diabetic cat

10 years ago

just got confirmation a few hours ago that my big boy King has diabetes.
The Dr wants me to stop by and pick up a bag of Hills prescription diet DRY food to try for 2 weeks before we go straight to insulin.

I have been trying to research all I can, and can't really find anything positive about this food.
- You cannot buy this food without a prescription, although
there is no ingredient regulated by the FDA that would
require
- Many (online) vet blogs say absolutely no to dry food
for diabetic cats...too much "cereal fillers" (grain)

Do you have a diabetic cat that is controlled by diet alone?
I am willing to make my own food if necessary.
Whatever I do, all 3 cats will need the same diet as I cannot control who eats what.

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Comments (5)

calliope
10 years ago
Oh wow what a beautiful boy! I've dealt with a diabetic dog, but not cats. We were very successful with controlling her disease, but I found the primary issue was consistency in diet. However, she was put on insulin immediately and unlike human diabetics we did not do a daily stick but her sugars were monitored by the vet monthly, or more if necessary. Therefore we had to maintain a pretty regular routine with her carbs, and be sure she ate what we fed and so that she would not get hypoglycemic. You can see why having multiple cats and no idea who eats what and how much may present the biggest hurdle. No, I have no idea how high his blood sugar is when he was diagnosed so don't know how serious his issue is, either. No, I have not heard of controlling it with diet alone, so will be interested in what others comment on this issue.
glaserberl
10 years ago
The link below has a ton of information. We don't have a diabetic cat but it was recommended by our vet to read up about feline nutrition and the benefits of a raw or canned diet.
Katharina

Here is a link that might be useful: Catinfo
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Thanks everyone for all the encouragement. Last night I stopped to talk to the vet and he was not in. He is supposed to call me today to answer some of my questions. I decided to get the dry food just to get moving in the right direction and not delay his diet change. I fed all 3 last night and this morning the dry kibble. They are not happy with me and I could tell the were confused because we always have cans in the morning...and we have a little ritual. Today I spent a good bit if time time researching foods and I want to propose to him using EVO. The have no grains. I would like to do partial wet and partial dry. ( the dry is very high in protein and half the carbs of Purina "prescription"- which is what he had - not Hills like I was expecting) I really don't see how the food he gave me will significantly alter his sugars in 2 weeks. Purina DM first 5 ingredients: Poultry by-product meal, soy protein isolate, corn gluten meal, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), guaranteed analysis Crude Protein (Min) 51.00% Crude Fat (Min) 15.00% Crude Fiber (Max) 3.00% Moisture (Max) 12.00% Vitamin A (Min) 18,000 IU/kg Vitamin E (Min) 100 IU/kg Carbohydrate* (Max) 18.00% EVO first 5: Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a Natural Source of Vitamin E) Crude Protein (Min) 50.00% Crude Fat (Min) 22.00% Crude Fiber (Max) 2.00% Moisture (Max) 10.00% Carbohydrates NFE (Max) 7.00% Linoleic Acid (an Omega-6 Fatty Acid) (Min) 4.00% Magnesium (Max) 0.10% Vitamin E (Min) 300.0 IU/kg Taurine (Min) 0.20% Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (Min) 500.0 mg/kg Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Min) 0.40% DHA + EPA (Min) 0.10% Total Microorganisms (Min) 90.0 CFU/lb Wellness brand is very close to the same as EVO I am very confused about exactly what I should do....King is really not himself. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all go away! All of my cats are litter mates, 9 years old...so i guess I am setting myself up for multiple problems. I just had Lucky in about 8 weeks ago for urinary infection. Suzieque...I do not want to stay on a dry food diet...I cant see anyway for that to be good long term Goldedger thanks for the links...I am learning a lot! I think I am going to get some fresh meat tonight at the store...I wish the vet woudl call already!
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Debbie Downer
10 years ago
Get yourself to felinediabetes.com asap - one of the best internet communities EVER.!!! I dont know what I would have done without them when my boy was diagnosed. I cant begin to tell you all the emotional support and info youll find - has carb info for all catfood brands (low carb would actually help all your cats)

Also how to test bg, give shots, diet, etc. (btw re low carb diet - about 20% of cats can go off insulin thru diet change alone *(like type 2 diabetes in humans) which is why its worth at least trying, esp if the bg is more on the low end..

Sadly, a lot of vets are just not up on the latest thinking on pet diabetes or may be not on board with you doing your own bg testing or adjusting dose (BTW - , if youve already started insulin and think you do want to change diet and go low carb, you shouldnt do that without testing bg and possibly reducing dose. Or go off insulin, reduce carbs, and run another curve. What may be a good dose for a cat on high carb diet may be fatal to one whose blood sugar is dropping).. I ended up finding another vet who was interested in what I had learned and supportive of what I was doing, said he wished all pet owners were as involved.

On the other hand, sadly, a lot of people can't be bothered to even give the shots let alone do the bg testing.- so to be fair, a vet may not have ever come across someone who wanted to be more involved so has not developed a protocol for that.

This post was edited by kashka_kat on Thu, Jul 18, 13 at 8:55
laurief_gw
10 years ago
If you haven't yet read the site I have linked below, I strongly recommend that you do so immediately. I would NEVER feed ANY type of kibble to a diabetic cat (and I would never use a vet who recommended kibble for a diabetic)!

Laurie

Here is a link that might be useful: Your Diabetic Cat
Debbie Downer
10 years ago
Laurie, thanks for the link - its been a few yrs so I wasnt up on the latest info, was excited to read what Dr. Hodgkins had to say. Hope the OP is doing OK with all the info - I remember it seemed a bit overwhelming at first.

diabetic cat

Comments (5)

calliope

glaserberl

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