Newly Diagnosed Rocky

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sglanton

Member Since 2014
Hi!

I'm new to this board, so I'd like to introduce myself and my newly diagnosed cat, Rocky. My name is Sandy and I'm a "mom" to 13 cats, 2 Aussies and 10 horses (no kids). 9 of those cats are indoor kitties and 4 are "barn" kitties. I use the term "barn" loosely because they might as well be "indoor barn kitties". I have a heated room in the barn with a cat door that they can come and go as they like at night when the barn is closed up. (We have coyotes in the area - so I'm protective)

While I consider myself very educated in the care and feeding of horses - lots of experience with low starch feeds (I sell low starch ADM feeds) and have had a Cushing's / insulin resistant horse before.... I find myself sorely lacking in feline nutrition...but boy have I learned a LOT by reading this board and the associated linked sites.

A couple of months ago, Rocky started losing weight and becoming increasingly hungry. I knew something was wrong and my gut said diabetes. Sure enough, after a blood test at the vet's office on 11/26, his glucose was 434. Yep...I have a diabetic cat. Rocky was a stray that I got at work about 7 years ago. He was about 2 then, so we figure he's about 9 years old. He's a fluffy white and tiger cat and weighs about 11 lbs. His personality is VERY laid back. He's self confident and is very affectionate. Well worth putting the time and effort into making him feel better.

So...after reading a bunch, I ordered a glucose testing unit and the ingredients to begin making my own homemade food. I have a few things working in my favor... I love to work in the kitchen and Rocky is going to be a great patient! The ingredients will be delivered tonight. I'm going to start out grinding chicken thighs (with my kitchen aid attachment) without bone and adding bone meal for the short term until I can invest in a "real" meat grinder.

My equine vet is wonderful. She's done a bunch of research as well and has ordered insulin for me (this is the first diabetic cat she has worked with - her specialty is horses, but she LOVES cats and dogs too and will work on them for her equine clients). So...we're in this together!

Rocky's BG was 163 on Monday night...not bad! (Yes, I did calibrate the meter and I tested myself. I was 74 so I feel pretty good about the result). Last night I tested Rocky before feeding...he was 201. Then I tested 1 1/2 hours after he ate and he was 229. I'm sure the 434 at the vet's office was high due to stress. Keep in mind that he is not on any insulin yet!

So here's what I'm thinking.... see if I can maybe manage this with a diet change. He was being fed Science Diet dry (yeah, found out how bad this stuff is)...once he started losing weight I started feeding him Fancy Feast....but not Classic...I was spoiling him with gravy and marinated morsels...which I've found out are higher in carbs than the Classic versions. Am I being unrealistic?

The challenge? Switching all 9 indoor kitties over to homemade food! That's a LOT of food to make...and I want to make sure they all get enough. Fortunately, Rocky has a good appetite. I also have a couple of chunky monkeys that would do well to lose several pounds. I'm concerned about a couple of the more timid cats that may or may not take well to this change. I figure with enough dishes spread out they'll do just fine. Eventually I will most likely switch the 4 barn cats over to the homemade food too...that's just going to take me a bit longer. There aren't that many mice out there, so I know they need additional food beyond what they catch.

That's where I'm at in our journey!! I'm an IT person, so problem solving is what I do all day. I look at this as a problem I have to solve and maintain. I know we can do this. I'm not overwhelmed. I just want to educate myself and learn from all of you!!! I look forward to your feedback!

Sandy & Rocky ;-)
....and the rest of the indoor team: Evie, Bart, Lisa, Butters, Ozzy, Oliver, Wendy & Suzie
....and the outdoor crew: Teal'c, Sam, Jack & Daniel.
 
Welcome to FDMB Sandy, Rocky & the team!!!!

Wow! You definitely have your hands full and are on the right track with everything! You are not being unrealistic at all!!!!!!!!!!! Especially with the fact of trying diet change first, especially seeing his numbers. It amazes me how bad the dry is for them but these companies make us feel like we're doing the right thing by feeding them something specific and come to find out its not good at all. Im sure with all the reading you've done you've noticed that a cat can go in remission, I am happy to say my Hidey is one of them. He was on insulin for 2 months, first month wasnt a good insulin, second month I had him on Prozinc. With that month of Prozinc, diet change, home testing and a dental I am happy to say he has been in remission and diet controlled for 9 months. I actually took him to the vet the other day and she was so impressed with how well he is doing especially his labs. Last time I took him in she said he was starting to develop kidney disease, now ALL his labs are normal. I couldn't stop grinning because of how much diet could turn things around....but I guess its the same for humans. What meter are you using? What insulin has your vet purchased for you? Its great to see that your vet is willing to learn how to treat feline diabetes. I envy the people I see how that have so many animals lol Heck, I keep trying to get my husband to let me keep chickens lol. I think he knows what would happen if he let me keep getting animals, Im definitely an animal person....give me an animal over a person any day lol I guess thats why I don't have kids. Don't get me wrong, I love children (I've worked in daycare for 15 yrs) its the adults I can't handle and with me being a hermit I figure it wouldnt be fair, instead I have my 3 fur babies and my husband who deals with all our craziness lol.
 
You might check out the food list at Cat Info for some canned low carb foods, too.
For example, Wellness Turkey and Giblet at the higher end; Friskies Turkey and Giblet at the lower end of cost.

With 14 cats to feed, I feed the Friskies. It comes in 13 ounce cans, which makes getting it into platters easier.

See my signature link Glucometer Notes to learn more about what the values mean.
See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools to learn about testing for ketones, plus some other assessments which can be helpful in monitoring health.
 
Since you're already testing, can we get you started using our grid to record your glucose tests? It will help us give you better feedback. Instructions are here.

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning pre-shot test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening pre-shot)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
 
Thank you both for the support & information!!!

I did download the spreadsheet and will begin tracking there. He's not on insulin yet, but I think this will be a useful tool for getting a baseline before and after eating, etc.

I'm using a TrueTest glucose meter. I calibrated it, then tested on myself = 74. I tested Rocky the first night at 163. That was ~3 hrs after a wet food meal (FF with gravy though) Last night I think was the better test for Rocky... 201 before eating, 229 1 1/2 hrs after eating....I am recording this and will upload it once I get more data into it.

Thanks for the info on the canned cat food. I may keep some of that on hand in case I run out of homemade food. I'm headed out shopping for boneless chicken thighs and livers tonight and will make my 1st batch of food tonight since my supplies will be delivered today! :-D
 
Welcome Sandy and Rocky! Wow,your doing great already! How fantastic for you that you have a vet that won't be set in her ways already with feline diabetes. It is great that your kitty has such low numbers for starters,that will make it possible to maybe control with diet change .I make some of my own cat food too,using my kitchen aid and adding in the bone meal. Be patient,if they don't take to it right away.I still have to mix it with some fancy feast classics for them to eat it. This is a wonderful forum to be a part of,with plenty of advise and support.Good Luck !
 
Thanks JoyceOlive! I made up almost 17lbs of food last night...and of the 7 cats that turned up in my kitchen to see what all the fuss was about, 2 seemed to like it (glad that Rocky was one of them), 3 tried it and 2 sniffed and walked away. I did mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with Fancy Feast and got a bit better response. I've got some of that FortiFlora (or whatever it's called from Purina) coming in the mail.... that may help. I'll also try the trick of crumbling up some of the dry food on top too....and I've read a little bit of tuna on top can encourage them.

I'll keep trying and won't give up! :) Thanks for the support!

Sandy & Rocky
 
Gradual food changes of 20-25% per day seem to help reduce GI issues and food refusal.

You don't mix canned and raw together, rather you offer it on a second dish.
 
Get yourself some Fortiflora!!! It is a powdered probiotic that resembles the taste of dry food. Sprinkle some of that on top of the raw offering. It really worked when I transitioned my brood to raw. Parmesan cheese also helped.

I think it is marvelous that you care for all these kitties and want to give them the best diet! They are fortunate kitties.
 
Good info, thanks folks! I ordered some FortiFlora yesterday...think it's supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice on not mixing the canned and raw together too!
 
I make my homemade cat food with lightly cooked meat not raw,so I guess I'm fine with mixing with canned. I do use Dr.Lisa Piersons recipe though,otherwise.Don't know about the raw food though,never have gotten brave enough to go that route.Wish I could not feel phobic about it but I am.I would think you could mix the two as long as they were going to eat it right away,and you did not try to let it sit or save it.After all,it all goes to the same place,right? My take on it anyway...just sayin.
 
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