New to this and need some food advice please.

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Beans was diagnosed in May with feline diabetes. Her numbers were up over 350. I had noticed she was losing wait rapidly and drinking all the time and took her in for some blood work. The vet suggested a dry food diet of Purina DM to start, I am taking her in this week for another blood test to see how she is. She hasn't been allowed to eat anything else these past few weeks so that we can see if the diet is working. The only problem I have noticed is she is still losing wait while our other cat Meow-Meow who was the skinny one and is on this diet also because of sharing a food area is gaining.
How does everyone feel about this food? and are there any other suggestions on food that you have? Beans is used to wet food and treats 2x daily and she gets a little depressed I think when she knows it would be that time for a treat. I decided to do the diet first because of cost,was that a mistake?

Any advice is appreciated
Stephanie
 
Hi Stephanie and Welcome,

It's scary to hear advice that is contrary to your vet, but we don't advise feeding dry food ,especially high carb dry food. See this website by a vet about feeding diabetics: www.catinfo.org

We feed under 8-10% carbs. Purina dry is in the 35% range - like a steady of dose of doughnuts for a human diabetic.

Diabetic cats cannot metabolize their food well so limiting their diet is not only unkind but not healthy. I feed my 10 pound cat 2 cans of Fancy Feast classics daily and give him a low carb snack. (some diabetics need more food than that - just my experience). You can buy Bonito flakes or PureBites at PetSmart. Low carb treats for your kitty.

We suggest the wet low carb diet and home testing. (cats are stressed at the vet and stress raises bg levels - we want a true number without stress) and insulin if the numbers warrant. Please do some reading on this site - start with the FAQs, Health and Nutrition links on the home page. Then ask questions. Thousands of cats have been successfully treated with our protocol. We'd love to help you with your kitty.
 
Thanks for the help.

I was feeding Beans and Meow-Meow 2 cans of Friskies can food daily. One in the morning and One in the evening so they each got approx. one can a day along with a one cup bowl of Friskies Indoor dry that was out all the time. The vet told me this would kill Beans quickly if I kept feeding her what I was. She doesn't seem to like this Purina DM stuff and I am getting frightened as to what I can and can not feed her. I am so very confused with all the sites I have researched and compared I don't know what to do! I am afraid daily that I will find her dead of diabetes or starvation. I am driving myself and my family crazy.
 
WELCOME, this forum is a great place to gain knowledge and really learn how to manage feline diabetes. By doing just a few things each day (that really won't take up much of your time at all), you won't need to worry about losing your precious cat, not where feline diabetes is concerned.

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups


However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.


I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat's overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

Also, let us know where you live - city/state as there are probably people in your area who can provide on the ground support and help you to learn home testing, etc.
 
I don't know where your vet is coming from with the diet advice. There are vet studies that confirm that wet low carb food is best for diabetics - just like a low carb diet is best for human diabetics. There are different quality foods - Friskies and Fancy Feast have by products and brands like Wellness and Merrick have more "human like" ingredients. I feed Fancy Feast. Yes, it has by products but so do mice!

If you read that catinfo website, she makes excellent points. Cats don't graze in wheat fields :mrgreen: they are meat eaters.

The nice thing about vets is that they aren't there when you feed your cat. You can feed her what you think is best. You can always tell him she wouldn't eat the dry Purina - which it sounds like is true.
 
WELCOME You have found the BEST site on the planet to help YOU help your kitty. There is a WEALTH of information here and while yes, it can all be overwhelming and daunting, you will find there are very experienced people here to help you digest and LEARN. You have come to the right place.


It IS scary huh? All I can tell ya, is what I experienced with my Trouble. His blood sugar level dropped 100+ points when I removed the dry food. I understand when it is the only food a cat has ever eaten but when I got Trouble that was the only food he had ever had in his entire life. He transitioned very easily as he saw the canned food as a TREAT.

Others will advise...Keep asking questions.

jeanne
 
Wow!!!! Thanks so much guys, this site is making me feel so much better by the minute. I am heading to the grocery store and pet food stores to compare wet food ingrediants with all the lists I have found. I know deep down this will help Beans get some of her weight back because she will actually eat! She has lost 11lbs in 2mths.

Stephanie
Lebanon,Pa
 
Here are the food charts/list people here use:

Binky's canned food charts
Pet Food Nutritional Values list
Hobo's Guide To Nutritional Values
Dr. Lynne's Wet Food list
List of low carb gluten free Fancy Feast

On Binky's charts, stick with foods that have a number 10 or less in the carbs colum. On the Pet Food Nutritional Values Chart and Hobo's Guide, look at the %kcal from carbs column and choose foods that have a number 10 or less.

Popular brands to feed are Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, Merrick, Nature's Variety Instinct, and Innova EVO. There are many others. Feed your cat whatever brand he likes to eat and you can afford and can find in the local stores.

Limit seafood based foods to once in awhile meals or treats. Some cats get addicted to eating seafood and will refuse to eat anything else.

Don't feed gravy based foods. They are too high in carbs for a diabetic but do keep a few cans in the kitchen to use in case your cat hypos. The high carbs will raise blood glucose levels.

Feed low carb treats: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172
 
I agree with the others--if she likes Friskies, by all means feed it to her! She might also need a little extra food now since her body is not processing the food well due to the diabetes. Also keep in mind that it's dangerous for a cat to lose weight quickly, so you want to make sure she is eating. If she is too thin, your instincts are right on and you definitely want to try and stop her from losing any more by feeding her diabetes-appropriate foods that she will eat. You can start testing her glucose levels at home, per some of the instructions posted upthread, to see how the new diet is affecting her numbers and whether she will need insulin.

Friskies will NOT kill her. It is good for her and one of the commonly fed brands here as long as it is the low-carb pate varieties (check the food lists that were posted upthread to make sure the kinds you buy are low enough in carbs). It is FAR better for your diabetic than dry DM. :-x As others said, if you need an explanation for the vet, you can tell her that your cat wouldn't eat it, which is true.

I would say, if you can afford it, just get rid of the Friskies dry for both of your cats and feed them an equivalent amount of calories of low-carb Friskies wet... they will both be healthier and, from the sounds of it, happier too. :-D Good luck!
 
Welcome to FDMB!!

It sounds like Beans is very treat motivated!! If this is the case, you will have a relatively easy time learning to home test. Home testing is critical to your managing Beans' diabetes and keeping her safe. While we've sent you off to buy low carb food, you'll also need some high carb (over 15%) food, too. Beans regular meals should be low carb, canned food. We all keep high carb canned food on hand in case numbers slide into a lower than ideal range. This is also why you will want to start home testing. Changing to a lower carb food can mean that blood glucose number may drop in response to the lower carb food. Having a glucometer, test strips, and both low and high carb food puts you in control of your cat's diabetes.

It's all a little overwhelming at first. We've all been in your shoes and it really does get easier. There are wonderful people here who will give you whatever help you need.
 
Ok, I have gone to the store and have gotten a few diff. can foods to try Friskies,Fancy Feast and 9lives instead of the Purina DM. I took the Janet and Binky pages with me,what a help that was!

Now my new problem...since I am fairly new to this and have paid out so much so far with the vet,blood tests,changing diet etc. I can not afford home testing supplies at this time :sad: Would it be ok and or safe to try a half can 2x a day to start and gradually build up to 2 cans daily and completly cutting out the dry PM when I reach that point? All while carefully watching Beans reactions to the change?

Thanks again everyone for the advice!!
Stephanie
 
You aren't giving insulin yet, right? If so, yes, start the new food now. It can only improve things. (if you were giving insulin, you would want to be testing so you wouldn't overdose.) When we switched Oliver from dry to wet, he went down 100 points overnight.

You can get a free testing kit from this forum - the picture up at the top of this page.

You also want to be testing for ketones.
http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Ketoacidosis
Those strips are very inexpensive at the drug store - the same urine strips that human diabetics use.
 
Since you are NOT giving insulin - go ahead and change the food 100% - that is as long as the cat will eat.

In the meantime, if you look at the top of the forum there is a link where you can request a starter kit that includes meter and some strips.
 
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