Newly Diagnosed....

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bonniehoag

Member Since 2017
Hi all,
I'm new to this site and I have been reading through many of the thread's. I do have some additional questions I'm hoping you all can help me with.

My cat, Miles, was just diagnosed this week and I'm searching for more info before jumping to insulin.
He was Diagnosed with Hyperthyroid last year and went to RadioCat in November. His 30 days post check up was good - his thyroid levels were better and he put on some of the weight he lost. Now this month I did the 3 month post check up. He's been peeing a lot and drinking a lot of water for months - we thought the thyroid might be covering a kidney issue, so he has been on the Royal Canin Renal formula since last September.

The results from blood work this week came back as diabetic, but that has never been on the radar as a potential issue for him. I'm ordering the Purina Pro DM wet and dry food (I see fancy feast could also be a good option).

I happen to travel anywhere from five to fifteen nights each month - i worry about starting insulin and then when i'm gone, for example, next week I'm gone Tues-Fri, he won't get his shots.

I've seen a few products online:
* Pet Wellbeing Blood Sugar Gold
* Vetionx Dia-Lonx
* Pet Remedy Glucose support formula

Has anyone had any luck with any of the above? Can any be combined?

I'm hoping that moving to a high protein/low carb diet and possibly the above items may help manage his diabetes. I know the renal food was low protein, high carb...

Thank you all in advance for your help.
Bonnie and Miles
 
Hello and welcome! It's a good idea to transition to a low carb food before starting insulin. While the Purina DM wet food is low carb, the dry is over 10 carbs and not recommendedfor diabetic cats. Many of us feed Fancy Feast Classic or other OTC wet foods that have no grains, potatoes, peas, tapioca or other starches. They are cheaper than the Purina and you can get a variety of flavors to keep Miles eating well. If you must feed a dry food, check out https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/zero-mature-health.html , it can only be purchased on line and is the best for diabetics. Also you should purchase a glucose meter, any human one will do, and learn to test Miles' glucose at home so you can see if he needs insulin. If after the food transition, he does need to go on insulin, we will try to help you work out a schedule. I don't know about the supplements you asked about, but I'm Thinking if they worked I would have heard about it by now. Maybe someone else will be of more help on that subject.
 
Welcome Bonnie and Miles!
You've come to a great place to help your diabetic kitty :cat:. Just wanted to add that the carb content on the Purina DM lists it as 17% carbs, which is why I'm gradually working it out of my kitty's diet. The only diabetic supplements I have heard of are Zobaline (B12 and Folic acid) and if you count Pumpkin for fiber :). Although someone recently posted something about supplements. Sorry, I know the vagueness is oh so helpful >_<
Found it! http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/supplements-for-diabetes.173123/#post-1902767
 
bonniehoag said:
Hi all,
I'm new to this site and I have been reading through many of the thread's. I do have some additional questions I'm hoping you all can help me with.

My cat, Miles, was just diagnosed this week and I'm searching for more info before jumping to insulin.
He was Diagnosed with Hyperthyroid last year and went to RadioCat in November. His 30 days post check up was good - his thyroid levels were better and he put on some of the weight he lost. Now this month I did the 3 month post check up. He's been peeing a lot and drinking a lot of water for months - we thought the thyroid might be covering a kidney issue, so he has been on the Royal Canin Renal formula since last September.

The results from blood work this week came back as diabetic, but that has never been on the radar as a potential issue for him. I'm ordering the Purina Pro DM wet and dry food (I see fancy feast could also be a good option).

I happen to travel anywhere from five to fifteen nights each month - i worry about starting insulin and then when i'm gone, for example, next week I'm gone Tues-Fri, he won't get his shots.

I've seen a few products online:
* Pet Wellbeing Blood Sugar Gold
* Vetionx Dia-Lonx
* Pet Remedy Glucose support formula

Has anyone had any luck with any of the above? Can any be combined?

I'm hoping that moving to a high protein/low carb diet and possibly the above items may help manage his diabetes. I know the renal food was low protein, high carb...

Thank you all in advance for your help.
Bonnie and Miles
Click to expand...

I temporarily used Blood Sugar Gold from Pet Well Being before starting up with insulin. The vet and I wanted to try to reverse the diabetes with a wet food transition before starting insulin, so I added Blood Sugar Gold to his wet food during this period. It has to be used twice a day in order to be effective and was actually designed to work along with insulin; however, when using with insulin there is a possibility that it can cause hypoglycemia. So...if you were to try the Blood Sugar Gold, it would need to be administered twice a day on a regular basis, meaning if you miss while you are away, then you may not see an improvement. I saw a bit of an improvement in my cat after about 3 weeks, but his very high sugar levels and his difficult transition to wet food probably interfered with the supplement doing the best it could in an otherwise best case scenario. I am no expert by any means, but if any of the supplements you mention require a regular twice daily or even once daily regimen it might be best to stick with wet food and one of those ice pack cooled automatic feeders for a strictly low carb wet food diet. I know the Vetionx Dia-Lonx also had rave reviews, but I never had the opportunity to try that. I'm thinking I have another diabetic cat in my semi-feral colony and if my suspicions are correct, then I will be trying the Vetionx Dia-Lonx with him...and a transition to low carb wet food for the whole colony.

Forgot to mention that the Young Again food is a wonderful option! Unfortunately, my cat only liked it for a week before snubbing it. I would make sure your cat likes it all the time before leaving for a few days only to find he chose not to eat it while you were gone.
 
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