Rascal

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JUNE & RASCAL

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Hello,

My name is June. My sister Valerie (Tyro) suggested I join. My cat Rascal is 18 years old. About 4 months ago he needed some teeth out and the vet ran his bloodwork and his suger was perfect. He was given some antibiotics (no steroids) and recovered well. Rascal was always a water drinker, so the fact he was drinking water didn't alarm me. What I noticed was that he was going downstairs to lay in the basement. About five or six years ago he did the basement thing also. He didn't feel well and we discovered a rare tumor in his foot which required amputation of his rear leg.

I took him to the vet on Saturday. Bloodwork was run and his suger was 391. Yesterday he spent the day at the vet being tested and his suger was 300. After much discussion we agreed that we start by working with his diet. He is on the Purina DM (bought the wet and dry). My friend who is a vet tech is going to test his glucose on Thursday. If diet works, how long before I see a change for the better? I know he is an elderly cat, but am hoping we have a little more time with him. He is a tough guy who has also lost an eye to glaucoma.

Any suggestions and advice would be appreciated.
 
First of all, welcome to the board! It's a great place to come for information and support!

I saw a huge difference in BG in a couple of days after a diet change; however, you are unlikely to see diet control as long as you are feeding any dry food at all. The wet DM is not a great food either, there are less-expensive options that are lower in carbs. The DM is at 7% carbs; most of us aim for less. Many of us feed commercial low-carb foods that range from Fancy Feast to Merrick or Wellness.

Here is a link to charts that have the carb % of many foods; you cannot get accurate carb counts from the label! http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

If you have not started insulin yet, you can and should make the switch to an all-wet diet before starting, as most cats need less insulin when on this type of diet. If the transition takes longer than a few days and you do need to give insulin, you will need to monitor carefully through the transition.

We strongly recommend learning to test your cat's blood glucose levels at home. You can use a human meter. Lots of us use the Relion Micro or Relion Confirm from Walmart as they are inexpensive and have the cheapest test strips as well. There are some good videos to help you learn to test, and I'm sure someone will post a link. Home testing is vital if you do start insulin because you can catch a hypoglycemic episode before it becomes critical. Hypos can be fatal, so testing is very important. It takes a bit of practice, but it's not difficult. Just have lots of treats involved! Also, stress tends to raise BG, so numbers taken at the vet's are often inaccurate, and basing dosing of insulin on stress-affected numbers can be dangerous.

You will get lots of advice and support for you and Rascal here. None of us WANT to be here, but we sure are glad we are!
 
Thanks so much for getiing back to me. Rascal was eating Fancy Feast Classic before his diagnosis. But had not been as interested in the regular dry since he had his teeth extracted. But was told to take him off the regular dry though he could eat the Purina DM so I did buy some. Should I not offer it to him? My friend fed her cat both and his diabetes reversed to normal.

Can you tell me why this can happen?

I have him relaxing in his own room for now during the day and he seems relaxed. I just scooped his litter and was shocked to see how much he had gone. The bag weighed a ton.

My sister was on this website for many years starting I believe in 1996. Her diabetic cat lived to be 21 but was diagnosed early. She made many close friends here.

My concern is mostly his age and how and if he can adjust to the insulin if needed. I have lost two cats in the past two years both from lymphoma, so this is quite devastating to me.
 
Most of our cats eat a wet-only diet and do well on it. Remember that many vet school nutrition seminars are sponsored by Purina, Hill's, etc, so guess which foods are pushed? The DM canned isn't too bad, but the dry is too high in carbs and dry foods in a cat's diet can cause other issues as well.

There are some people here with cats in their late teens who are on insulin and do well. I'm sure some of them will weigh in; my diabetic is almost 12. Every cat is different and I can only speak for mine, but he has adjusted to the insulin very well. He obviously is feeling better as his body adjusts to normal BG numbers, the litter box is drier, and he's putting on weight. We had a rocky start with dosing as he's very sensitive to insulin, but thanks to everyone here, we got it sorted out and he's making great progress. It sounds like you caught Rascal's diabetes quickly, and that's good for him and makes remission more likely, especially if you are testing his glucose at home to help with insulin dosing decisions!

The first few weeks are stressful as there is SO much to learn and do, but the support I got here got me through it.
 
Poopy and I welcome you and Rascal to the best place to be for diabetic kitties and their momma beans! cat_pet_icon The folks here are super friendly and freely share their day in and day out won knowledge. :smile:

How can switching a kitty to all wet canned food make a difference, and even help a diabetic kitty into remission? It's kind of like this: If a diabetic human tries to regulate their diabetes while still eating candy, it takes more insulin. Dry food, with the higher carbs, is like that candy - it takes more insulin. If we take away the higher carbs, the kitty needs less insulin. In some cases, going all wet low carb is enough to where kitty's pancreas can make enough insulin on it's own! For some kitty's it's not quite enough and they still need insulin to help them out. Insulin is what helps our bodies absorb the nutrients in food. Without it, we can eat tons of food and still lose weight.

Feeding Rascal the wet DM is no problem. Many cats won't eat it for long, so being aware there are grocery store available alternatives is handy. :smile: If Rascal decides he doesn't like it, you can always return it. :smile:

Each cat is different, so trying to guess how long a particular cat will live is a guessing game. If diabetes is all Rascal is dealing with at this time, it is treatable and shouldn't be a factor to his longevity.

Welcome again, and don't hesitate to ask questions! :smile:
 
HI June, welcome to the board. My cat Sitka was just diagnosed last month and is 19 years old. In addition she has inflammatory bowel disease, seizures, kidney disease, hypothyroid (from I131 treatment) and no teeth. She is doing well on Lantus insulin twice a day so it is possible for treatment with multiple diseases. Like you I'm not ready to say goodbye as long as her quality of life is still good. So diabetes is treatable even in elderly cats like ours - it just requires a little extra care and vigilance. I do echo that you should get Rascal on canned food instead of dry - it'll be easier to manage his blood sugar. I've been feeding Sitka Merricks Cowboy Cookout and other flavors which is low glycemic and available at Petco. Jan
 
Thanks Everyone!
Managing Rascals diabetes will not be a problem for me. I have lost two of my five cats in the last year and a half. One was a kitty I pulled from the shelter who was going to be euthanized. He was only 8 years old. He was a fearful little guy but lived out his life. He became ill with cancer and I did what I could right to the end to help him, which isn't easy when you have to medicate a cat who was still afraid of a human touch after eight years. In the end he seemed to understand I was not the enemy and we bonded in a strange way. Was very sad.
I lost my other favorite boy a year and a half ago. He was Rascals best friend and I am still greiving his loss. He had small cell lymphoma, and as all my animals received the best vet and home care as all my pets do.. It was a two year battle with some remissions. But I knew when he needed and wanted to go.
What is the hardest for me is that I have spent the last three years nursing and loosing two of my babies, with very little time in between. as you all probably know it just consumes you with worry.

I want the best for Rascal. And will read, listen and act on all advice which I feel will help. This is why I joined. When Rascal lost his leg from cancer, I don't think I could have gotten through it without the support of the group I joined.

As far as the food I will stop the dry and see how it goes. He had been on the fancy feast classic before he was diagnosed.
As far as pushing the DM, my vet does not sell it and is a personal friend, she said to try it and see if he eats it. He had lost interest in the Fancy Feast. He is getting the wellness also, as he seems to like that also.
The reason I wanted to try the DM was my other friend who is a vet tech, had a diabetic cat who was strictly on the DM wet and dry and went into complete remission.

I have printed the food list and plan on buying a variety of wet to see what he likes. My friend is going to come over tomorrow to test him, and I am anxious to see if there is any change. By the way he is peeing, I don't expect too much but I am hopeful. He also was developing a urinary track infection and got a shot of a ten day antibiotic. I think I read that is common when their sugar is high.

He seems much more himself today and very alert. Purring alot and cleaning himself after he eats. Will update you all once we check his sugar tomorrow!
 
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