HELP!

[RJ Teich]

Is there a dry cat formula that is cheaper and has more net weight than prescription Purina DM formula? I am retired. I can't afford this outrageous expense EVERY month! And I have two cats now on this. One was diagnosed as pre diabetic (no sugar found in his blood and urine a month after he was switched to the DM formula from Solid Gold Weight Management [he's overweight]). The vet said the DM formula is the highest meat formula. So is there a dry meat formula that is cheaper that I can put him on? When I was buying Solid Gold, it was like at least three months until I had to buy more food. Right now each cat gets a half cup in the morning. By dinner time, their bowls need refilling. That is when they get maybe two eights of a cup (think coffee measure size) until morning. Thanks. P.S. The vet insists I buy the prescription, because if Trey does become diabetic, insulin and needles will cost me more than food.

 

[Squalliesmom]

Hi, welcome to FDMB! You have come to the right place for answers!

I take it your kitty is not diabetic, but you and your vet are concerned that he may be headed that way? Your vet may have accidentally steered you in the wrong direction regarding food. For our diabetic kitties we recommend feeding a diet that is very low in carbs, under 10%, and preferably canned/wet food. Almost all dry food is very high in carbs, and helps lead to dehydration, as well. There are only two dry foods that are low-carb enough for diabetic cats - Evo Cat and Kitten and Young Again Zero Carb. I have heard a rumor that the Evo is being discontinued, don't know whether or not that is actually the case. The YAZC is expensive but very calorie-dense; your kitty will only eat a very small amount per feeding. If you contact the company they will be happy to send you a sample. (My cats loved it, it was like kitty-crack to them, lol!)

There is absolutely no need to feed expensive "prescription" food, there is actually nothing prescription about it and several of the companies that make it are now facing class-action lawsuits because of it. I know your vet wants the best for your kitty and thinks the "prescription" food is the way to go; most vets get very little training in vet school about feline nutrition and feline diabetes, and as a rule not too many vets actually have dealt with many feline diabetes patients. The salespeople for the food contact the vet and tell them how wonderful this "prescription" food is for cats with FD and the vet figures it must be, or they wouldn't be pushing it, so don't be too hard on your vet, they really think they are doing what's best.

Here is a link to a great article, written by a vet, regarding feline nutrition:

www.catinfo.org

and a link a food chart showing the breakdown of protein, fat and carbs in many readily-available cat foods:

http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Hope this helps!

 

[tiffmaxee]

Many here feed fancy feast pates. Most of us feed canned food only.

 

[JanetNJ]

Evo and Young Again Zero carb are two dry foods under 10% carb. They aren't less expensive than the prescription one, but they are much lower in carb.

An 8 lb bag of young again will cost about $50... However because it is high in calories and nutrient dense the cats eat less of it as a serving. An 8 lb bag lasts an average cat 2-3 months. So if it lasts say 10 weeks, that's about $5:/week in cost. Not bad.

If you ask them they will send you a free sample. Youngagainpetfood.com

 

[RJ Teich]

Hi, welcome to FDMB! You have come to the right place for answers!

I take it your kitty is not diabetic, but you and your vet are concerned that he may be headed that way? Your vet may have accidentally steered you in the wrong direction regarding food. For our diabetic kitties we recommend feeding a diet that is very low in carbs, under 10%, and preferably canned/wet food. Almost all dry food is very high in carbs, and helps lead to dehydration, as well. There are only two dry foods that are low-carb enough for diabetic cats - Evo Cat and Kitten and Young Again Zero Carb. I have heard a rumor that the Evo is being discontinued, don't know whether or not that is actually the case. The YAZC is expensive but very calorie-dense; your kitty will only eat a very small amount per feeding. If you contact the company they will be happy to send you a sample. (My cats loved it, it was like kitty-crack to them, lol!)

There is absolutely no need to feed expensive "prescription" food, there is actually nothing prescription about it and several of the companies that make it are now facing class-action lawsuits because of it. I know your vet wants the best for your kitty and thinks the "prescription" food is the way to go; most vets get very little training in vet school about feline nutrition and feline diabetes, and as a rule not too many vets actually have dealt with many feline diabetes patients. The salespeople for the food contact the vet and tell them how wonderful this "prescription" food is for cats with FD and the vet figures it must be, or they wouldn't be pushing it, so don't be too hard on your vet, they really think they are doing what's best.

Here is a link to a great article, written by a vet, regarding feline nutrition:

www.catinfo.org

and a link a food chart showing the breakdown of protein, fat and carbs in many readily-available cat foods:

http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Hope this helps!

Evo Cat DOES NOT list for diabetes, so they are out. And Young Again Zero - are they insane? One hundred and twenty five bucks for a twenty-five bag that MAY last me three months! I CAN'T AFFORD this either. I'm not employed. And I have fed ALL four of my cats dry food. I do not like the mess and smell of canned. But I appreciate your reply. And no, I have not come to the right place sadly. I still will have to go to my vet EVERY month and pay an outrageous sum of cash I don't have to feed my cats. No one seems to understand my problem here. And there is NO equivalent formula to feed him that I can buy in a larger size cheaper in a pet store. I give up! I have spoken to everyone about this. Maybe I need to get flash cards because what I'm saying no one seems to understand.

 

[sherrib]

Please switch to can food. Staying on dry will just end causing problems , especially if your vet is trying to head off the diabetes. Because once diabetes strikes then you're looking at some really high monthly cost. I too am not working right now and I have children and financially I am in a very bad state.unfortunately skittles ( my diabetic cat ) have a very bad tooth infection which has caused him to drop out of the remission of that he has been in for a little over a year. The cost of the dental care is going to be between $550-$600. Right now all I could afford was a medication to try and get his infection under control and since he has been on meds his numbers have pretty much dropped back into " remission " levels.
And the price of canned cat food is not that much especially compared to the prescription dry diet. I am feeding two cats. 9lives is pretty cheap, unfortunately my cats do not like it so I feed Friskies pate ( only the ones listed on the safe food list )

 

[Squalliesmom]

Evo Cat & Kitten is not sold as a diabetic food, no, but it IS lower in carbs and many of our diabetic kitties have eaten it and done well. The YAZC is very expensive, I know, but it does last a very long time because the cats eat only a small amount at each feeding. A 25 lb bag of YAZC should last you a good while, but I can't say exactly how long. But as JanetNJ says, it comes to about $5.00 a week per cat.

I DO understand what you are saying, but my answer is still the same, based on scientific studies of feline nutrition and facts regarding the feline digestive system.

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive. Their digestive systems are neither designed nor equipped to process carbohydrates. In the wild, cats do not eat corn meal, grains, potatoes, rice, etc. Their systems cannot process these foods. They eat meat, and they also get most of their fluids from their meat (kills). Cats do not drink enough to keep themselves properly hydrated; this, again, is just how the animal is designed, and is true of all cats, both wild and domestic.

Continued feeding of high-carb food can definitely lead to obesity and diabetes, and high-carb dry food contributes to dehydration, which can become dangerous, as well. The best way to ensure your cat is getting the proper nutrition and acceptable amount of carbs is to feed a low-carb, wet/canned/raw diet. It does not have to be expensive, a lot of us feed grocery-store brands such as Fancy Feast, Friskies, 9 Lives, etc. If this is not possible for you to feed, the next best answer is YAZC or Evo Cat & Kitten, which are the lowest-carb dry foods available. Purina DM is around 30% carbs, three times higher than the recommended amount of carbs for a diabetic cat.

Please feel free to check my information against feline nutritional studies, or with a feline nutritionist, if you doubt the accuracy of my suggestions. This is something I have researched at length and feel very strongly about.

EDIT: For what it's worth, I am not employed, either , and my finances are few, as well, so I can easily relate to the costs of cat food!

 

[sherrib]

Cats have a low thirst drive, because originally they are from a dry area,( Desert ) so with dry food only they do not get enough water intake.

 

[JanetNJ]

Evo Cat DOES NOT list for diabetes, so they are out. And Young Again Zero - are they insane? One hundred and twenty five bucks for a twenty-five bag that MAY last me three months! I CAN'T AFFORD this either. I'm not employed. And I have fed ALL four of my cats dry food. I do not like the mess and smell of canned. But I appreciate your reply. And no, I have not come to the right place sadly. I still will have to go to my vet EVERY month and pay an outrageous sum of cash I don't have to feed my cats. No one seems to understand my problem here. And there is NO equivalent formula to feed him that I can buy in a larger size cheaper in a pet store. I give up! I have spoken to everyone about this. Maybe I need to get flash cards because what I'm saying no one seems to understand.

I have 5 cats eating young again with some wet moen and night and it lasts me 3 months... Four cats : $130/12 weeks=$10.81 per week. Less than $3/cat per week. It is a huge upfront cost but it stretches. An 8 lb bag at $49 lasts me 3 - 3.5 weeks. So about $15/week. So roughly $4/cat per week.


Evo cat and kitten in the purple bag is under 10% carb.... I don't remember if it's 6 or 8%. It's less expensive than ya (although higher carb.... But better than typical dry that's 25-39%) I can get it in a few stores or have it shipped next day from jet.com. Purina dm is 18%. Not as bad as most dry, but still high.

If you test at home and email your vet a spreadsheet of results you won't have to go there for curves and it will save you the vet costs and offset the cost of food and test strips. Once I started testing my cat at home in July she hasn't been back to see the vet in person.

Your most economical choice of you want to lower carbs but not buy Yaz is switch to wet Friskies pate.

 

[tiffmaxee]

I hear the frustration in your posts and I'm sorry you are so upset. I was too when Max was diagnosed. People here are trying to help. My cat only had one curve at my vet's office and that was after his first insulin shot. My vet was sent my spreadsheet every week or two. Once I told him about this Board and he saw how well Max was doing we never discussed dosing unless he was asking ME how much he was getting. He was tightly controlled until the week he passed from a non diabetes related issue. That will cut costs a lot.

I don't know what meter you are using but if a pet one you can cut costs by getting a human meter. I used a Relion Micro and many use the Confirm. I often bought test strips on eBay.

Many regular foods are far lower in carbs than what you are feeding which would lower costs as less insulin would be needed.

Just some things for you to consider.

 

[Cathie and Shaak Ti (GA)]

Evo Cat DOES NOT list for diabetes, so they are out. And Young Again Zero - are they insane? One hundred and twenty five bucks for a twenty-five bag that MAY last me three months! I CAN'T AFFORD this either. I'm not employed. And I have fed ALL four of my cats dry food. I do not like the mess and smell of canned. But I appreciate your reply. And no, I have not come to the right place sadly. I still will have to go to my vet EVERY month and pay an outrageous sum of cash I don't have to feed my cats. No one seems to understand my problem here. And there is NO equivalent formula to feed him that I can buy in a larger size cheaper in a pet store. I give up! I have spoken to everyone about this. Maybe I need to get flash cards because what I'm saying no one seems to understand.

please try to get used to the smell and mess of feeding canned food. It will far outweigh the difficult smell and mess for you if you get Trey into lower numbers and he does not become diabetic( by getting him off of all dry food of any kind.) [Yes, Young Again dry has been shown to do well for diabetics, however I am on disability, single and raising two children (one of which is special needs) ]and I can not afford the young again either, so I can relate to what you are saying about finances.

 

[sherrib]

Are you still here? I really hope you didn't leave . I understand about cost, I am broke right now too and I have human children to take care of too. Soccer just started for my daughter and that is going to cost me money and the prom is in April. So believe me I understand the frustration with money. As a matter fact my cat is out of remission because he has an infected tooth that I cannot afford to get pulled so all I could do was put him on medication which is just a temporary fix. Once that medication is gone in two days I have no idea what I'm going to do. I haven't even paid my insurance this month because I use that money to pay for his vet visit last week. ( the tooth removal is $600 and I hope he only needs one removed or the cost will go up )