Question about switching food

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William Rufo

Member Since 2016
So my cat has had diabetes for a year now. Since he's been put on DM dry food he has constantly needed to change his Lantus insulin dose. Wet DM food is too expensive so I'm considering feeding him Fancy Feast Classics Chicken. How many cans a day should I feed my 13 year old 12 lb cat?
 
There's no clear-cut formula on how much is the right amount.....Very generally speaking, there's a formula of [13.6 x weight in lbs] + 70, so for a 12lb cat, that would be about 233 calories per day. It will be important to weigh him once a week and adjust as needed though

Depending on the flavor, each 3oz can is between about 80-90 calories (Food Chart including calories here)

The MOST important thing though will be to be home testing when you change....dropping from a high carb kibble like DM to a low carb canned can drop the blood glucose 200 points or more
 
DM dry food is very high in carbohydrates, the FF Classic chicken is a much better choice for a diabetic kitty! The general rule of thumb for feeding is about 20 calories per pound of weight, or desired weight if kitty needs to gain. There is also a formula you can use: weight of cat x 13.6 +70. Either method comes out to roughly the same number. Using these methods and your cat's weight of 12 pounds, he should be eating a little more than 2 1/2 cans of FF Classic chicken per day, given that the food is about 90 calories per can. But there really is no hard, fast rule, so your guy may need more/less for optimum weight. :) PLEASE NOTE: You MUST be home testing if you are going to transition to wet food from dry food. Your cat's BG can drop significantly and put him at a greatly heightened risk of hypoglycemia, so he must be monitored closely throughout the transition!

Lol, I see Chris and China posted the same info to you while I was typing!
 
I think I just started before you....Usually I get a sign that "another comment has posted", but most of this afternoon/tonight, I haven't been so maybe the message board is just being a little wonky tonight
 
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