Conference misery::feline

    there is a lot of info about diabetes in note 87. It is very treatable;
    the hard part id iniatally getting the cat regulated. Several of us have
    diabetic cats that are doing well (you would never know that my Jimmy
    is 18 and diabetic!).
    
    good luck to Teddy.
    
    Deb

    Thanks Deb,
    
    I started reading through the notes. My wife and I will sit down and
    read through them.  There is a lot of information in there.
    
    Tonight I get to learn to inject Teddy (not looking forward to this).
    
    Thanks again for the pointer.
    
    -Paul
    

    After you and your cat get used to the idea, neither one of you
    will mind. Heck, Jimmy will wait until he gets his shot before he will
    eat his meal (and if I'm not fast enough, I get a dirty look from him)
    
    hugs to Teddy.
    
    Deb

    Paul...
    
    I also have a cat with diabetes and have gone through some
    regulating problems with him.    If you have any specific
    questions, please feel free to write to me.
    
    Also..ask you vet for the kitty pamphet on Diabetes.   It had
    all the information you need (diet, giving shots, what to watch
    for etc) and then you can use this notesfile for real 
    life kitty experiences.
    
    Good luck...just remember it might be tough getting it
    regulated in the beginning, but once you do life will go
    back to normal.

    Thank you Deb & Karen!
    
    From my wife, Teddy (and Lassie, Deiter, Morris and Elaine). we thank
    you for your support.
    
    The notes help.
    
    I give Teddy our first shot in the morning (3/22 @ 7AM PST) My nerves
    are shot, but I love him and know that he knows its OK.
    
    I'll keep you updated.
    
    Deb, do you and Jimmy have a personal email we can respond with thanks?
    
    If you do, you can email teddy directly at [email protected]
    
    Thanks again.
    
    Paul Kitwin
    

    My diabetic kitty, Van Gogh just had another blood curve
    done yesterday...and I think we are REAL close in getting
    his sugar regulated.    His sugar level started at 450 an
    has fluctuated around 300 to 420 in the past 4 months.  It
    is finally down to 230...which isn't perfect...but sure is
    getting better.  He is currently on 3 units per day...with
    a good potential to raising it to 3 1/2 or 4.
    
    The problems we encountered were bad insulin; as well as my
    technique in giving the shot was not right.   It is VERY
    important to ensure you have all the air out of the syringe
    and that there are no bubbles!!!  One tiny air bubble can take
    the space of a unit.    
    
    I think we are finally on the road to regulation!!!!! Good luck
    wiht your boy Teddy.   It sure sounds like he knows he is loved!!!
    
    Sandy

    Yea Van Gogh!!!! Your doing great!
    
    that is great to hear! Here is a little trick that might also help you.
    When Jimmy was first diagnosed, we brought his glucose down by 100 with
    dietry change; he was fed nothing but boiled, chicken breast for a
    week; no bones, no fat, no skin and no dark meat; he didn't seem to mind.
    Without any carbs/sugar, the glucose level went go down, and it seemed
    to give the insulin a new starting point. What I remember was that
    Jimmy started out in the 500s. We brought it into the 400s with the
    chicken, and in the 2 weeks it took to regulate him after that, he
    never went back up into the 500s. It was almost like he needed a break
    to get some of that sugar out of his blood. 
    
    Deb

    Paul,
    
    Jimmy gets his email c/o me. I'm afraid that Zoe is the only cat I have
    that is computer literate, and she is more in to programming than
    online services. 
    
    But speaking of on-line services, I learned a lot about diabetes in the
    Diabetes BB and the Cat BB on Prodigy. (Prodigy gives members 5 free
    hours in the health related BBs per month).
    
    Good luck with the shots.
    Deb

    Okay...I'll admit another one of my boo boo's.  Van Gogh has
    always LOVED babyfood (beef, chicken, ham, and turkey) since
    his Megacolon operation.   Even after he was diagnosed with
    Diabetes, I was continuing to give him a treat of babyfood
    because Sugar was NOT an ingredient on the jar.
    
    WELL...I recently heard on the news that even though
    Sugar is NOT an ingredient the GERBER baby food has alot
    of sugar.   So....we now have stopped the baby food treat
    and that might have something to do with his sugar finally
    regulating!!!  
    
    The things this diabetic kitty has taught me is amazing!!!!!
    
    Sandy

    Sandy,
    
    where did you hear this? Jimmy isn't going to be too happy if he stops
    getting his "mature kitty food" snack. Do they have an 800 number you
    can call to ge this confirmed/denyed and for a nutritional analysis?
    
    Deb

    Deb...I heard it on some radio news announcement that was 
    talking about nutrient and food labels.  They did say Gerber
    had the MOST sugar.
    
    Maybe there is a telephone number on the jar of babyfood?????
    If you do find out if this is true or NOT...please let me know.
    
    Sandy (who wonder's if they will admit it!!)
    

    
    Baby food - I never trusted Gerber, their quality was
    inferior IMO, and they used to put all sorts of additives
    in it and the stuff tasted fake/artifical. I had better 
    luck with Beech Nut and the all-natural stuff, I forgot 
    the name something like Mother Earth or something like that.
    
    
    Eva

    
    Addendum to .12
    
    Oh, and this was 5 years ago last I checked (2nd human baby), 
    which wasn't that much different than 10 years ago (1st baby).
    
    
    Eva

    Sandy,
    
    I haven't called yet but I'm looking at a jar of Gerber "Turkey and
    Turkey Gravy" (the "and turkey gravy" is in small print). The label
    lists "modified corn starch" as the 3rd ingrediant. It lists 2 grams of
    carbs and 0 grams of sugar. 
    
    I don't know if I'll get a chance to call today, but the number is
    1-800-4-GERBER.
    
    Deb

    ok, I just got off the phone with Gerber. The nice lady I spoke to knew
    what I was talking about (and mentioned that they have heard that a lot
    of pet owners feed their product to cats as a treat).

    anyhow, the business about the sugar only applies to the "second food
    group" of fruits, and is limited to apricots, bananas, peaches and
    plumbs, and of course, the desert varieties. The reason for adding the
    sugar is because these foods get bitter in the canning process (this is
    true, and it is why you add sugar when you put up your fruits for the
    winter, which is what I remember learning in 4H).

    She assured me that there is NO SUGAR ADDED in the meat ones, but did
    mention that the meats are no longer meat and broth, but rather meat
    and gravy (which has some spices in it). The reason for this change
    was that focus groups of mothers claimed that the baby's found they
    liked the "with gravy meats" better. 

    She also said that some vets have recommended that folks not feed
    Gerber to their cats because they don't want the cats to eat spices,
    where as other vets say it doesn't matter. You need to check with your
    vet to be sure. The "spices" seem to be onion powder and "celery
    extract", which don't seem that harmful to me, but celery is a fairly
    salty item. I guess that the corn starch is to thicken the graves, and
    since you need to watch your carbs with a diabetic, that is what would
    concern me. However, a jar only has 2gs of carbs, so unless that is all
    kitty is eating, I don't think it is a problem.

    Deb

    Deb...thanks for gathering that information.  VAN GOGH sends
    you a BIG hug because we can go back to giving him a treat
    once in awhile.  I won't go back to our daily routine of
    a spoonful a day...but now I won't feel bad giving it to
    him on occasion.
    
    Sandy

    Sandy,
    
    I'm glad, too, because if there was sugar in there, I was going to have
    to tell that lady SHE would have to explain it to Jimmy.
    
    :-)
    
    Deb

    Teddy was diagnosed around 600.
    After 2 days of "at vet" testing, they had him stable around 300 at 4
    units. I will take him in in a couple of days for his first check up.
    
    He is already showing signs of improvment (wandering around as opposed
    to lying around, meeting us at the door when se come home, slapping the
    other kids when they sniff his butt, etc), so I'm hopefull.
    
    Thanks for your concern and support.
    
    -Paul
    (A worried parent)
    

    Thanks for the dietary notes.
    
    My wife and I are vegitarians. So the prospect of preparing dead stuff
    at home is pretty much out.
    
    What we feed our kids is a combination of cat foods (dry only). 2 Low
    fat Low Sugar, high protein and fiber with a bit of cheap "crap" cat
    food added in for appeal.
    
    We debated for a long time about converting our kids to vegi-lifestyle
    but opted against. 
    
    Teddy's favorite food though is tofu.  Any tofu product. Either plain
    or faux meat flavored.  
    
    We have decided to avoid any "treats" until we get confirmation of
    sugar (glucose, fructose, etc) content of the processed tofu products
    we get. But I have a feeling, they will be OK. High protein, high
    fiber, no fat, etc.
    
    So, babyfood.
    
    We have a freind (a vegitarian to be) who had a child 3 years ago. She
    learned to read labels REAL well. After a bit of research, she decided
    to prepare babyfood herself. She was concerned about sugar levels in
    babyfood as well.  Not sure of the results. 
    
    Would you like me to ask?
    
    Thanks again.
    -Paul
    (A worried, but getting better at giving shots, parent)
    

    Hi Paul,
    
         Glad to hear that Teddy is getting better and that you're getting
    better at shots.  They really aren't a big deal, once you get used to
    them 8-) .
    
         Thanks for the babyfood thread too, I'll have to check what I have
    at home.  Don't really wants those "extras" that are in the "gravy" for
    my kitties.
    
    					- Andrea
    					  Bigfoot, Loki & Midnight