Hello! My cat Fred was recently diagnosed. I was wondering if anyone knows an updated lower carb wet food options besides the prescription. His diabetes isn’t awful, they started him on 1U of insulin BID. We’re going to see if we can control without prescription food first! Thanks in advance.
low carb wet food
- Thread starter sydsnapp
- Start date
squeem3
Member Since 2009
Prescription food won't manage the diabetes at all. Expensive for very poor quality ingredients that aren't any different than any commercial brand. There is no magic ingredient that makes prescription food good to manage XYZ condition. Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.
All the food charts are here: Links to FOOD CHARTS They are a bit out dated.
There's a somewhat newer US chart here: Cat Food As-Fed Chart
What is the name of the insulin your cat is on? Some insulins are better for cats than others.
What were you feeding your cat before the diabetes diagnosis? If it was dry food, then you need to be extra cautious with changing the diet to low carb canned food. The drastic drop in carbs (most dry foods are super high) can result in hypoglycemia even on the tiny 1 unit of insulin. You need to be closely monitoring blood glucose levels while you slowly change the food.
If your vet didn't say anything about daily testing, that's ok. Many vets don't. Testing is an important part of managing the diabetes, just like it is for Human diabetics. Many people manually test from the cat's ear or paw pad with a blood glucose meter. A Human one is fine as they are cheaper and more widely available than expensive pet meters sold only at the vet office or online. Some people use a (Human) CGM that sticks onto the cat for about 2 weeks before replacing it.
Hometesting Links and Tips
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.303722/
All the food charts are here: Links to FOOD CHARTS They are a bit out dated.
There's a somewhat newer US chart here: Cat Food As-Fed Chart
What is the name of the insulin your cat is on? Some insulins are better for cats than others.
What were you feeding your cat before the diabetes diagnosis? If it was dry food, then you need to be extra cautious with changing the diet to low carb canned food. The drastic drop in carbs (most dry foods are super high) can result in hypoglycemia even on the tiny 1 unit of insulin. You need to be closely monitoring blood glucose levels while you slowly change the food.
If your vet didn't say anything about daily testing, that's ok. Many vets don't. Testing is an important part of managing the diabetes, just like it is for Human diabetics. Many people manually test from the cat's ear or paw pad with a blood glucose meter. A Human one is fine as they are cheaper and more widely available than expensive pet meters sold only at the vet office or online. Some people use a (Human) CGM that sticks onto the cat for about 2 weeks before replacing it.
Hometesting Links and Tips
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.303722/
CORKY
Member Since 2023
Welcome to FDMB
It is overwhelming the word Feline Diabetes, but the good thing is that it is manageable, with the right insulin, home testing and the right diet, and lots of cuddles. what insulin was Fred Prescribed? ProZinc and Lantus are the best insulin for cats, they are a 12-hour insulin and easy on the cats, now if you are stating that he was prescribed 1 unit, it must be that his glucose levels are quite high, then he needs insulin, and yes a low carb diet of wet can or raw foods is a must for a diabetic cat, and the "prescription foods" ( good thinking, ) are far from being a healthy food for them they contain anything between 20-30% carbs, cats cannot digest carbs, most members here use Fancy Feast Pates between 0-10% carbs most feed up to 5% , grazing is not a good idea you need to have a feeding schedule, if you are not home during the day a wet food feeder mis a good idea, some have cameras, and several small meals/snacks 3-4 during the day, beside the two main meals before shooting insulin, the Drs approved food list has many brands to choose from, the third column will contain the carb% for each, Are you home testing? it is very important to test the glucose level before giving insulin to avoid a hypoglycemic episode, most members use the Relizon Premier human monitor and strips (Walmart) very inexpensive and accurate, no need to spend on an expensive Pet Meter. also a CGM the LIBRE if you are not home during the day is an option as well, although manual testing may be necessary with the CGM since it reads low numbers lower than reality and you want to confirm, please keep posting any concern you may have, are her for you, in our main menu we have sticky notes with much valuable information
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
It is overwhelming the word Feline Diabetes, but the good thing is that it is manageable, with the right insulin, home testing and the right diet, and lots of cuddles. what insulin was Fred Prescribed? ProZinc and Lantus are the best insulin for cats, they are a 12-hour insulin and easy on the cats, now if you are stating that he was prescribed 1 unit, it must be that his glucose levels are quite high, then he needs insulin, and yes a low carb diet of wet can or raw foods is a must for a diabetic cat, and the "prescription foods" ( good thinking, ) are far from being a healthy food for them they contain anything between 20-30% carbs, cats cannot digest carbs, most members here use Fancy Feast Pates between 0-10% carbs most feed up to 5% , grazing is not a good idea you need to have a feeding schedule, if you are not home during the day a wet food feeder mis a good idea, some have cameras, and several small meals/snacks 3-4 during the day, beside the two main meals before shooting insulin, the Drs approved food list has many brands to choose from, the third column will contain the carb% for each, Are you home testing? it is very important to test the glucose level before giving insulin to avoid a hypoglycemic episode, most members use the Relizon Premier human monitor and strips (Walmart) very inexpensive and accurate, no need to spend on an expensive Pet Meter. also a CGM the LIBRE if you are not home during the day is an option as well, although manual testing may be necessary with the CGM since it reads low numbers lower than reality and you want to confirm, please keep posting any concern you may have, are her for you, in our main menu we have sticky notes with much valuable information
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf