Feline Diabetes
Insulin injections are the preferred method of managing diabetes in cats. Figure 1: To administer an injection, pull the loose skin between the shoulder blades with one hand. With the other hand, insert the needle directly into the indentation made by holding up the skin, draw back on the plunger slightly, and if no blood appears in the syringe, inject gently. Tips for Treatment 1. You can do it! Treating your cat may sound difficult, but for most owners it soon becomes routine. 2. Work very closely with your veterinarian to get the best results for your cat. 3. Once your cat has been diagnosed, it's best to start insulin therapy as soon as possible. 4. Home glucose monitoring can be very helpful. 5. Tracking your cat's water intake, activity level, appetite, and weight can be beneficial. 6. A low carbohydrate diet helps diabetic cats maintain proper glucose levels. 7. With careful treatment, your cat's diabetes may well go into remission. 8. If your cat shows signs of hypoglycemia (lethargy, weakness, tremors, seizures, vomiting) apply honey, a glucose solution, or dextrose gel to the gums and immediately contact a veterinarian. Possible Complications Insulin therapy lowers blood glucose, possibly to dangerously low levels. Signs of hypoglycemia include weakness, lethargy, vomiting, lack of coordination, seizures, and coma. Hypoglycemia can be fatal if left untreated, so any diabetic cat that shows any of these signs should be offered its regular food immediately. If the cat does not eat voluntarily, it should be given oral glucose in the form of honey, corn syrup, or proprietary dextrose gels (available at most pharmacies) and brought to a veterinarian immediately. It is important, however, that owners not attempt to force fingers, food, or fluids into the mouth of a Continue reading >>
Feline Diabetes
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM Introduction Warning: Before reading even the first sentence of this webpage, you must commit to reading past the STOP sign below. The first section of this paper discusses the detrimental impact of dietary carbohydrates on the blood glucose balance and insulin response of cats as a species – with pre-diabetic and diabetic patients being especially susceptible to the negative effects of high carbohydrate diets. However, if your cat is receiving insulin and you switch to a low carb diet –without lowering the insulin dosage – you will be putting your cat at significant risk for a hypoglycemic crisis. This is discussed under the STOP sign section below. I receive many emails each week asking for food recommendations for diabetic cats. Answers: 1) NO DRY FOOD but see Tips for Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food if you are dealing with a dry food addict. All cats can be transitioned to an appropriate diet (no dry food) if the owner is patient enough. 2) See Cat Food Composition chart and stay below 10% carbohydrate calories (the third column). There are many suitable low carbohydrate choices available depending on your cat’s preference and your budget. Many cats do well on Friskies Classic Pates and Fancy Feast. Stay away from food with gravy – they are high in carbohydrates. The same is true for most food with sauces. Higher protein/lower fat is also the goal. However, you will note that most commercial foods are low in protein and high in fat. Why? Because protein is expensive and fat is cheap This is one of many reasons why I make my own cat food. 3) See Commercial Foods when you are ready to learn more about evaluating pet foods. Cats are obligate carnivores and are designed to eat other animals (meat, organs, etc.) – not grains Continue reading >>
The Most Nutritious Diet For Diabetic Cats
Dear Dr. Fox: Even though I know you advocate feeding pets — especially diabetic ones — homemade food, I wonder whether you’d consider this question. My geriatric cat has been insulin-dependent for more than five years. I started him on Fancy Feast Classics, but I got shamed into changing him to Hill’s m/d. In the summer, I ventured back to Fancy Feast because he likes it so much better. Suddenly, his blood sugar dropped like a rock. On a schedule of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. insulin glargine injections, his glucose would be 70 to 100 at 1 or 2 a.m. Unusual behavior caused me to get up and test him. Could m/d have been keeping his blood glucose elevated? If I were to cook food for him, what should I give him? M.J., Cheyenne, Wyo. DF: As I repeatedly stress in this column, avoid feeding cats high-carbohydrate treats, as well as regular cat foods. I invited veterinarian Greg Martinez (visit dogdishdiet.com) to offer his opinion because I am impressed with his nutrition-first approach to animal health issues, which I have long advocated, and now I feel less alone professionally! “Diabetes in cats is thought to be caused by too many calories in the diet and too little activity. Overweight, sedentary cats develop Type 2 diabetes, which is the insulin-resistant type also seen in people. A diet with fewer calories per ounce, less fat and fewer carbohydrates will obviously have more protein, just the mix of ingredients that cats evolved to eat (rodents or other prey). That same mix of ingredients will also help cats lose weight and regulate their blood sugar. “Hill’s m/d diet is formulated to have fewer carbohydrates and less fat than other cat foods, but it still may have too many simple carbohydrates for some cats. The reason Fancy Feast Classics worked so well is that Continue reading >>
What Role Does Diet Play In The Treatment Of Diabetes Mellitus In Cats?
With diet, we attempt to supply adequate nutrients, maintain the ideal body weight, maintain proper levels of blood glucose, and provide for any underlying diseases or conditions. Also important, along with the actual diet, are the number of feedings, the quantity fed, and the relationship of feedings to insulin or administration. What are the calorie needs of diabetic cats? In general, the caloric needs of a diabetic cat are the same as those of a normal cat. If the cat is obese, the daily calorie intake is reduced by 25%, under the guidance of your veterinarian. The cat should not lose more than 3% of her body weight per week. Too rapid weight reduction can lead to hepatic lipidosis. As weight decreases, the insulin dose would also decrease in most cases. If a cat is underweight, feeding foods with high caloric density (a large number of calories in a small amount of food) may hasten weight gain. How often should a diabetic cat be fed? It will be very helpful for your veterinarian to know your cat's usual feeding habits before beginning diabetes regulation with insulin. There are two main feeding schedule options for a cat with diabetes. If your cat is used to eating 2 or 3 meals a day, the cat may be able to be kept on that schedule. For these cats, the insulin is usually given twice a day (12 hours apart) at mealtime. It is very important that your cat eats around the time the insulin is administered, or her blood glucose level may go too low. For some cats who tend to be finicky, it may be best to feed the cat right before the scheduled insulin injection. If she does not eat, contact your veterinarian who may recommend that you postpone or lower the insulin injection. Some cats tend to eat small amounts throughout the day rather than two or three larger meals. This Continue reading >>
Feeding Diabetic Cats
The aim of dietary change is to improve blood glucose control. Post prandial hyperglycaemia is far less marked in cats than in dogs. The need to time meals around insulin treatment and for high fibre diets to delay post prandial peaks is far less. Type of Diet It has been shown cats with diabetes mellitus respond best to a low-carbohydrate high-protein diet (this may not be appropriate for those with renal insufficiency). Commercial, ‘prescription’ diets designed for diabetic cats are available and are typically low-carbohydrate high-protein diets. Diabetic cats can also be stabilised on their usual diet (preferably exactly the same type and amount of food every day) if need be. Number of meals Many cats prefer to browse, eating many small “snacks” (somewhere in the range of 5-11) every day rather than being fed distinct meals. In cats, there also appears to be far less of a connection between feeding and hyperglycaemia, possibly due to the frequent, small ”meals”. Thus, Ideally, the usual feeding routine (e.g. food always available (ad libitum), meals/fresh food given twice or three times daily) should be kept when starting to stabilise a diabetic cat. The exception is cats that are obese. These cats should be given a diet designed for weight management and fed according to a strict regime until they reach their ideal/target body weight. In some cats, weight loss may dramatically reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin treatment.(“clinical diabetic remission”). Continue reading >>
Diabetes Prevention In Cats
Approximately 1 in 400 cats is diagnosed with feline diabetes mellitus every year, making this disease a growing concern among veterinarians and pet owners alike. Like diabetes in humans, feline diabetes is preventable and treatable; you can manage it through proper care and medical attention. What Is Feline Diabetes? Feline diabetes mellitus is essentially the cat version of sugar diabetes. Not many studies have been conducted on the disease, but it is believed to develop mostly in cats that are fed diets high in carbohydrates and low in protein. Like in humans, the disease reduces the production of insulin by the cat's pancreas, which results in the animal's inability to utilize glucose. Since the body can't utilize glucose without insulin, the body's blood sugar skyrockets and the excess glucose is then eliminated from the body by the kidneys through frequent urination. Preventing Diabetes in Cats One of the most effective ways to prevent feline diabetes is to feed the cat a high-protein diet using quality canned cat food instead of dry food. Canned cat food has a much higher protein content than dry, and it is most like the cat's natural diet, which in the wild consists of mice and birds. Another benefit of feeding a cat canned cat food is that it contains a high quantity of water; this is also similar to the cat's natural diet, as in the wild a cat gets most of its water through its meal. Feline Dietary Needs A lot remains unknown about feline diabetes, but it's certain that cats are obligate carnivores. This means they are designed by nature to eat high-protein animal-based diets and very few carbohydrates. A feline's body chemistry is not made to break down high levels of carbohydrates, and that is what most inexpensive, commercially made dry cat food consists of Continue reading >>
Binky's Page
Binky died not from diabetes but due to general failure of all systems. His obituary can be found here. Au revoir, sweet boy. Binky was my adorable, plush, extremely loving, beige tabby cat, who was diagnosed with diabetes in January 2000. Several years ago, with major input from the wonderful and supportive community at the Feline Diabetes Message Board (FDMB), as well as many others who have sent me information on cat foods, I compiled several useful documents, which are listed below. Continue reading >>
Does Dry Cat Food Really Cause Feline Diabetes
The link between food and feline diabetes is a subject that we’ve talked about before but it keeps coming up so I think it’s a good idea to revisit the subject. One of the concerns surrounding dry food is the carbohydrate content in the foods. Dry foods tend to have moderate to high levels of carbohydrates. Many sources on the internet will tell you that feeding dry foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates will cause your cat to develop diabetes. But is this true and what is the real relationship here? We know that feeding a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet can be effective for controlling the glycemic response in diabetic cats and many diabetic cats fed this type of diet will actually go into diabetic remission. Many people make the claim that since feeding these diets to a diabetic cat is beneficial, then feeding a healthy cat a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet should prevent diabetes. However, the situation is actually much more complex than that. In 2011, at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress, Claudia A. Kirk, DVM, PhD, DACVN, DACVIM presented a session entitled Cats and Carbohydrates – What is the Impact? These are some of the highlights of her presentation: Several studies have evaluated the potential role of carbohydrates in the pathogenesis of DM (diabetes mellitus) in cats. Summarizing key findings: An epidemiological study of cats from the Netherlands found indoor confinement and low physical activity and not amount of dry food were associated with DM. High carbohydrate intake was not considered a risk factor for feline DM. But recent reports from these investigators have suggested an association of high carbohydrate foods with calcium oxalate urolithiasis. Indoor confinement and physical inactivity rather than the pr Continue reading >>
Will My Diabetic Cat Need Prescription Cat Food?
One of the biggest and most important factors when treating a diabetic cat is nutrition. Your cat will not only need a brand new diet, but they may need a prescription diet. Learn more here. Was your cat recently diagnosed with diabetes? Even if you’re just delving into the best strategies for managing this disease, you’ve probably gotten a sense of the importance of your cat’s diet to managing feline diabetes. Find out what you’ll need to know about prescription cat food, and tips for feeding your cat after this diagnosis. In general, a prescription diet is not always necessary after a cat’s diabetes diagnosis. It can, however, make feeding simpler. For some cats, even ones on a non-prescription diet that follows all the recommendations, it can be tough to regulate their glucose levels. And for you, it can be a challenge to figure out how ingredients are balanced. Prescription diets remove this guesswork and the need for research. Prescription cat food is more costly, though -- you can expect to pay around $40 to $50 for two dozen cans of wet food. When Not Using an Rx Diet: Go With Wet Cat Food If your cat is currently on a dry food diet, a diabetes diagnosis is a cue to switch them over to wet food. As well as helping to keep them hydrated, wet food generally has less carbohydrates and more protein. For diabetic cats, the right diet is low in carbohydrates and high in protein so wet food more often fits the bill. Remember: cats are carnivorous creatures, and thrive on meat-based foods, so a protein-focused diet is the best option. If you do have to switch your cat from one food to another, do it slowly, since cats deal poorly with dietary changes. Try serving smaller and smaller amounts of the original food, while mixing in larger and larger amounts of the Continue reading >>
Nutrition
Feeding Your Diabetic Cat All members of the feline species are OBLIGATE CARNIVORES – this includes lions, tigers and our domestic cats. The feline genetic makeup requires cats to eat the tissue of other animals in order to thrive primarily because their digestive tracts are not able to adequately process a diet saturated with high carbohydrates from plant matter. The food we feed our cats is directly responsible for their overall health. Until an illness like FD is diagnosed, most of us haven’t given a second thought about the specific ingredients in the canned or dry kibble we feed our cats. Because of life stage and convenience “claims” made on pet food labels, coupled with veterinary advice we are given based on less than optimal and questionable education offered at the university level by the pet food companies themselves; we assume the foods we’re feeding are in fact species appropriate when more often than not, that isn’t remotely the case! A diet high in carbohydrates is a recipe for poor health for our cats and contributes heavily to diabetes in cats. Many cats with FD will even stop needing insulin once dry food is removed from their diet, certainly most diabetic cats will need less insulin once they are changed to a species appropriate diet. Feeding your cat dry food is the equivalent of raising your children on a steady diet of donuts and candy! That said, before you toss that bag of kibble in the trash, if your cat is already on insulin, please do not simply remove the dry food – this is a recipe for disaster which can and does result in clinical hypo. Before making any changes to your diabetic cat’s diet, please join us on Forum for important Detox information to help you make the transition from dry food to low carb wet food safely. Becau Continue reading >>
How To Feed A Diabetic Cat
Expert Reviewed Three Parts:Selecting Food for a Diabetic CatCreating a Feeding ScheduleMaintaining Your Cat’s ConditionCommunity Q&A Cats with diabetes can remain healthy with the right diet and lifestyle. Managing your cat’s diet will ensure your cat’s diabetes does not get worse or become a more serious health condition. To feed a diabetic cat, start by selecting food that is appropriate and healthy for them. Then, create a feeding schedule and maintain your cat’s condition so it can lead a full, happy life with diabetes. 1 Feed your cat wet food to increase their protein intake. High protein is an important dietary factor for cats with diabetes. Look for food that contains high quality protein sources like chicken, fish, or beef. Canned food can be fed to increase your cat’s protein intake and decrease their carbohydrate intake.[1] Diabetic cats with kidney disease may negatively react to a high protein diet, so talk to your veterinarian before switching your cat’s food. Cats with diabetes can become dehydrated easily, so choosing canned wet food for your cat also helps ensure they get the water they need at each meal. 2 Choose a high protein dry food if your cat won’t eat wet food. Dry foods that are high in protein and/or fiber can be fed to cats that are picky and will only eat dry food. Talk to your veterinarian before switching your cat’s food.[2] Be sure your cat has access to fresh, clean water at all times. 3 Select food high in fiber. Cats with diabetes may need food high in fiber so they can better absorb glucose and fat in their diet. High fiber diets are also good for weight loss, which is ideal if your cat is overweight or obese.[3] Read the label of the cat food and check the nutritional values listed. Make sure the canned food contains Continue reading >>
Diabetic Cat Food
Source Diabetic cat food may help you better manage your cat's diabetes. Diabetic Cat Food All cat foods are not created equal, but choosing a diabetic cat food that works well for your cat can play an important role in controlling his diabetes. While there are a number of diabetic foods on the market for felines, not all of them will be right for your cat. Before you change your cat's diet, you should consult your veterinarian. If you have a particular cat food you want to try, talk to your vet first. In many cases, not only do doctors look at a cat's diabetic condition, but they also consider how the new diet might affect any other medical conditions your cat may have. Contributing Conditions Often. a cat that suffers from diabetes also has other conditions that may be related and/or cause additional problems. In this case, both the diabetes and the other conditions must be addressed. Common conditions that are often related to diabetes include the following: Obesity: People who suffer from diabetes often have to manage their weight gain. They typically limit excess carbohydrates and, of course, sugars. The same can be true for cats. Limiting a cat's carb intake will make it easier to control his blood glucose. Kidney problems: While many cats benefit from a high protein diet, those with kidney disease may need lower amounts of protein. Pancreas problems: Conditions of the pancreas, such as pancreatitis, may be controlled by a low-fat diet, and this in turn may improve a cat's diabetes symptoms. Food Choices In the majority of cases involving cats with diabetes, owners are advised to feed their cats a low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet. Because a cat is considered a carnivore, its body is designed for high protein foods. Deciding whether to purchase canned or dry cat Continue reading >>
New Study Confirms This Is The Worst Food To Feed Your Cat
A recent study suggests dry food increases the risk of diabetes in cats, including those who are a normal weight These study results are unsurprising to pet nutrition experts who understand the physiology of cats and the problem with diets high in carbs (starch) Cats should not be fed kibble, and calories from carbs should comprise less than 10 percent of total daily calories Kitties should also get at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise each day Despite conventional wisdom, with patience and persistence, almost any dry-food addicted cat can be transitioned to a high-quality canned food or raw diet By Dr. Becker I’ve been shouting this from the rooftops for years, as have many of my holistic veterinary and pet nutrition colleagues, but it’s encouraging to see it appear as a headline on a conventional medical website like Diabetes.co.uk: “Feeding cats dry food could increase feline diabetes risk”1 Actually, my experience treating hundreds of cats over the years tells me there’s no “could” about it — kibble absolutely, unequivocally increases the risk your kitty will develop diabetes. Study Shows Even Normal Weight Cats Eating Kibble Are at Increased Risk for Diabetes The article at the U.K. diabetes site reports on a Swedish study of a little over 6,700 cats, 1,369 of which had diabetes. The cats’ guardians completed an online survey involving dozens of questions about their pet’s breed, age, sex, spay/neuter status, general health, body size, exercise habits, behavior, medications and diet.2 Based on the owners’ answers regarding diet, the cats were divided into three groups: cats who were fed dry food, cats fed wet food and cats fed a combination of dry and wet. The kitties’ body types were also categorized as underweight, normal weight or over Continue reading >>
Best Diabetic Cat Food
The exact cause of diabetes in cats isn’t known but it seems to affect overweight and obese cats more than other cats. This is probably because being overweight makes the body less sensitive to insulin’s effects. Diabetes is also more likely to occur in older cats – which are also more likely to be overweight. Read Story If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes it is usually a frightening time for an owner. Symptoms typically include lethargy, increased urination, increased thirst, and loss of appetite. Your cat’s urine may be sticky to the touch because it literally contains sugar excreted from his body. Left untreated, diabetes can become life-threatening. However, many cats have diabetes and live long, happy lives with proper management. Following your vet’s diagnosis, you will probably have to give your cat regular doses of the hormone insulin to help control his condition. Feeding your cat a diet suited to his condition can also help manage his diabetes. Quick Look : Top 4 Best Diabetic Cat Foods Food Price Nutrition Rating You probably already know that cats require meat in their diets. They need more meat and protein than dogs and they are not as good at breaking down carbs and starches as dogs. This is even more true when it comes to diabetic cats. Their bodies have greater difficulty moving sugar/glucose from the bloodstream to distribute it to the cells in the body. This is why sugar builds up in the cat’s bloodstream and can become harmful. As you might guess, it makes sense to feed a diabetic cat a diet that has less starch in it so it won’t break down into more sugar/glucose. According to the latest research, diabetic cats can benefit from diets that are high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates. Kitten foods (especially canned kitten foo Continue reading >>
Cat Diabetes - Cat Diet Questions
(Shrewsbury, England ) Our 11-year-old male, semi-feral and highly strung male cat has just been diagnosed with feline diabetes. The vet put him on cat insulin injections twice daily. It was an absolute nightmare, but we managed eventually to give him some injections. However, he now runs away from us every time we came close to him or call him. He has quickly learned when the time is due for his injections. Two days ago he completely went missing and had nothing to eat or drink all day and on his return was totally stressed and hid away. We contacted our vet and he has now taken him off insulin and put him on a Hills special diet food (both dry and wet variety). Our concern is that he weighs 6.5 kilos and is solidly built. He is a 'grazer' and his daily diet since being a kitten consists of about 400 grams of freshly cooked whitefish (cod or Haddock), some prawns in the morning and he sometimes helps himself to our other four rescue cat's food dishes which contains ordinary wet cat food and dry food. The vet has said wean him off the fish. It is not possible to feed him separately, so all the other cats will also have to on the Hills veterinary diet food. Our concerns are: 1. Will this course of action help to manage his diabetes as his current diet is high on protein and low on carbs? 2. As our other cats will now also have to go on the special diet, will it in any way detrimentally affect them? 3. Are there any other treatments for diabetes that can be given orally? Can you recommend any other course of action, because we are out of our minds with worry about our diabetic cat. Dear Judy, First, let me start by saying that I'm surprised your cat even became diabetic on the low carb, high protein you have been feeding him for what sounds like the majority of your kitty Continue reading >>
