Newly Diagnosed - Not on insulin

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srr.prr

Member Since 2013
Hi all,

I just got home from the vet with a brand new Diabetes diagnosis for my cat. His glucose in the office was 307. There were a few other numbers that were above normal, but my vet advised they were secondary conditions cause by (most likely) diabetes.

She said she doesn't think insulin is necessary yet and is confident diet change will manage it.

She sent me home with Purina DM which so far I've read isn't the greatest for managing his diet and is ridiculously overpriced. I'm wondering if any of you were able to manage diabetes with diet alone, and what not prescription foods you might recommend.

My cat was previously on dry kirkland brand cat food, and i'm switch him (and my other cat) over to exclusively wet cat food.


Thanks so much for your advice. I'm so happy I found this forum. :)
 
I have a guy here that is a diet controlled diabetic and has been for the last 2 years...he and everyone else here eat the exact same thing...Friskies Pate Style canned cat food...FWIW I have 14 cats (2 diabetics) and not a single one of them would eat the DM after the novelty wore off.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Hello and welcome to the board.

First you don't need prescription wet food, any canned with under 10%carbs is good. Here is a list, but many people here feed fancy feast classic pâtés, friskies pâtés or wellness grain free. http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf

Secondly, I would advise you home test his blood. That way you can get a good idea of what he is doing, how he is trending etc. And if his blood doesn't come down on diet alone, you will be already experienced in testing which will make giving insulin a lot safer. Here are details on home testing etc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rd6sMfsrNB41yQVEqpyjlHrJsDIbGEhbRIWR4QAwu3c/pub

Wendy
 
Since he's not on insulin, this makes transitioning them to wet food much easier. If you haven't already seen it, here is a food list with the nutritional values of most commercial cat foods. To start out with, it is recommended to feed them anything less than 10% carbs (the lower the better).

Later on, there are other things to keep in mind (like phosphorous, calories-per-ounce, and protein-to-fat-ratios), but for now, it helps to try a variety of low carb foods (almost like a buffet) to see which ones appeal the most to your cats (and your wallet) as you transition them from dry to wet. You'll want to do this slowly (like over a week) and not overnight as it can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea if you do it too quickly.

ETA: Wendy beat me to it. :-D
 
Hi and welcome,

I just wanted to make sure that the Purina DM is canned and not dry food? If so, there are just a couple of "negatives" with it.
One, the cost of prescription food is highway robbery!
And two, unless they've come up with some new ones, it only comes in one flavor. Bob was also on prescription food at first, and he wouldn't eat it after two days. Luckily my vet took it back and refunded me for the rest of the case she sent me home with. That money fed both my cats Friskees and Fancy Feast for a lot longer than the case would have lasted me.

The ingredients in DM are not all that fantastic, and no better than many brands of food you can buy at the grocery store for much less. Friskees Pates and Fancy Feast classics are two easy to find brands that are good for diabetic cats. The one good thing about Purina DM canned is that it is low carb, but so are the store brands I mentioned.

Carl
 
Thank you so much for replying so quickly!!

Yes, the DM food is canned. I'm happy to hear there is regular food that is good for diabetic cats.

I feel absolutely horrible that I caused his illness from what I fed him. I just home that a change in food will help him get healthy.

I'll get an at home test kit asap so I can monitor his blood levels.

Thank you all again so, so much.
 
Also check for urine ketones, which may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA is a complicatin of untreated diabetes which generally occurs with infection, lack of appetite, and insufficient insulin.

My signature link on Secondary Monitoring Tools explains how, plus some other observations to assess you cat.
 
srr.prr said:
I feel absolutely horrible that I caused his illness from what I fed him. I just home that a change in food will help him get healthy.
Click to expand...

A lot of us have been in your shoes. I bought my previous two cats dry Hills Prescription Diet for most of their lives, thinking that was the "best" food out there for them. After all, it was recommended by my vet! They both passed on from kidney failure at 11 and 12 years old. They would still be alive today if I had only known better than to feed them dry. I can't really beat myself up about it because 15 years ago, I did research feline nutrition online...there wasn't much information out there and what was out there was written by the pet food companies. I did my best with the knowledge I had at the time.

Now, I've learned what is a proper diet for a cat and I know my trust was misplaced in the pet food companies by believing they had my cats' best interests at heart instead of their wallets (yes, I'm very naive). I consider Pet Food companies the same as Big Pharma and the processed food industry in the human world: they want to get as much money out of you before you die by not curing you of anything but simply alleviating the symptoms and causing further dependency on their products (i.e. Purina selling all their glucosetests and DM food to "cure" what their dry food caused in the first place). Pet owners are set up to fail and it is only because of websites like this and catinfo.org that we even stand a chance to do right by our pets.

I can't change the past but I do know that when the day comes and my two previous cats great me at Rainbow Bridge, they're not going to care that it was because of my ignorance that they passed on earlier than they should have. They know how much I loved them and tried to do right by them when they were still alive and they're simply going to be happy to see me again because they love me back. All that matters now is that I don't remain so blissfully ignorant and so trusting when it comes to my pets' health because NOW I know better. So if I were to ever feed a cat dry food again, that's when I should beat myself up for it.
 
I'm getting very worried. He's not eating at all now. He had some if the Rx food the night we came home, but he hasn't eaten at all today. He seems more lethargic and he doesn't purr anymore. I called my vet and left a message on the emergency line. I know she'll get back to me soon, I'm just not sure if I'm over reacting or not.

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
 
Have you tried feeding him something other than the Purina DM? Many cats get sick of it after a few meals. Another reason many of us feed Fancy Feast classic pates etc
 
You mean he didnt like the purina DM, or he didnt like the fancy feast?

Have you tested for ketones? Can you smell acetone from his breath?

Wendy
 
I got super nervous and took him to the ER last night. The first vet missed A LOT and he's actually very very sick. He's currently in te hospital. He does have ketoacidosis. He has a problem with his liver and there is an obstruction/blockage in his stomach.

They say its all treatable, but extremely expensive. :(

I might have to say goodbye to him today and my heart is breaking.
 
Oh no I am very sorry to hear that.You should have some serious words with that vet.

Anyway let us know how he gets on (hugs)
 
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