Hi! Newly diagnosed & looking for affordable food

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txstitcher

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Hi! I am so glad I found y'all! I've been lurking here and my vet also recommended I visit here when my cat was diagnosed.

I'm a the furbaby mama of 6 (yes, six) cats...ranging in age from 12 to 5 years old. My Linus cat, who is my little doggie cat and my favorite even though I don't have a favorite, was diagnosed last week after I noticed he was drinking excessively and losing weight. He hadn't lost weight on the scales, but he is losing muscle mass.

Since last Thursday, I've been giving him 2 units of Lantus injections twice daily and on Friday he will return to the vet for a glucose curve.

My vet recommended Hill's Prescription D/M, but my cats are free-feeders and will all be eating the same food and I need a BIG bag of food. I can't afford $38/10 pound bag or $58/17 pound.

What dry food can I feed my cats? They have always eaten Science Diet Light, but too many carbs for Linus.

Thanks so much!
 
hi there and welcome to fdmb! ideally, and perhaps eventually, a low carb wet food would be best. and good for all of them. and you can work on that in due time possibly? check out http://www.catinfo.org as you get time.

the only dry foods that are low carb enough are Wellness Core and Evo I believe. remission is often harder on higher carb foods though so keep that in mind as you go forward with treatment.

also, on a side note, if you're looking to keep this disease affordable, read up on hometesting kitty's blood glucose levels. that alone will save you a bundle as then you don't have to be hauling kitty off to the vet for curves. check out this link as you have time
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287
 
Thank you so much! Yes, as I continue to read and learn, I'm realizing that a wet food would be better. I also have a cat who was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is on an oral medication. Orrie was losing weight and just looking bad. He's been on his medicine for a month and continues to look bad.

I'm trying to learn as much as I can about feline diabetes and hyperthyroidism in cats. I'm a nurse so that helps a bit, but things are definitely different with cats!

I'm going to check out the links you provided. Thanks again for the input!
 
BTW, I have tested him once using his ear. Did very well. I'll definitely be a hometester. Can't see any reason not too!
 
Welcome and congratulations on successfully testing his ear!

Just wanted to echo Cindy & Mousie. Even though Evo dry is low in carbs, it wasn't low enough for my kitty. The most significant improvement was when he switched over to wet. To keep the food fresh while you're out, some folks freeze individual portions and pop it into a dish with a timer. The food will have thawed by the time the timer goes off.

Alot of us have been successful with Fancy Feast Classic. The hyperT meds may have an impact on kidneys so I recommend avoiding seafood flavors. The phosphorous in those flavors can be rough on their kidneys.

My kitty has hyperthyroidism too. There's a Yahoo Group for feline HT. The folks there have been responsive and helpful there too.
 
I've just joined the Yahoo group. Thank you for letting me know about it!

My husband and I are a little overwhelmed with 2 of our kitties being sick. Orrie, my HyperT, just does not look well. :cry: And Linus, my sugar cat, is my baby and I want them both to live long healthy lives.

Thanks for letting me know about the seafood flavors. Great to know!

I appreciate all the information so much! You both are awesome!!
:smile:
 
You're doing great -- ear pokes is a huge win so hang in there! You'll do fine. If a big chicken sheet like me can do it, so can you!

Re: HyperT, for me it was the easier one to treat. Just pop a pill, that's it. What my vet didn't tell me but should've was to 1) start at a low dosage (can't remember what the Yahoo folks had advised) and that 2) to follow up with another test within a few weeks to make sure the dosage is right and 3) continue to make sure they're at the right dosage. I would definitely ask the Yahoo group why he still looks bad. Have you considered radiation? That's what I'm investigating right now and I think I'm going to do it.

When you're feeling up to it, join us in the Lantus group. There's alot of great info in the 5 stickies specific to Lantus. Don't worried if you feel overwhelmed. Baby steps darlin'.

Just to warn you -- if you post there you're going to get clobbered with love and support. ;-)

Bonnie
 
Good Morning and Welcome to the FDMB Family,

Just a small note on food and cats...I personally have twelve...yep that's right 12! Two of which are diabetics, and everyone here eats exactly what my two sugar cats eat, just basis Friskies Pate style canned food. Its a little bit more expensive than feeding dry, but what it saves me in vet care has been amazing, my guys with allergies and sensitive tummies no long have those issues. My one diabetic that I adopted as a diabetic back last october is now in remission and off insulin all together, and the little girl I just adopted on June 25th is already on a very small dose of insulin and I have every hope that she too with diet change and a short course of insulin will also soon be in remission as well.

To give you just a rough estimate of the cost of feeding your 6 canned food if you should ever choose to go that route, depending on their size of course: But if they are average size like mine (between 6-10lbs) and you go with Friskies Pate style food. This is how it breaks down for us.

1 (5.5oz) can of Friskies - 45 cents
1 can feeds 1 cat per day
6 cats @ 1 can for 45 cents per day = $2.70 per day or about $19/week
Now I know where I live to feed my bunch on a good high quality dry food it runs me about the same, plus the added bonus at least for me is that I have one diabetic in remission and one on her way or at least on a very low dose of insulin so I save there on the cost of her Lantus. And the cost savings in litter has been amazing, because they use more of what they eat, there is less in the litter box.

You of course have to decide what works for your furry kids and your wallet. But I wanted to just give you an idea of how it breaks down to feed wet vs dry, because I know when I started this journey with my first sugarcat I thought there was no way I could afford to feed my gang all wet, but it really did end up not costing nearly as much as I thought it would.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
In regards to switching to an affordable canned food for 6 cats--I know PetSmart sells the big 13 oz cans of Friskies for $1. The big cans are great for saving $. I did the math for a friend of mine not too long ago because I was trying to convince her to drop the dry, and it actually worked out to be cheaper to feed the big cans of Friskies than the Purina dry food she was feeding.
 
I'm feeding all 11 of mine Special Kitty Turkey & Giblets dinner. They seem to like it, the cost is reasonable, and my overweight cats actually reduced weight. I also have some cans of Fancy Feast Classic Turkey & Giblets dinner when I need to perk up appetites a bit. The only dry food in the house has been used in small amounts for an overly thin senior, and a pellet or so to reward the diabetic for getting his test and shot.
 
Another savings on wet food is the Sophisticat 5.5oz cans from PetsMart. They were 37 cents a can the last time I bought them. Some of them are very low in carbs like 0% to 2%.

I hope both of your sick kitties start to feel better real soon.
 
Omagosh! So much good information from all of you. I'm feeling the love! :-D

I'm going to PetsMart tonight and slowly integrate the canned food into their diet. I am willing to do anything if it means Linus might go into remission. That would be a very happy day!!

Thanks y'all SO much!
 
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