Fancy feast and Purina DM

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Tracy

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Okay, so Quincy and I have been learning a tremendous amount on the boards here. I now have lots of questions but will start with this one. We have totally transitioned to wet food from the vet (Purina DM). I can see that Fancy Feast classics seem to be a good option for wet food. I did notice that the fat content of Fancy feast is significantly higher than the Purina DM so I wondered if I could give my cat several days of Fancy Feast and then a day of Purina DM so that the fat in his diet is not to high. He is not obese but I do think about that as he is a house cat and his age is 12. He is currently 13.23 pounds.

I also wonder if the higher fat content can lead to pancreatitis. by the way we are starting home blood tests right away as well. Not scared to do it, but I doubt he will like it very much so I like the idea of the kitty burrito. May need to take that step but we are going to try without for starters.

Thanks for any advice....

Tracy and Quincy (from western Canada)
 
Has Quincy had pancreatitis? Did your vet take any tests that indicate that Quincy needs a lower fat diet for some reason? I have no experience with pancreatitis and really didn't worry about this with Maggie at all.
 
There is not a significant difference in the fat content of the two foods. In fact, the Fancy Feast is better to feed because it has higher quality ingredients than the DM. At 12, though, you want to be thinking about phosphorus content more than fat, I think. All cats have some loss of kidney function as they get older, so the best diets for them are foods with higher quality meat (no byproducts) and lower phosphorus content to slow loss of kidney function. Merricks and Wellness have several low carb/low phosphorus flavors and both contain no byproducts. In my opinion, certain flavors of Merricks are just about the healthiest thing you could feed your cat apart from a raw diet (Cowboy Cookout, Surf-n-Turf, and a few of the Before Grain flavors like the beef and turkey). It's a little more expensive than Fancy Feast, but not by much (I pay $1.25 for a 5.5 oz can, vs. $.55 for a 3oz can of Fancy Feast). Wellness has 12 oz cans which can make it about the same price as feeding Fancy Feast. However, it's still cheaper than the DM! I feed Bandit a mix of Merrick's and Fancy Feast right now, but he's only 9. Once he gets to around 12-13, I'm going to switch to all Merrick's, or something similar in content if the values have changed by then.

If Quincy has no history of pancreatitis, I would not worry about the fat content too much. Here's an updated list that has the values for Merricks, EVO, and Wellness (Janet & Binky's list is a little out of date for the EVO especially): https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B8...MzhkYTkxOGM4NThk&sort=name&layout=list&num=50 For phosphorus content, you want to look for something under 250mg/100kcal.
 
Hi,
thanks for the feeding advice. We cannot get merick's here in Canada that I know of. I think I have seen Wellness but will have to do some looking. Quincy has no other problems as his blood work was very good other than this BG. He has no history of pancreatitis but I just want to make sure that I am doing the best thing that I can for him. He is gobbling the DM as he is not a fussy cat but the cost is ridiculous which is why I am thinking of using Fancy Feast and supplementing however it looks like Wellness might be an option if I can find a place that sells it.

What about Special Kitty from Wal-mart...I see it is high protein and low carb....is it any good? High protein and low carb is the food that my vet wants Quincy on from now on so I need to make the best decisions for him.
 
Sorry, didn't realize you were in Canada! Where are you located? I do know that Merricks is sold in some areas, and there may be a shop near you that sells it. PetSmart and PetCo both carry Wellness in Canada, I believe. Here's a locator for wellness: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/store-locator.aspx, and one for Merricks: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/locator/

You have to consider the protein source as well as the content. Even though Wellness has a lower protein content than Special Kitty, it has a better protein source, which is more important than the value. Special Kitty is a bit high in phosphorus, and uses low grade ingredients (as does the DM). Take a look at this article: http://catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods

EDIT: I did not realize that Dr. Pierson edited this page recently. I was of the mindset that a better protein source was first priority, and then you examined protein/fat content, but here's what the new paragraph says:
Update July, 2011: It is no secret (among those who know me well) that the commercial pet food industry frustrates the heck out of me. With regard to comment above advising to look for a muscle meat as the first ingredient, please be aware that most of the grain-free/no by-product/muscle meat choices such as Wellness, Nature's Variety, EVO 95%, etc. are very high in fat and relatively low in protein in order to keep the profit margin high.

Given this fact, I can't help but wonder if Friskies, 9-Lives, etc. (all by-products, no muscle meat) may actually be better diets because many of these by-product foods are higher in protein and lower in fat than the more expensive diets that are free of by-products.
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Friskie's Special Diet Pates are lower in phosphorus and I think a better choice for a senior cat than the Special Kitty, if the Merrick's and Fancy Feast are too expensive.
 
Smokey has pancreatitis now. Did our food change to the higher fat food cause it to flare up? Who knows. We didn't have any signs of it before, but as the vet who did the unltrsounds said, many many older cats have the chronic pancreatitis and we never really know about it because cats hide that low grade pain well and they often find signs of it when doing they are doing an autopsy after a cat has passed on. Even with the pancreatitis I have opted to not switch her to the foods recommended by the vet. They are not diabetic friendly, her pancreatic numbers are coming down with meds, and she not having symptoms other than in the bloodwork. I have reduced the higher fat foods like Wellness and increased the lower fat foods, letting the carbs creep closer to 10% in order to bring the fat down.
 
While the topic is on food and brands, I was looking at Janet & Binky's chart and a lot of the Walmart Special Kitty foods seem like a great choice. However I'd be a little wary of buying their food. (Seeing things about recalls and other stuff)...Would Merricks be the best choice for a 15 year old diabetic with no other known health problems? I want to get Chocolate on the best brand of food for her and stick with it
 
christina52388 said:
While the topic is on food and brands, I was looking at Janet & Binky's chart and a lot of the Walmart Special Kitty foods seem like a great choice. However I'd be a little wary of buying their food. (Seeing things about recalls and other stuff)...Would Merricks be the best choice for a 15 year old diabetic with no other known health problems? I want to get Chocolate on the best brand of food for her and stick with it
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I think Merrick's is a great food because many flavors don't have the high fat content that the other non-byproduct foods do. Cowboy Cookout is supposed to have nearly the same nutritional content of a mouse. Here's a more recent list of their values than Binky's list: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B8...MzhkYTkxOGM4NThk&sort=name&layout=list&num=50. Lower phosphorus is better for a senior kitty.

We feed Merrick's Surf & Turf, Cowboy Cookout, and Before Grain Turkey at my house, along with Fancy Feast Tender Beef and Ocean Whitefish and Tuna (the fish is only fed about once a week).
 
Obviously the quality of the food is important to all of us...problem is, it doesn't always matter to our cats. So while I think it very important to research food options, in the end, the cat chooses. And some cats, like Squeak, are pickier than others. Just a warning that it can be a frustrating process!
 
I have foudn a source for EVO (Innova) where I live...the 95% meat ones...could this be the answer if my cat likes it....seems very well rated. Any inforamtion would help me.
 
Tracy said:
I have foudn a source for EVO (Innova) where I live...the 95% meat ones...could this be the answer if my cat likes it....seems very well rated. Any inforamtion would help me.
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Just don't feed the 95% Venison--the phosphorus level for that flavor is through the roof. Turkey & Chicken 95% and Beef 95% both have ok phosphorus levels for a senior cat. Also keep in mind that it's very high calorie, so you don't want to feed as much as you would the DM or Fancy Feast.
 
tahnks everyone for all the help....this is just great. I am starting to see my way through some of this. My vet even talked to me and said I could feed other brands than Purina DM....very reassuring.
 
Tracy

If you are comfy with the idea, consider posting your general location. We have people throughout Alberta, some in SK and MB, all of whom would be able to provide localized assistance.

Jen
 
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