Sugar down?

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carlamarie

Member Since 2014
So Ive recently joined and believe my cat will be diagnosed on Monday when he visits the vet.....in the meantime, after self diagnosing him, ive changed his diet to strictly wet food. It seems like he is urinating alot less than before the diet change......is it possible that a diet change alone can make such a significant change? Please help. Im trying to have as much knowledge as possible about this for the sake of my cat. Thanks. Myself and my boy Buddy appreciate it.
 
Welcome to fdmb,

Yes it is possible to control diabetes with diet alone. My Hidey is now diet controlled after a few months on insulin and diet change. When you say you switched him to strictly wet, it sounds like he was eating dry as well which is usually the cause for diabetes since its so high in carbs and leads to weight gain. What you can do before your appointment is to start home testing. It takes some getting used to but it becomes much easier and you can buy one that is meant for humans. Here is a shopping list of things we tend to use.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Uf ... edit?pli=1

also here is the food list for diabetic friendly canned food: (most here use fancy feast pates & friskies)
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

and treats:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

once you start home testing, it is best to start a spread sheet:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50130

If you and your vet decide insulin is the best way to go most here will recommend Lantus, ProZinc, Levemir, and BCP PZI are all good insulins to use and last about 12 hours per shot.

This board is full of great information, and never be afraid to ask questions, we're here to help. My HIdey would not be doing as great as he is if it wasn't for the caring people here, especially since if I took my vets advice I probably would have killed Hidey by giving him a shot and sending him into hypo. These people helped me more than my vet.
 
Hello to you and to Buddy, and welcome to FDMB.

When you say you've 'self diagnosed' Buddy's diabetes, what is it that you have actually done? Have you tested his pee with Ketostix or Ketodiastix strips? (the first checks for glucose in the urine, the second tests for glucose and ketones). Or have you tested his blood glucose with a glucose meter?

A minority of cats never need to go onto insulin. Very occasionally a switch to low carb wet food is sufficient. But most cats do need insulin, even though some only need it for a short while.
A switch to low carb wet food can certainly make a big difference in terms of reducing blood glucose levels. You may be lucky!

What are you feeding Buddy at the moment?

Eliz
 
I havent actually tested him for sugar levels......im terrified of pricks and needles.....ive only made an educated guess based in symptoms and consistency of urine.....yes, he was eating dry food, along with my other 14 yr old female cat. They always have had access to a food bowl anytime they want......that has stopped. Im currently feeding Friskies Pate canned food. 1/2 can each, morning, afternoon, an late evening until they get used to not eating all day, then i plan on feeding only 1/2 xan each twice a day....Buddys appt to be seen is Monday, so i will know exactly whats going on then. Until then im trying to learn as much as i can about this.
 
Hi again,

carlamarie said:
I havent actually tested him for sugar levels......im terrified of pricks and needles...
Click to expand...

If (ahead of Monday's vet visit) you wanted to check Buddy's urine glucose then you can test his pee with Ketostix or Ketodiastix (no needles involved - you just dip them into fresh pee (Oooh, what fun!)). If these show that glucose is present then there's a good liklihood that Buddy is diabetic. (But if they don't show glucose then he may still be diabetic but not high enough to excrete glucose out through his urine.)
Here's a link to a page of pics and info about using the urine test strips:
http://www.sugarpet.net/urine.html

Good luck with the vet visit. And do please let us know how things go with Buddy.

Eliz
 
Excess urination? Lakes or puddles?
Ravenous appetite and constant begging for food?
Drinking cups of water a day? Can be other causes like hyperthyroid so needs some checking.
Spilling glucose into his urine? Then likely diabetic and needs treatment
Walking funny, down on his hocks?
Sudden, rapid weight loss?

If it turns out that your cat Buddy is diabetic, there are 3 keys to treatment.

1. A good long lasting, gentle insulin like Prozince, Lantus, Levimir.
2. Low carb canned food. Check, you've already made the switch.
3. Home testing. Helps to keep your kitty safe and lets you know how the insulin is working.

Last but not least, if your cat is overweight, then some additional weight loss may be needed. You want this to be slow and gradual, and until your Buddy is regulated, weight loss may continue to happen no matter how much you feed him.
 
See my signature link Secfondary Monitoring Tools for numerous assessments you can make to help evaluate your cat's health. Some of these will help your vet diagnose properly, so printing out a list and checking off the ones you've observed will be useful.
 
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