Safe diabetic canned foods in UK?

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Jstevens

Jstevens

Member Since 2016
Hi, my 13 year old cat Sooty is newly diagnosed and on her first week of insulin and it's a battle to get her to eat. Can anyone recommend a list of safe diabetic tinned food available in the UK? And is cooked fish or chicken or tinned tuna ok in small amounts in addition to mix in to tempt her to eat? Apart from not eating much and losing weight, she seems better than she has in a while, more energy, playing, purring etc. (I hope I'm not fooling myself - I've had lots of people tell me I should have her put to sleep. Please tell me diabetes can be treatable!!!)
 
Jstevens said:
Please tell me diabetes can be treatable!!!
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Hello and welcome! ...And diabetes is absolutely treatable! My cat has been diabetic for 9 years, and his diabetes hasn't impacted on his health at all. :)

There are lots of suitable foods for diabetics in the UK. Some are available from supermarkets. But your choice will be much bigger if you're willing to buy from pet stores or online.
We recommend that diabetics eat foods that have less than 10% calories from carbs. And there is a list of UK foods in my signature (at the bottom of this post). However, switching to a lower carb diet can lower a cat's blood glucose quite a bit. And that means that the insulin dose may also need to be lowered in order to prevent hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood glucose). So....for cats already on insulin we recommend that the diet is only switched to lower carb IF the caregiver is able to test/monitor the cat's blood glucose at home. Fortunately, this is very much easier than it sounds... Most of us use ordinary glucose meters made for humans, although there is also a pet-specific meter, the Alphatrak, available.

What are you feeding Sooty at the moment?
And yes, small amounts of chicken, tuna etc are fine to tempt a kitty to eat. And these foods can also make good 'reward' treats if you decide to test Sooty's blood glucose at home... ;)

Waving to you from Surrey!

Eliz
 
Hello again, @Jstevens ...
I see from another thread here that you're using Caninsulin (also known as Vetsulin in other parts of the world). Caninsulin sometimes gets a bit of a bad press around here for being one of the harder insulins to work with (it can drop the blood glucose fast, and can have quite a short duration). But please let me reassure you that some cats here have done very well on it. And if it turns out that it doesn't work for Sooty then your vet may well be willing to prescribe an alternative insulin. ;)

Eliz
 
Thanks the list is brilliant. I'm going armed with lots of info to the vets tomorrow. I want to know what I'm doing diet wise before insulin gets increased. I'll also ask about home testing, I think the vet uses the Alphatrak and he mentioned home testing to me before but I was still trying to take everything in. Waving back to you from Ashford, Surrey
 
Diabetes is certainly treatable... Bandit has been diabetic for over 7 years, and still going strong! If I had listened to those who told me I should euthanize him, I would have missed out on many wonderful, healthy years.

80+% of newly diagnosed cats go into remission when the right food, insulin, and dose adjustments via home testing are done. It is a very obtainable goal if you put in the effort.
 
Thank you. I feel much better about it already. Still lots of questions but I'm sure I'll tackle these as I go. All very daunting at the moment. Not sure what's involved in home testing, other than pricking the ear. How often does it need to be done? Also, if my cat is going to need insulin for years, I've only just about mastered injections in the scruff and I know I need to vary injection sites!
 
Jstevens said:
How often does it need to be done?
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The reality is that most people with diabetic cats out there don't test at all. Many people just give two shots a day and have blood glucose tests done periodically at the vets. But, if the caregiver is willing to test there can be huge benefits to that.

In a nutshell, 'hometesting' involves pricking the outer edge of the cat's ear to get a teensy weensy drop of blood; transferring that blood droplet to a test strip in a glucose meter; waiting for the meter to count down and give the result; and rewarding said kitty with a treat or a cuddle. Hometesting should not hurt your cat (there are very few nerve endings in the outer edge of the ear); and many cats come to enjoy the process if it means treats or cuddles are involved!

Hometesting is a quick and simple process that will give you a far greater understanding and sense of control over your cat's diabetes. You won't need to guess what her blood glucose level is; you'll be able to see what her blood glucose level is. Hometesting enables you to see how the insulin is working in the cat's body. It will enable you to give her better protection from hypoglycemia. And it may also save you money in vet's bills because you won't need to take your cat to the vet's so often for blood glucose tests.

As a minimum, we recommend testing the cat's blood glucose immediately before each insulin shot. That is just to check that the cat's blood glucose is high enough to warrant being given insulin. (For newcomers, we recommend that no insulin is given if the blood glucose at the time of the shot is below 11(200).
After that, it's very helpful to know how low that cat's blood glucose is dropping on a given dose of insulin. So, where possible, we also try to get one or more tests during the 'insulin cycle'. With Caninsulin/Vetsulin you may find that the lowest number of the cycle is between 4 - 5 hours after the shot.
Some people do the minimum amount of testing. Some people do a lot of testing. It varies depending on the person, the cat, and the situation.

This probably sounds like a lot to take on board at the moment. But it's amazing how quickly looking after a diabetic cat becomes routine.
And quite a few diabetic cats go into remission (ie are able to recover to the point where they can have their diabetes diet-controlled, either temporarily or permanently.)

Eliz
 
Jstevens said:
Also, if my cat is going to need insulin for years, I've only just about mastered injections in the scruff and I know I need to vary injection sites!
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It's only necessary to vary the injection site a little bit, so that you're not injecting into exactly the same spot all the time. And it's very early days, so please don't stress about this point too much. :bighug:
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No other health issues to my knowledge. All other blood tests ok. Absolutely gutted as just got back from the vets and blood glucose now 30 (25 last week). I know cats get stressed going to the vets - but 30!!!. I'm due to go on holiday next Sunday. Do I cancel? Do I put in a cattery to continue twice daily insulin but might stop eating due to stress of cattery, or I have someone who will look after Sooty in her own home and can do once daily insulin? I'm not starting home testing until after holiday so I wasn't going to switch to lower carb foods until then.
 
If it were my kitty I would start home testing today. The reason being not only the vet stress but also she could be bouncing. You really don't know what she is doing in her cycle until the wonderful people here can see some numbers so they can help you figure out what she's doing.

They figures out both of my kitties were getting way too much insulin in 3 seconds of me posting the spreadsheet. They helped me lower the dose and kept my kitties from dying! Yes, both would have died if I wouldn't have been home testing and following these wonderful people's advice. This board saved my kitties lives.
 
Jstevens said:
Sooty is newly diagnosed and on her first week of insulin and it's a battle to get her to eat.
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Have you changed her to a new food? Also check the following link to see whether Sooty is showing any signs of nausea:

Nausea symptoms and treatments

Since I've been a member here I have noticed that some cats can have appetite wobbles not long after starting insulin treatment - either with or without a food change taking place. I've looked online and found anecdotal evidence that insulin can cause tummy upsets in humans so it is not unreasonable to hypothesize that a cat receiving insulin might possibly experience similar GI upset.

Here are some suggestions for things to try to encourage Sooty to eat:

Persuading your cat to eat

Needless to say, let your vet know about the inappetence. Get help sooner rather than later if you can't get enough food into her each day. Also make sure that you are testing Sooty's urine daily for ketones (urine test strips available at pharnacies). For reference, trace ketones mean you need to call the vet straight away for advice on how to proceed (and post here, too). Anything higher than trace and you need to immediately take the cat to the vet for emergency treatment in order to avoid the kitty tipping over into DKA.


Mogs
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PS: I also recommend that you start home testing ASAP. Even a few days' worth of tests will give you a much better picture of how Sooty is responding to the Caninsulin. It will also help to inform your choices about holiday/boarding/cat-sitting. If you post the results here we'd be happy to give you some feedback. (BTW, good plan not to change food till you can do it in a managed and safe fashion.)


Mogs
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Hello from another Surrey member! Welcome to the board which is an absolute treasure trove of help, information and support about everything FD related and more.

I too am wondering about the inappetance issue. Are Sooty's teeth ok? Sometimes dental issues can prevent a cat from eating, and thus causes weight loss. Definitely worth asking the vet about this.

Good luck and keep posting.

Diana
 
Diana&Tom said:
Sometimes dental issues can prevent a cat from eating, and thus causes weight loss. Definitely worth asking the vet about this.
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Good point, Diana.

Another thing to check is whether Sooty's sense of smell is OK. Try giving her something 'stinky' - maybe pour a little water from a tin of tuna over her food and warming it a little to see if she's more interested in it? Cats need to be able to smell their grub. Might be worth asking the vet to check that out, too.


Mogs
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Thanks everyone. I've been worried about dka all day and have been watching Sooty like a hawk. What do I need to set myself up to home test or do I order the Alphatrak through the vets? I need to get urine strips as well to test for ketones. She's eating better today, her teeth were checked at the vets today and they are fine.
 
I'm delighted to hear Sooty's eating better today - and long may she continue to do so. :) Good news on the toothy-pegs as well.

I'm really glad to hear you're going to get a glucometer and start home testing. You could go for an Alphatrak but they're not cheap to feed in terms of test strip prices. You might get a better price on www.animeddirect.co.uk for the starter kit but in the current circumstances ordering through your vet might get it to you a lot faster. Animed do the best price on test strips but it's much cheaper to buy Freestyle lancets on Amazon or ebay (depending on which is cheaper at the time). The lancets are identical to the Alphatrak ones.

Your other choice would be to go for a human meter and use a cat-specific reference range with it. I use an Alphatrak day-to-day (cognitive issues and anxiety disorder overrule price concerns for me) but I've also got an Accu-Check Aviva as a backup meter for Saoirse. Other UK members may be able to make additional recommendations.

You should be able to get urine reagent strips at any pharmacy. Make sure they include a ketone test when purchasing.


Mogs
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Jstevens said:
What do I need to set myself up to home test or do I order the Alphatrak through the vets?
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You can either buy a 'human' meter from a pharmacy or buy the Alphatrak online or through your vet.

Most of us use human meters because they are a lot cheaper to use. But some folks here prefer the animal specific meter.
The Accu-check Aviva is a popular meter in the UK. It's generally easy to get from a pharmacy, and the test strips (the main cost of hometesting) can often be bought for up to half the RRP on Ebay.
I actually like the One Touch Ultra meter, but it needs a larger blood sample than the Accu-Check. The Accu-Check only requires a small blood sample.

You can begin to get Sooty used to the idea of being hometested (even before you get a meter) just by stroking, massaging, or holding her ear briefly, and then rewarding her with a tasty treat. You may also find it helpful to pop her up onto a table, worktop or desk in order to that. It is much easier to test if the cat is at that sort of level. Although some people like to have the cat on their lap while they test. Whichever you choose, it's helpful to try to establish a specific routine initially. Later on you may be able to test her anywhere, and quite possibly even while she's asleep... ;)

Ketodiastix or Ketostix should be available from most pharmacies. Ketodiastix test for both ketones and glucose. Ketostix test for ketones only. You only need a tiny amount of pee for a test. Crumpling clingfilm loosely on the surface of the litter tray is quite a good way to catch a sample. Anything above a 'trace' ketone reading is a reason for a vet visit, pronto.
Note: There are several different types of ketones, and not all will register on the test strips. So, it is also important to keep an eye on the cat's general health. And, if the cat is 'under the weather' do also be aware of how her breath smells. A fruity 'acetone' smell could indicate ketones.

Eliz
 
Hello and welcome you and Sooty from another UK member.
This is wonderful you found this site which is full of good information and excellent advice.
Try to read up as much as you can and familiarise yourself with how this site operates. It is a lot to take in but really worth it in the long run. It is a good idea to keep record of everything you're doing and maybe print some of the information about FD and keep it handy.
Vets in the UK usually want you to feed your cat diabetic Purina food and bring the cat in for weekly curves, they do not even mention that you could test at home and they try to keep diabetic cats in prediabetic state so the cat never has a chance of going into remission but "safely" stays in higher then normal BGs to avoid hypo.
My vet was the same (although she is quite good) but I put my foot down and argued about bad feeding advice (Rocky was already eating raw homemade species-appropriate diet and she tried to persuade me that dry kibble made from wheat, corn, meat byproducts and E-numbers and God knows what else was BETTER for my cat that more natural diet of fresh meat!). She was also surprised that I wanted to test at home! But I went prepared, I had some information printed out for her and she agreed to my way of dealing with Rocky's diabetes.
I use Accucheck Aviva meter which I really like as a second or backup meter but the main one is AlphaTrak. I really like them both as both give me very similar readings on low to moderate numbers, there is a bit of a difference on high numbers.
So good luck with Sooty, FD is very treatable condition and you can have a lot of wonderful years to come with your cat.
Just keep asking questions and print all relevant information to keep on hand.
Marlena
PS. I understand that you have not a pet insurance - than cost of everything has to be taken into consideration. Your most expensive option is AlphaTrak as test strips are very pricey - one cost £1!
 
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