Alexander's Mom
Member Since 2015
Hello!
The good news is that, thanks to all of your advice and support back in March, Alexander (8.5 years old) has not needed insulin since April! My vet had originally recommended insulin and diet change. Thankfully, I started testing BG levels right away, and it turned out the diet change was sufficient. I still test his BG levels every 3-5 days (ranges from 78 to 108mg using the OneTouch). Of course, both of my cats had their diets changed, which is what brings me to you all today.
Almost like clockwork, every 18 months or so, Jack (5 yrs old, non-diabetic) would develop a scab on the back of his neck. The first two times, it was easily treated with a cream and went away after 1-2 weeks of treatment. This time, the sores multiplied, eventually covering a good portion of the back of his neck. This was exacerbated by his scratching the sores. The cream was not effective. I had the sores biopsied 2 weeks ago and it was confirmed to be a form of feline dermatitis.... unfortunately, the cause could be any number of things, including a food allergy. Jack has now been prescribed some more powerful meds to get rid of the sores, but there is no 'cure.' As such, I wanted to look into changing the boys' diets since our changeover to diabetic-friendly food may have instigated the more extreme skin reaction.
Since April, I have been feeding the boys Fancy Feast Chicken Feast (chunky) in the morning and the Chicken Feast along with Fancy Feast Fish and Shrimp Feast (flaked) in the evening. I went with these options in part because of their low carb/high protein nature, and they are more chunky (the boys do not like the texture of pate style). To help them with intestinal 'adjustments' to the diet and motivate Alexander to eat, I have been using Purina FortiFlora on the food. Most recently, at the vet's suggestion, I was adding a pinch of psyllium to the food because one of the boys was often constipated.
I read that fish allergies were more likely than chicken, so starting a week ago, I only use the Chicken Feast. I had also stopped using the FortiFlora, but that was affecting their systems, so I'm using it again, but not as much.
Obviously, I want both of my boys to be happy and healthy, but they seem to have competing health issues. Does anyone have suggestions regarding food options, as well as the best way to gradually make such changes without disrupting either of their health issues?
Thank you in advance for your advice and support!
Take care,
Alexander (and Jack's) Mom
P.S. One thing I didn't mention was that I also give them Temptations Dentabite treats each day. I always gave them these treats for their teeth (Alexander had dental issues several years ago). I briefly stopped when Alexander was diagnosed with diabetes, but resumed once I got his BG levels under control.
The good news is that, thanks to all of your advice and support back in March, Alexander (8.5 years old) has not needed insulin since April! My vet had originally recommended insulin and diet change. Thankfully, I started testing BG levels right away, and it turned out the diet change was sufficient. I still test his BG levels every 3-5 days (ranges from 78 to 108mg using the OneTouch). Of course, both of my cats had their diets changed, which is what brings me to you all today.
Almost like clockwork, every 18 months or so, Jack (5 yrs old, non-diabetic) would develop a scab on the back of his neck. The first two times, it was easily treated with a cream and went away after 1-2 weeks of treatment. This time, the sores multiplied, eventually covering a good portion of the back of his neck. This was exacerbated by his scratching the sores. The cream was not effective. I had the sores biopsied 2 weeks ago and it was confirmed to be a form of feline dermatitis.... unfortunately, the cause could be any number of things, including a food allergy. Jack has now been prescribed some more powerful meds to get rid of the sores, but there is no 'cure.' As such, I wanted to look into changing the boys' diets since our changeover to diabetic-friendly food may have instigated the more extreme skin reaction.
Since April, I have been feeding the boys Fancy Feast Chicken Feast (chunky) in the morning and the Chicken Feast along with Fancy Feast Fish and Shrimp Feast (flaked) in the evening. I went with these options in part because of their low carb/high protein nature, and they are more chunky (the boys do not like the texture of pate style). To help them with intestinal 'adjustments' to the diet and motivate Alexander to eat, I have been using Purina FortiFlora on the food. Most recently, at the vet's suggestion, I was adding a pinch of psyllium to the food because one of the boys was often constipated.
I read that fish allergies were more likely than chicken, so starting a week ago, I only use the Chicken Feast. I had also stopped using the FortiFlora, but that was affecting their systems, so I'm using it again, but not as much.
Obviously, I want both of my boys to be happy and healthy, but they seem to have competing health issues. Does anyone have suggestions regarding food options, as well as the best way to gradually make such changes without disrupting either of their health issues?
Thank you in advance for your advice and support!
Take care,
Alexander (and Jack's) Mom
P.S. One thing I didn't mention was that I also give them Temptations Dentabite treats each day. I always gave them these treats for their teeth (Alexander had dental issues several years ago). I briefly stopped when Alexander was diagnosed with diabetes, but resumed once I got his BG levels under control.
