cat with struvite crystal past and now diabetes

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mb935

Member Since 2014
Hello.

I want to first say thank you for your time. Im sure my questions have been asked many times. (I have a dog with cushings so I must admit Im just exhausted with research.)

I was JUST notified that my 11 year old house cat has diabetes.

My main question right now is tigger has had crystals in the past and he has done very well on hills CD. I totally understand that this food is crap. But when I switched him to a healthier brand for crystals a few years ago...they came back costing me $400 and of course stressed him out.

So... now that he MUST be on a different diet .. Im terrified of the crystals returning. Any suggestions?

Also are urine strips at all helpful in managing this disease?

Im not very confident in the vets in my area (my pets have been to every single one) so I am very grateful for your opinions.

THANK YOU!!!!
 
Thanks for responding.

are you saying you just continued with the canned cd? I was also wondering if maybe adding something to the cd would be beneficial at least for the time being. (Wouldnt you know I JUST stocked up on cd dry and wet.)

I have read about honey or diatomaceous earth helping with diabetes. I have 10 lbs of DE for the ferals I feed.

thanks...
 
Have you checked out the Friskies Special Diet canned pates? They are both low carb and intended for cats with renal issues.
 
Yes, I myself would feed only the canned CD. You should be able to return the dry for a refund.
I never heard of DE for diabetes but have to spread on the carpet and other places for fleas.
I have never hear of honey for diabetes either. It will raise BG since it is sugar.
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mb935 said:
Thanks for responding.

are you saying you just continued with the canned cd? I was also wondering if maybe adding something to the cd would be beneficial at least for the time being. (Wouldnt you know I JUST stocked up on cd dry and wet.)

I have read about honey or diatomaceous earth helping with diabetes. I have 10 lbs of DE for the ferals I feed.

thanks...
Click to expand...
 
My guy turned diabetic on Royal Canin Urinary SO dry (for struvite crystals). I summoned up my courage and made the leap to ditch prescription foods and I only feed Wellness or Fancy Feast Classics (canned only), and I also add water to the food. Buster only had one bout with crystals so I don't know if your situation is the same. I made the food switch a little over 2 years ago and we haven't had any urinary issues so far (knock on wood).

I made this decision based on the info I read on http://www.catinfo.org/. There are many other arguments that suggest prescription foods aren't all that special. The choice is yours to make.
 
Try mixing in extra water to the wet food because this will tend to further dilute the urine, making it harder for struvite crystals to precipitate out of solution.

I started feeding my cats the urinary protection formula foods after two of my cats developed struvite problems, one of whom I lost as a result of my own ignorance and shockingly poor veterinary advice, so I can really relate to how worried you are about struvite. (My little Tara was only 6 years old. :cry: ) I wish I had known that the food might solve one problem but cause another. Some of the acidifiers in special diets may prevent struvite urolith formation but, as a result of their action, the cat may develop calcium oxalate uroliths which can only be removed surgically. (Saoirse developed them when eating IAMS dry with urinary protection.)

It might be worth asking your vet for some pointers on home urinalysis to monitor your cat's urine pH to make sure it's in the optimum range. Saoirse's has been fine since switching to low carb canned commercial foods. Indeed, her weight problems and subsequent development of diabetes, pancreatitis and suspected food allergy/IBD problems stem from the change to a variety of RC prescription dry diets, including their Urinary s/o and Urinary s/o moderate calorie products.

Here's a link to Dr LIsa Pierson's article about diet and urinary tract health. I found it very helpful and I hope you will too.

Since switching to wet food, my civvie Lúnasa produces significantly more urine. It is plain as day to me now how dehydrated she - and all my cats - must have been when I was feeding them the vet-recommended, (allegedly) 'great for their teeth' dry diets. I feel better knowing that she's getting enough water now, and she seems happier in herself since I made the switch.

ETA:

Woulda helped if I'd actually remembered to post the link. ohmygod_smile :oops:

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth
 
My cat also had large struvite crystales that had to be surgically removed. Fed him Hills CD dry - then wet only Royal Canin SO - until I found out it was ~35% carbs. The alarming thing is that I went to a cat only vet who didn't know what to tell me and referred me to a specialty internist. :YMSIGH: ...the internist told me to continue feeding the canned prescription food. I read up on catinfo.org, which actually addressed my cat's diabetes & crystals diet dilemma head on:

If Man would just go back to feeding cats a species-appropriate diet - i.e. - one that has a water content that mimics a cat's normal prey and one that is based on meat, not grains - instead of trying to artificially manipulate a species-inappropriate diet of grains by adding acidifiers, the vast majority of urinary tract problems would be solved.
Click to expand...
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

I've also been very worried about whether the crystals will come back w/o the prescription diet but it all comes back to having him on the right diet to begin w/ in the first place. So based on all this info and how well Tyler's been reacting to his new non-Rx diet, this is what I'm doing...which hopefully will reduce the possibility of struvite crystals from ever coming back:

-Diet: Fancy Feast Classic Pate (Turkey & Giblets) mashed up with water for a gravy like texture, trying to introduce raw food (Feline's Pride) into his diet
-Keep the litter box pristine clean! I know this is Cat Care 101 but I need a reminder every now and then
-By virtue of feeding wet food only, Tyler is urinating more (the healthy way). I look at his clumps with an investigatory eye as it's a very good indicator of when there's cause for concern urinary health (Dr. Pierson's website has a comparative graphic that helps gauge :) )

I did the same thing and just had 2 cases of prescription wet food delivered when I realized I just wasted $80! I think I can send it back and get a refund...but I know what you mean...if I only had read up on this stuff earlier!

Good luck! I am very interested in finding out what you and others here are doing since struvite crystals certainly adds another layer of complexity on our kitties' healths.
 
The vet is requesting I keep him on the cd for awhile. I guess to see where his numbers are when she retests his blood for just the insulin then change the food and see if that helps.

She suggested switching to w/d after that. Thats supposed to help crystals and diabetes.

At this point I have an opened 17lb bag of cd and an unopened (which I can exchange for the w/d). Once that's gone (becuase of the price) I will try something new.

Thanks for the replies.
 
i HIGHLY recommend you read Dr. Lisa's site for information on both urinary issues AND diabetes. My kitty had chronic FLUTD, crystals and blockage over many years. We also were on C/d, urinary SO, etc.. I had actually switched from those even before the diabetes DX. But once I got him on an all canned low carb, high protein diet with extra bit of moisture added to each meal FOR the diabetes, not only was I able to get him off insulin very soon but he never again EVER had another bout of crystals or urinary issues again. He was in remission and diet controlled for nearly 4 years. I lost him to cancer earlier this year.
If you add a teaspoon or 2 of water at each feeding it makes all the difference. He rarely drank from a water bowl after that as he was getting more than all his moisture needs met in his food. His fur was like a bunny rabbit. Most vets do not seem to understand this. Out of several vets we went to over the years when he had chronic issues with crystals, etc.. not a single one recommended canned food only (eliminating all dry) and mostly had us resigned to that as being a way of life for him. They simply are not well versed in nutrition. I only wished I would have known and switched sooner.

Hopefully you are home testing. It really is such a manageable disease with the right tools and information. Cats BG at a vets office are typically skewed by stress and end up with cats being prescribed too high doses. BG's change often and will not be the same from day to day. You really can only know what's going on with then and what the insulin is doing by monitoring them at home in their own environment, seeing what THEIR patterns are, and adjusting insulin accordingly. Diet change can go along way, and may be all you need to get kitty headed toward remission. But you will want to be testing while making the diet changes to keep them safe as their numbers could drop quickly in response to the diet change. Catinfo.org is a great resource to help get your arms around this. Best of luck with your baby.
 
Show your vet the data on the percent calories from carbohydrates in the prescription foods, plus point the vet to Dr Pierson's web site.

Changing to low carb canned foods, over the counter ones, has dropped the glucose as much as 100 mg/dL and has dropped the insulin requirement as much as 2 units.
 
Thank you for the added info. ...

Sorry for your loss Betty.

Yeah this vet wants him brought in for blood tests. Can't remember if I mentioned that. But the more I read the less I agree with her. I've been researching wet foods from more reputable companies such as blue buffalo etc.

Thanks again for your time.
 
All of the Blue Buffalo canned foods are high in carbohydrates. Take a look at the food chart for foods that are low in carbs ( less than 10%) and also lower in phosphorus. That is what's best for crystals cats and works well for diabetic cats too. I have one crystals cat and one diabetic and feed them both the same food. In my case it's raw food (as recommended by two vets at different practices), but there are many suitable canned wet food products too. Make sure you add water to each meal.
 
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