hello , I just found out my 9 year old was diabetic. The vet said his BG was 487. I have been readin

Sorry I will get better at this. One problem food. Rudy only  and I mean only will eat dry food. He has gone from 26lbs to 17 1/2 since Feb. He was having diarrhea  and drinking a lot. Is the bowel problem common to this disease?  Please any advise to sway him from dry food to wet would be incredible and take that worry off the table. thanks in advance

Two very helpful sites for you:

http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes

To transition him from dry to wet, it would be best, in the meantime, to transition him to a high protein, low carb dry food like Nature's Variety or Wysong's Epigen90. Though I've heard that people have trouble stabilizing their cats' blood glucose even on the Nature's Variety wet foods, despite them being so high protein/low carb.

You can use Dr. Pierson's food list to help identify high protein/low carb wet foods: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods

And here are transition tips:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade

And Dr. Pierson's transition guide: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf

Hope these help!

I had a diabetic cat.  He could be picky about the food he ate.  He seemed to like the Purina DM wet food and Purina DM dry food as well.  Between diet and insulin, I was able to stabilize his blood glucose, for the most part.  

When my cat, Bo, first started on the insulin, he had diarrhea and an increased appetite.  If the diarrhea keeps up, you might want to consider subcutaneous fluids to help with the dehydration.  

Best of luck!

Thank you for your feedback.  So  we have been giving Rudy his shots 2 times a day.We started out at 4 units, We are using Pro Zinc . His bg went 487 to 343,the next week we went to 6 units and no change we stayed at 6 units and his bg went down to 249! I was really happy . Rudy was raised to 7 units and after a week he went up to 277.    So my questions are :   did you folks go though this at first. did you do the curve test or the fructose.  is $126.50 for PZI U40 insulin bottle normal? has anyone else used this and did you like it.

Still my biggest problem he will not eat wet food, he is on and off with Hills Prescription Diet WD dry food. I am feeling kind of overwhelmed  right now . He is used to a bowl of food down for him all day, with this this condition should I just feed him when I give his shots 12 hrs apart? As usual if anyone has  advice I would like to hear it. Have a great day! 

I have a diabetic cat that takes Lantus (not ProZinc).

At the beginning, there are lots of trips to the vet and lots of testing. Eventually, you and the vet will find the correct dosage and the trips to the vet will be less frequent.

Curve test. We only did one curve test at the vet. The cat did not eat or drink the entire time at the vet so we did not consider it accurate and  I would never subject that cat to a day of testing at the vet again. If your cat is comfortable at the vet, you may get an accurate curve. You do need to get a human glucometre and learn how to test the cat and do a curve yourself. You can check your machine against the vet's machine. (Mine reads a bit higher than the vet's machine.) This will save you a lot of money and means less trips to the vet for the cat. My vet said she was more interested in the results of fructosamine testing because over time it gives her a better idea of what's going on.

There is a lot of good information on the sites listed above. It may seem overwhelming right now, but the whole thing will become second nature in a short time.

First of all, take a deep breath, things will get better.  When my cat was first diagnosed as being diabetic, it seemed like a lot to do and I was also overwhelmed.  However, like the previous poster said, it will become just part of your routine in a very short time.  

My cat, Bo, was diagnosed as being diabetic back in 2007.  My cat was on Lantus...it ranged in price from $110-$120.  However, the bottle would last about a year.  The pharmacy I went to would actually call around to other pharmacies and get prices for their Lantus...then price match them.  I have a limited income....so this came in handy and saved me a few bucks.  

My cat's BG was in the mid 400s....however, his average dose of Lantus was only 2 units twice a day.  Between the Lantus and the Purina DM, I was able to pretty much regulate his bg.  Believe it or not, he actually went into remission for a couple months.  But then, out of the blue, he bg jumped back up...so we put him back on insulin.  

Going to the vet really stressed my cat out...so bg readings at the vet were never 100% accurate.  The elevated stress would raise the bg number.  

I'd also agree with the previous poster.....buy a human glucometer and test strips and test at home.  My vet at the time tried to sell me a specialized animal glucometer for just under $200.  I did not buy that...and I actually switched vets.  Anyway, I bought a human glucometer, test strips, and lancets for under $20.  I use Kroger (grocery store chain) pharmacy.  I'm sure Wal-Mart would have similar  prices.  I've found that CVS and Walgreens seem to be a bit higher priced.  

My vet would always wait at least 2 weeks before increasing the lantus dosage.  If they did increase it, they would say bring him back in a couple weeks for a recheck.  They never increased it after just 1 week.  But maybe Lantus and Prozinc work differently.  My cat was a fairly picky eater....but he really liked the Purina DM.  Purina DM can only be purchased from a vet.  

How is the diarrhea?  As I mentioned in my previous post, when Bo first started on the Lantus, it gave him diarrhea.  If the diarrhea persists, I'd think about giving him subcutaneous fluids.  Part of the weight loss could be from dehydration from the diarrhea.  Subcutaneous fluids can also be given at home.  Talk to your vet about this.  They will sell you a bag of fluids and everything you need.  I tried this a couple of times...but I just wasn't comfortable with it.  There was a period of time I would take Bo in twice a week for fluids.  They charged about $25 a visit for fluids.  

The best thing you can do is educate yourself.  Browse online and ask your vet questions.  I'm not for sure how, but I receive a diabetic pet magazine every 2-3 months.  I think it might be through VCA...but I'm not sure.  I'm not paying anything for it....I'll dig out one of my old copies and try to find out how to subscribe for it and I'll pass along that info.  

My cat was diagnosed as diabetic back in 2007 when he was 7 yours old.  I just laid him to rest back in April.  So I had to manage his diabetes for 7 years.  Don't worry, his diabetes was not the ultimate cause of his passing.  He had a couple of other medical issues (epilepsy, chronic diarrhea, partial blindness and ultimately intestinal lymphoma)   If you have any questions feel free to send me a message!

Once again, take a deep breath and relax.  At first it will seem overwhelming, but trust me, you'll quickly get used to it and it will just be a part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth.