Newly Diabetic

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cmpepperdine

Member Since 2013
Willie is a 12 year old Damestic short hair. Couple months ago I did notice he was drinking and using his box way to much. First thing i thought of was Diabetes. Got him to the Vet and his Sugar was around 250. He went on 2 Units of u40 twice a day and has been doing well wih the xseption that hes still very thirsy and i need to change his box a lot. My question is, Sould he still be so thirsy?? Thanks input would be great.
 
Is the U40 insulin ProZinc? (knowing the type of insulin helps us)

We have a very successful protocol for feline diabetes:

1. A slow, long lasting insulin. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are popular as they have a slow onset; they are not harsh and they are easiest to use for regulation. Humulin and Canninsulin are less popular because, in most cats, they have a rapid onset and don’t last as long. We like new diabetics to start low and go slow. That is, start at a low dose of .5 or one unit twice daily every 12 hours. And increase slowly, by .25 or .5 units as the numbers indicate.

2. A low carb, wet diet. (See this website by a vet to understand why: www.catinfo.org) We like to feed under 8-10% carbs. There are several food charts you can use: Dr. Lisa’s food chart
Hobo’s Food Chart

Whatever food you can afford that your cat will eat in that lower range.

2. And most importantly, hometesting. We think cats tend to be stressed at the vet
and we know stress raises blood glucose levels. So we test our cats at home. We use human glucometers and test on their ears or paws. Here is a video that shows you how it is done: Video for hometesting


Here are some frequently asked questions: FAQs

He may still be thirsty and still urinating because his blood sugar is high. Changing the food could improve that, BUT we urge you not to do that until you are hometesting. When we switched our Oliver from dry to wet, his numbers went down 100 points overnight. If we hadn't tested and had given the usual dose, he could have hypoed.)

Do some reading and let us know how we can help.
 
Thanks for responding. Yes he's on prozince and has his canned food twice a day before his shots and has access to dry food anytime. I do need to get him back to the vet and ill ask about home checking. I'm amazed at how well he handles his shots. I would like to have him on a better food but cost is a factor. He likes the Purina
 
It's great that you are feeding some wet. As soon as you get the testing down, if I were you, I would cut out the dry. Purina Dm is 13% carbs. We try to feed under 8%.; many people feed in the 5-7 %range.

It isn't just the carbs; cats are carnivores. They need to be eating meat, not wheat. The website (www.catinfo.org) explains this very well. It is easy to allow them to "graze" on the wet. Many of us use automatic feeders or add water to the food so it stays moist.

Once you start hometesting, you will be able to see how low the insulin takes him midcycle. That will help you see how the dose is actually working. And you'll know, before every shot, if it is safe to give the amount of insulin you are planning on.

The starting dose he is on is higher than we'd suggest. We like starting at .5 to one unit 2X day, 12 hours apart. Then, once some data is collected, you would know whether to increase. We find that approach much safer than starting higher and hoping it is not too much insulin. Sometimes larger doses are prescribed because the cat's blood glucose levels are high at the vet's office. We know that stress raises levels, and most cats are stressed at the vet. So we like getting the numbers at home and sending them into the vet.

Here is a document on ProZinc with lots of good information and links: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=32799

I know it is hard to get information from people on the internet. But thousands of cats have become regulated and gotten into remission using insulin plus hometesting and wet low carb food. It works!
 
Yep - get rid of the dry as soon as you start testing.. its just making him worse and will cost you $ in the long run with increased insulin and so on.

If you need help with costs you could try to see if there are any supplies like testing kits here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=15

What canned are you feeding? Many people here use fancy feast classic pates or friskies pates which are low carb and reasonably priced.

Wendy
 
You can add extra water to the canned food to help get enough water into the body. How much water to add is up to your cat. Some cats like soupy canned food, others prefer the canned food to still have some texture.

The dry food is just contributing to your cat's dehydration and diabetes. Catinfo.org goes into more detail about this.
 
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