New - Where do I start?

[satoyma22@msn.com]

Our retired military family has access to the base veterinarian. That means inoculations, flea products and very little more. We did get blood/urine tests which confirmed diabetes/pancreatitis and were referred to a civilian veterinarian. We immediately started feeding wet cat food, Louie had no protests there! What type of questions should I ask to determine that vet's ability to treat a diabetic feline? When I am looking at a can of food what numbers do I need to look for ie: not less than what % protein, not more than what % Fiber (I see no carbohydrates listed at all on the one in front of me), etc. I'm sure all these answers are on this website somewhere, but I feel like I am slogging through a muddy field. Step 1 please! This kitty is very important to us. Our 23 yr old autistic son is his boy.

Frances

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Welcome! We would love to help you help your sweet Francis. Here are some vet questions

https://docs.google.com/document/pubid=1BqrojKe9oBVAoexL59pUWidEd7viNmxSqW5l2IBTWjY

Here is the food chart

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

You want to pick a food Francis will eat, that you can afford , that is in or below 8-10% carbs.

I'd change my sign in if I were you. We do get scammers. Go back to the Control Panel and edit account settings.

 

[SweetAngel]

hi, I'm fairly new myself but here are some of the posts and sites that helped me. Please don't feel overwhelmed, I found these within a few days, maybe start with the hypo instructions, general info and food info then go on to the home testing etc. There is also info on the board how to set up a spreadsheet once you start home testing.
general diabetes info
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/faq.html
http://www.felinediabetes.com/dummies.htm
Food contents list
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCat ... -22-13.htm
How to treat a hypo
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887
home testing
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287
http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-meter.htm
http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-test.htm

injecting
http://www.sugarpet.net/injecting.html

Don't be scared by the 'hypo' info, but do print it out, my boy had a mild one (I think...long story) and I'm glad I memorised details.
If you post what kind of insulin your cat is on and how much, someone will hopefully give you more detailed advice. The advice here is to learn to home test (thought I could never do it but once you've done it a few times you start getting more confident) and slowly replace high carb food with low carb.
believe me I know how overwhelming it can be but just within a few weeks I've learnt so much thanks to this board.
x

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hello and welcome to the message board.

What was the result for the fasting fPLI test for pancreatitis?

What did the blood test show for BG (blood glucose) levels?

Best insulins for use in cats are Lantus, Levimir and Prozinc.

 

[AvalonWitch]

Welcome to FDMB, Frances. The food charts have already been posted and you're in good hands with everyone here. The board makes being knowledgeable about Feline Diabetes into something of an artform. I'm posting because, as an Aspie - I can't overestimate the degree of comfort which my three cats give me. It makes the world very-much more tolerable than I think it ever could be otherwise and I wanted to thank you for going through pains to watch out for your son's companion. There are many options in terms of food and i'm sure you'll find something within your budget and the feline's taste buds. Best of luck. - Ava