Blood Tests (Veterinary) and Food (revisited)

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G & I

G & I

Member Since 2017
How often do you feel is necessary to have complete bloodwork performed on our diabetic felines? And with all the testing we are doing at home, how often should the fructosamine test be performed? I think also, we are periodically conducting our own curves as well. I'm wondering why the vet is pushing all this?

In regards to food. I am just curious as to how much water is being added to the ff classic pate. I think I may be overdoing it because of the worry about dehydration. While I note that dry food is not recommended, the vet I am currently using continues recommending dry food for diabetic cats.

Also, with cats who have urinary tract problems or crystals, wouldn't a dry food add to this problem? I am getting somewhat confused and more than likely have misunderstood something along the way. My vet is stating to just add water to the dry food. But if all the cats (minus Goma) are free feeding, the mixture would end up being a mess I would think. And being wet doesn't change the ingredients.
 
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I can answer some of your questions:

Unless there are other or underlying health problems, a blood panel every six months should be fine.

A fructosamine test is unnecessary given the amount of home testing that you do. A fructosamine test gives you a general look at the past couple of weeks (which is useless).

As a rule, you should add enough water to make the wet food stewy or soupy. Any little bit of water helps.

Never add water to dry food – it promotes bacterial growth (and not the good kind).
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
I can answer some of your questions:

Unless there are other or underlying health problems, a blood panel every six months should be fine.

A fructosamine test is unnecessary given the amount of home testing that you do. A fructosamine test gives you a general look at the past couple of weeks (which is useless).

As a rule, you should add enough water to make the wet food stewy or soupy. Any little bit of water helps.

Never add water to dry food – it promotes bacterial growth (and not the good kind).
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Appreciate your time and assistance. I have a lot of questions and the guidance I am getting from my vet is just not sitting well.
 
Critter Mom said:
Absolutely. Indeed, frequently the dry food is the cause of urinary tract issues and urolith formation. Here's Dr Lisa Pierson on feline urinary tract health:

catinfo.org - Urinary Tract Page


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Great information in Dr Pierson's writings. I have another feline who had crystals in his urine and the only prescription given was various dry food samples to decide what he liked and some antibiotics. Both are addressed in the reference you provided me and I am sensing that once again I have been led astray by a vet who I relied upon for accurate information that would help my cats. Are there any medications available that can break up the crystals. The cat in question does not have blockage, but the crystal formation is troubling. Converting all to canned food can and will be addressed.
 
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Canned food with extra water added is a great way to keep them hydrated and can also have beneficial effects on kitties who are crystal prone or who have cystitis with no known cause.
 
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