? New prescription diet and insulin

C

catherineelizabetb

Member Since 2026
We were on insulin 2 times a day, eating non-prescription dry food in the morning and FF pate at night. Her sugar seemed to be doing well until she got a kidney infection. That was treated and the vet prescribed a metabolic Hills Dry food diet. We went back for a checkup after being on the new diet and her sugar was high and fructosamine had increased. They adjusted her insulin. But we just went back and it had increased more. I asked about switching diets again but they said to keep the prescription. We are now on 6 units 2x a day of Vetsulin. Any advice of whether I should go back to Fancy Feast Pate? Or switch to the Hills prescription w/d or metabolic wet food? It’s much more expensive. I don’t really know how to read cat food nutrition labels and what the nutritional percentages should be of protein, carbs, and fats. I don’t want to adjust her diet and it cause her sugar to go too low. There is a lot of confusing information and I don’t want to do the wrong thing for my cat.
 
Hello and welcome. I've removed the GA cause it signals the passing of a cat, ie. Gone Ahead or Guardian Angel. Glad to hear it isn't that.

A couple of recommendations for you. First, the high carb food has got to go, it's not a suitable option for a diabetic cat. If you switch to the Fancy Feast Pates again, you will have to lower the dose, likely a lot. You can feed any food that is 10% or less in carbs. This food chart, lists a number of the common foods and their carb%, though some foods are missing as the list is a little old. If your kitty (name?) has kidney disease, there is another list that contains foods that are good for both diabetes and kidneys here: CKD food Chart For a diabetic, wet or raw food is best, no more dry food.

If you switch foods, so it gradually.

Another thing you might want to talk to vet about is insulin choice. Vetsulin is no longer recommended for cats, though it is still acceptable for dogs. Cats have a longer metabolism. Lantus or Prozinc are the best choices for cat insulin.
 
Not to correct Wendy but cats have a fast metabolism and as a result, need an insulin that has a long duration. Compared to either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc, Vetsulin has a considerably shorter duration. As a result, you end up with higher numbers at the beginning/end of a cycle. Vetsulin is a relatively harsh action which can cause an abrupt drop in blood glucose numbers. Prozinc and Lantus are much gentler and you typically don't see the wide swings in numbers that Vetsulin causes.
 
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