Info Dry Food - PLEASE consider more than just carbohydrate content

Rebecca Z. said:
We are 4 days post diagnosis and he is not happy being on a 2 feeding schedule(he was a grazer).
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Feeding 2x a day isn't a rule as many cats don't agree with this. But you could still feed a full breakfast, maybe leave a snack when you leave for work, give one when you get home, and dinner at the PM shot. This is pretty much how we do things, as well as leaving EVO dry out for grazing during the day since we are a multiple cat household (3). Finding wet foods that they will all eat can be tricky. But they all will eat any wet food with some fortiflora sprinkled on it. Any wet left over from breakfast/dinner is just left out for them to graze on, as long as they are low carb.
 
Rebecca Z. said:
We are 4 days post diagnosis and he is not happy being on a 2 feeding schedule
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There's no reason to do twice a day feedings....that's kind of "Old school" thinking...it's actually easier on the pancreas to deal with multiple small meals instead of 2 big ones.

Just like humans are told to eat frequent small meals, it's the same for our sugarcats!

The Nutro is too high in carbs for a diabetic cat.....all dry foods except the Young Again (about 5%), Evo Cat & Kitten (about 8%) and a new one, Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein are too high in carbs, but as Dr. Lisa says, there are really good reasons not to use those foods either.

All cat's weakest organs are the kidneys....and a diabetics are even more likely to cause problems, so the more water you get into them, the better. ALL dry foods require re-hydration before they can be digested which pulls water out of their body first, so there's even less water available to keep those precious kidneys flushed out!

If you're not home during the day to feed, a lot of us use autofeeders like this PetSafe5. It can be used with canned food just fine! Because it's "sealed up", the food doesn't dry out like it does if you just leave it out, or you can even add a little extra water or make "food-sickles" by adding water to canned and freezing it in ice cube trays.
 
Rebecca Z. said:
Thank you for this information. My cat actually quit eating his dry food and only wants wet. We are 4 days post diagnosis and he is not happy being on a 2 feeding schedule(he was a grazer). The vet said I could give him 1/4 c. per day "snack" of dry food if he wanted it(and I'm looking into a timed feeder to release it while I'm at work) Otherwise to keep him on wet(we use Fancy Feast) I am now looking into lower carb/high protein senior(he's 11) dry food. Chewy has a nice selection and we are going to try Nutro Wild Frontier. They sell a small bag, so no big worries if it's a bomb.
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You can also put freeze dried treats in the autofeeder like freeze dried chicken. That's what I do for my kitties when they need a snack between meals and I'm gone. They eat a raw diet so I can't leave it in the autofeeder as mine doesn't have a good place for freeze packs.
 
Thank you Dr. Lisa, for all your work on the food chart, and advice on the use of dry food..Do you have thoughts on Purina DM, in comparison to EVO 95% animal protein wet food in regards to diet management for diabetic cats? Enzo likes both, but did up-chuck after eating DM this morning. Pet Vet foods in Oakland Ca, said that their clients with diabetic cats have had great success with remission using the EVO 95% Chicken & Turkey in Gravy.
 
Rodrigosan & Enzo said:
Do you have thoughts on Purina DM
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Hi,
Regarding (wet) Purina DM, Dr Lisa writes this on her website:

"The Purina canned DM favorably addresses the overall carbohydrate level but it also contains corn, wheat, and soy and it contains predominantly liver versus a muscle meat. These ingredients are certainly not what a cat would choose to eat in the wild. Note that there is a negative relationship between soy and thyroid health. Given how common hyperthyroidism is in cats, I will not feed soy to any cat in my care."

[Source for quote: http://catinfo.org/feline-diabetes/ ]
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Elizabeth and Bertie said:
Hi,
Regarding (wet) Purina DM, Dr Lisa writes this on her website:

"The Purina canned DM favorably addresses the overall carbohydrate level but it also contains corn, wheat, and soy and it contains predominantly liver versus a muscle meat. These ingredients are certainly not what a cat would choose to eat in the wild. Note that there is a negative relationship between soy and thyroid health. Given how common hyperthyroidism is in cats, I will not feed soy to any cat in my care."

[Source for quote: http://catinfo.org/feline-diabetes/ ]
.
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Thank you Dr. Lisa..Enzo and his 1 year old buddy (Blue) liked DM, but after a few courses it made him throw up...Under recommendations, we tried EVO 95, and they both love it, and Enzo is acting more himself, energy, personality, and no urinating in the house...What do you think of EVO 95? or is Raw Food still the best? Thanks again for the food chart, it seems that there are quite a few foods that are better than most vet prescribed foods like DM. With the EVO he seems much better. Since I am an old hand at testing and curves I am going to check blood sugar readings. His onset began after infection from an abscess and a two week antibiotic injection a month ago....He got well and then lethargic and when checked again, started urinating in the house ( I should have known) they gave him another 2-week antibiotic injection and suggested the DM...I am trying to bring those levels down without insulin, and started with the DM last Friday. They want to do a full blood panel, but we are holding off, because once we took away the Purina grain free kibble and went to DM and EVO he seems to be like his old self, no gobbling of food. His brother Lennox who passed about 5 years ago after a 2-year diabetic period, was prescribed up to 10 units of insulin daily. We found a holistic vet (Dr Richter, Oakland Ca, and he prescribed raw food, 3 drops of walnut bud oil and 2 Duplex tabs daily...full regression 1 week. Finally after a year of peace for Lennox, while on vacation a house sitter on his own left out kibble for a week, and Lennox died of a burst spleen. We will save Enzo, and after spending so far about $600 do not want to go down the money pit. I thank you again for all you have done on this board. Healers are healers, and many Dr.'s are not.
 
If you read what she posts on her site you will see what she feeds her own cats which is a raw homemade diet. She also lists in order of most recommended to least based upon budget. I also suggest you consider Food fur life and gently cooked protein. That being said I am feeding my one year old frozen raw. I keep considering homemade though. Check out felineinfo.org
 
Thanks for all the information on how you all are feeding a wet diet!

After just receiving the information (like 3 days ago) that my cat had diabetes -I tested with the glucometer; got several readings before going to the vet the next afternoon. She suggested switching to an all wet diet before starting insulin. She said to take a couple of weeks for the switch.

Sam was getting Hills KD (about 1/4 cup +-) and Wellness Core beef, venison & lamb (1/2 small can) each day plus Temptation treats. He was a fan of Fancy Feast classic seafood feast awhile ago (but I thought a more premium brand would be better till now) so I bought several cans (plus some classic varieties to try later) and also got a sample pack of EVO dry turkey & chicken. In reading the food chart for Wellness Core, I found that the carbs were 13% and its also a higher calorie food, so I'll be eliminating it. He doesn't have kidney problems now so I'll be eliminating the KD too. Also, as the temptation treats are probably mostly carbs, they'll need to go too.

After reducing the amount of "bad" food (especially the dry portion), increasing the Fancy Feast and using the EVO as his treats for just a day, his urine output yesterday was normal, as is his drinking (he did seem to sleep more but I think it was the stress of a vet visit the previous day? I hope so anyway- he is typically a lazy cat) I'm amazed at the quick change. I'm not supposed to take more BG readings for a couple of days since I think my vet wanted me to not get frantic over this, so I'll wait till tomorrow. I'm excited about his change for the better but afraid to get too excited that he might not need insulin afterall. Can diabetes be turned around this quickly? I'm also wondering if a food like EVO dry - used for treats - being that it is so high in protein, it's safe for a cat that is 14. It's says for kittens and adults up to 7.

Sam is on the heavy side 18.8# but because of his age, a diet was never recommended, but losing a couple of pounds would probably be good for his joints, if not all the other organs. I noticed that most of you feed around 3 cans of food per day - that's a lot more than I'd been feeding, I guess because the dry food is so calorie dense (so feeding so much more canned food is another thing to get used to) What are the treats you give to your cats?

There is another question about the formula consistency of the Fancy Feast canned food - have any if you ever noticed that your cat wouldn't eat from a certain lot number? Sams done that before (especially after I've bought a number of cans). He'll eat from a differently dated, same variety - it's one of the reasons I switched from the Fancy Feast, although it just happened with the Wellness Core too. Sams is very finicky and, while I see lots of people at the cat food aisle searching for their cats preferred flavor, consistency, and brand - I guess lots of cats are. I really wish the exactness of the recipes used could be more quality controlled so there wouldn't be any difference between lots. Have any of you run into that problem, do your cats only like one flavor, or do you try and give them a variety so you are prepared for occasions like this?
 
These are all great suggestions re: getting everyone eating canned food and how long to leave it out. I was also wondering about how long I could leave cans out and it seems that I can leave them out longer than I originally thought. We are slowly working our way to getting off the crunchy food. They all love FF Classic, so that's an easy solution.
 
No kidding!! I am new to this & ordered Young Again (should arrive today) because he is eating MD glucose management dry food now. I will try to wean him into wet food & young again as a mixture as a treat once adjusted.

Any recommendations on transitioning to new food??
 
ChelseaMWells said:
No kidding!! I am new to this & ordered Young Again (should arrive today) because he is eating MD glucose management dry food now. I will try to wean him into wet food & young again as a mixture as a treat once adjusted.

Any recommendations on transitioning to new food??
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I've had absolutely no problems getting them all to eat wet food; they actually like the fancy feast classic pates but since there are 4 of them, I'm going through a lot of cans. In the beginning, I had a devil of a time finding a food they'd like. I tried darn near every canned food on the list from Tanya's CRF website and wouldn't you know it, they liked fancy feast the best. :)

One thing I have done since I have multiple cats, I've ordered surefeed microchip enabled feeders for each of them to help with portion control and to make sure tiger (and everyone else) gets to eat when they want AND to stay out of everyone else's food so they can eat smaller meals throughout the day. One is a kitten who I have on low-med carb kitten food and he needs to eat when he wants to right now; one is a 2 1/2 year old little piggie who probably doesn't need to eat quite so much (she's a bit on the heavy side); one is an older kitty who doesn't like crowding in there for food; and then there's tiger, who is the only diabetic. They all eat the same FF food but they like to compete for it. :|

I would also like to keep letting Tiger have a *little* bit of the young again zero kibble in his bowl to munch on at night but the rest of them don't need it; this food bowl will prevent that. We had great success a few years ago getting his diabetes under control with insulin, YAZ and wet food but trying to keep everyone eating their own food and minding their own business was quite a challenge. (I keep looking at that food bowl and wondering why didn't I think of that?!)
 
Hi Chelsea,

How's your BoBoMan doing today?

MamasBoBoMan said:
Any recommendations on transitioning to new food??
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In general you need to transition any cat to a new food gradually in order to minimise risk of digestive upset.

For a cat on insulin you need to be home testing before starting the transition to a lower carb diet because a previously safe insulin dose may end up being too high for the reduced carb load. Read this article by vet Dr Lisa Pierson for more detailed information on how to safely transition an insulin-dependent diabetic cat to a lower carb diet:

http://catinfo.org/feline-diabetes/
http://catinfo.org/feline-diabetes/
For info, m/d dry food is fairly high in carbs so you really need to heed Dr Pierson's warnings about the need to closely monitor BG and adjust insulin dose as required from the very beginning and right throughout the full period of the diet transition since the foods you're planning to switch to will have a significantly lower carb load. Also, definitely heed Dr Pierson's warning about how highly significant and quickly a reduction in BG levels can appear right from the beginning of the cutover to a food with a lower carb load. This is most certainly true - sometimes the speed and degree of improvement in BG level is absolutely jaw-dropping ...

iu



... both during the transition and even thereafter since levels may continue to drop into better numbers for several cycles following completion of the food transition. (I can attest to this from personal experience. )


Mogs
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Random question, when he was last at vets last Saturday when they diagnosed him they also have him antibiotic shot for bacteria uti.....do I need to take him back to test again to be sure it's gone? I never saw any noticeable signs of UTI.
 
You could try running some home urinalysis tests to monitor things. (Blood in the urine is a good think to keep a look-out for.) The other thing is to keep an eye on clinical signs, recording any observations you make.


Mogs
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Urinating a lot or going in and out of the box without going are also signs. Same with going outside the box. The problem with giving a shot without running a culture and sensitivity is that it might not be the right antibiotic for the infection. If it was convenia it’s not the best choice for a UTI. Is that what was given?
 
She never even told me & I didn't see anything mentioned on my receipt but I know she gave him injection.

He hasn't shown any of the uti symptoms in used to except excessive urination but still in the box but over the past couple days it seems to have reduced a lil and even seen stool... which has been absent for a couple days.
 
All good signs. :)

If I might make a suggestion, always ask for copies of reports and what was given to your pets. That way you know and so will another vet should you need to go to an ER. I learned the hard way after an oncologist didn’t tell me the chemo was hurting my cat until way late despite my asking.
 
Lisa dvm said:
You old timers know that I used to frequently post the link to Opie's story and I am very grateful to all of you who have picked up the baton and continue to remind newbies that diet is NOT just about carbohydrates but it is also about WATER.

Opie's story - suffering from a urethral obstruction

Yes, I truly am shouting.

I can't think of anything else that causes me as much emotional pain as seeing a cat suffering/dying from a urethral obstruction which in probably well over 95% of all cases is caused by humans and their love affair with dry food.

It pains me to read about Young Again Zero Carb or any other low-carb DRY food that come about when people get so focused on only the carb content of the food........and they neglect to keep in mind that a cat's urinary tract is much healthier when there is plenty of water flowing through it.

A cat on wet food consumes double the amount of water compared to a cat on dry food when all sources (food + water bowl) are considered. More water in => more water running through the kidneys and bladder to keep debris (crystals, mucus, blood, protein, white blood cells, etc.) that could potentially lead to an obstructed urethra.

Feeding a low carb dry food as a treat is no big deal. What I am talking about is when people think that ANY dry food is a healthy substitute for a water-rich diet of either canned or homemade.

I would be beyond wealthy if I had a dime for every time someone said "but my cat won't eat canned food" or...."but my cat loves his crunchies!" (Oh how I hate that word "crunchies" to describe a food format that often causes such tremendous suffering.)

Or...."but my cat drinks a lot of water" which neglects to recognize a cat's inherent low thirst drive and the fact that they do consume more water when on a wet diet.

And, no doubt, some people will throw rocks at me but I will also say that in so many cases (but not all....), the human just has not tried hard enough...they have not implemented enough tricks or the right ones....and have given up far too quickly.

Believe me, I know that there are some die-hard dry food addicts on this planet having dealt with my own cats (7 back in 2002 when I started the transition) + some stubborn foster cats which were all awful dry food addicts that did not even recognized wet food as food. It was a nightmare to get them all switched but all I had to do was think about the screams in agony of a cat with a blocked urethra and that was all I needed to stay the course.

Please see Tips for Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food

I want to make it clear that I am not unsympathetic to the stress that a diabetic cat caregiver goes through.....which is seriously compounded when faced with a dry food addict. Quite frankly, you all amaze me with your dedication when so many people simply euthanize their cats when hearing the diagnosis of "diabetes."

However, I also hate to see a cat caregiver add more problems to their cat's 'plate' by contributing to urinary tract problems due to being fed a water-depleted diet.

Opie's obstruction: His medical costs came to $4,350. Ouch. Urethral obstructions are not cheap $2K is not uncommon) and, again, they cause a tremendous amount of suffering.

Other urinary tract problems are also expensive. It can cost ~$200 just to run a culture and sensitivity to prove that an infection actually exists for supposed "UTIs" which is an acronym that should never be used. People should state "UT INFECTION" (as proved by a culture & sensitivity) or UT INFLAMMATION" but never just "UTI" which simply leads to antibiotic abuse.

See Urinary Tract Diseases for more information.

Again, I want to thank all of you wet-food proponents for keeping at this mission to remind people that the water content of the diet is truly a critical component to feeding cats. I don't think you realize how much your help in this area is preventing further suffering of cats by keeping them from ending up with ruptured bladders.
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Thank you Dr. Lisa for quite possibly saving my Rocky's life. After a long involved story with obstructions, being directed to dry c/d formula and now diabetes and my vet still saying the food was not a big factor, I came across your nutrition advise. I switched Rocky to all wet, with added water Fancy Feast Classics within one week have seen his BG drop over 300 points. I also lower his insulin when I switched as per your advise. It's just amazing to me, I believe my vet is a good man, but one that is very misinformed. Thank you again.
tiffmaxee said:
All good signs. :)

If I might make a suggestion, always ask for copies of reports and what was given to your pets. That way you know and so will another vet should you need to go to an ER. I learned the hard way after an oncologist didn’t tell me the chemo was hurting my cat until way late despite my asking.
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Karen Mulholland said:
Thank you Dr. Lisa for quite possibly saving my Rocky's life. After a long involved story with obstructions, being directed to dry c/d formula and now diabetes and my vet still saying the food was not a big factor, I came across your nutrition advise. I switched Rocky to all wet, with added water Fancy Feast Classics within one week have seen his BG drop over 300 points. I also lower his insulin when I switched as per your advise. It's just amazing to me, I believe my vet is a good man, but one that is very misinformed. Thank you again.
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Yes, I will thank you for the suggestion.
 
Mabel still off Levemir except during recent illness when BG once elevated. Both my cats got ill (vomiting & diarrhea/soft stools, and clearly feeling unwell). I had just received a reorder of YA Zero Mature & in trying to determine cause of illness called YA to ask if there have been issues. They denied any issues. Long story short, after 2 weeks of illness, & having taken YA away from kitties, kitties have improved. Am asking if anyone else has had problems with YA food. Last summer I had posted about blue mold but then they replaced it. Needless to say I am dissatisfied with YA product, but also with their customer service and business ethics. I am writing you here though out of concern for you and your cats. Anyone else recently experience illness from YA Zero Mature?
 
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Emmy said:
Mabel still off Levemir except during recent illness when BG once elevated. Both my cats got ill (vomiting & diarrhea/soft stools, and clearly feeling unwell). I had just received a reorder of YA Zero Mature & in trying to determine cause of illness called YA to ask if there have been issues. They denied any issues. Long story short, after 2 weeks of illness, & having taken YA away from kitties, kitties have improved. Am asking if anyone else has had problems with YA food. Last summer I had posted about blue mold but then they replaced it. Needless to say I am dissatisfied with YA product, but also with their customer service and business ethics. I am writing you here though out of concern for you and your cats. Anyone else recently experience illness from YA Zero Mature?
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I’d post this on main health in a separate condo. Glad your cats are better. Another dry you might want to try is Dr. Elseys.
 
Emmy said:
Mabel still off Levemir except during recent illness when BG once elevated. Both my cats got ill (vomiting & diarrhea/soft stools, and clearly feeling unwell). I had just received a reorder of YA Zero Mature & in trying to determine cause of illness called YA to ask if there have been issues. They denied any issues. Long story short, after 2 weeks of illness, & having taken YA away from kitties, kitties have improved. Am asking if anyone else has had problems with YA food. Last summer I had posted about blue mold but then they replaced it. Needless to say I am dissatisfied with YA product, but also with their customer service and business ethics. I am writing you here though out of concern for you and your cats. Anyone else recently experience illness from YA Zero Mature?
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I was directed to your comments about YA on this thread. I have been testing it on my kitties for about a month. It causes horrible diarrhea in my civie. I haven't noticed any problems with my diabetic but he rarely gets any. I stopped giving it to my.civie and his GI upset went away immediately. Tried it again the last few days and woke up to a pile of stinky diarrhea in my kitchen this morning. Poor kitty. It is just not working for him. Main ingredient is pork. When did cats start eating pork in the wild? Needless to say, we probably are done with this food for my civie and will only give to my diabetic for back up out of the house over night adventures.
 
Ozzy Pawzbourne said:
I was directed to your comments about YA on this thread. I have been testing it on my kitties for about a month. It causes horrible diarrhea in my civie. I haven't noticed any problems with my diabetic but he rarely gets any. I stopped giving it to my.civie and his GI upset went away immediately. Tried it again the last few days and woke up to a pile of stinky diarrhea in my kitchen this morning. Poor kitty. It is just not working for him. Main ingredient is pork. When did cats start eating pork in the wild? Needless to say, we probably are done with this food for my civie and will only give to my diabetic for back up out of the house over night adventures.
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My diabetic cat ate YA Zero Mature before & did not get sick, except from the moldy food last May, and now again. The timing of taking up food from this latest bag & cat symptoms improving do not seem coincidental. (My young cat has never really liked it and ate little of it. I finally figured she could be allergic.) But what makes it all so exasperating is the company. They claim free feed and if you don't or can't they put the onus on the customer or cat. Re: cost. They will seemingly begrudgingly refund but I pay to ship. It costs them $5 to ship Speedee; costs me $14. The food is $57.71 for 8 lbs. Customers must always pay to return it she claimed. I am just relieved kitties are better now. For me, now, YA is no longer worth the risk. I cannot speak for others. And am in a place where there are other options, but ironically close geographically to YA. I wish you and yours good health.
 
Main ingredient is pork. When did cats start eating pork in the wild? Needless to say, we probably are done with this food for my civie and will only give to my diabetic for back up out of the house over night adventures.[/QUOTE]

Actually pork is usually well tolerated. Some of the recovery foods use pork. Of course ECID. Another dry some are using is Dr. Elsey’s which is low carb. It’s sold by chewy.com who has excellent customer service. I bought some to try as a treat for my young ones but haven’t yet.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Main ingredient is pork. When did cats start eating pork in the wild? Needless to say, we probably are done with this food for my civie and will only give to my diabetic for back up out of the house over night adventures.
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Actually pork is usually well tolerated. Some of the recovery foods use pork. Of course ECID. Another dry some are using is Dr. Elsey’s which is low carb. It’s sold by chewy.com who has excellent customer service. I bought some to try as a treat for my young ones but haven’t yet.[/QUOTE]
Thanks!!
 
Emmy said:
Mabel still off Levemir except during recent illness when BG once elevated. Both my cats got ill (vomiting & diarrhea/soft stools, and clearly feeling unwell). I had just received a reorder of YA Zero Mature & in trying to determine cause of illness called YA to ask if there have been issues. They denied any issues. Long story short, after 2 weeks of illness, & having taken YA away from kitties, kitties have improved. Am asking if anyone else has had problems with YA food. Last summer I had posted about blue mold but then they replaced it. Needless to say I am dissatisfied with YA product, but also with their customer service and business ethics. I am writing you here though out of concern for you and your cats. Anyone else recently experience illness from YA Zero Mature?
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Mango throws up on it I will never use it again I'm doubting if it's good for cats now that everybody's saying their cat gets sick on it I would not recommend it in my opinion
 
I just found out our cat has diabetes, our vet put him on Purina Pro Plan DM dry food ... now i read this
 
tiffmaxee said:
I’d post this on main health in a separate condo. Glad your cats are better. Another dry you might want to try is Dr. Elseys.
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After being suggested I bought the Dr Elsy's and my diabetic loves it and his numbers aren't as high when on the purina DM food.. FYI.
 
One of my diabetic cats will only eat dry food-I have tried everything over the last several years to switch him over with no luck. Lately, however, he likes the dry food mixed with water. Is that better than just dry? I still put out wet food , but he just tries to bury it.
 
I have one who is very picky too and i had bought the diabetic dry and gave that only after he ate some wet. I now have Dr Elsy's dry food which is low carb and he eats that, again after having some wet, but I leave a little dry out now while working so he doesn't get too hungry.
Your kitty wont even eat Fancy Feast? I thought mine was picky. LOL GOOD LUCK!
 
Are you saying it is healthier to keep cats only on canned or wet packet food no dry food at all
I will change when they finish my pack i bought from the vet for diabetes
Will buy no more dry if its better for them
Mine eat both foods
 
I do think that is the best-wet only but if you have a cat who only wants dry or wants dry AND wet I know the diabetic dry is higher in carbs but per my vet the carbs are kind of like time released into the body vs one big carb rush. I use Dr Elsys and give them that AFTER they eat wet food and during the day when not at home and while the numbers are not normal they are in the mid 200's which I am ok with if he's happy and feels good and looks good.
 
Great post lisa I had been thinking about this all day actually. I have been feeding my 13 yr old Kitiara dry food since she was a kitten. She was my first cat ever and I just blindly followed the vet's suggestion now I am as mad as you about the corporate influence in pushing dry food. I live in Argentina and I am not sure if in everywhere in the States is the same but here they definitely push dry food on you and for us "single working parents" it is the easy way out. If I had known back then what I know now my choices would have been different.
Also, here in Argentina vets never recommend yearly check ups like alopathic Drs. do for humans? Is it like that in the US? I have now learnt that cats tend to show symptoms when diseases are quite advanced (as opposed to dogs for example). You go when you need to vaccinate and for minor ailments but they never do full blood tests or urine tests unless something is definitely wrong. What a huge mistake!
I am new in the site and I am truly thankfull to all the people that contribut such valuable information.
Finally please forgive any spelling mistakes that I've might have made! :) English is my second language and I should have used the spell check befor writing this post!
 
Dr Lisa your post has been really inspirational I am moving forward with wet food but the ones I've found locally (in BA, Argentina) don't seem to have such a high protein content as the Royal canin dry food for diabetic cats I had initially bought. So I think it is time to prepare some home made food to make up for that lack of protein in the store bought wet food. I will keep checking other brands to see if I can find a higher protein content alternative but I am definitely starting home food as well. It might be a labour of patience to get her to eat it (we still are struggling some days with wet food) but I am definitely not giving up. thank for your comitment; it is hugely appreciated. I have also started to talk to my friend about wet food campaining for it! :)
 
I am trying so very hard to get my diabetic cat to eat canned food. It’s not that she doesn’t like it, as she licks every drop of moisture out of it, whether pate or pieces in gravy. I add water to the pate and mush it up more to try to get some food value in her but she just gets the moisture out and leaves the solids. She sucks on any pieces and then spits them out, or just pushes it around. I need more suggestions. All the other cats, not yet diabetic, like canned food, but not the diabetic. I can’t let her go without food. Help
 
Evie Corso said:
I am trying so very hard to get my diabetic cat to eat canned food. It’s not that she doesn’t like it, as she licks every drop of moisture out of it, whether pate or pieces in gravy. I add water to the pate and mush it up more to try to get some food value in her but she just gets the moisture out and leaves the solids. She sucks on any pieces and then spits them out, or just pushes it around. I need more suggestions. All the other cats, not yet diabetic, like canned food, but not the diabetic. I can’t let her go without food. Help
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I don’t have an answer for you, but, you should copy and paste this onto the main forum. You will absolutely get suggestions and advice from very experienced people on this board... I promise!
 
I currently leave out Purina One Healthy Metabolism kibble for free feeding between meals. This is due to sometimes being gone from home for 15 hours due to work/commute (normal work day I am gone 11-12 hours, depending on rush hour traffic). Otherwise all the cats get canned twice a day. Murrlin gets water added to his canned meal, along with whatever meds or supplements are due (Miralax, amlodipine, Cosequin, fish oil). Murrlin is 19 and way too thin, another reason I leave out kibble. He wants snacks all the time even though transdermal methimazole has brought his thyroid down to low normal, so I also give him wet snacks every few hours when I am home. Lately I have been adding water to Tibby's canned meal since he had extensive dental work. With Tibby, even though letting him snack between meals isn't the best, I feel safer that he has something to eat if he starts getting low BG while I am asleep or on a long work day. The cats prefer canned, but eat the kibble when they are really hungry.

I'll look into the frozen food trick.
 
I currently leave out Purina One Healthy Metabolism kibble for free feeding between meals. This is due to sometimes being gone from home for 15 hours due to work/commute (normal work day I am gone 11-12 hours, depending on rush hour traffic). Otherwise all the cats get canned twice a day. Murrlin gets water added to his canned meal, along with whatever meds or supplements are due (Miralax, amlodipine, Cosequin, fish oil). Murrlin is 19 and way too thin, another reason I leave out kibble. He wants snacks all the time even though transdermal methimazole has brought his thyroid down to low normal, so I also give him wet snacks every few hours when I am home. Lately I have been adding water to Tibby's canned meal since he had extensive dental work. With Tibby, even though letting him snack between meals isn't the best, I feel safer that he has something to eat if he starts getting low BG while I am asleep or on a long work day. The cats prefer canned, but eat the kibble when they are really hungry.

I'll look into the frozen food trick.
 
Evie Corso said:
I am trying so very hard to get my diabetic cat to eat canned food. It’s not that she doesn’t like it, as she licks every drop of moisture out of it, whether pate or pieces in gravy. I add water to the pate and mush it up more to try to get some food value in her but she just gets the moisture out and leaves the solids. She sucks on any pieces and then spits them out, or just pushes it around. I need more suggestions. All the other cats, not yet diabetic, like canned food, but not the diabetic. I can’t let her go without food. Help
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@Evie Corso

My cat does this as well. It's as though he hasn't grasped the concept of taking bites of the chunks like he used to take bites of dry. Although, I think he swallowed those whole a lot of times. I had to run the canned food through the blender with a couple spoonfuls of water until it was smooth and free of chunks. Then I poured it into his bowl--about a quarter of it at a time--and let him drink that. That got old after a couple weeks so I started dropping bite-sized chunks of pate into his bowl, one at a time, and using a spoon to push it toward his mouth as he was eating.
 
Bama Kitty Mom (AL) said:
@Evie Corso

My cat does this as well. It's as though he hasn't grasped the concept of taking bites of the chunks like he used to take bites of dry. Although, I think he swallowed those whole a lot of times. I had to run the canned food through the blender with a couple spoonfuls of water until it was smooth and free of chunks. Then I poured it into his bowl--about a quarter of it at a time--and let him drink that. That got old after a couple weeks so I started dropping bite-sized chunks of pate into his bowl, one at a time, and using a spoon to push it toward his mouth as he was eating.
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That sounds like what I’ve been trying. Lol.
 
Hello

We have just switched back to a wet food diet after 8 years dry. Before that our cat was on wet food but after being diagnosed with a heart murmur and a little bit overweight the vet recommended we change to dry. The vet also said most wet food is like giving a cat a macdonalds. Only now after our boy has been diagnosed with diabetes have I learnt dry food is not good.

He is loving being back on wet food but we have to mash it up a bit as he does tend to choke a bit as he gobbles it down. He was drinking lots and lots of water the past few weeks on dry but now on wet he is drinking far less.
 
The vet also said most wet food is like giving a cat a macdonalds.
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It causes me a great deal of pain to continue to hear my colleagues make such blatantly ignorant statements. Sadly, I hear these kinds of comments commonly. If veterinarians would start to care one bit about optimal nutrition, their waiting rooms would not be so filled with sick patients and we would see not see so much suffering.
 
Squeaky and KT (GA) said:
As Dr. Lisa said in her title: Dry Food - Please consider more than just carbohydrate content!!!



It's STILL dry food! It still must be rehydrated using the body's water that's designed to be used for other purposes. It still take water from the colon, it still causes less liquid available to flush the kidneys. Doesn't matter what the carb count is...it's still dry food. And still isn't good!



Cherryl - if nothing else, mix the dry with water and rehydrate it before feeding. Canned food can also be mixed with it when it softens.

I had a perfect example happen here. Suzy-Q's story from May 2016:

Hard food is BAD for kitties! Really great example of hard food to soft food change has happened here over the last week. We adopted a little abandoned kitty who's been fed only dry food her whole life. When she arrived, I used a Cool Whip bowl for her water. The first couple of days I let her stay with the hard food. She would DAILY drink that bowl of water down to less than an inch left in the bottom. The third day, I began changing her to half hard/half soft. The 6th day, there was no more hard food, just soft. Even tho' the same water bowl is right there, she now doesn't even drink down half an inch!!! She's not getting dehydrated - the dry food is gone! There's no longer a NEED to drink that bowl dry. She pees the same amount, it was taking that much water for her body to rehydrate then digest that nasty dry stuff.
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I also have a great example …… I have 2 cats ( brothers) They have been on can food ONLY since 2015. NO one ( me, my daughter, son, my mom, plus more ) have NEVER ,EVER seen my non diabetic cat drink water! He is getting all his water from his food, and of course after all this time ,he would be dead from lack of water.
 
storm said:
May I ask what you spend a week in dry food for 50 cats? .. I ask only because Wal Mart's Special Kitty Classic Pate ( less then 10% carbs) comes in 13oz cans, box of 12 cans for less then $8.50 a box so it may be worth looking into as a 12-16 lb bag of dry is $9+ per bag depending on the brand of dry you are buying and where you buy it from.
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I totally agree about the importance of water. I always give my colonies water. I use empty gal. jugs of Arizona Tea. Some people think that the water in canned food is sufficient. Wrong! Especially important for cats getting only dry food.
 
Cherryl & Mouzer said:
I add canned food, to the dry, once a week, but it is NOT affordable. It is when someone donates it. I spend up to $2000 a month, caring for 53 animals. There is no money for more canned food. And I will not waste money to feed dry, add water, most dont like it and will not eat it, as I have done it in past, and the food sours and is trashed. I wont bother to try to explain just what is entailed when being fully responsible for 50 cats and three dogs on the income that goes with this house. I will simply say, 30k in debt and counting, all on animals, and the worry of how to keep up the roof over our heads. The End :)
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I also have 50 cats but don't spend close to what you do. I'm around $700+ per month between dry and wet and I thought that was a lot of money. If this info helps....Walmart sells the 13oz cans of Friskies wet food for 93 cents a can. Also, Petsmart will price match that.
 
Cherryl & Mouzer said:
I add canned food, to the dry, once a week, but it is NOT affordable. It is when someone donates it. I spend up to $2000 a month, caring for 53 animals. There is no money for more canned food. And I will not waste money to feed dry, add water, most dont like it and will not eat it, as I have done it in past, and the food sours and is trashed. I wont bother to try to explain just what is entailed when being fully responsible for 50 cats and three dogs on the income that goes with this house. I will simply say, 30k in debt and counting, all on animals, and the worry of how to keep up the roof over our heads. The End :)
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I seem to keep posting my answer in the wrong place so I'll try again. This may help you some. Walmart sells the 13 oz cans of Friskies wet food for 93 cents a can and Petsmart will price match it with your receipt. Just buy a can or two to get a receipt to show Petsmart. I like getting my canned food at Petsmart because some times you can get the plastic-wrapped cases which makes it so much easier to carry rather than having a ton of bags to carry.
 
Bama Kitty Mom (AL) said:
@Evie Corso

My cat does this as well. It's as though he hasn't grasped the concept of taking bites of the chunks like he used to take bites of dry. Although, I think he swallowed those whole a lot of times. I had to run the canned food through the blender with a couple spoonfuls of water until it was smooth and free of chunks. Then I poured it into his bowl--about a quarter of it at a time--and let him drink that. That got old after a couple weeks so I started dropping bite-sized chunks of pate into his bowl, one at a time, and using a spoon to push it toward his mouth as he was eating.
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Our cat does this as well. We give her Purina DM which she doesn't really care for, and we add water to her pate since she only licks it. She has plenty of water in her bowl but pushes it around on the floor and makes a mess more than she drinks it.
 
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