Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatment?

[wendellynn]

Hi!

Nervous and new here and I have never joined a forum before so please forgive me if I'm doing this wrong! I promise I will read all of the FAQ's and posts and linked articles as I have many, many questions.

BUT, my first question for all of you is this - should I change my cat - Socks' - diet before getting her first curve done, before starting ANY insulin?

She was diagnosed yesterday 1/14/14 with a glucose level of 426. The vet says her kidneys are fine and she was negative for ketones. The vet agreed when I suggested changing her food for the next few days and then bringing her in for the curve on Friday or Monday, so I am feeling very pressed for time on this!

She is a 12 year old DSH, 14lbs, and loves to eat. Her only symptoms for the last 4-6 weeks were excessive thirst and urination. No appetite loss or weight loss.

Her diet right now is 1 can of Friskies Shredded or Fillets a day split into two meals, and free-feeding Purina One Hairball dry food.
(I know this is a dreadful diet, but I had tried unsuccessfully for the last 2 years to switch her and our other cat, Boo, to healthier, holistic and/or grain-free foods. She would barf constantly on good canned food and Boo would get constipated on good dry food and he is a kibble junkie - only licks the gravy or will eat human tuna. As soon I went back to Friskies/Purina 6 months ago they "cleared" up immediately.)

That being said I am going to use this opportunity to change their food for good! Is it OK if I start off with Friskies wet food - pate only now, right? And a low-carb dry food? Or should I try cold turkey with them on wet food only? I went to the store last night and bought Catswell Nutrisca "Low-glycemic" dry food, but I can't find much information on it. The label says it has a glycemic index of 9, and it is grain free with peas and chickpeas instead of potatoes. I'm also wondering if it would be OK to free feed them - wet or dry - when she starts treatment as the other cat is such a nibbler?

Is it that every time there is a diet change a new curve has to be done? I do plan on home monitoring, but right now I want to have the vet do the curve and set the doses until we adjust to all of this.

Thanking you all in advance!
confused_cat

 

[Liz&Gus]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Yes! You should change Sock's diet before starting insulin! Some cats' BG levels will drop as much as 100 when fed low carb, species appropriate foods. I would also suggest doing a gradual change from your current food to the low carb food. Cold Turkey changes could cause intestinal upset that lasts for weeks.

Remember that cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must eat meat. Socks (I love the name, but the way! Does she have four cute white feet?) doesn't care about peas versus potatoes, and will do better on diets that are meat-based. Here's a link to a vet's (Dr. Lisa Pierson) perspective on cat nutrition that I found very helpful when I was starting the sugar dance with my cat. www.catinfo.org

Once you start home monitoring, you can get a much better idea as to how Socks reacts to her new low carb diet and any insulin, if needed.

 

[BJM]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

There is a terrific, downloadable list at Cat Info, in the black column on the right. Friskies pates are one of the least expensive, low carb foods and come in 13 oz cans which may make feeding them a matter of 1 can once switched. Cat Info has lots of tips on transitioning. Also, there is a recipe for making raw food, if you've not tried that.

Also, the following dry foods are low carb:
Evo Cat and Kitten
Stella and Chewey's freeze dried (doesn't crunch)
Young Again 0 Carb - about 5% calories from carohydrates as we calculate it. They eat less so it isn't quite as expensive as it seems.

Food transitions work better when done over several days, as you're less likely to see GI upsets. Maybe aim for adding 20-25% new food and removing 20-25% old food each day.

 

[KPassa]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Welcome Socks and Boo and their Bean!

BUT, my first question for all of you is this - should I change my cat - Socks' - diet before getting her first curve done, before starting ANY insulin?

Yes, since there are no other complications, it would be wise to hold off on insulin and do the food change first. Depending how long it takes to transition them to low carb, wet, it can take up to two weeks or more to see the full impact of the food change, but the numbers should come down quite a bit in the first week or so.

Is it OK if I start off with Friskies wet food - pate only now, right? And a low-carb dry food? Or should I try cold turkey with them on wet food only? I went to the store last night and bought Catswell Nutrisca "Low-glycemic" dry food, but I can't find much information on it. The label says it has a glycemic index of 9, and it is grain free with peas and chickpeas instead of potatoes. I'm also wondering if it would be OK to free feed them - wet or dry - when she starts treatment as the other cat is such a nibbler?

Friskies Pates are fine to feed both kitties. The Friskies Special Diet (what I feed my crew) are even lower in carb than the regular Friskies, so if you can find those, even better.

As to dry food, get rid of it all. There are very few dry foods that are low enough in carbs (less than 8-10% calories from carbs) for any cat, much less a diabetic (see the list above from BJ). And most of the claims of "low glycemic" are meaningless. It's the carbs that matter. The Catswell is not on any dry food list that I know of, so I highly doubt that it's low low enough in carbs. You can call the company directly and ask for the "as fed" value, but dry food is still bad for our kitties' kidneys so if you can get them completely off dry, that is best. The catinfo.org website Liz&Gus shared above explains more on why dry food is so bad for cats.

Yes, you can continue to free-feed, even with wet (in fact, there's actually a less chance of contamination vs. dry). I sometimes leave their food out for up to 12 hours at a time without any problems. Just add a little water to the wet food and make it into a mushy meat-shake and that will not only help keep it from getting dried out but also keep your kitties extra well-hydrated.

Is it that every time there is a diet change a new curve has to be done? I do plan on home monitoring, but right now I want to have the vet do the curve and set the doses until we adjust to all of this.

It's great that you're planning on home-testing! In fact, I would suggest you get started now on learning how to home-test since it can take a couple of weeks for both you and Socks to get acclimated to the process. As to a curve, that simply means testing every 2 hours for a 12-hour period. My own sugar kitty, Michelangelo, has never had a curve done in his life because I test him several times a day and night, every day instead of just once every couple of weeks. This gives you a much better idea of how your cat is reacting to the current dose, removes any doubt of bounces, and ensures that it's actually safe to give the shot (the numbers aren't dangerously low so you don't increase chances of a hypo).

Please feel free to let us know if you have more questions or need any clarification. Around here, the only bad question is the one that goes unasked. ;-)

 

[Suzanne & Cobb(GA)]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Welcome!!

She was diagnosed yesterday 1/14/14 with a glucose level of 426. The vet says her kidneys are fine and she was negative for ketones. The vet agreed when I suggested changing her food for the next few days and then bringing her in for the curve on Friday or Monday, so I am feeling very pressed for time on this.

Keep in mind that stress from going to the vet can also make a cat's numbers higher - up to a 100 points, if I remember correctly. That is why home testing is so important. You'll get much more accurate readings of where Socks' BG really is.

 

[Rachel]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Welcome Boo and extra sweet Socks and their Bean! Could we get your name too?

Everyone has gotten you so I just wanted to say hello and welcome! This is the best place for sugar cats and their moms and dads to get help. We're all paying it forward from our newbie days when we got help! Let us know of any questions you have. You're doing great so far!

 

[wendellynn]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

How rude am I! My name is Wendy.

Wow you are all so amazing! I've had my head buried in post after post on here for hours and I came back to see so many replies, thanks!

I'm going to try free-feeding wet food only with Socks. I think she will really like that! I imagine it's OK to overfeed a bit at first just to get them off the kibble? I've stocked up on Friskies Special Diet pate and freeze-dried chicken treats. (I will try to reverse the meals with Boo - free-feed wet and give him some "low carb" dry twice a day for now as his blood/urine tests are all fine)

Do you think it's OK not to start insulin for a week while she adjusts to this?

Is there anything I should look out for where I should get her back to the vet before then? She has been really hard to wake up the last few mornings from her post breakfast nap. I always kiss the kitties before leaving for work but I had to actually lift up her head with both hands and wait for her to open her eyes. She seems fine otherwise.

Thanks again!
Wendy

 

[Suzanne & Cobb(GA)]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Hi Wendy and Socks!

You probably don't want to do the food change and insulin at the same time. Switching from wet food can bring BG down. And some can managed their cat's diabetes with diet alone. You don't want him to drop too far by switching him to low carb food and insulin.

I'll let some of the more experienced folks advise you further than that!

~Suzanne

 

[BJM]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

So long as there have been no ketones, no hepatic lipidosis, or other severe medical conditions, changing the food first may drop the glucose about 100 mg/dL. I would ditch any and all dry unless a cat absolutely refuses to eat. As that can instigate hepatic lipidosis in any cat, and diabetic ketoacidosis in a diabetic cat, you start with where the cat is and make food changes gradually to reduce GI upsets and ease the cat into the new diet. Change about 20-25% per day, adding new food and reducing old food. Cat Info has tips on making the transition for balky cats.

Vet stress can raise the glucose level 100 to 180 mg/dL, so tests at home will give you a better picture of how she's doing there.

 

[Rachel]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

I'm with BJ. Home testing after diet change and before starting insulin is a good plan. Lets you know how your kitty is really doing since numbers at the vet are always high. This gives you a much better idea of if you need insulin and how much.

I learned how to test from this board! If you need help, just ask. We are here for ya!

 

[wendellynn]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Could it actually be possible that Socks may not need insulin?

She tested 426 at the vet, being stressed, just over an hour after eating her 'carby' Friskies in gravy, and nibbling on Purina One dry hairball food all day.

I realize it may not be probable, but is it possible with only a diet change?

 

[BJM]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

That's exactly why you should do the food change and start home testing.
As much as 280 mg/dL of that 426+ number could be diet and stress.
You might need insulin for a time, to allow the pancreas to heal.

 

[wendellynn]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

I won't be set up with home testing until early next week, but I have a (silly?) question . . .

Does the crazy thirst and constant urination decrease with the BG levels?
If so, is it pretty immediate or does it take a while?

 

[KPassa]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Yes, it returns to normal levels. Sometimes it happens immediately, sometimes it takes a bit longer. With Mikey, the decreased thirst happened in the first couple of weeks, especially with the switch to wet food, and the urination decreased within the first month. He still occasionally has a day or two every now and again where he floods the litter box, but that's usually when he's been running higher numbers.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Hello Wendy and sugarkitty Socks and welcome to the message board. It's not unusual for anxious, new pet parents to tell us their cats name and forget to tell us their name. We know now and thanks for introducing your self.

I'm Deb and that tuxedo pictured to the right is my sugardude Wink. He was eating high carb dry food when I first got him. I used most ofthese transitioning tips , from vet Dr. Lisa Pierson, to try to convince him that wet food was edible. He loved to have the Halo Liv-a-little freeze dried chicken treats crumbled on top of his canned food.

It took about 4-6 weeks, but once he was fully on the low carb canned food, he very shortly did not need insulin any more. He is what we call an OTJ kitty, OTJ meaning off the juice, insulin being the juice. It's also called remission or being diet controlled.

Keep those questions coming, and remember to do those deep breathing exercises to help relieve the stress of this diagnosis for your beloved Socks. It will get better and easier. We have all been where you are now and understand the anxiety, fear, stress, frustration.

We'll do our best to help you get Socks feeling better.

 

[wendellynn]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

Thanks Deb, I am staring to feel a lot less frightened. I really trust our vet, BUT it means a lot hearing all of this encouragement from people who have really been there.

I have already taken up the dry food for good with Socks - boy does she love those freeze-dried treats!
(I will be transitioning civvie Boo s-l-o-w-l-y)

I won't be set up with monitoring until next week, so I'm sure I will be back with more questions. I have really been pouring through this forum trying to learn as much as I can.

Thanks to all of you I now believe we can do this!

Wendy & Sweet Socks
cat_pet_icon

 

[Deb & Wink]

Re: Newly diagnosed - should I change her diet BEFORE treatm

We'd love to see a picture of your tortie girl and extra sweet Socks. In the Tech Support forum, there is a post with step by step directions to get a picture small enough to use as your avatar. Look at the 3rd reply down, in this post on Avatars.

Here is a picture of my tortie girl Delta. She is a civie (short hand for civilian or non-diabetic cat). Yes, she has plenty of "tortitude"! :lol: :lol: :lol: How about Socks?