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[CAROLYN K]

Hello everyone. I just found your forum as I start to research feline diabetes. Our one cat, Milo, was diagnosed as diabetic 2 days ago. About month and half ago he started acting differently (drinking more) and lost some weight. Our daughter, a certified vet tech, saw him and suggested a vet visit to have him checked thinking diabetes or thyroid issue. Well his glucose was over 400. Tuesday he had a glucose curve done and is now on 2U twice a day. I am now in research stage of information and look forward to using the forum resources and connecting with other members.

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

Welcome to the best place you never thought you would be. There is years and years of experience and research here. Feline diabetes is a steep learning curve but becomes second nature quite quickly. We can help with that.

This is a good place to start.

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2 units is a high starting dose. What insulin were you given?

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. In addition to a using a good insulin for cats, it's also important to feed a good low carb diet. Just like human diabetics do. What is your kitty Milo eating now?

The other thing you might want to consider is home testing Milo's blood sugars. Your daughter can probably help you learn how to do that. Plus we have lots of videos and tips on how to do that. Many cat read higher at the vet due to stress. Home testing can keep Milo safe.

 

[CAROLYN K]

Hello and thank you for your replies. Milo is still on store brands of Purine ONE and Fancy Feast dry. He also does eat Fancy Wet twice a day. As this is all new, I did find a list that was posted on the site on food recommendations. I plan on getting the AlphaTrak 2 for monitoring. He was given Novolin-N. The vet did mention how usually their readings are higher in clinic due to stress.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

You don't need to get the AlphaTrak 2, unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket. Most of us use human meters because the test strips are so much cheaper. And our dosing methods were written for human meters. AT2's are relatively recent.

Novolin-N is unfortunately not the best insulin for cats. Good for dogs though. Your vet might have been trying to do you a favour with it's cost, but we have tips for getting cheaper prices on Lantus or Prozinc which are much better suited for cats. You might be interested in this article, or your vet might:
AHA 2018 Guidelines for Managing Diabetes in Dogs and Cats.

The Fancy Feast dry, actually any dry is too high in carbs for a diabetic. But wait until you are home testing before making any changes. We've had many cats need less insulin, or even none, once switched to a low carb wet or raw diet. Good to see he likes the Fancy Feast wet already.

 

[JanetNJ]

Welcome