Prescription food on a budget?

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Moosmommy

Moosmommy

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone
My vet wants me to put my newly diagnosed cat on J/D from Science Diet. She said it's not expensive, but when I looked it up its $40 for an 8 lb bag!!!
I cannot afford that. Does anyone know of a brand that has the same ingredients that would be comparative and a lot less wallet friendly? I struggled before paying $12 for a 25 lb bag!
Thanks!
 
Do yourself and your cat a favour and don't buy this food. Go to the store and if kitty will eat wet food buy some Fancy Feast but you need to check the ingredients to make sure it is grain free. There is a link tahht shows you the amount of carbs in all sorts of different brands of food. But trust me the vet food is not what you should be buying :smile:
 
would you like to know why j/d isn't a good idea?

the ingredients are:
Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Mill Run, Fish Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxsee

so there is absolutely no muscle meat in it, and the first two ingredients are sub par at best. There are some additives to supposedly help with joints but those can be added to any quality food, plus the fact that J/d is not a prescription food for diabetics.

prescription foods serve very little purpose with a few exceptions like end stage renal failure, extreme inappetance, etc.

so please do read Dr Pierson's website and feed a food that you can afford that doesn't contain a ton of fillers that your cat doesn't need

Jen
 
I concur. don't let that vet sell you that crap! They make a profit from it and vets know nothing about nutrition, most of them.

So read up on Dr Lisa's site and if you can buy the premium canned foods with better quality meat, then do that, or go for the grain free/low carb, but still animal protein--Fancy Feast classic flavors (but only chicken, turkey or beef, not seafood because of UTIs)

You can get the premium brans--Wellness, Evo, Nature's Variety, Merrick, BG, etc. a little cheaper by buying cases, buying in bulke, waiting for sales and stocking up, using Petco discounts etc. It will be almost as cheap as Fancy Feast Classic, but much healthier, so theoreticallysaving you on vet costs down the line and controlling the diabetic kitty too
 
Wow. Interesting info. Thanks everyone. I did read the article and I bought some fancy feast, but see the importance of checking his levels first before starting the fancy feast so as not to drop him too low and give him insulin at the same time.
I am finishing up my dry food I have right now until his appt on Sat to check his levels for the first time since he started on insulin.
 
Are you testing at home? If not you really should be before you give insulin and if you are there is no need to take kitty to the vet for a test. You can save yourself a lot of money that way. Be prepared if you mention getting advise from the internet about diet and tessting the veet may look at you like you are crazy and try and convince you that they know best and that their food is the best.
 
I am not testing at home yet. I plan on it after his first initial visit and test. I am waiting for my stuff to come in the mail from my free kit from Rebecca.
 
Please see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for info on urine ketone testing. Until you are testing and giving insulin, you need to be sure he is not headed into diabetic ketoacidosis, which happens when fat is broken down for energy.
 
I guess I should say his next visit and test.
He is already on insulin and the vet said he's due back in to tests his levels in 7-10 days.
He is happy, purring, playing, peeing, poohing, and all of that jazz.
 
Please be really careful if you are giving insulin without testing till your kit gets there. What insulin are you using and how much per shot?
 
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