Friskies vs. Fancy Feast?

[EmilyH]

Hi all!

Quick question... After the death of my other medically needy kitty (kidney issues, we're still sad here), we're finally focusing on Cosmo, the diabetic one.

I'm switching his food over as one part of step one. Changing from the canned G/D food to something diabetic-friendly. I have read that many of you use either Fancy Feast Classics or Friskies Pate. From what I understand on the food charts, FF is higher protein and lower carbs than the Friskies, but Friskies is less expensive. Is there a reason you chose one over the other?

(I bought some of the FF the other day to see how he likes it. Let me tell you how happy my boy is, after years of eating bland RX food. He keeps crying for more and telling me how much he enjoys food now!)

 

[Tanya and Ducia]

canned G/D food

Hi, Am I correct reading @Dr. Lisa's chart that Hills g/d is 33% carbs? That's a lot.
If so and you are switching to lower carbs - below 10% , please be aware that this diet alone will bring the Bg # lower and you need to be very careful with dosing and testing at home more ofte than before the switch. It's not uncommon that the dose is reduced.

I feed both FF Classic and Friskies Classic Pate - no fish variety only. I watch for the calories and the lowest Phosphorous content. But often it is my thin wallet dictates the choice , Frieskies are cheaper.

FF Gravy Lovers - up to 22% and/or Grilled - up to 16% carbs are always in my pantry to steer the numbers up when needed. I'd get some just in case.

What insulin and what dose your kitties is on?

Do you home test?

 

[EmilyH]

Hi, Am I correct reading @Dr. Lisa's chart that Hills g/d is 33% carbs? That's a lot.
If so and you are switching to lower carbs - below 10% , please be aware that this diet alone will bring the Bg # lower and you need to be very careful with dosing and testing at home more ofte than before the switch. It's not uncommon that the dose is reduced.

I feed both FF Classic and Friskies Classic Pate - no fish variety only. I watch for the calories and the lowest Phosphorous content. But often it is my thin wallet dictates the choice , Frieskies are cheaper.

FF Gravy Lovers - up to 22% and/or Grilled - up to 16% carbs are always in my pantry to steer the numbers up when needed. I'd get some just in case.

What insulin and what dose your kitties is on?

Do you home test?

Right. His brother had kidney disease and we were feeding for that, which stinks. We're still recovering from his passing. There was no way I could do home testing of Cosmo, plus all the sub-q fluids, etc. that his brother required. I've even sucked at getting Cosmo his insulin all the time. I'm planning on making a lot of changes, food being one of them. Also starting home testing, and requesting to change his insulin. Right now he's on Novalin (I know, I'm going to request a change as I'm figuring out everything), 3.5 units/2x a day. I am planning on calling the vet today to see what she'd recommend me dropping to while doing the food switch, and then figuring out the home testing, and insulin this week.

I'm really excited about switching from the crazy expensive RX food. My wallet is going to be happier!

 

[Tanya and Ducia]

3.5 units/2x a day. I am planning on calling the vet today to see what she'd recommend me dropping to while doing the food switch, and then figuring out the home testing, and insulin this week.

This dose is way to high to give on the lower carbs diet esp without frequent testing...
I do understand the schedule difficulty but I want to stress out that this dose was only safe whilst Cosmo was on 33% carbs diet. Not on any lower.

Have you got a chance to review the CLICK HERE sticky? A lot of great tips shared by someone on busy schedule and managing to test for safety. I hope you'll find something useful in there.

I am very sorry about you loss . But the time and how busy you are going to be helping Cosmo will help you once a routing testing/feeding/injecting is found and settled. There is a lot of knowledge and willingness to assist on this Forum - please keep posting. No question is too small or silly.

I'm really excited about switching from the crazy expensive RX food. My wallet is going to be happier!

Soo many wallets on this Board are saying"Hear, hear!" right now! No one benefits from the Rx food except vets. Certainly not the patients.

 

[EmilyH]

This dose is way to high to give on the lower carbs diet esp without frequent testing...
I do understand the schedule difficulty but I want to stress out that this dose was only safe whilst Cosmo was on 33% carbs diet. Not on any lower.

THIS is why I'm ready to just start over. My vet wanted to be involved in the dosing, which I have no problem with, so I think a call in to her to tell her I'm changing it all up and making him the priority instead of his brother is certainly in order. lol I'm going to ask if I can just drop it down to 1 again, then work on the home testing myself and get numbers that way. I don't trust the numbers fully at the vet because he's SO STRESSED there. He sits in the cage with his nose in the corner, hiding all day long. Poor baby.

Is there a comparison somewhere between the numbers a vet would get and the numbers we would get on a human meter? That was the main thing my vet was concerned about. If I'm reporting numbers to her, how does she know what they mean?

 

[Tanya and Ducia]

I don't trust the numbers fully at the vet because he's SO STRESSED there.

Wise assessment.

I'm going to ask if I can just drop it down to 1 again, then work on the home testing myself and get numbers that way

Post another thread specifically to solicit dosage advise. Then once you heard some experienced folks out you can talk to your vet being more prepared/knowing more about the possibilities.
What insulin you are planning to switch to? There are separate sections for Lantus & Levemir, for Prozing, etc. Ppl who frequent these Board are very experience - practical way in using and will share with you.

 

[EmilyH]

What insulin you are planning to switch to? There are separate sections for Lantus & Levemir, for Prozing, etc. Ppl who frequent these Board are very experience - practical way in using and will share with you.

I have no idea. haha I have a lot of reading to do.

 

[Tanya and Ducia]

I have no idea. haha I have a lot of reading to do.

Take your time, arm yourself with knowledge, and ask any question. It's big decision because insulin is pricey thing and you may stuck with your choice for a while.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I have no idea. haha I have a lot of reading to do.

If you need dose schedule flexibility the L insulins (Lantus and Levemir) will be more challenging. They work best when dosing is as close to 12/12 as you can manage. Vetsulin is an in and out insulin that's quite similar in action to Novolin. Another in and out insulin that tends to be gentler (slower in onset, less likely to drop kitty too much too soon) and longer in duration is ProZinc. Vetsulin and ProZinc dosing can usually be shifted + or - an hour without too much of a problem. ProZinc, though, is expensive.

Re food: I feed my guy a mixture of DM wet food with Friskies or Fancy Feast pates added to change up the flavour. I'm sure he'd be fine on just Friskies or FF pates.

 

[Phoebes (GA)]

I get both, Phoebe goes thru phases she doesn't want ff sometimes. Friskies is the backup plan.

 

[AlphaCat]

The food question:
I went with Friskies because my poor girl lost so much weight before we got her diagnosed. I need her to gain a little to be healthy. The serving size is different between the two brands, as FF comes in 3.3 oz cans at double the cost of Friskies 5.5 oz cans. Just to maintain her skinny 12 lbs, she needs 2 cans of Friskies every day. (I split into 4 meal.) If I remember correctly she needed 4 cans of FF.
Now, I don't mind spending more if I'm getting a vastly different product... However the food we choose is under 5 carbs on Dr. Lisa's list whether it's Friskies or FF, and I don't mind the higher fat content as she's underweight. The difference isn't big enough to justify 2x the cost. So we go with Friskies primarily.

We're on Vetsulin, and my schedule needs the added oops protection it offers. Oddly enough one of my oops allowed me to see changes I might not have noticed without missing insulin for a couple days. If you check out our spreadsheet, you'll see we are making progress slowly...

I know you want to start over, and having a fresh start is desirable. Just please make one of the first changes, before anything else, the home testing. If you switch up the food first, you may find yourself with an unintended hypo event. The ReliOn human meter from Walmart has been reliable for me. All I've read on these boards about the difference in human meter versus the Alphatrak meter like the vet uses, is that the small amount of point difference (if any at all) wouldn't change the direction of care. If your cat tests 325 at the vet office and 345 at home, the insulin/doseage/food is all the same. What the doc would look for in your spreadsheet isn't conversion, but trends. Take a look at mine. If you ignore the numbers all together, you can still see trends. The neatest thing about home testing is you can see the insulin at work. I like to know her medicine is doing what it's supposed to. (I test 4x a day usually - you don't have to make that kind of time commitment, but testing before you give insulin will quickly become a good habit, and allow you to know how the vet stress plays into those numbers.)

Good luck on your new beginning, and this board is full of great people that will walk you through caring for your cat!

 

[EmilyH]

The food question:
I went with Friskies because my poor girl lost so much weight before we got her diagnosed. I need her to gain a little to be healthy. The serving size is different between the two brands, as FF comes in 3.3 oz cans at double the cost of Friskies 5.5 oz cans. Just to maintain her skinny 12 lbs, she needs 2 cans of Friskies every day. (I split into 4 meal.) If I remember correctly she needed 4 cans of FF.
Now, I don't mind spending more if I'm getting a vastly different product... However the food we choose is under 5 carbs on Dr. Lisa's list whether it's Friskies or FF, and I don't mind the higher fat content as she's underweight. The difference isn't big enough to justify 2x the cost. So we go with Friskies primarily.

We're on Vetsulin, and my schedule needs the added oops protection it offers. Oddly enough one of my oops allowed me to see changes I might not have noticed without missing insulin for a couple days. If you check out our spreadsheet, you'll see we are making progress slowly...

I know you want to start over, and having a fresh start is desirable. Just please make one of the first changes, before anything else, the home testing. If you switch up the food first, you may find yourself with an unintended hypo event. The ReliOn human meter from Walmart has been reliable for me. All I've read on these boards about the difference in human meter versus the Alphatrak meter like the vet uses, is that the small amount of point difference (if any at all) wouldn't change the direction of care. If your cat tests 325 at the vet office and 345 at home, the insulin/doseage/food is all the same. What the doc would look for in your spreadsheet isn't conversion, but trends. Take a look at mine. If you ignore the numbers all together, you can still see trends. The neatest thing about home testing is you can see the insulin at work. I like to know her medicine is doing what it's supposed to. (I test 4x a day usually - you don't have to make that kind of time commitment, but testing before you give insulin will quickly become a good habit, and allow you to know how the vet stress plays into those numbers.)

Good luck on your new beginning, and this board is full of great people that will walk you through caring for your cat!

I'm leaning toward trying some Friskies. I've been buying RX food since 2013, I think. Do you know how much money I don't have because my cats pooped it out? lol My budget needs some help.

I'm going to chat with my vet tonight and do some shopping tomorrow!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

If you do go with Lantus or Levemir, you'll save a lot of money by buying it from Canada.....that's where most of us are getting ours (they don't carry ProZinc since it's veterinary only)

Here's all the information on buying from Canada

In the US, a 5 pack of pens is around $500+.....at Marks, it's $150 plus $25 shipping

 

[Yong & Maury GA]

Is there a comparison somewhere between the numbers a vet would get and the numbers we would get on a human meter? That was the main thing my vet was concerned about. If I'm reporting numbers to her, how does she know what they mean?

Unfortunately, no there is no direct conversion. All protocols were written here with human meters. The pet meter like AlphaTrak 2 can be quite costly for daily testing (about $1 per strip) and you would use a minimum of 3-4 a day. We can understand both numbers . Many of us use the human meter because one's such as Walmart's ReliOn Confirm/Micro is about $0.36 per strip, and sometimes you can find them cheaper elsewhere online. If your vet is not familiar with human glucometer numbers, then you could do what some others do here (including myself). I use the ReliOn Confirm for daily testing but I did purchase an AT2 that I will use for Vet curves done at home.

The important thing to remember is the "take action" and "no shoot" numbers. On human meters the number is 50 and on AT2 it is 68. A kitty who goes below these numbers could fall into hypoglycemic territory, which we do not want. For newer members the "no shoot" number on human meter is a Pre shot test <200 and on AT2 it's about <230.

 

[Mogmom and Goofus]

You can also use Freestyle LITE test strips in the AT2 meter. The numbers run very close, usually 10-15 points difference. The blood drop needed is tiny as well. I test only a.m. and p.m unless I'm doing a curve. I buy the strips on eBay, so that lessens the cost, but it's still about $1 a day.

I use ProZinc insulins due to a difficult work schedule, I need the dosing flexibility. Also, because I have 5 cats, I feed Friskies that I order from chewy.com where I get the 13 oz cans for the best price.