Feline diabetes advice?

[WarszawaScream]

Hey all! So this isn’t about one of my cats, but about Alice who belongs to a good friend and housemate of mine. She’s about 6-8 years old and was just diagnosed with diabetes; two years ago she had been tested and came up negative, so it appears to be a recent development. Behaviorally there was an increased appetite (yowling for food in between feedings), and also some weight loss - not dangerously so, but enough that she went from “chonker” to “slightly chonky” on the Chonk Scale. (From 12-13lbs down to 10 over a few months, still at a healthy weight!)

She’s under a vet’s care of course (hyperthyroidism and infection were both ruled out and thankfully no ketones in her urine sample) but my friend is concerned because the vet recommended switching her food over to Purina DM - which runs about $60 for 12 days of food. She and her husband legitimately JUST bought a house last month, so their funds are tight at the moment. Add to that the fact that Alice has a sensitive stomach AND a fish allergy which causes hives and vomiting, and that particular food contains salmon.

The plan right now is to start Alice on insulin, for which my friend is headed to the vet again tomorrow to learn how to administer the injections. I was wondering if any of you have some experience and/or advice I can pass along to her to help her out as far as managing Alice’s condition? Especially if it’s in the realm of dietary management; I know that for humans, avoiding carbohydrates and sugars is a large help where diabetes is concerned - does the same apply to cats? I’m wondering if she (or I) could make specific protein-rich cat food as opposed to trying to find a diabetes management food that will both agree with Alice’s stomach AND not contain fish.

Thanks in advance, appreciate any information I can pass on!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, it is the same for cats as humans. Controlling carbs can even cause lots of cats to go "into remission". that's probably not what it's called, but they can often stop needing insulin by a change in diet. Therefore, monitoring their glucose is needed to make sure they don't get too much when their diet is changed. I have no idea what she is eating now, but a good high protein, low carg diet should definitely help. Canned or homemade is best. For homemade, we have a forum dedicated to that. It's here: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

 

[DeesCats]

I had a neutered male cat that went to the vet twice a year and had blood drawn yearly and 'all of a sudden' developed diabetes. My vet recommended hi-carb/ low protein prescription food which he wouldn't eat. He was also on insulin injections which I was able to do at home and I tested his blood sugar daily before giving him the insulin.

I did a lot of searching online and came across Tanya's Comprehensive Guide and scrolled to the Diabetes section. It helped me to understand diabetes in cats more fully and I was able to transition him from his regular dry food to a high protein/low carb canned food slowly. After about 6 months to a year (I can't remember exactly) he no longer needed insulin shots and his blood sugar remained stable for the rest of his life.

Now every cat is different and I'm not suggesting you do what I did but do try and read as much as you can and discuss it with your friend's veterinarian.

 

[fionasmom]

This group can be very helpful; I belonged to it with one of my diabetic cats.
Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB