Wilco Best Cat food

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David Rawden

David Rawden

Member Since 2017
Hi

I have a diabetic cat which has been on insulin for approx. 2 months. The vet uses a blood test which looks back at the previous 3 weeks levels for determining the amount of insulin required. We are now at 3 units twice a day on the caninsulin pen and are due a review this week.
The vet recommended the Hills Md cat food which we have been feeding twice a day but having read various forums I am not sure it is really ideal. Today I was in a Wilco shop (UK) and came across two of their own foods which appear to be low in carbohydrates (using the carbohydrate calculator) and wondered if they are suitable for a diabetic cat. It seems to cover well what is required by a diabetic cat on various forums also regarding moisture content.
One food Is The other is

Protein 13.5% Protein 12%
Crude Fibre 0.5% Crude Fibre 0.5%
Fat Content 1.0% Fat Content 1.0%
Crude Ash 1.0% Crude Ash 1.0%
Moisture 84% Moisture 85%
As I am very new to this I wondered if I could beg your expert guidance

Many thanks



David
 
Hi David, welcome to FDMB! Just using a rough calculation it looks like those two foods have 0-3% carbs, perfectly good for a diabetic kitty. You are right about the Hill's, not ideal, at all! :)
 
Hi Squalliesmom

Thank you very much for your prompt reply I hoped I had done my maths correctly and you have just confirmed it.
I shall discuss it with the vets on Thursday and introduce the new food with the Hills and then hopefully move to the new food.:)
 
David Rawden said:
Hi Squalliesmom

Thank you very much for your prompt reply I hoped I had done my maths correctly and you have just confirmed it.
I shall discuss it with the vets on Thursday and introduce the new food with the Hills and then hopefully move to the new food.:)
Click to expand...

When changing the food, you MUST be home testing. Lowering carbs can drop the glucose very very quickly and your on a good amount of insulin. You won't be able to count on the vets test for this. You will need to know right away.
 
Hi David, I'm so glad you found this forum. They are the best and have so much good information. I was in a situation similar to yours several months ago and would like to share my experience. Caution: Every cat is different so take what I say for what it is worth...just my experience. I AM NOT A VET. My Cat's diabetes was a reaction to steriods.
1. Diet is extremely important and how your cat reacts to low carb foods or any change in diet can be critical. I did have some scares in the beginning when weaning my cat off dry food. My Vet also recommended a prescription Hills diet which was way too high in carbs. My cat's bg did drop into low numbers and looking back, even though I had changed her diet slowly her reaction to low carb did impact her Blood glucose numbers much more quickly and sharply than I thought. which.....

2. Home testing is critical when using insulin because of the above. My cat adjusted well to this once I got the hang of it.

3. The test that your Vet is using is the Fructosamine test. My Vet also used this and let me explain the benefits/criticisms. IN General there are many variables that can affect blood glucose readings. Vets only see their patience infrequently (hopefully)and to them the average is uselful. BUT blood glucose levels can change radically in short periods of time CRITICAL when you are administering insulin. These fluctuations are also a function of the type of insulin being administered and how the body absorbs (where the diet comes in), the insulin AND environmental stresses etc. Canisulin/Vetsulin ??? I believe are the same only different names Vet in the US BUT please check this out. These are fast acting so READ the information on this site.

My cat has been in "remission" for 2+ months now. I still spot check her bg but the Vet will continue to use the fructosamine test. There is a value in both and they can/should be used together. In the beginning I did home glucose testing before every meal 3x daily and her numbers were on high side 290-350. BUT after 2 months the Fructosamine test came back alarmingly high (600's). What this meant is that in between the times I tested her blood glucose levels those levels were fluctuating wildly. In the beginning this can happen because it just takes some TIME for your cats body to regulate. AND my cat was an indoor outdoor cat.

4. My experience with Vetsulin was not great. She was on Vetsulin for almost 3 months and it did not work for her. It controlled bg "somewhat" but she did not feel well. My Vet prescribed Vetsulin because it is priced much lower here in the US than some others. In my case specifically Lantus. THE INFORMATION on this site made me realize there were other options besides the one the Vet prescribed. Lantus is more expensive which is why in the US some vets do not use it first off. My pharmacy worked with us and allowed me to purchase a single "pen" rather than a box which was a fraction of the normal cost. I cannot describe the difference this made in my cats condition. FOR HER (every cat is different) it was an amazing difference. Lantus being more gentle and longer acting was what she needed. Within a month the craziness that this horrible disease can cause started subsiding. Her numbers have stabilized in the mid 50's-70's without insulin.

5. Methylcobalamin a B-12 supplement has also been very beneficial. My cat had lost so much muscle condition before the diagnosis. It's only anecdotal but she was in really bad shape and she is now out climbing trees again. The M b-12 helped in my opinion.

6. So happy you found this site. Feline Diabetes is a vicious horrible disease but it can be successfully managed. You are on the right path. I know this is a lot of information and I don't mean to overwhelm you. It took me 6 months to absorb all this and it is only my experience. The Feline Diabetes Forum was a Godsend. YOU know your pet and YOU will be responsible. Vets are great this website is great but listen to your CAT. I was lucky because this is what my Vet kept telling me and then she listened to me which is not always the case.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE GREAT PEOPLE ON THIS SITE.
 
Hi Thanks for your very detailed reply. I thought I had responded already but cannot see it for some reason.
We are back at the vets again tomorrow, I will ask about home monitoring.
Thanks to my post I have just found out from one of the members that the food I was looking at was only meant as a supplementary food or treat not a main food. I will have a look through some of the links to UK foods on one of the other replies which somebody kindly posted a link.
I realise it a learning curve and thank everybody for the kindness and great advice I have received. Hopefully I will post some good British foods suitable soon myself.
 
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