Newbie needs food advice for pancreatitis + diabetes!

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Ashley Merrill

Ashley Merrill

Member Since 2019
Hello everyone,

I’m brand new here and desperate for some advice - I’m sorry if this post is crazy long!
My 13 y/o cat Wesley has a history of IBD (not currently a problem) and now chronic pancreatitis with frequent and severe flare ups, and at this point he has pre-diabetes and huge blood sugar jumps when he’s in a panc flare. He has been on prednisolone for a few years. He is not on insulin as the vet would like to put him on a diabetic diet and see if we can stave off full blown diabetes. The vet would like him on Purina DM canned, and I would like to find a healthier alternative. I have done hours of research (to include pouring over Dr Lisa’s cat food charts) and I’m having a hard time finding a high quality canned food that is low carb and moderate fat (mod. fat for the pancreatitis, even though the data on that is mixed). Does anyone have any suggestions? The vet suggested a protein other than chicken (since that can be an irritating protein for IBD cats) but that limits the options. So far I have tried Rawz Turkey (he refused that), but we might try the rabbit formula if the fat & carbs aren’t too high. He won’t eat raw or home cooked either. I’m interested in trying Ziwi Peak (which he liked before but it’s higher fat) or Tiki Velvet Mousse, but that’s chicken. Hoping for some advice on finding a balance between low carb and moderate fat- this is certainly a challenging mix of health issues to manage with a picky eater!

Thank you all in advance for any tips you might have!
-Ashley & Wesley
 
Hi Ashley and Wesley and welcome.
You have come to the best place for information and support.
You are right. purina DM is not the best food....have a look for canned food with carbs 10% or less in the Lisa Pierson list.
Not sure what country you are in. Have you looked at Weruva foods? I found them good and they tell you all the food values in their website.
One thing I would recommmend you do is to buy a human glucose meter and start testing the blood sugars each day at different times to see what they are doing. Testing at the vets is unreliable as cats get very stressed. Test before food and a couple of hours after food to see what the blood sugar levels (BSLs are doing. Just a couple of tests each day at different times will tell us a lot about how Wesley is.
Do you think Wesley is nauseated and that is why he is refusing some foods or do you think he is a bit picky because of his IBD. I had an IBD kitty who was on prednisolone and it was often hard to find food which he would eat.
I would recommmend you set up a spreadsheet for Wesley and start entering the BSLs you take. It is much easier to see how he is going with a SS..here is a link to setting it up. If you have trouble, ask for help and we will help you set it up
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

And here is a link there to tips for testing the BSL
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Do you have anti nausea meds at home such as cerenia and ondansetron, and pain meds in case of a flare of pancreatitis?
Does he need subQ fluids as well during a flare and do you do those at home as well?

Keep asking lots of questions.
Bron
 
Hi Bron,
Thank you for the reply and the information!
We are in the US. I have tried some Weruva, but he seems to prefer pate formulas. With Weruva, he would eat the broth and leave the shreds behind. It seems to me that on Dr Lisa’s chart there just aren’t many low carb and lower fat foods, that’s what’s so hard! :(
I am taking him to the vet Tuesday to talk about glucose testing, and I totally agree with what you’re saying about home testing. The spreadsheet is a great idea, so we will definitely implement that.
When he has a pancreatitis flare, we do have all of those meds you listed on hand along with injectable pain meds and fluids. The flares are getting so frequent that I’m desperate to find a better food and see if that helps him. He is currently on a higher fat higher carb wet food that I am going to transition him off.

Thank you again for your help!
 
Don't be surprised if your vet is not keen on home testing of the BSLs. A lot of vets aren't.
But itis your decision (a very good decision) and don't be put off by the vet.
Buy a human meter....they are cheaper to run ( the strips are much cheaper than the Alphatrak meter) and our protocol uses the human meter BSLs.
MySheba used to get Pancreatic flares. Do you have the blood test results from the vet for Wesley? If you don't,you can ask him to Email them to you. We all keep our results at home. If you can get them you can post them....we have someone very good how can look at them and maybe be able to help you with suggestions.
There is a very good report on pancreatitis which I had bookmarked but which got deleted by mistake. I am going to ask @Chris & China (GA) if she can send you the article.. hi Chris would you mind sending the pancreatic article to Ashley please and also sending me the link of Where can I find? Thanks!
 
You could try primal freeze dried raw. You rehydrate and they end up not quite pate but much smoother than something like tiki cat. My cat wouldn't eat frozen raw but liked the primal freeze dried. They have a selection of novel proteins. I've only used the Turkey. The Mud Bay pet store had little individually wrapped samples so you could try asking for samples at a store that carries it. They used to have dry analysis on their website but it looks like they've gone to guarenteed analysis :(. You could try calling them. I didn't see it on dr Lisa's list, although I'm pretty sure it's very low carb.

https://primalpetfoods.com/collections/feline-raw-freeze-dried-formulas
 
billysmom (GA) said:
You could try primal freeze dried raw. You rehydrate and they end up not quite pate but much smoother than something like tiki cat. My cat wouldn't eat frozen raw but liked the primal freeze dried. They have a selection of novel proteins. I've only used the Turkey. The Mud Bay pet store had little individually wrapped samples so you could try asking for samples at a store that carries it. They used to have dry analysis on their website but it looks like they've gone to guarenteed analysis :(. You could try calling them. I didn't see it on dr Lisa's list, although I'm pretty sure it's very low carb.

https://primalpetfoods.com/collections/feline-raw-freeze-dried-formulas
Click to expand...

Thank you! I will look into Primal right now. I did get a sample of Ziwi Peak lamb freeze dried raw, but since it’s only 14% moisture content, isn’t that pretty much the same as kibble but with better nutrition? The Ziwi Peak doesn’t even need to be rehydrated according to the bag, so that seems similar to kibble (unless it’s different since it’s freeze dried raw?) and even rehydrated I couldn’t get it to match a can of food. Do you happen to know the overall consensus of freeze dried raw for a diabetic cat since it’s so low in moisture?
 
You should rehydrate it, especially for a diabetic cat. It's mostly meat, whereas kibble has a lot of starches or other fillers added. It won't look the same as a can of food, but remember canned is cooked and has thickeners added. Try breaking the primal cubes up fine before rehydrating.

The quail, turkey and venison look the lowest fat.
 
billysmom (GA) said:
You should rehydrate it, especially for a diabetic cat. It's mostly meat, whereas kibble has a lot of starches or other fillers added. It won't look the same as a can of food, but remember canned is cooked and has thickeners added. Try breaking the primal cubes up fine before rehydrating.

The quail, turkey and venison look the lowest fat.
Click to expand...
Thank you! If he goes for the rehydrated Primal, is it essentially the same on his body as canned food as far as the necessary moisture content?
 
I don't know why it wouldn't be. You can add as much water as you want. I've heard some cats can have intestinal issues when switched to raw too quickly. Billy didn't have a problem with it, but you may want to transition over to it... once you decide if he likes it that is :).
 
billysmom (GA) said:
I don't know why it wouldn't be. You can add as much water as you want. I've heard some cats can have intestinal issues when switched to raw too quickly. Billy didn't have a problem with it, but you may want to transition over to it... once you decide if he likes it that is :).
Click to expand...
Thanks again :) I can’t tell you how much this group is already helping me get ideas and get a grip on what these health issues mean. I really appreciate your advice!
 
Max had chronic pancreatitis for years before he became diabetic. Fat usually is not an issue for cats like it is for people and dogs. I fed Max the fancy feast pates when he became diabetic. Before that he preferred the chunky or flaked. Whoever he had a flare he would become inappetent so I always had Ondansetron for him. He wasn’t fond of weruva but when having a flare lined some Soulistic pouches. They are high carb though so he only got them if his BG dropped.
 
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