Hi everyone,
My name is Adam. I was referred to this site by the fine folks at tanyackd. I posted this same post there yesterday and they suggested I post here. Here goes!
Hello, I'm hoping to talk to someone who has had experience in this department. I apologize in advance for the long post.
In our 4 cat household, Our 14 year old boy Mario was diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago. He was 22 lbs in size at the time. Insulin was prescribed (caninsulin), as well as a reduced diet. His blood sugar was reaching up to 18.0 (normal range is between 5.0-9.0). I apologize that I can't recall the unit of measurement. When his sugar was that high, we were giving him up to 5-6 iu of insulin, twice a day (the dosage varied based on what his blood sugar levels were). The insulin was dropping him down to normal levels. We kept him on this regime from December 2016 to April 2017, when a friend of mine who works in the pet food industry questioned our food choice. We were feeding him a Purina DM diet, specifically meant for diabetic cats, and recommended to us by our vet. My friend said that even though the DM food is designed for diabetics, the carb content will be destroying his blood sugar levels. She recommended we switch to Orijen Fit & Trim for him (high protein, very few carbs), as well as a wet food (KOHA) to supplement.
Well, WOW! What a change. As soon as we switched him to that diet, his blood sugar plummeted into normal range. Between May and June, we barely had to give him ANY insulin, and the tiny bit we did give him would affect his blood sugar levels much more than the 5 iu did the month before. It seemed like he was recovering from his diabetes.
About a week ago, however, I noticed that he was barely eating anything at all and he had visibly lost weight. We brought him into the vet and he had lost 12% of his body weight in 6 weeks. Dangerously fast weight loss for a cat. The vet did some blood work and he was diagnosed with CKD now (between stages 1-2), on top of his diabetes. Our vet hadn't had much experience with a cat with BOTH conditions, so he called the nutritionist at Royal Canin for advice. The nutritionist recommended Royal Canin Mature consult. A bit less protein, and less phosphorus and carbs.
Unfortunately, Mario refused to eat the wet food and although he is tolerating the dry food, his blood sugar is now skyrocketing again (probably due to the carbs). After doing some research, I came across Tanya's page and saw that there appeared to be better options for Mario (Weruva truluxe Steak Frites and Natures logic - Beef both have low phosphorus, higher protein and lower carbs). I called the vet again to ensure that this was okay, and they didn't know. They called up the Royal Canin Nutritionist again. The nutritionist came back saying that Royal Canin 12+ or Royal Canin hypoallergenic may be better options because they also contain essential amino acids which will help Mario support his kidneys and reduce inflammation.
Looking at the available food lists online, even those options are not as low in phosphorus, are higher in carbs, and are lower in protein content than the Weruva and Natures Logic. It started to feel like the Royal Canin nutritionist was just promoting Royal Canin products. I know the jury is still out on high vs low protein in CKD cats, making the choice even tougher.
So my question is: does anyone here have experience with a CKD stage 1-2 cat with diabetes? Has anyone gone down this path with them and can recommend a food that will keep my boy healthier, for longer? Should I follow the nutritionists advice or go down my own path with Mario?
Thanks so much!
-Adam
My name is Adam. I was referred to this site by the fine folks at tanyackd. I posted this same post there yesterday and they suggested I post here. Here goes!
Hello, I'm hoping to talk to someone who has had experience in this department. I apologize in advance for the long post.
In our 4 cat household, Our 14 year old boy Mario was diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago. He was 22 lbs in size at the time. Insulin was prescribed (caninsulin), as well as a reduced diet. His blood sugar was reaching up to 18.0 (normal range is between 5.0-9.0). I apologize that I can't recall the unit of measurement. When his sugar was that high, we were giving him up to 5-6 iu of insulin, twice a day (the dosage varied based on what his blood sugar levels were). The insulin was dropping him down to normal levels. We kept him on this regime from December 2016 to April 2017, when a friend of mine who works in the pet food industry questioned our food choice. We were feeding him a Purina DM diet, specifically meant for diabetic cats, and recommended to us by our vet. My friend said that even though the DM food is designed for diabetics, the carb content will be destroying his blood sugar levels. She recommended we switch to Orijen Fit & Trim for him (high protein, very few carbs), as well as a wet food (KOHA) to supplement.
Well, WOW! What a change. As soon as we switched him to that diet, his blood sugar plummeted into normal range. Between May and June, we barely had to give him ANY insulin, and the tiny bit we did give him would affect his blood sugar levels much more than the 5 iu did the month before. It seemed like he was recovering from his diabetes.
About a week ago, however, I noticed that he was barely eating anything at all and he had visibly lost weight. We brought him into the vet and he had lost 12% of his body weight in 6 weeks. Dangerously fast weight loss for a cat. The vet did some blood work and he was diagnosed with CKD now (between stages 1-2), on top of his diabetes. Our vet hadn't had much experience with a cat with BOTH conditions, so he called the nutritionist at Royal Canin for advice. The nutritionist recommended Royal Canin Mature consult. A bit less protein, and less phosphorus and carbs.
Unfortunately, Mario refused to eat the wet food and although he is tolerating the dry food, his blood sugar is now skyrocketing again (probably due to the carbs). After doing some research, I came across Tanya's page and saw that there appeared to be better options for Mario (Weruva truluxe Steak Frites and Natures logic - Beef both have low phosphorus, higher protein and lower carbs). I called the vet again to ensure that this was okay, and they didn't know. They called up the Royal Canin Nutritionist again. The nutritionist came back saying that Royal Canin 12+ or Royal Canin hypoallergenic may be better options because they also contain essential amino acids which will help Mario support his kidneys and reduce inflammation.
Looking at the available food lists online, even those options are not as low in phosphorus, are higher in carbs, and are lower in protein content than the Weruva and Natures Logic. It started to feel like the Royal Canin nutritionist was just promoting Royal Canin products. I know the jury is still out on high vs low protein in CKD cats, making the choice even tougher.
So my question is: does anyone here have experience with a CKD stage 1-2 cat with diabetes? Has anyone gone down this path with them and can recommend a food that will keep my boy healthier, for longer? Should I follow the nutritionists advice or go down my own path with Mario?
Thanks so much!
-Adam
.
