diabetic pets

[prideworks]

has anyone had to deal with a diabetic cat? my Precious was just diagnosed this past weekend and I don't know how I'm going to be able to give her the insulin shots. every bit of research I've dug up does not have a good prognosis for cats and diabeties. any help would be appreciated.

[Deb]

I have several friends who have had diabetic cats, and unfortunately, the outcome has not been good. One thing I do know is that the cat needs to finish their food BEFORE giving it the insulin. If the kitty gets pills, I'm not sure how that would work

[Night Owl]

The humane thing to do is put the cat down before it goes through the misery.

[prideworks]

The humane thing to do is put the cat down before it goes through the misery.

right now we've got her on a special diet and she seems to be responding to that. unfortunately, there is no good insulin product on the market for cats. my thing is for her to have good quality of life for as long as possible. when thats not happening, i'll do the right thing.

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

The high protein, low carb food can be very helpful when managing a diabetic cat. Cats suffer from a "type 2" - like diabetes and limiting carbohydrates can often help them absorb their glucose more efficiently. I would monitor the water intake, appetite and body weight. If the cat begins to drink less water, if the appetite normalizes and if the body weight stabilizes then odds are that you are being successful with the diet.

We will never control diabetes as tightly in animals as is the norm in people because monitoring is much more difficult. However if the symptoms improve it is likely that the quality of life is improving and adequate. Remember, not all cats will be controlled with diet alone and many cats will need insulin injections in addition to diet change. There is a new insulin available for cats called Pro-Zinc and it is very promising - it is also quite expensive.

I wish you well with your kitty and I hope that things improve soon.

[prideworks]

The high protein, low carb food can be very helpful when managing a diabetic cat. Cats suffer from a "type 2" - like diabetes and limiting carbohydrates can often help them absorb their glucose more efficiently. I would monitor the water intake, appetite and body weight. If the cat begins to drink less water, if the appetite normalizes and if the body weight stabilizes then odds are that you are being successful with the diet.

We will never control diabetes as tightly in animals as is the norm in people because monitoring is much more difficult. However if the symptoms improve it is likely that the quality of life is improving and adequate. Remember, not all cats will be controlled with diet alone and many cats will need insulin injections in addition to diet change. There is a new insulin available for cats called Pro-Zinc and it is very promising - it is also quite expensive.

I wish you well with your kitty and I hope that things improve soon.

Dr. Buckley, thank you so much for your input. She is eating the dry DM very well and drinking an adequate but not excessive amount. Her weight dropped a little bit more but might(i hope)be have stopped losing. I am going to take it one day at a time and see how it goes. Thank you again.