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#1
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Another diabetic cat!
Hi all,
After my noticing increased urination, my 15 year old male DSH was just diagnosed with diabetes this morning (after blood and urine tests). He is still a healthy cat, so I guess he can't have had it for long. His coat is shiny, he is not underweight, and he is lively and playful. So, at least I caught it early. I have an appointment this Friday to start him on PZI insulin, and to get educated on the disease and how to give injections, etc. I've learned a lot here, just from reading the other threads on diabetes. I didn't realize so many cats got this disease! I've been reading the information on what is the best diet and was wondering how good/bad the food I've been feeding may be for his condition. I might also mention that this cat also has two other ailments. The first is an enlarged heart. It was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy close to 10 years ago and he was given 1-3 years to live, but the weird thing is that it has never progressed since the time of diagnosis. All ultrasounds have shown that his condition has remained static. While he still has a murmur, he is no longer on heart meds, as he is doing fine without them, and they were aggravating his other ailment, which is inflammatory bowel disease. This was diagnosed through biopsies of his liver, intestines, and some other places, when he was suffering chronic projectile diahhrea and constant vomiting starting at about 2 years of age. The point to all this is that the ONLY food that this cat does well on is Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. Anything else makes the diahhrea and vomiting start up again. I have tried z/d, w/d (he did marginally okay on the w/d with just occasional bouts the IBD), natural foods, you name it. At this point, I'm afraid to change to anything else! I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive Stomach. That's it. Is this a bad diet for a diabetic cat? I'm afraid the vet is going to tell me to switch, and I'm going to open up a whole other can of worms. Once his IBD flares up, it takes a really long time for him to recuperate and get back to normal, which if he is put on another food, he may never do. Thanks, Jennifer and Sylvester (the four-legged train wreck) |
#2
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On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 23:09:45 GMT, Jennifer Thompson
dijo: I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. Most steroids will send blood sugar levels sky high. Non-diabetics just produce more insulin to keep their blood sugar level normal. Diabetics have to compensate by using more insulin. So you have two reasons not to use steroids. As for the diet, my immediate reaction would be to leave it alone, and adjust the insulin to match what the cat eats. The exception would be if a change of diet could allow the cat to get along normally without insulin. Then it might be worth it to change. -- Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here. |
#3
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On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 23:09:45 GMT, Jennifer Thompson
dijo: I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. Most steroids will send blood sugar levels sky high. Non-diabetics just produce more insulin to keep their blood sugar level normal. Diabetics have to compensate by using more insulin. So you have two reasons not to use steroids. As for the diet, my immediate reaction would be to leave it alone, and adjust the insulin to match what the cat eats. The exception would be if a change of diet could allow the cat to get along normally without insulin. Then it might be worth it to change. -- Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here. |
#4
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He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive
Stomach. That's it. Is there a canned version of that same food? Canned foods have much less carbs than dry foods. You could give that a try and then match insulin accordingly. Let your vet know everything you told us and see if canned works for him. |
#5
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He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive
Stomach. That's it. Is there a canned version of that same food? Canned foods have much less carbs than dry foods. You could give that a try and then match insulin accordingly. Let your vet know everything you told us and see if canned works for him. |
#6
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"Jennifer Thompson" wrote in message ... Hi all, After my noticing increased urination, my 15 year old male DSH was just diagnosed with diabetes this morning (after blood and urine tests). He is still a healthy cat, so I guess he can't have had it for long. His coat is shiny, he is not underweight, and he is lively and playful. So, at least I caught it early. I have an appointment this Friday to start him on PZI insulin, and to get educated on the disease and how to give injections, etc. I've learned a lot here, just from reading the other threads on diabetes. I didn't realize so many cats got this disease! I've been reading the information on what is the best diet and was wondering how good/bad the food I've been feeding may be for his condition. I might also mention that this cat also has two other ailments. The first is an enlarged heart. It was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy close to 10 years ago and he was given 1-3 years to live, but the weird thing is that it has never progressed since the time of diagnosis. All ultrasounds have shown that his condition has remained static. While he still has a murmur, he is no longer on heart meds, as he is doing fine without them, and they were aggravating his other ailment, which is inflammatory bowel disease. This was diagnosed through biopsies of his liver, intestines, and some other places, when he was suffering chronic projectile diahhrea and constant vomiting starting at about 2 years of age. The point to all this is that the ONLY food that this cat does well on is Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. Anything else makes the diahhrea and vomiting start up again. I have tried z/d, w/d (he did marginally okay on the w/d with just occasional bouts the IBD), natural foods, you name it. At this point, I'm afraid to change to anything else! I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive Stomach. That's it. Is this a bad diet for a diabetic cat? I'm afraid the vet is going to tell me to switch, and I'm going to open up a whole other can of worms. Once his IBD flares up, it takes a really long time for him to recuperate and get back to normal, which if he is put on another food, he may never do. Jennifer, Considering your cat's concurrent illnesses and the fact you have them under control with his present diet, I would be very reluctant to make any dietary changes. I would speak to your vet about the feasibility of tailoring your cat's insulin therapy to his present diet. In my experience, the keys to successful diabetic management and regulation are *consistency* and the least amount of stress as possible. It doesn't matter how perfectly formulated a diabetic diet (or any other type of diet) is if the cat won't eat it consistently and in consistent amounts and at consistent times - since the insulin dose and intervals are established based on diet and feeding schedule. The most common causes of regulation failure are 1- failure to perform a glucose curve to determine how the cat metabolizes insulin, 2- inconsistent feeding (times and amounts), and 3- different or variation in feeding protocol at home than during the glucose curve. The latter is the most common because most cat's are reluctant to eat at the clinic. After your vet instructs you how to monitor your cat's blood glucose, you can plot a glucose curve at home - which involves checking blood glucose every two hours for a day. Home glucose curves are much more accurate than curves run at the clinic because the cat is not under stress - stress can significantly affect the curve, and the cat eats normally. I'll send some information regarding home monitoring and insulin handling and administration later this evening when I get home. Good luck. Phil. |
#7
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"Jennifer Thompson" wrote in message ... Hi all, After my noticing increased urination, my 15 year old male DSH was just diagnosed with diabetes this morning (after blood and urine tests). He is still a healthy cat, so I guess he can't have had it for long. His coat is shiny, he is not underweight, and he is lively and playful. So, at least I caught it early. I have an appointment this Friday to start him on PZI insulin, and to get educated on the disease and how to give injections, etc. I've learned a lot here, just from reading the other threads on diabetes. I didn't realize so many cats got this disease! I've been reading the information on what is the best diet and was wondering how good/bad the food I've been feeding may be for his condition. I might also mention that this cat also has two other ailments. The first is an enlarged heart. It was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy close to 10 years ago and he was given 1-3 years to live, but the weird thing is that it has never progressed since the time of diagnosis. All ultrasounds have shown that his condition has remained static. While he still has a murmur, he is no longer on heart meds, as he is doing fine without them, and they were aggravating his other ailment, which is inflammatory bowel disease. This was diagnosed through biopsies of his liver, intestines, and some other places, when he was suffering chronic projectile diahhrea and constant vomiting starting at about 2 years of age. The point to all this is that the ONLY food that this cat does well on is Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. Anything else makes the diahhrea and vomiting start up again. I have tried z/d, w/d (he did marginally okay on the w/d with just occasional bouts the IBD), natural foods, you name it. At this point, I'm afraid to change to anything else! I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive Stomach. That's it. Is this a bad diet for a diabetic cat? I'm afraid the vet is going to tell me to switch, and I'm going to open up a whole other can of worms. Once his IBD flares up, it takes a really long time for him to recuperate and get back to normal, which if he is put on another food, he may never do. Jennifer, Considering your cat's concurrent illnesses and the fact you have them under control with his present diet, I would be very reluctant to make any dietary changes. I would speak to your vet about the feasibility of tailoring your cat's insulin therapy to his present diet. In my experience, the keys to successful diabetic management and regulation are *consistency* and the least amount of stress as possible. It doesn't matter how perfectly formulated a diabetic diet (or any other type of diet) is if the cat won't eat it consistently and in consistent amounts and at consistent times - since the insulin dose and intervals are established based on diet and feeding schedule. The most common causes of regulation failure are 1- failure to perform a glucose curve to determine how the cat metabolizes insulin, 2- inconsistent feeding (times and amounts), and 3- different or variation in feeding protocol at home than during the glucose curve. The latter is the most common because most cat's are reluctant to eat at the clinic. After your vet instructs you how to monitor your cat's blood glucose, you can plot a glucose curve at home - which involves checking blood glucose every two hours for a day. Home glucose curves are much more accurate than curves run at the clinic because the cat is not under stress - stress can significantly affect the curve, and the cat eats normally. I'll send some information regarding home monitoring and insulin handling and administration later this evening when I get home. Good luck. Phil. |
#8
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Thank you everybody, for your replies. I will check into the canned version of
the Sensitive Stomach food. I am gathering that free-feeding is not a good way to go, since it appears that I need to know exactly when he is eating and how much. Is that correct? I think right now, he mainly just nibbles a bit here and there, throughout the day and night (his feeder is in my computer room, so I know his eating pattern). I re-read my original post, and laughed out loud when I started off saying he is still a healthy cat, and then went on to say he now has diabetes, an enlarged heart, and IBD. LOL The amazing thing is, he really does look and act like a healthy cat! He is robust and sleek, bright-eyed, and very lively. Go figure. Thanks again everyone! Jennifer "Phil P." wrote: "Jennifer Thompson" wrote in message ... Hi all, After my noticing increased urination, my 15 year old male DSH was just diagnosed with diabetes this morning (after blood and urine tests). He is still a healthy cat, so I guess he can't have had it for long. His coat is shiny, he is not underweight, and he is lively and playful. So, at least I caught it early. I have an appointment this Friday to start him on PZI insulin, and to get educated on the disease and how to give injections, etc. I've learned a lot here, just from reading the other threads on diabetes. I didn't realize so many cats got this disease! I've been reading the information on what is the best diet and was wondering how good/bad the food I've been feeding may be for his condition. I might also mention that this cat also has two other ailments. The first is an enlarged heart. It was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy close to 10 years ago and he was given 1-3 years to live, but the weird thing is that it has never progressed since the time of diagnosis. All ultrasounds have shown that his condition has remained static. While he still has a murmur, he is no longer on heart meds, as he is doing fine without them, and they were aggravating his other ailment, which is inflammatory bowel disease. This was diagnosed through biopsies of his liver, intestines, and some other places, when he was suffering chronic projectile diahhrea and constant vomiting starting at about 2 years of age. The point to all this is that the ONLY food that this cat does well on is Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. Anything else makes the diahhrea and vomiting start up again. I have tried z/d, w/d (he did marginally okay on the w/d with just occasional bouts the IBD), natural foods, you name it. At this point, I'm afraid to change to anything else! I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive Stomach. That's it. Is this a bad diet for a diabetic cat? I'm afraid the vet is going to tell me to switch, and I'm going to open up a whole other can of worms. Once his IBD flares up, it takes a really long time for him to recuperate and get back to normal, which if he is put on another food, he may never do. Jennifer, Considering your cat's concurrent illnesses and the fact you have them under control with his present diet, I would be very reluctant to make any dietary changes. I would speak to your vet about the feasibility of tailoring your cat's insulin therapy to his present diet. In my experience, the keys to successful diabetic management and regulation are *consistency* and the least amount of stress as possible. It doesn't matter how perfectly formulated a diabetic diet (or any other type of diet) is if the cat won't eat it consistently and in consistent amounts and at consistent times - since the insulin dose and intervals are established based on diet and feeding schedule. The most common causes of regulation failure are 1- failure to perform a glucose curve to determine how the cat metabolizes insulin, 2- inconsistent feeding (times and amounts), and 3- different or variation in feeding protocol at home than during the glucose curve. The latter is the most common because most cat's are reluctant to eat at the clinic. After your vet instructs you how to monitor your cat's blood glucose, you can plot a glucose curve at home - which involves checking blood glucose every two hours for a day. Home glucose curves are much more accurate than curves run at the clinic because the cat is not under stress - stress can significantly affect the curve, and the cat eats normally. I'll send some information regarding home monitoring and insulin handling and administration later this evening when I get home. Good luck. Phil. |
#9
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Thank you everybody, for your replies. I will check into the canned version of
the Sensitive Stomach food. I am gathering that free-feeding is not a good way to go, since it appears that I need to know exactly when he is eating and how much. Is that correct? I think right now, he mainly just nibbles a bit here and there, throughout the day and night (his feeder is in my computer room, so I know his eating pattern). I re-read my original post, and laughed out loud when I started off saying he is still a healthy cat, and then went on to say he now has diabetes, an enlarged heart, and IBD. LOL The amazing thing is, he really does look and act like a healthy cat! He is robust and sleek, bright-eyed, and very lively. Go figure. Thanks again everyone! Jennifer "Phil P." wrote: "Jennifer Thompson" wrote in message ... Hi all, After my noticing increased urination, my 15 year old male DSH was just diagnosed with diabetes this morning (after blood and urine tests). He is still a healthy cat, so I guess he can't have had it for long. His coat is shiny, he is not underweight, and he is lively and playful. So, at least I caught it early. I have an appointment this Friday to start him on PZI insulin, and to get educated on the disease and how to give injections, etc. I've learned a lot here, just from reading the other threads on diabetes. I didn't realize so many cats got this disease! I've been reading the information on what is the best diet and was wondering how good/bad the food I've been feeding may be for his condition. I might also mention that this cat also has two other ailments. The first is an enlarged heart. It was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy close to 10 years ago and he was given 1-3 years to live, but the weird thing is that it has never progressed since the time of diagnosis. All ultrasounds have shown that his condition has remained static. While he still has a murmur, he is no longer on heart meds, as he is doing fine without them, and they were aggravating his other ailment, which is inflammatory bowel disease. This was diagnosed through biopsies of his liver, intestines, and some other places, when he was suffering chronic projectile diahhrea and constant vomiting starting at about 2 years of age. The point to all this is that the ONLY food that this cat does well on is Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. Anything else makes the diahhrea and vomiting start up again. I have tried z/d, w/d (he did marginally okay on the w/d with just occasional bouts the IBD), natural foods, you name it. At this point, I'm afraid to change to anything else! I cannot use steriod treatment to control the IBD because steroids send him into congestive heart failure, because of his enlarged heart. So, I'm in a catch 22. He gets NOTHING to eat except free-fed dry Hill's Sensitive Stomach. That's it. Is this a bad diet for a diabetic cat? I'm afraid the vet is going to tell me to switch, and I'm going to open up a whole other can of worms. Once his IBD flares up, it takes a really long time for him to recuperate and get back to normal, which if he is put on another food, he may never do. Jennifer, Considering your cat's concurrent illnesses and the fact you have them under control with his present diet, I would be very reluctant to make any dietary changes. I would speak to your vet about the feasibility of tailoring your cat's insulin therapy to his present diet. In my experience, the keys to successful diabetic management and regulation are *consistency* and the least amount of stress as possible. It doesn't matter how perfectly formulated a diabetic diet (or any other type of diet) is if the cat won't eat it consistently and in consistent amounts and at consistent times - since the insulin dose and intervals are established based on diet and feeding schedule. The most common causes of regulation failure are 1- failure to perform a glucose curve to determine how the cat metabolizes insulin, 2- inconsistent feeding (times and amounts), and 3- different or variation in feeding protocol at home than during the glucose curve. The latter is the most common because most cat's are reluctant to eat at the clinic. After your vet instructs you how to monitor your cat's blood glucose, you can plot a glucose curve at home - which involves checking blood glucose every two hours for a day. Home glucose curves are much more accurate than curves run at the clinic because the cat is not under stress - stress can significantly affect the curve, and the cat eats normally. I'll send some information regarding home monitoring and insulin handling and administration later this evening when I get home. Good luck. Phil. |
#10
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"Jennifer Thompson" wrote in message ... Thank you everybody, for your replies. I will check into the canned version of the Sensitive Stomach food. I don't think Hill's makes a canned version of Sensitive Stomach (yet). I am gathering that free-feeding is not a good way to go, since it appears that I need to know exactly when he is eating and how much. Is that correct? I think right now, he mainly just nibbles a bit here and there, throughout the day and night (his feeder is in my computer room, so I know his eating pattern). There are two camps in this issue - both have their points -- but a lot depends on the cat. On the one hand, feeding several small meals or nibbling throughout the day helps minimize the hyperglycemic effect of each meal - which helps to control fluctuations (spikes) in blood glucose. If the cat's a nibbler like yours, the total amount of food put out per 24 hours shouldn't exceed his calculated daily caloric requirement. However, food should be available *only* while the insulin is active. (The glucose curve will determine the duration of insulin activity as well as the onset and peak of action.) I'm not crazy about this method because you can never tell if the cat will eat and eat enough throughout the day every time. If the cat doesn't eat or eat enough, a normal insulin dose can become an overdose. OTOH, I prefer twice-a-day scheduled dosing and feedings, and administer insulin immediately *after* the cat has eaten.. I check blood glucose before feeding and dosing. Many (probably most) people administer insulin before the cat eats. hoping the insulin will be in the circulation by the time the cat finishes eating... unlikely... However, I like to be sure the cat eats and eats enough before dosing her with insulin. If the cat is dosed before eating, and then decides not to eat or doesn't eat enough, she can develop insulin-induced hypoglycemia which can trigger rebound hyperglycemia - a/k/a the infamous "Somogyi Overswing" unless emergency steps are taken. The advantage of this method is realized if the cat gets finicky or doesn't eat or doesn't eat enough. The insulin dose can be either reduced or skipped. Of course this situation should be discussed thoroughly and well planned with your vet *beforehand*. Never make changes in insulin doses or intervals without consulting your vet *first*. After awhile, your vet may give you a dose chart to follow for different situations and blood glucose readings. Many cats do well with either method. However, some nibblers are difficult to convert to b.i.d. feeding - so as I said before, a lot depends on the cat. The best method is the method that works the best for your cat under your circumstances and keeps him well regulated. Best of luck, Phil. |
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