Newly diagnosed

[brriidge]

Hello! I just want to introduce myself as a new member, as I will likely be posting here a lot. This is my precious 10 year old boy Nemo. He was diagnosed on 11/10/26. I found him as a stray kitten and he has been by my side for the past 10 years. He went through college with me, moved across the country and back with me, and has gotten me through some of the worst times in my life. I feel that he is my soul mate. He was DKA when diagnosed and spent 2 days in the hospital. The clues for me were increased water intake, increased urination, and I could smell a sweet nail polish scent on his breath. I am so happy to have him back home, but also feeling a little confused and overwhelmed by this new diagnosis.

Here is what I have gotten so far:

• Lantus Solostar Insulin Pen - 1 unit 2x daily (this one seems to have good reviews)
• Alpha Trak 3
• Feline Natural grain-free high-meat pouches in chicken & lamb and lamb & salmon
• Against the Grain shrimp daddy tuna & salmon
• Ketostix test strips
• Registered for the Feline Diabetes Message Board website
• Set up the "sugar sheet" tracking spreadsheet from this group. I have all of his blood test and urine analysis results that I need to input.
• Libre 3 monitor - although his vet does not want to put it on until his follow up visit next week (11/19/26). I purchased the Alpha Trak to use until then, as it seems testing blood glucose levels at home is very important. I am worried about how he will respond to being pricked so much, between testing twice a day and giving insulin twice a day

I was feeding him Fancy Feast seafood pate and left out dry food for grazing for years. I bought a few different options of low-carb food for him because I'm not sure which one he will like. What do you think of the food I purchased? He will be starting on it tomorrow morning. I will not be giving him any more dry food at all. His vet suggested Purina Pro Plan DM Dietetic Management but I read online that people recommended not to buy the food that the vet prescribes. I did some research and ultimately landed on the Feline Natural and Against the Grain. Other recommendations are welcome.

Also, the vet said to only feed him twice a day, right before giving insulin. Other things I have read online say this is not the best advice, and diabetic cats should eat small meals 3 or 4 times a day? To be honest, he is used to eating whenever he wants. I'm confused about what his feeding schedule should look like with this new diagnosis.

The vet is also concerned about his liver and gave me Denamarin tablets to give him twice a day for a month before they will retest his liver function. Do you have any other suggestions to improve liver health/function? It's tricky because the Denamarin tablets are not supposed to be taken with a meal. He has never taken pills before. The vet said the tablet can be given with a treat before a meal (I do not want to traumatize both Nemo and myself by shoving it down his throat) so I will also be figuring out how to successfully give him this pill. I already tried crushing the pill and mixing with a Churu but it's either bitter or smelly, because he will not take it. He loves Churu's.

Here's what I bought to try with the Denamarin pill:

• Size 5 Empty Capsules to put the pill inside of, hopefully covering the smell and/or taste
• Tomlyn Pill Masker Dough to wrap the capsule in
• Vital Essentials Freeze Dried Salmon
• PAWUP Freeze Dried Quail Yolks

What do you think of this method? I bought the freeze dried treats to crush up and roll the dough in to coat the outside if the dough alone is not enough. They could also be good for extra protein.

This is all brand new to me. Nemo has always been healthy (despite a bit overweight) and this week feels like it's turned my life upside down. There has been so much information thrown at me and I'm trying to figure it all out and do what is best for him. It's all confusing and overwhelming. I am hopeful because I know this is a treatable and manageable condition with proper care. I'm hoping to get him to remission. If you have any advice, support, kind words, recommendations, similar stories, anything at all, please let me know! I am open to anything. I am incredibly grateful that groups like this exist. Thank you all for what you do here, it has made me feel less alone in this journey.

 

[Liz & Crowley]

What a cute little baybeeee!!! Welcome to you and Nemo! A few meals spread throughout the day is best! And as far as food choice goes, I do fancy feast pates, so you can honestly stick with those!

It is up to you, but you may want to look at switching to a human meter because it does tend to be cheaper overall. Depending on how often you test, you might go through a lot of test strips, so it can add up.

Feel free to ask questions as they come up! No matter how dumb you might think it is! I spent my first few days giving Crowley a dose of 0u because I couldn't read a syringe right-- it's a steep learning curve!