diabetic and renal diets

[Ben&Jodie_Misty]

Our Misty was diagnosed with diabetes in 2007 right after her sister died. They were raised from kittens together. Misty will be 17 this summer. She was on insulin only for a couple of days. We switched her dry food diet to a canned low carb diet (fancy feast wheat gluten free) and her labs have been great for the past few years. Recently, the vet said we need to put her on a renal diet because her BUN/creatinine was slightly elevated. Please correct me if I am wrong but I always thought a renal diet was low protein/high carbs (the opposite of a diabetic diet). I thought of this message board immediately because everyone was so helpful when she was initially diagnosed back in 2007. Any advice or suggestions for brands of food that will satisfy both of these diet concerns?

 

[KarenRamboConan]

Hi!

The new school of thought is not to go low protein until/unless the renal problem is very advanced. What is now suggested is low phosphorus and high quality protein (you can supplement up to 15% of her diet with cooked egg whites or chicken, etc.).

Our Melissa has the best primer you could want on this topic : http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=35790

Best of luck!

 

[Ben&Jodie_Misty]

Thanks for that info. It was what I was thinking. I will pass those links on to my vet. I love the wealth if info I get here. Everyone is great!!! THANKS!!!

 

[Jen & Squeak]

Those values may well be slightly elevated due to the nature of the food you feed and that can be completely normal. I would suggest that you need to read Dr Lisa"s info at www.catinfo.org and have a good nonconfrontational discussion with your vet. witholding protein is not the answer.

 

[Ben&Jodie_Misty]

Thanks for the info. Her BUN/creatinine were fine 6 months ago and 6 months prior to that and so on. She has been on the same food since 2007 without any abnormalities in her lab work for the past 4 years. Thank you for the link!!!

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

When Witn was alive, she had both diabetes and CRF. For several years I fed her Friskies Special Diet canned foods and during that time both her BG readings and kidney values remained stable. She was fed all of the flavors except the Chicken and Gravy because of the carbs. You can also use Janet & Binky's food list http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html as a guide to select foods. With Witn's food, I tried to keep the phosphorus levels in food around 200 or less.

 

[Ben&Jodie_Misty]

Binky's charts are how I figured out her diabetic diet back in 2007 but I didn't know how to use them with the new CRF diagnosis. Thanks for you help with the food suggestion and phosphorus info.