ABSOLUTE LOWEST carb food

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smiley747

smiley747

Member Since 2015
So what is THE ABSOLUTE LOWEST carb wet and lowest carb dry food available??? Hills md cans are 1.67 a can..pricey. Is Evo the lowest? I need to order. I bought 2 cans hills md from vet to try but i want to buy the Lowest carb possible for Brandy to try. Yesterdays visit cost $100.
Also brandy weighs 12.5 pounds. (She is a large and long cat). How much should she get of wet food lowest carb? 2 cans a day? 11 ounces?
 
Brandy is currently purring like an ENGINE!!!...."very stressed" about the food clearly lol xox :)
 

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There are many foods that get low, some at zero. Hills md is actually not that low in carbs. This chart http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf has carb content listed, we aim for under 10. Being the lowest possible isn't always the best. Some cats don't do as well on the zero carb food as they do on a 4-5%. You will have to find what works well for Brandy and what she will accept :) Good luck!

For dry food, the lowest is Young Again Zero Carb, I think it actually is around 5%. EVO Cat and Kitten formula is the other dry that is under 10% in carbs.

The foods I've fed to our diabetics most is Wellness, Fancy Feast (I try not to use on the seniors because of the phosphorus content), EVO, Friskies, and ProPlan. EVO Cat and Kitten is the dry I use when I need one.
 
Each cat is different. The only way you know your cat reacts is to try it and test the glucose to see what happens. And some cats do better with some carbs than others. I fed my diabetics Friskies pates.
 
Since I am Canadian, I can't get either EVO or Young Again Zero up here. We are pretty stuck up here with choices as to lower carb foods in terms of kibble when we have kibble addicts.

I DID get Morrigan to a 50/50 wet-dry combo and even lower on the kibble at one point. Unfortunately, she will ONLY eat Purina Pro Plan Kitten formula canned food and each time I got to that point, she ended up with colitis.

So, now...she is purely on the Hills m/d kibble...and Metronidazole and we're trying to get her bowel issues sorted out first while solely on the m/d kibble...NO other foods can be tried right now (vet ordered) until we get this straightened out first.

But, I will say that the carb content in the m/d dry DOES raise her glucose levels significantly. I want her OFF of this stuff but, given her other issue (colitis) as well as the lack of alternatives up here in low carb kibbles....it's SO frustrating and worrisome!!! :(

By the way @BJM ...I SO wish Morrigan liked FF or some of the others that are easy to get and inexpensive by comparison. My previous cats would have killed to have eaten it but, that was a "no-no" back then to feed them that. Ironic how things change with time and research, huh? Wonder what will be said a few years from now with newer studies. Geez I hope Canada starts waking up to these issues. :(
 
I placed an order for a case of Evo chicken & turkey 5.5 oz wet / cans. The Rep from chewy.com said the food is not even 1 percent carb (.97%). I know that is not the most important, but Brandy seems to be ULTRA carb sensitive, so I hope it helps. I am going to give it a whirl and stop with the hills md food. I should have it in a few days - heard good things. will keep checking her glucose. fingers crossed! hopeful :) :)
 
Be sure to test frequently during the transition from the higher to the lower carb food if your kitty is on insulin. :)
.
 
jtrezzo said:
I believe the lowest carb canned foot is Tiki Cat, it is 0, or claims to be anyway.
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Yes, I think you are right. I have tried TikiCat and the majority of my cats were not impressed. Frankly, I was impressed, it looked and smelled just like people food, especially the chicken!
 
Squalliesmom said:
Yes, I think you are right. I have tried TikiCat and the majority of my cats were not impressed. Frankly, I was impressed, it looked and smelled just like people food, especially the chicken!
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My dry-food addict turns up her nose at all wet food. There are some varieties that I think smell quite good, and I've been a vegetarian for 13 years!! But Marshmallow thinks they're beneath her.... :rolleyes:
 
granadilla said:
My dry-food addict turns up her nose at all wet food. There are some varieties that I think smell quite good, and I've been a vegetarian for 13 years!! But Marshmallow thinks they're beneath her.... :rolleyes:
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LOL not this one. she will eat ANYTHING. She just scarfed down the last hills md canned food. I could give her a different food every day and she wouldn't care. The kitten we have (Mulder) is the same. eats absolutely anything. reminds me of a cat I had a long time ago. He would eat anything you gave him...his favorite? an occasional dorito potato chip.
 
smiley747 said:
I placed an order for a case of Evo chicken & turkey 5.5 oz wet / cans. The Rep from chewy.com said the food is not even 1 percent carb (.97%). I know that is not the most important, but Brandy seems to be ULTRA carb sensitive, so I hope it helps. I am going to give it a whirl and stop with the hills md food. I should have it in a few days - heard good things. will keep checking her glucose. fingers crossed! hopeful :) :)
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Hope you have better luck with the Evo, I bought a case and my cats who eat just about anything decided to turn their nose up after a few cans. It is quite high in fat though, so make note of that. If they end up liking it I have about 6 more 13oz cans and I'd be more than happy to get rid of them!
 
Cat Ma said:
@smiley747 When did you start feeding Brandy low carb food? It can take time to see a change in BG #'s.
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She was on friskies and 9 lives pates. The vet recommended Hills md. I know it's not really encouraged here, but I decided to try it. That shot her glucose up from 267 to 388, so back to 9 lives or friskies until the Evo food arrives in the next few days. She has been on canned since I got her from the humane society about 8 weeks ago. Her vet said that it only takes about 3 days to see the effects on glucose with a food change. Her glucose DID go up immediately after switching her to Hills dm on Saturday. I noticed it elevating the next day.
 
Saoirse saw the bulk of the improvements to BG within c. 3 days after the food switch. However, there were further, less dramatic improvements for quite some time after as her pancreas started to get some rest.
 
smiley747 said:
She was on friskies and 9 lives pates. The vet recommended Hills md. I know it's not really encouraged here, but I decided to try it. That shot her glucose up from 267 to 388, so back to 9 lives or friskies until the Evo food arrives in the next few days. She has been on canned since I got her from the humane society about 8 weeks ago. Her vet said that it only takes about 3 days to see the effects on glucose with a food change. Her glucose DID go up immediately after switching her to Hills dm on Saturday. I noticed it elevating the next day.
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That's the problem I'm stuck with Smiley....Morrigan is ON the m/d kibble and boy oh boy....her numbers went UP on it. I want to get her OFF of the darned stuff but, she's a kibble addict and right now, still dealing with the colitis issue and not wanting that to start up full force again. I had so much better luck with her numbers coming down while on the Purina Pro Plan Kitten (only canned food she'd eat! :mad:) But, the fat content was likely too high and each time I'd get her to the 50/50 mark of m/d and Pro Plan canned...WHAM...instant colitis again. Three times, it's out now so, can't go back to that and can't even do a diet change.

Wishing you good luck on that change as foods can make a difference on SOME cats. Not all respond as widely as others. :)
 
Louellen said:
That's the problem I'm stuck with Smiley....Morrigan is ON the m/d kibble and boy oh boy....her numbers went UP on it. I want to get her OFF of the darned stuff but, she's a kibble addict and right now, still dealing with the colitis issue and not wanting that to start up full force again. I had so much better luck with her numbers coming down while on the Purina Pro Plan Kitten (only canned food she'd eat! :mad:) But, the fat content was likely too high and each time I'd get her to the 50/50 mark of m/d and Pro Plan canned...WHAM...instant colitis again. Three times, it's out now so, can't go back to that and can't even do a diet change.

Wishing you good luck on that change as foods can make a difference on SOME cats. Not all respond as widely as others. :)
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Have you tried the Young Again zero carb dry food? Thanks! fingers crossed. I will know soon enough
 
smiley747 said:
Have you tried the Young Again zero carb dry food? Thanks! fingers crossed. I will know soon enough
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Thank you Smiley. I would LOVE to give it to Morrigan but, being in Canada...we can't really get it up here....at least, not without a great cost and the possibility of Canada stopping its import laws on pet foods in the Fall of this year. :( We cannot get EVO up here either as Mars (the producer of EVO foods) has seen their profit margins as goal #1 and no longer ships nor sells in Canada. :(
 
Critter Mom said:
Saoirse saw the bulk of the improvements to BG within c. 3 days after the food switch. However, there were further, less dramatic improvements for quite some time after as her pancreas started to get some rest.
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Good to know. Thanks for the information. I will keep an eye on her to see what happens
 
If you are looking for a dry food, you could try Orijen, which I believe is made in Canada. It is not as low carb as Evo, but I think it is lower than most other dry foods. We fed it to Norton for a little while when Evo pulled everything off the shelves for a recall.

We fed him Young Again for a while as well (not at the same time). After about 4-5 months though, he started to lose weight and have issues with diarrhea. Those issues went away when we switched him back to Evo.

Most of his diet is fancy feast wet food, though. We give him a little dry on the side.

Shari & Norton
 
sbnadell said:
If you are looking for a dry food, you could try Orijen, which I believe is made in Canada. It is not as low carb as Evo, but I think it is lower than most other dry foods. We fed it to Norton for a little while when Evo pulled everything off the shelves for a recall.

We fed him Young Again for a while as well (not at the same time). After about 4-5 months though, he started to lose weight and have issues with diarrhea. Those issues went away when we switched him back to Evo.

Most of his diet is fancy feast wet food, though. We give him a little dry on the side.

Shari & Norton
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Thanks Shari....I do have Orijen and I did try it. That's what started Morrigan's colitis off. I THINK perhaps, it was a bit too rich and perhaps, I switched over a bit too quickly??? (3 days instead of the 7 to 10 days). Since the Orijen, her bowels have been super-sensitive so, I can't try anything more right now. I have to keep her on the m/d and see where she goes, how she does and likely raise the Lantus dose. But, the Orijen LOOKS so much better than the m/d! :(

I SO wish that we could get the EVO up here again. :( But, Mars (the producer) is talking profit and that never bodes well for it being brought back. Plus...Canada is going haywire with possibly import restrictions on some U.S. foods. Blehhhhh. :(
 
I just talked to a manager (10/28/2015) at my local Pet Supplies Plus and she informed me that EVO will no longer be available due to rash of recalls. Their sales plummeted and they are forced to close their doors. That's a shame since their dry food work miracles on my diabetic cat. She did recommend Orijen as a good substitute because of its low glycemic load. We'll see.
 
Bill Neeboyskey said:
I just talked to a manager (10/28/2015) at my local Pet Supplies Plus and she informed me that EVO will no longer be available due to rash of recalls. Their sales plummeted and they are forced to close their doors. That's a shame since their dry food work miracles on my diabetic cat. She did recommend Orijen as a good substitute because of its low glycemic load. We'll see.
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Have you contacted Evo directly? That's what I feed so I'll be calling them tomorrow. The only thing I could find on recalls concerning Evo, was one in 2013 and there is recent one, but it's due to insufficient vitamins in the product, nothing life threatening. It says they'll replace it for you.
 
I was told by a pet store clerk 2-3 months ago that Evo was not going to be making food anymore. Wonder if it's just one of those rumors that snowballs out of control till everybody believes it?
 
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Mogmom and Goofus said:
Have you contacted Evo directly? That's what I feed so I'll be calling them tomorrow. The only thing I could find on recalls concerning Evo, was one in 2013 and there is recent one, but it's due to insufficient vitamins in the product, nothing life threatening. It says they'll replace it for you.
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I feed it to my civies. Let us know what you find out.
 
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