meters. We have lots of information on how to home test so let us know if you want that information. Frankly, home testing is the best, if not the only way to know if your cat is in safe numbers. You always want to get a blood glucose test prior to giving insulin. It's also the only way to know how your cat is progressing and how the insulin is effecting the numbers.

You are correct -- there are varieties of Fancy Feast that are low carb but there are other canned cat foods that are also low carb. This is a link to a food chart that was put together by a vet and it lists out most of the canned foods available in the US along with nutritional information including carbs. We consider low carb as less than 10%. However, most members use a food that is in the neighborhood of 5%. If you're feeding Coco the Hill's M/D canned food, it's 13% carb. This would put it in the medium carb range. It may be why you're not seeing much movement in your cat's blood glucose numbers. If you're feeding the dry food, it's much higher in carbs. There are also cat food carbohydrate calculators on the web. The problem, though, is that the manufacturers do not give you the "as fed" nutritional information. They provide the guaranteed analysis which does not give you an entirely accurate means for calculating carbs. You will have an approximate value. The information on the chart I linked is based on "as fed" values.

What Maria posted about feeding your cat is not entirely correct. There is no one "right" number of small meals. You want to feed Coco at shot time. My cat would have the lowest point in her cycle very early on. As a result, She got a meal at shot time, and more food at 1, 2 and sometimes 3 hours after her shot. Most cats have their nadir (lowest point in the cycle) at around 6 hours after shot time. You can spread out the meals. The number of meals also depends on your cat and if you're available to provide food or have a timed feeder. If Coco is used to grazing, you can leave food out.

We also encourage new members to set up a spreadsheet and a signature. The spreadsheet will be invaluable for tracking Coco's progress and it allows us to help you with dosing. The signature gives us basic information about Coco so we don't keep pestering you for the same information. The basics are in this post on helping us to help you.

Please keep asking questions. We're here to help.
 
Here's a link to a carb calculator I use and it is very handy when shopping for new foods, since I buy all of Corky and Coco's food at Chewy.com, yes one of my cats' name is also Coco, If I want a new flavor I find it at Chewy.com, they have the best prices and I always get 4 flavors, 1/2cn each in every meal and if you buy auto ship, which you can change the date or order at your convenience is great, and no shipping charge, I buy for the month, so click on the can, scroll down to ingredients, there you will see nutrients, these are the %s you will insert in the cells of the calculator, we are looking for the Dry Matter Carb %s. All of the wet food has approximately 80 % water, I always put 1 tsp extra in each meal, since after Corky was traumatized by the water bowl before being diagnosed, and of course Coco follows her big brother neither go to it much, if you like look at Corky's Spreadsheet down below in blue, to get an idea what Coco's SS will look like, and if you scroll to the left, you can see what I feed how much and when, we are like Sienne said very numbers oriented 🤗

Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder
 
After my Corky was diagnosed my world came upside down, slowly I began to breath, but my social life the bit I had, surrounds around my neighbors, I was an obsessive tester, every two hour, I’m trying to break that habit, now I feel comfortable leaving my house for at least four hours, but he is now so well regulated, I’m trying to test now every 3-4 hours, it’s a challenge, I was so traumatized, these babies ARE my babies I adopted Corky when he was 8 weeks old from the ASPCA, some monster had already de-Clawed his front nails, poor thing, after coming home from being hospitalized for 8 days his BG was 650, I felt so inadequate, like,,how did this happened, what did I do wrong? I went thru major emotional times. But it got better, much better I found this site, and it was a game changer! The members here saved Corky’s life his all time vet fired me when no went to see him, he wanted nothing to do with “IT” I was in the dark for 3 months, and now I have a healthy cat with healed pancreas, although he will be a lifetime diabetic, being stable is the best thing I could ask for. I trust this site and their members blindly, Corky has not step paws in a vets office for FD as of today, I’m greatful And Coco his sister 1/2. Main Coon I adopted her at 38 days old she will be 6 in April, they adore each other, I’m blessed to have them, plus a Red Bellied Conure and a pair of canaries, my house is full of joy with all of them here’s a pic with Corky and Lalo eating ham together
IMG_4328.jpeg
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to FDMB!

I've been around the Board for a considerable amount of time and I can confidently say that feeling overwhelmed in the early stages of being your diabetic cat's caregiver is what pretty much everyone experiences. There's a lot of information to absorb. The good news is that the many of the members are knowledgeable and everyone is supportive. And, most importantly, it will become routine for both. you and Coco.

If Coco seems uncomfortable with shots, please make sure you have U-40 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings and the syringe has either a 30- or 31-gauge needle. 31 gauge is the thinnest available. Many of us give our cat their shot when they have their head in their food bowl. In addition, treats can help! It sounds like you may have the treats figured out. Many members use a freeze-dried protein (e.g., chicken but there are other options). There are also jerky style treats or if Coco like cooked chicken or other "human" food, that's fine too. You just want treats to be low in carbohydrates.

As Maria noted, we strongly encourage you to learn how to home test. Any human glucometer is fine although many people here use the Walmart Relion brand meter. (I'm assuming you're in the US.) There are also glucometers for pets but the strips are pricey which is why many people use a human meter. All of our dosing information is based on human meters. We have lots of information on how to home test so let us know if you want that information. Frankly, home testing is the best, if not the only way to know if your cat is in safe numbers. You always want to get a blood glucose test prior to giving insulin. It's also the only way to know how your cat is progressing and how the insulin is affecting the numbers.

You are correct -- there are varieties of Fancy Feast that are low carb but there are other canned cat foods that are also low carb. This is a link to a food chart that was put together by a vet, and it lists out most of the canned foods available in the US along with nutritional information including carbs. We consider low carb as less than 10%. However, most members use a food that is in the neighborhood of 5%. If you're feeding Coco the Hill's M/D canned food, it's 13% carb. This would put it in the medium carb range. It may be why you're not seeing much movement in your cat's blood glucose numbers. If you're feeding the dry food, it's much higher in carbs. There are also cat food carbohydrate calculators on the web. The problem, though, is that the manufacturers do not give you the "as fed" nutritional information. They provide the guaranteed analysis which does not give you an entirely accurate means for calculating carbs. You will have an approximate value. The information on the chart I linked is based on "as fed" values.

What Maria posted about feeding your cat is not entirely correct. There is no one "right" number of small meals. You want to feed Coco at shot time. My cat would have the lowest point in her cycle very early on. As a result, She got a meal at shot time, and more food at 1, 2 and sometimes 3 hours after her shot. Most cats have their nadir (lowest point in the cycle) at around 6 hours after shot time. You can spread out the meals. The number of meals also depends on your cat and if you're available to provide food or have a timed feeder. If Coco is used to grazing, you can leave food out.

We also encourage new members to set up a spreadsheet and a signature. The spreadsheet will be invaluable for tracking Coco's progress, and it allows us to help you with dosing. The signature gives us basic information about Coco so we don't keep pestering you for the same information. The basics are in this post on helping us to help you.

Please keep asking questions. We're here to help.
Click to expand...
Oh, that chart is amazing! I also have to keep watch on her calories, so she doesn't gain that weight back, and the calories are listed as well. Somewhere I had read that the Hills prescription metabolic, which my former vet recommended, is full of carbs. Indeed, it has rice and carrots in it. Since her glucose level was borderline before starting that diet, then over 600 after 5 months, I have to wonder if that was part of the cause. Thank you for all the information and the much-needed support!
 
CORKY said:
Here's a link to a carb calculator I use and it is very handy when shopping for new foods, since I buy all of Corky and Coco's food at Chewy.com, yes one of my cats' name is also Coco, If I want a new flavor I find it at Chewy.com, they have the best prices and I always get 4 flavors, 1/2cn each in every meal and if you buy auto ship, which you can change the date or order at your convenience is great, and no shipping charge, I buy for the month, so click on the can, scroll down to ingredients, there you will see nutrients, these are the %s you will insert in the cells of the calculator, we are looking for the Dry Matter Carb %s. All of the wet food has approximately 80 % water, I always put 1 tsp extra in each meal, since after Corky was traumatized by the water bowl before being diagnosed, and of course Coco follows her big brother neither go to it much, if you like look at Corky's Spreadsheet down below in blue, to get an idea what Coco's SS will look like, and if you scroll to the left, you can see what I feed how much and when, we are like Sienne said very numbers oriented 🤗

Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder
Click to expand...
Thank you for the carb calculator! Every tool that I can use is very helpfull. I like the addition of a little water, too.
 
CORKY said:
After my Corky was diagnosed my world came upside down, slowly I began to breath, but my social life the bit I had, surrounds around my neighbors, I was an obsessive tester, every two hour, I’m trying to break that habit, now I feel comfortable leaving my house for at least four hours, but he is now so well regulated, I’m trying to test now every 3-4 hours, it’s a challenge, I was so traumatized, these babies ARE my babies I adopted Corky when he was 8 weeks old from the ASPCA, some monster had already de-Clawed his front nails, poor thing, after coming home from being hospitalized for 8 days his BG was 650, I felt so inadequate, like,,how did this happened, what did I do wrong? I went thru major emotional times. But it got better, much better I found this site, and it was a game changer! The members here saved Corky’s life his all time vet fired me when no went to see him, he wanted nothing to do with “IT” I was in the dark for 3 months, and now I have a healthy cat with healed pancreas, although he will be a lifetime diabetic, being stable is the best thing I could ask for. I trust this site and their members blindly, Corky has not step paws in a vets office for FD as of today, I’m greatful And Coco his sister 1/2. Main Coon I adopted her at 38 days old she will be 6 in April, they adore each other, I’m blessed to have them, plus a Red Bellied Conure and a pair of canaries, my house is full of joy with all of them here’s a pic with Corky and Lalo eating ham togetherView attachment 75938
Click to expand...
Yes! Coco has been my best friend and by my side since I adopted her from Angels with Paws in Lakewood, CO; she was 4 months old. She is part Siamese part American Curl and talks more than Piper, my Siamese, lol!
 
Coco is beautiful, yes the hills is the problem, is important to regulate FD are home testing, wet can or raw diet between 0-10% and of course lots of cuddles, here’s my Coco
IMG_7180.png
 
Coco is beautiful, now it is important that the food transition be done slowly not to upset their stomach or drastically cause a dive in the BG, The Fancy Feast Pates and flakes or Chunky, feeding between 0-10% carbs the weight issue should take care of itself, FF is US made and regulated therefore no waste goes into the food. If you would like us to help you in your journey we would like you to create your signature and spreadsheet, we are very numbers oriented and the SS helps you and the members see the progress and development the insulin is working in Coco, links below, if you have any trouble creating the spreadsheet we will be glad to help you with it, you download the SS on GOOGLE DRIVE, with permission to view, also a Drs approved food list, many brands to choose from, the third column contains the carb %s

Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

Info - Dr. Pierson - new Food Chart
 
CORKY said:
Coco is beautiful, now it is important that the food transition be done slowly not to upset their stomach or drastically cause a dive in the BG, The Fancy Feast Pates and flakes or Chunky, feeding between 0-10% carbs the weight issue should take care of itself, FF is US made and regulated therefore no waste goes into the food. If you would like us to help you in your journey we would like you to create your signature and spreadsheet, we are very numbers oriented and the SS helps you and the members see the progress and development the insulin is working in Coco, links below, if you have any trouble creating the spreadsheet we will be glad to help you with it, you download the SS on GOOGLE DRIVE, with permission to view, also a Drs approved food list, many brands to choose from, the third column contains the carb %s

Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

Info - Dr. Pierson - new Food Chart
Click to expand...
I will, I looked at the instructions, to get an idea. I also need to get the glucose meter, etc. Thank you!
 
Cristy06 said:
I will, I looked at the instructions, to get an idea. I also need to get the glucose meter, etc. Thank you!
Click to expand...
You can buy at Walmart the
ReliOn Premier monitor is $19.00 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.99 for 100 is good to have extra strips especially when beginning to test, most of all the members use this device, t it is important to test before each shot to make sure the BG is good for shooting to avoid hypoglycemia, and test atm least 2-3 times during the day, you can see Corky's SS click at the bottom Corky's spreadsheet in blue, you can see how it looks like
 
In addition to a meter, you will need lancets in order to draw blood.. Initially, you want a wider gauge lancet -- a 26 gauge or so. It takes a few weeks for the capillary bed along the outer ear to develop and for your cat's ear to bleed more easily. Once that happens, you can shift over to a thinner gauge lancet (e.g., 29 0r 30).
 
I would like to have a meter with the least painful lancet style. Coco doesn't like her shots and treating her on/off again ear issues can be a wrestling match (who knew an 11lb cat can have the strength of a tiger!).
 
You can use any brand of lancet you want :) It doesn't have to be the one included with the meter.

25 to 27 gauge works for newbie cats to start.

You'll need a lancet device to use the lancet with unless you freehand the lancet. Some lancet devices don't work well.

What ear issue does your cat have?

Paw pad testing is an option. Also CGMs which are more costly but is the only option some people have Getting Started With Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) for Diabetic Cats
 
Thank you for the lancet gauge range. I am still researching glucometers, so am on the fence the moment. I have read through the threads (and researched online) and really would like to keep it simple as possible. Her unique little ears are narrow and have 'dog' shaped canals. So, wax can build up, and she will get an infection. We had to do a TICA procedure on her right ear because of an inner ear tumor. Thus, she really gets fussy with the ears. And her paws, like many cats are. I am good at making a 'cat burrito', but it is stressful for both of us, lol.
 
if you are in the US, most of our members including myself the ReliOn Premier human monitor and strips, at Walmart, the meter is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100, is always good to have extra strips on hand, especially at the beginning and you get the hang of it, and as Squeem3 send you the link to the continuous glucose monitoring, the sensors last only 14 days sometimes less and they are expensive
 
CORKY said:
if you are in the US, most of our members including myself the ReliOn Premier human monitor and strips, at Walmart, the meter is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100, is always good to have extra strips on hand, especially at the beginning and you get the hang of it, and as Squeem3 send you the link to the continuous glucose monitoring, the sensors last only 14 days sometimes less and they are expensive
Click to expand...
Yes, I am in Nevada. We had a lovely rainy day out here yesterday, much needed! Thank you, I will check this out.
 
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