Are there ANY dry foods...

Before anyone yells at me, I have read fully all of the resources, catinfo.org, etc. and fully understand the importance of feeding your Diabetic kitty canned food only (less than 10% carbs). The problem I'm having is I have 6 other cats, who are ALSO being fed wet food twice a day, but who are NOT taking kindly to having their kibble completely removed from their diets, and it's becoming a quality of life issue for ME. I work 4 jobs, and even though I make sure I am here twice a day to give Joplin his shots and feed all of them their wet food, I am being screamed at all hours of the day and (more importantly), woken up in the middle of the night and early morning hours by my cats demanding to be fed. I'm feeding Joplin extra right now, because I realize he needs it, so that means every time I walk into the kitchen to feed him, I have a trail of 6 following him and it's becoming insane around here. I'm exhausted. Are there ANY dry foods that clock in at the 10% or less for carbs that I could *sometimes supplement* my other, NON-diabetic cats with?

 

Yes- viewtopic.php?f=28&t=95774

 

Before you resort to dry, you might try freezing the wet and leaving it out to thaw or smearing in around the plates so they have to lick it up or adding warm water to it to make it more soupy. That may make them think they are getting more food and slow down the eating. How much are you feeding? Is it possible they are getting too little?

Having said that, they are lower carb dry - Evo is one though I think they had a recall issue. Some people are liking Young Again - only available on line.

 

Young Again 0 Carb - Internet - pricey, some report the cat will eat less, so it may work out.
Innova Evo Cat & Kitten - most large or specialty pet supply stores
Wellness Core Original in gold and tan bag - Most large or specialty pet supply stores

Transition slowly to reduce the chances of GI upset.
For example:
Mix in 25% more of the low carb and 25% less of the high carb each day.
If you start seeing diarrhea, take another day or two at the same level.

 

Yes there are. This chart lists dry food data. It dates back to 2008, though so it might not be exactly the same today.

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/dryfood.html

I think the three lowest are Inova Cat and Kitten, Wellness Core and Purina DM. There's also a new food called Young Again Zero Carb.

 

The Young Again Zero Carb is mail order only, pricey ($49/8# bag) but some members here swear by it.

http://www.youngagainpetfood.com/10browse.asp?category=cats&ProductCode=92100

 

You could try Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw food - while this is "dry" it is a raw food that is in lots of ways better than actual dry food kibbles. You can start them off eating it completely dry and slowly over time add water to it, as it is supposed to be served with water added to reconstitute it.

My cats love this and only like it served dry. It hasn't affected Maui's bg's and it satisfies Buster's desire for crunch and is healthier than actual dry food.

Here is where I found it to be cheapest to buy:

http://www.petfood.com/item/stella-and- ... od/498360/

It comes in several flavors, so you have choices and if you sign up for auto shipment you automatically get 15% discount - you can cancel the auto ship anytime too. You can even look online for other discount codes to use. The one I recently used was 15% discount and $1.99 for shipping.

 

Wow, thank you so much. I really was afraid I was going to get yelled at. lol. Like I said, they're all still getting wet. At this time, I'm feeding half a can (2.5 oz.) morning and night, except for Joplin, who is ravenous and is eating close to 2 full cans a day. His appetite seems insatiable. Most of my cats are fine with that, but I have a couple piggies that want their dry food too, and they are making my life a living hell over removing it. I picked up a bag of Wellness Core and will see how they all tolerate it. I'm still going to try to keep Joplin from eating it, but at least if he does manage to sneak a little bit, it will be low carb. Thanks again!

 

An unregulated diabetic is ravenous because he can't use all the food he consumes. You can feed about 50% more food than a normal cat of the same size to help with that. Adding a tablespoon or two of water may help him feel more full. Spreading the food out into several mini-meals may help keep him from getting too hungry, or freezing some of it and letting him nibble as it thaws. How much does he weigh?

Am I reading correctly that each of the civvies is getting only 2.5 oz per meal? That may not be enough if they are antsy over being fed.

 

You know if I was going to comment about anything its about the insulin. Can we make a change to Lantus levemir or prozinc? That, combined with a low carb food, will give Joplin the best chance at regulation and possible remission.

Wendy

 

Hey! We suggest best practices but know that for whatever reasons, some kitties refuse to 'get with the program'. Yes, we think low carb wetfood is best for many reasons,especially kidney and urinary tract health. We will probably still continue to nag you about that diet change some more.

You have to feed what your kitties will eat. There may be times they aren't feeling well and 'fall off the wagon' of nice low carb wet food. ;-)

Do the best you can, and keep trying to transition to wet.

What are the weights on your civies? My little Delta is 7 pounds 4 ounces and she eats at least 4 ounces of wet food a day to maintain her weight. We'd like to check to make sure they are getting enough calories.